Texas Hold'em Pre-Flop Rankings
Knowing the strength of your pocket cards and knowing when to play them is an important part when playing Texas Hold'em.


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Tier 1
The best starting hands

Ace-Ace

King-King

Ace-King, suited

Queen-Queen

Jack-Jack

Tier 2
Very strong starting hands

Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, Ace-10, all suited

Ace-King

King-Queen, suited

10-10

Ace-10, King-Jack, Queen-Jack,
Jack-10, all suited

Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack

9-9

King-Queen

King-10, Queen-10, suited

Tier 3
Hands that are playable in most positions,
but not as strong

8-8

Jack-9, 10-9, both suited

7-7

10-10

9-8, 8-7, both suited

Ace with any other suited card

King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10

Tier 4
Decent hands that are best played sparingly
and in late position

Any low pair (e.g. pairs below 7)

Connected suited cards, such as 8-7, 5-4, 4-3

Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10

King-9, Jack-8, both suited

Any hand not mentioned is generally regarded as a weak hand and should only be played in situations where you have an advantage on your opponent.

For example:
Late position with no callers against the blinds or against weak players.