High Pocket Pairs:  Pairs from Aces (AA) to Tens (TT) are always a good starting hand. They often begin as the best hand and hold up. They also have the opportunity to complete high flushes and straights, and they show a large profit when they flop a Set.

 

Middle Pocket Pairs:  Without improvement, a middle or small pocket pair is a weak hand in a full game. Its value increases as the number of players decreases. The usual strategy is to try to see the flop cheaply with a hand like this -- if you flop a set, you now have a very strong hand. If you miss the flop, you should usually fold. Since the odds of flopping a set are about 7.5:1 (or 12%), try to avoid calling too many bets pre-flop, since you will be folding most of the time on the flop.

 

High Cards: Two suited high cards (Ten or higher) are strong and usually playable, especially in late position. They have the combination of all three attributes of high card value, and high straight and flush possibility. The value of two unsuited high cards is considerably less. Unsuited high cards, unless they are strong hands like AK or KQ, should generally only be played in late position for a single bet. Calling with KT or even AT in early position in a full table is a common beginning error.

Suited Connectors:  If your two cards are suited, don't overrate them. Suited connectors, such as J T, are good drawing hands: they have a chance to make both a straight and a flush. These types of hands play well against many opponents. Also, suited aces and kings play well against many opponents, but require caution because they are easily dominated. However, random suited hands, such as Q 3 or 8 4 rarely show a profit.

Other: If a hand is not listed in one of the above types, it is almost never correct to play it voluntarily. The most common mistake beginning players make is to pay to see the flop too many times with bad hands, which costs them plenty of money over hundreds of hands. Yes, any hand such as 7,2 offsuit (which is the worst possible hand) can get lucky, but much more often than not, these hands will miss the flop and require a fold. Marginal hands are possibly even worse, as they are easily dominated (e.g. A7 against AQ) and will often go all the way to the river paying off the best hand.