There is a lot of debate on exactly what the top ten starting hands in No Limit Texas Hold’em are. You could find a variety of lists all over the place that are slightly different. For the most part they are all very similar with maybe a slight different here and there. Some would rank specific hands a little higher than others would rank them. It all depends on where you find the information. No matter where you look you will find that the top 10 starting hands are very similar to the following hands.

1. AA – Best starting hand with no argument at all
2. KK – Second best starting hand with no argument at all
3. QQ – Third Best Starting hand
4. JJ – There is debate on whether JJ or AK suited come in 4^th place
5. AK suited
6. 10-10 – Some would rank this hand lower
7. AK – Unsuited – Could very easily be considered better then 10-10
8. AQ – Suited
9. KQ – Suited

10.  AJ – Suited – AQ off suit could be up in there somewhere as well

There is a lot of debate on which hands are better. They are not determined by heads up ranking.

Example:

You see from the list above that KQ suited is ranked higher then AJ Suited. If these two hands were to go up against each other with no other opponents then the AJ would have the upper hand. The rankings are based on a full table before the flop.

A lot of beginners are taught to play only the top 10 starting hands and to just fold the rest of the hands that they are dealt. It is a really bad strategy for advanced poker players but a great strategy for beginners. The more you play and the more experience you get, the more hands you start to play. With the right amount of experience you will find that there are different ways to play different hands. The top ten starting hands will lose a lot to hands that are not in the top 10. The best time to have a top 10 hand is in a preflop all in type situation. You want to have the best chance to win when you put your money in the middle.

It is normally not advised to move all in before the flop with anything less than a top 5 starting hand. Even 6-10 are not great hands if you are going all in before the flop. The chances of being dominated are very good. There is a lot more to poker then the top 10 starting hands, but it is a great way to start and learn.