Poker Starting Hands: What to Play Before the Flop
Most of your profit comes from the hands you fold. Winning players are selective before the flop and aggressive with the hands they do play.
The Hands Worth Raising
Think in tiers:
- Premiums: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK — raise from anywhere
- Strong: TT–77, AQ, AJs, KQs — raise in most spots
- Speculative: small pairs, suited connectors (like 8♥7♥), suited aces — great in position or to call one raise
Suited and connected cards make flushes and straights that win big pots.
Remember: Suited beats offsuit, and connected beats gappy. J♥T♥ is far better than J♦4♠.
Raise or Fold — Rarely Limp
When you're first into the pot, come in for a raise. Limping (just calling the big blind) is usually a mistake:
- Raising can win the blinds right away
- Raising builds a pot for your strong hands
- Raising takes the initiative — you get to c-bet later
If a hand isn't good enough to raise, it usually isn't good enough to play.
The Trap Hands
These look playable but quietly lose money, especially from early position:
- Weak aces: A7o, A5o — often dominated by better aces
- Offsuit face cards: KJo, QJo, QTo — make second-best pairs
- Gappy offsuit junk: Q9o, J8o — rarely make strong hands
They're called "trap" hands because they make the second-best hand — top pair with a bad kicker — which costs you money.
Remember: Being dominated means you share a card with a better hand (A7 vs AK). You'll make a pair and still lose.