I play Texas Hold'em Tournaments as much as I can, which usually averages out to 2-3 times a week. In this game you are dealt two cards. These are your "starting hand". You will be using these two cards plus eventually 5 cards that are dealt into the middle of the table to make your 5 card hand. Queen Ten is my favorite hand.
The statistically best starting hand is two Aces. These are the top 10 starting hands. As you can see Queen 10 is not on this list.
So why is Queen Ten my favorite hand and not Aces? Aces are great and every time I get them I am excited to see them and like my chances to win. But the truth is there is not a lot of poker skill in playing Aces and unless many people stay in the hand with you and they DON'T make a better hand like a straight or flush using the cards on the board it's hard to make a lot of money with Ace's. Generally you raise with them and everyone folds so you don't make much or you raise and then one or two people call your raise hoping to beat you with the cards on the board. For example:
You have A of Spades and Ace of Diamonds. Someone has a 10 and Jack of Hearts they decide to call your raise. If three heart cards end up on the community board, you lose they have a flush and you do not.
Also it's hard to make a straight with two Ace's because you need four cards on the board to help you:
King, Queen, Jack, 10. This the only straight you can make. So any other combination of cards that can make a straight potentially help your opponents more than they help you.
All that being said, almost all poker players have a starting hand that they favor or have a sentimental attachment to. Mine happens to be the Queen 10 especially when they're the same suit. One of the reasons I like this hand is that if someone makes a large raise before it's my turn or re-raises me after I have bet when I have Queen 10 it is an easy hand for me to fold. I know it's not a top ten hand and based on the raise I am guessing the other person does have a top ten hand. Second there are lot of hands that can be made with Queen 10 in combination with the community board that can and usually win.
These include:
Pair of Queens
Pair of 10s
Several Straights (A,K,Q,J,10 or K,Q,J,10,9 or Q,J,10,9,8 or J,10,9,8,7 or 10,9,8,7,6)
And if the Queen and Ten are the same suit and you have a better possiblity of making a flush than anyone who has a pair as their starting hand.
I like this hand so much I even have it on my license plate! So if you see an Audi TT with this license plate, wave and say HI!
Although AA cannot make a Flush or Straight, they only need 2 more cards to make Quads, or 3 more to make a full house. statistically they are harder to get, but thats why they are worth more. leaving you with 2 better hand possibilities than the 2 you have mentioned. additionally, you increase your statistical chances of picking up lower powered Trips.
ReplyDeleteI do however question your choice of QT as unconnected straight catchers. you would be better off with KJ or KQ for bidirectional straight catching (AK and AQ etc are single directional)
Also dont forget that AA can also catch 4 runners for a straight on the bottom end as well with 2,3,4,5.
nice read though and good luck on the tables ;)
Ranga, thank you so much for commenting on my blog regarding Queen 10. I love to talk poker and think there is always more to say and learn. Good luck to you as well.
ReplyDeleteleaving you with 2 better hand android poker possibilities than the 2 you have mentioned. additionally,
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