Poker Starting Hand Chart

31.10.2024
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Updated 31.10.2024
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Чарты стартовых рук в покере

What are we talking about here? Starting hand charts are basically tables with a range that help a player sort hole cards, avoid entering the pot with wrong hands in wrong positions, and avoid difficult situations.

What should you pay attention to? Poker is a complex game in which strategy should cover even periods before the cards are dealt. Knowing the starting hand charts will help novice players arrange a successful game plan: figure out which cards are good to play and which belong should be folded.

What are starting hands in poker?

In poker, “starting hands” refers to the combination of two cards that a player receives in the initial hand. This combination is extremely important for our further strategy. A lucky starting hand may lead to a huge win in a high-stakes game.

The importance of starting hand charts is due to several reasons. They help you know how strong your hand is before the common cards are open. Depending on the combination you get, you can confidently assess your probable advantage in the hand. In addition, the playing style (aggressive, conservative or mixed) in each hand is dictated by the way people play starting hands.

Assessing the potential of a starting hand and its strength allows you to make more informed and correct decisions during the game. Starting hand charts are designed to help poker players decide whether they should stay in the hand or fold. This strategy reduces the risk of losing in the long term.

Top 5 Starting Hands

Starting hands are strong or “premium” if the player is dealt a combination of cards that gives a high chance of success.

Чарты стартовых рук в покере

Here are the starting hand charts for Texas Hold’em, the most popular variation of poker:

  • AA (Pair of Aces). This is the most powerful combination.
  • KK (Pair of Kings). Also a very strong starting hand that only loses to aces.
  • QQ (Pair of Queens). Not a bad starting hand, but the risk of losing is greater than with those mentioned above.
  • AKs (Ace and King of the same suit). People also call this hand “Big Slick”; with some luck, you can make a really strong combination like flush or straight.
  • JJ (Pair of Jacks). This starting hand is still quite strong, but not as those that we mentioned already.

If you get one of those hands, then there is a high probability of making a winning combination on the flop, turn and river. However, we must not forget that in poker the art of bluffing and the ability to read opponents are of great importance. Therefore, you should take into account the circumstances of every spot and try to predict the outcome.

How to choose starting hands

The library of starting hand charts for MTT players is a step towards mastery of poker. The choice of the hand to play depends on many factors, so experienced players make decisions after carefully analyzing the situation.

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Here is the list of key aspects we recommend you to take into account:

  • Poker players calculate the sequence of their actions depending on their position at the table: whether they are in early, mid or late position. At the very early position, you should be as careful as possible when choosing a starting hand, since it is still impossible to evaluate the actions of your opponents.
  • You should try to determine your opponents’ playstyles as early in the game as possible. Notice how often they enter the pot, the amount of bets they put in, when they fold, etc. Against aggressive opponents, you should enter the game with a strong starting hand. With conservative players, you can try different tactics and ultimately choose the most profitable.
  • You should also pay close attention to bet sizes people use. Large bets may indicate a strong starting combination. Using this information together with an analysis of the opponent’s emotions, you can make a decision on how to play your hand.
  • Most players, especially newcomers, study starting hand charts to understand which combos are actually profitable to play in different situations.
  • The amount of money you are willing to put in the game is also important when choosing a starting hand. Strategy in tournaments and regular cash games can differ significantly. For example, as blind levels increase, players switch to a more aggressive style of play.

To increase the likelihood of winning, you need to simultaneously take into account many factors, analyze incoming information in order to adjust your strategy noting all the changes occurring at the table.

What is a starting hand chart?

Starting hand chart is a table of all the possible combinations of cards you can get at the start of the hand. Using this chart, a player can figure out which hands he should play in different spots.

It is characteristic that suits are not displayed in the charts; otherwise, the infographics would end up being gargantuan with a lot of details. Hands are separated in two categories:

  • Suited. Marked “S”.
  • Offsuit. Marked “O”.

By default, the background of the starting hand chart is usually of light color (white mostly). Some of the cells in the table are colored in specific colors. The color usually determines the way you should play a hand.

This information will help beginners improve their game strategy and develop their unique game style; it will also be useful for more experienced poker players.

Many experienced players adjust the starting hand charts to suit their needs. Inexperienced players, on the other hand, should first understand the basics of when to play different types of hands and when to fold. The strategy and game style of a player influence the decision.

Tight players prefer to play a narrow range. They prefer premium starters. A loose-aggressive style involves choosing a wide range and trying to bluff.

Чарты стартовых рук в покере

For players who have only recently begun to master the art of poker, it is better to use a premade table of starting hands at first. As you develop your own style and develop a strategy, you can gradually make adjustments, adapting the chart to suit you.

When choosing what hands to play, you should also consider the possible range of hands of your opponents.

How to use starting hand charts

Premade charts of starting hands are quite popular amongst beginners. To use the chart’s data correctly, you should listen to the recommendations of experts:

  • Thoroughly study the chart before using it. You need to distinguish for certain which hands are strong and which are not.
  • Analyze the situation that developed in a particular game. Range of hands you want to play may vary significantly depending on your position at the table. For example, in the early positions you can play a limited amount of hands.
  • Charts do not guarantee you will win. Always take into account the tendencies of your opponents. If you notice that other players often fold or, conversely, demonstrate an aggressive style, be sure to consider it when building your tactics.
  • A chart is a kind of guideline. Do not try to remember all the information by heart. Gradually study the information contained in the chart and try to put it in practice.

When experience comes, you can begin to develop your own playing style, some elements of which may even contradict the starting hand charts. It is important to use the tables as a cheat sheet without trying to follow all the recommendations strictly and without hesitation.

How to read poker hand charts

In order to read the charts correctly, you need to have an understanding of some of the basic aspects of poker. Only those players who have a deep understanding of basic poker concepts can use the cheat sheet in the games efficiently.

The charts list different starting hands, divided into categories based on their strength. As a rule, the first letter of their name represents the cards. Suited and offsuit hands are represented separately.

It is also important to understand the principle of chart construction. For example, a chart can display different positions at the table (early, middle, late), different combinations within each of them. In addition, there may be additional recommendations for behavior in certain phases of the game.

In some tables, cells with the strongest hands are colored green and with mediocre hands red. In this case, yellow usually represents dubious hands. This way, it is much easier for players to navigate through the chart.

The charts also take into account the position of the player at the table, who should know how position affects his hand ranges. For example, a hand that is a standard raise from late position does not look so attractive in early position.

Чарты стартовых рук в покере

Some versions of starting hand charts may be accompanied by detailed comments containing advice on adjusting the strategy depending on the current situation. This could be recommendations on behavior after the flop, when an opponent unexpectedly raised the bet, or advice to fold the hand in certain spots, etc.

Color-coding in poker charts

Color highlighting in the starting hand charts is used to visually indicate the different categories of hands. In this case, the emphasis is on differentiating strong and weak combos. This allows poker players to quickly navigate the table and assess their prospects.

Color filling and lettering are present in almost every chart. The following encoding is considered canonical (most frequently used):

  • Green. As a rule, this color represents the strongest hands. This category includes pocket aces and kings, as well as AK suited.
  • Yellow. This color usually represents decent hands that are not at the top, but still okay to play under certain circumstances. These are pairs of queens, jacks and other decent combinations.
  • Red. Traditionally the color that means danger. Mostly weak hands you should rather fold.

This coloring allows you to quickly navigate the chart and make the right decisions for the chosen style of play.

However, it is important to remember that different authors may use different color-coding. Therefore, before applying the information in practice, you must carefully study all the symbols and instructions for use. This way you can avoid some stupid mistakes.

How to choose starting hand charts

These are guidelines you should follow when choosing a poker hand chart:

  • Use only proven charts compiled by professional players. This is usually information collected and tested in practice by experienced coaches, many of whom are also authors of articles and books on poker.
  • Correlate the compatibility of a particular chart with your experience and playing style. For example, a table focused on the standard optimal strategy is suitable for beginners.
  • There are different types of poker (Omaha, Hold’em, etc.), the rules of which are different. Accordingly, you should choose the chart for the type of game you are actually going to play.

Poker is a fairly dynamic game, so strategies that were effective yesterday may not live up to expectations today. Therefore, it is best to download and use only the latest versions of the starting hand charts.

Pros and cons of using starting hand charts

The importance of starting hand charts can hardly be overestimated. There are several reasons to use those:

  • Charts are a guideline for beginners. A list of instructions that will help you quickly and effectively master the basics of this exciting game and develop a strategy at the very beginning.
  • The charts contain a set of standard hands and tips for avoiding inevitable losses with the wrong strategy based on a wide (or, conversely, excessively narrow) range of hands. Thus, a reasonable balance between aggressive and conservative styles is determined empirically.
  • Starting hand charts take into account various factors: position at the table, opponents’ playing style and the current phase of the tournament. Charts help you make the right decision in a specific situation.

While having clear advantages, charts are not without their disadvantages:

  • With all the detail in the table, it is impossible to provide for all options for the development of the game, the real dynamics of which may differ greatly from the recommendations, which in most cases are of a general nature. Thus, exact execution of instructions while ignoring circumstances that arise during the game can lead to mistakes and losses.
  • The chart does not include all the variations of styles that poker players adhere to. Some players just feel more comfortable playing hands they are used to.
  • If a player blindly copies all the recommendations of the starting hand chart, then his opponents can notice this and use this fact to their advantage.
  • There is no space for creativity. Sometimes experienced players make unexpected and non-trivial actions, relying on intuition, which confuses their opponents and leads to success.

Starting Hand Chart for 9-max

The table is relevant for not only full table cash games, but also is applicable at the initial stages of tournaments, when players have deep stacks, and the number of players at the table reaches nine people.

Чарты стартовых рук в покере

The chart is useful for beginners to navigate preflop spots. It ensures a high probability of not having big problems in the later stages of the game.

Starting Hand Chart for 6-Max

The starting hand chart for 6-max cash players takes into account the peculiarities of this type of game. The short table version of the game (6-max) is quite dynamic. Number of fans of these tables grows fast. However, when there are less people at the table, one requires more experience because the smaller the table, the more hands you should play.

Frequently asked questions about starting hand charts

Are there any differences in the starting hand charts for MTT?

In poker tournaments, the blinds vary. For this reason, it is almost impossible to develop a single universal chart. The stack at the start is deep, and in the middle, it is around 30-40 blinds. And in later stages your stack can easily drop to a push-fold stage.

Who will benefit from starting hand charts?

The table containing combinations of cards is a mathematically calculated model of the strategy at the preflop stage of the game. Even experienced players can benefit from using the charts to hone their style.

What situations can be analyzed in the charts?

One can find all the combinations for the heads-up games and most of the spots for multiway spots in charts.

Let us note once again that the charts should be treated as a general guideline, and not as a mandatory step-by-step instruction, following which guarantees winning. Tables are only the basis for developing your own playing style.

Nik Maslov Professional poker coach since 2021
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