The Hierarchy Of Poker Hands When Gambling Online

Interested in gambling online? If so, chances are you might play a hand or two of Texas Hold 'em, made one of today's most popular poker games because of celebrity tournaments and televised events. Other popular poker games include Five Card Draw and Seven Card Stud. And if you're going to play the game, you need to know the basics of poker, and that includes the "hierarchy" of poker hands.

Poker hands are typically make up of five cards. From high to low, the cards are ranked Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three and two. There is one of each card for each suit (spades, aces, hearts, diamonds).

Here is the hierarchy of poker hands from highest to lowest:

ROYAL FLUSH: This is the highest hand you can hold in a straight poker game, and it consists of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and ten of the same suit (such as all spades or all hearts).

STRAIGHT FLUSH: A straight (5 cards in a row, such as ten, nine, eight, seven and six) of the same suit.

FOUR OF A KIND: Four of one card, such as four Queens or four tens.

FULL HOUSE: Three of one card and two of another, such as three Queens and two tens.

FLUSH: All five cards are the same suit, such as five hearts or five spades.

STRAIGHT: Five cards in a row, such as a ten, nine, eight, seven and six.

THREE OF A KIND: Three of one card, such as three Queens or three tens.

TWO PAIR: Two pairs of different cards, such as holding both two Queens AND two tens.

ONE PAIR: Two of the same card, such as two Queens.

HIGH CARD: Nothing but a single high card, such as one Ace or one King.

Famous Poker Players

Sometimes it seems as if the famous poker players all have the same traits including a quiet discipline, courage and the willingness to take a risk. If you've thought about playing poker and gambling online, chances are you've wondered if you'd walk away a winner or a loser. Well, having the same traits as all the great poker players will make it more likely that you'll gain, both experience and riches, from gambling online. So what makes a great poker player?

You'll need basic math skills so you can mentally calculate the odds. Much of poker relates to percentages and the likelihood that you (or your opponents) will draw a specific card. Calculating the odds is an important part of deciding when to stay in a hand or when to fold.

Another trait you should have, and develop, is self-discipline. For example, if you're holding a great hand, you'll need to be disciplined enough to raise the betting slowly so as not to scare off your opponents, instead of throwing everything you have into the pot. You'll also need to be disciplined enough to stay in when you're bluffing, without showing fear.

The willingness to take risks is another thing that makes some poker players great. Playing the hand you're dealt, and playing it cautiously, is known as a "tight" poker player. These type of gamers always play it safe, and they rarely walk away with the big payoff. You must be willing to go outside of your hand and sometimes bluff if you want to be a winner.

Finally, you must know when to walk away. Some days the cards just aren't being dealt your way. Maybe you're having an off day, or perhaps the other guy at the table is having a great day. If that's the case, you need to know when to lay down the cards and come back another time.

Statistically Speaking

Breaking down the Final 16

We are down to the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament and as always, there are a few surprises. Of the 16 teams remaining, 10 of those coincide with their seedings as we have all four numbers ones, two numbers twos, two numbers threes and two numbers fours still in the mix. Bradley, who was one of the last teams to be given an at-large bid, is the lowest remaining seed at number 13. George Mason is the only other team with a double-digit seeding that remains while the last four teams are seeded fifth through seventh.

Connecticut and Villanova are the two numbers ones that were taken to the final minutes in the second round while Duke and Memphis made it through with ease. The Big East leads the way with four teams remaining and of the top seven conferences, only the Big 10 is without a representative. All of the media experts who were up in arms about the Missouri Valley Conference receiving four bids can now wipe the egg off of their faces since that conference has two teams left, the same as the ACC, Pac Ten and SEC.

Schedule strength usually plays a big part in teams making it through since tough games tend to get teams more prepared this time of year. However, that has not been the case this year as only five teams remaining have schedules ranked in the top 25. Florida, Gonzaga, Washington, Memphis and George Mason all have strength of schedule rankings of 81st or worst while the average schedule strength of the remaining 16 teams in just 48.9.

Defense wins championships but don’t tell that to Duke, West Virginia, Boston College, Gonzaga and Washington who are ranked 122nd or worse in shooting percentage defense. The Mountaineers are easily the worst of the bunch as they are allowing 45.4 percent shooting, 246th in the country. Connecticut, Texas, Memphis and George Mason are the best of the bunch with all being ranked in the top 10. The average defensive ranking of the final 16 teams is a lofty 73.6.

There is definitely more offensive talent remaining with five of the top 10 in the country still alive. Florida and Duke are one and two respectively with Boston College, George Mason and UCLA rounding out the bunch. Wichita St., West Virginia, Bradley and Villanova are all ranked 128th or worse and they are the only four teams with shooting percentages below 45 percent. The Mountaineers are the only team that has a shooting margin in the red. The average offensive shooting ranking is 57.

Successful free throw shooting in extremely important this time of year and some of the best free throw shooting teams remain. 12 of the 16 teams are hitting more than 70 percent from the charity stripe with LSU, Memphis, Boston College and George Mason being the only four teams falling below that mark. The Patriots are the worst as they are hitting a very pedestrian 66.8 percent from the line. Gonzaga is the best remaining team as the Bulldogs are shooting a solid 78.3 percent, third in the country.

Rebounding is something that is often overlooked but it is once again playing a huge role in the success of the winners. Eight of the top 18 teams in rebounding margin are still playing with Connecticut, Texas, LSU and Memphis all ranked in the top 10. 14 of the 16 teams are all ranked in the top 100 in rebounding margin with Duke and West Virginia being the only two on the outside and way on the outside as a matter of fact. Duke is 250th while West Virginia is one of the worst in the country at 327th.

West Virginia makes up for its shooting offense and defense and rebounding by bringing in the best assist/turnover ratio of the group. The Mountaineers have a ratio of 2.082 which is by far the best. Boston College is second with a ratio of 1.341 showing just how big the gap really is. 14 of the 16 teams have a ratio better than breakeven with Memphis and UCLA being the only two teams falling below the line. The Tigers are at 0.994 while the Bruins are at 0.979 so they are not far off.

Putting together all of the rankings just looked at and arriving at an average pull out some surprises. Florida has the best average rank as the Gators are ranked 50th or better in all categories with the exception of schedule strength. They are followed closely by Texas and Connecticut with the Longhorns joining Florida as being the only other team not to be ranked outside the top 100 in any of the categories. The Mountaineers bring up the rear without a problem. A look at the average rankings:

39.5 FLORIDA
41.5 TEXAS
43.5 CONNECTICUT
50.7 GEORGETOWN
56.5 WICHITA STATE
57.0 LSU
59.3 WASHINGTON
66.3 GONZAGA
68.3 BRADLEY
68.5 UCLA
72.2 DUKE
77.5 BOSTON COLLEGE
77.5 VILLANOVA
79.8 GEORGE MASON
82.8 MEMPHIS
123.5 WEST VIRGINIA

Pai Gow Poker - Fun and Easy Game for Casino Players

Pai gow poker is a derivative of the Chinese domino game gai gow.

Like many Chinese games is played at a leisurely pace and is an enjoyable game.

Another advantage is your bankroll tends to last a long time.

How to Win Pai Gow

Pai gow poker is played with a 53 card deck and includes one joker. The game is one on one, the player or players compete against a banker, to get the best possible hand.

The Play

A random roll of the dice determines what player receives the first set of cards.

Each player is dealt seven cards and splits them into two separate hands.

This is called "setting the hand". The first is made up of five cards and is called "the highest hand" or "the back".

The second hand is made up of the remaining two cards and is called "the second highest" or "the front" or "low" hand.

The 5 card hand must always rank higher than the 2 card hand to win.

If both of your hands beat the dealer's hands, you receive even money or 1:1 on your bet. The bank then takes a 5% commission from your winnings.

If both your hands lose against the dealer's hands, the dealer takes the bet.

If you win only one of the two hands, the round finishes in a tie and the banker collects.

In the game of Pai Gow Poker, the player needs to get two strong hands and win on both hands.

The house has a 2.3% advantage in this game.

chances of winning.

Ensure you are setting both high and low hands properly.

Try to make both hands fairly strong to win both hands otherwise you will end up with at tie.

Your bank hand must be set higher that your front hand otherwise you will "foul" your hand and lose the bet you place.

Basic strategy is straightforward:

Always check your hand for flushes and then set your hand according to strategy rules below:

No pairs, no straight, no flush

2- Use second and third highest card
5- use your highest card

A pair, no pairs, no flushes

2- Use two highest single cards
5- use the pair

Two pair if you have a single ace, use the ace in the two-card hand and keep the pairs together in the five-card hand, or split the pairs:

2- use lower pair
5- use higher pair

Three pairs

2- Use highest pair
5- use second and third highest pairs

straight and two pair play as two pair, ignore the straight Five-card straight

2- Use two cards not in the straight
5- use straight

Six-card straight

2- Use highest cards that you can
5- use remaining straight

Flush and two pair play as two pair, ignore the flush other flush

2- Play highest cards in this hand without breaking up flush
5- flush

Full house

2- Use pair
5- uses three of a kind

Best chance of winning in pai gow poker – Be the banker

The best way to get an edge and win in pai gow poker is to be the banker.

This is due to the fact that the banker wins all copies.

Player's are usually allowed to bank for one or two consecutive hands before passing the banker option on to the next player.

The amount of money that the banker will be risking is limited to what the banker places down on the table.

Betting in pai gow poker

The banker should place enough money on the table to cover all of the player bets, or the banker may be allowed to risk less than what the players in total wish to bet.

The most important factor in improving your odds in pai gow is the ratio of how much is bet when you are the banker to when you are the player.

You should really be willing to risk enough money to cover 6 – 14 times the table minimum bet.

For more tips and strategies on pai gow poker and all major casino games, go to our website for tips, strategies articles, magazines and downloads.

Online Poker Rake Is Just Something We Have To Deal With

Poker companies like Party Poker and Pokerstars take percentage of every hand that is played on their site. Rake percentage is relatively small but if you are calculating person and used to track your play with software, you'll quickly notice how much more you would have earned if there would be no rake.

Professional and semi-professional poker players who play middle limit texas hold'em and earn about $10 000 in a month usually pay $3000 or more to a poker room without even noticing the money being gone.

When I was struggling at lower limits I managed to get a decent rakeback deal. I promised myself not do deposit more than $50 in a month and I kept that promise til I finally became winning player after three months of practice. But what I wanted to say is that I only got enough practice sessions because I got some of my rake back to keep playing. And it wasn't just pennies, you know, that rake was huge! No wonder Partygaming is a multi billion dollar company.

Usually it went on something like this - I deposit $50 to poker room A, then played there some, then got busted in a week or so and then... receive my rakeback, which was usually around $100, dadaa! I only had to deposit $50 once to start rolling and since that I have only used withdraw command when operating with my money.

Most of us don't receive rakeback, most of us don't bother even looking for it. Any why bother - best online poker rooms out there don't share their income with players. And best online poker rooms usually have worse players playing there. You know, it is pretty pointless to receive extra cash from rake if you get beaten by sharks at the same time.

You only have to know the basics - Party Poker takes more rake than the other monster poker sites, PokerStars has very player-friendly system towards tournament players and most of the sites offering rakeback are actually poor environments for poker enthusiasts, mostly because they have no players.

What can we do about the rake? Well, nothing! No rake, no poker room, simple as that. Deal with it. Losing players keep losing even if they don't pay the rake. Well, actually there is something you can do about the rake. Read poker literature, educate yourself and practise a lot. Have a blast!

The Importance of Table Image In Texas Hold'em Poker

Table image in Texas Hold'em poker is one the single most important factors to being successful. Understanding the image you create and how to capitalize on it will put you ahead of a great many of the opponents you will encounter. I find most new players believe it is the cards you get and how you play them that determines the winner of the hand. In reality this is not true in most cases. In Texas Hold'em it is the representation of hand strength up until the final bet after the river. So in actuality it is the represented hand strength and the propensity of your opponents to believe what your representing that is far more important than actual hand strength. This is because at any stage of the hand you can win through the representation of hand strength; where as, you can only win through hand strength if it goes all the way to a showdown.

Table image simply is the type or level of player you appear to be from the plays you make. For example if you call all the way to the river on a draw and other players get to see you kept calling on a draw then in the future they will be more inclined to think you may be betting or calling a draw. Betting and calling on draws in general isn't a good play to make and by your opponents seeing you make this play they will believe your skill level to be low.

You may think this is good because then when you do have a hand they will call your bets and you will be able to extract more money. This is true but what is also true with this type of table image is you won't be able to bet people out of hands very easily. Betting people out of hands is an intrugal part to hold'em. If people think your always bluffing even if your not you will be disadvantaged the more callers you get even if you have a great starting hand. For example you have pocket kings, but because you have the table image of a bluffer players will call with lesser hands. Say your opponent makes a pair of sixes on the flop but decides to stay in even with your big pre-flop raise, and your continuation bet after the flop of half the pot. By him staying in he still has two cards to come that could make him two pair or trips. If you had the right table image he would have probably folded to your pre- flop raise or if not then he would certainly fold his pair of sixes to a continuation bet of half the pot after the flop.

In addition to having weaker hands fold to your aggressive plays many hands will fold out pre-flop allowing you to collect the blinds without having to play the hand any further. The importance of this can't be overstated. Aside from immediately collecting the blinds the aggressive pre-flop play also sets opponents up for later hands. Players don't like to be bet out of hands even if they don't have a particularly good hand. You will find that by selectively playing dominant hands aggressively pre-flop you will at first have most fold to you immediately, but a few more aggressive pre-flop bets and you will find players will call you because they think your bluffing or to see what you have.

I suggest two things for you to understand concerning table image. First that you realize what image you are giving others by the plays you make, and second what image you want to give opponents. Often times when a tournament has just started and blinds are still at level one I will play out a hand to the showdown and show a poorly played bluff. This is like blood in the water. I will then fold till I have a strong hand. By capitalizing on the image that I'm an inexperienced player I will be free to make aggressive bets which will be called if anyone has a hand of medium strength. Of course no matter your intent and starting pocket cards the right cards still have to come out on the flop, turn, and river, but by making the play with a high pocket pair or high connectors like a-k,k-q, or even q-j you know what the board has to look like in order for you to be ahead. This makes for a quick way to get a good chip stack early, and once you make a play like that it casts doubt on your "newbie" image.

One of the best table images to have is that of a tight player who plays few hands and who isn't easily bet out of the hands he chooses to play. This table image ensures aggressive play will respected as a strong hand, and so will get the desired effect. Of course in order to have this image you must be protective of the hands you play. The hands you do play you will need to be mindful of how your play will be interpreted after the hand is shown.

People are creatures of habit. This is why table image is such a large factor. Players will make the same types of plays and calls time after time. You watch your opponents make plays and from this you make assessments on their level of skill, and how they play certain situations. They do the same to you. Texas Hold'em poker is more about psychology than it is mathematical probabilities. By understanding how to use psychological advantages; as well as, mathematical advantages you will know what play to make in order to have your opponent make the play you want him to.

Poker Bluffing – Do You know Why It's Not So Effective Online?

There are significant differences between poker bluffing in a live game and online.

In fact, bluffing is much more effective offline due to the environment the game is played in.

A bluff can be defined simply as a bet or raise made with a hand that has no real chance of winning.

The purpose of course, is to win a pot when your hand is not strong enough to do so on it’s own. You are really trying to deceive your opponent you have a good hand when in reality you have junk.

Bluffing tends to be more effective in real games than online.

One of the biggest mistakes of online poker players is their eagerness to bluff too often.

Fact: Players tend to bluff more in online games.

In live games, bluffing needs a calm emotionless exterior and a willingness to look stupid in public if the bluff fails. On the other hand, online players do not have to face other players and can hide.

Many novice players in particular love the thrill of the bluff.

After all they have seen it in all the big movies and James Bond do it, so they want to try it out!

They therefore have more inclination and courage and bluff more often, than an experienced player.

It’s easier to place your chips

The internet makes it easier to commit chips to try a bluff.

If a player wants to bluff, he simply clicks the mouse and it’s done.

It’s not so simple in a live game, where a player has to move their chips under the watchful gaze of other players.

Many players online therefore commit “virtual” chips for bluffing easier than they would in a live game.

Players may not spot your bluff at all

Because players are in a virtual world, they may simply not see you bluffing at all.

Many players play multiple games, tend to be easily distracted as their not sat at a table (i.e they can be doing other things) and of course, they don’t see your face.

Finally, online games can have a higher turnover of players who know nothing about how you are playing the game.

The fact that online players are more likely to call your bluff affects your bluffing strategy online in two ways:

1. You can be more aggressive with good or even average hands, because there is a good chance that your opponent could be bluffing and you can use strong hands to wipe them out.

2. Your personal strategy should be to bluff less online than you would in a live game. Other opponents realize that there is more bluffing online and as consequence (and the fact they feel braver) are more inclined to call your bluffs.

This leads to an obvious conclusion in terms of games to play: online.

Avoid Low Limit Games.

For an extra dollar or two, there is someone who will want to call you as the risk is low.

Players on low limit tables also tend to stay in if they have caught even a piece of the flop such as a lowish pair. Trying to bluff here won’t work as they will call up to the river.

Focus on limit games

Bluffing works better in no limit games simply because there is more at stake and the size of your bankroll in relation to your opponents is more important.

While we know bluffing is more difficult online than in a live game, the above two factors make bluffing an effective strategy for experienced players, providing it is used wisely.

Poker psychology comes into play much more and with bigger pots.

Players tend to consider their options more and will tend to be more focused on the game and less inclined to keep calling your bluff for any reason, simply because it doesn’t cost them much.

Stick to no limit games and bluff sparingly only when the circumstances are right.

All Good Poker Players

There are good poker players, there are lucky poker players and there are other poker players. Just what does it take to make a good poker player?

Some people would argue that experience is everything and luck has nothing to do with consistently winning at the online poker tables. I say you need a good helping of both, plus a thorough understanding of math. No one can expect to win every single game, so work on the odds.

What are the odds of winning in an online poker room with 10 players? Statistically, you have a 10-1 chance. But that’s not a clear cut and dry way to look at it. If you take into account each variable element, the odds can change dramatically at every turn of the cards.

Let’s say one player folds at the ‘turn’. This reduces the odds of winning to 9-1, although it has also slightly reduced the potential size of the pot. Next, if two further players fold at the final turn card, the ‘river’, this has further reduced the odds to 7-1.

During the final stages of the game, say another 3 player’s fold, which in turn makes the odds look much more attractive at 4-1. At this stage, the only thing keeping you from winning the hand and taking the pot is the uncertainty of the value of your opponent’s hands. This element is then judged against the value of your own hand.

If you have a strong hand, you have nothing to worry about. But if it’s mediocre, you’ll have to decide whether to pile in the chips or fold and cut your losses. Experience is likely to play a part in the ultimate decision, but there’s just one other hidden element to take into consideration.

Could anyone left playing at the table be cheating? Is anyone using a sophisticated software program, which allows them to see the cards before they are dealt? And if they are, how would you know? The simple is you wouldn’t.

If one of your opponents is winning hand after hand, are you going to accuse them of cheating? In the days of the wild-west someone would not only take great offence to such an allegation, they’d be drawing their Buntline Special to settle the argument.

Now if you consider that online poker is just another technological advancement in gaming software, it’s quite conceivable that the same technology could be used to someone else’s advantage through the process of reverse engineering. Add in a Random Number Generator and hey presto! You’ve just increased your odds of winning 10 fold.

No amount of calculations is going to help in this worse case scenario. But there will always be those who refuse to believe that any effective software program could possibly exist.

If you’re an online poker player who counts on your own knowledge and experience of the game, does the mathematical calculations and keeps records of wins and losses, it might just be a good idea to start watching your opponents a little closer. And never under estimate man’s overwhelming desire for money.

All poker players are in it to win, but all good poker players need to stay one step ahead.

Craig Richards is a keen poker player and product developer.

Texas Holdem – Forget Limit Games Play No Limits For Huge Profits

Although the games are similar No limit Texas Holdem requires higher skill levels and a killer instinct, if these two factors are combined players can make a lot of money

If you are serious about making big money in Texas Holdem, forget limit games and play no limits and with the right skills and mindset your earnings power is unlimited.

Let’s look at the major differences between the two games and why no limit Texas Holdem is the game for the serious player.

Psychology is more important

In limit Hold'em, "the best hand wins" more often than no limit Holdem and this is really because the stakes are lower and it is far easier for your opponents to play you, as their risk is essentially limited.

In no limits games, psychology is far more important and you are essentially playing your opponent, NOT the cards and you need not only skill but a strong mindset as you battle with your opponents.

A More Skilfull Game

No limit Holdem a wider array of strategies for a skilled player to use against unskilled opponents than in limit games.

In a no limit game, skills such as bluffing and varying bet size can be used more effectively, to wrong foot other players.

Courage and being on the offensive

In both limit and no limit, being on the offensive is more favorable than being the caller.

No limit games put a far higher premium on initiative then limit games.

You can make large bets, raise and go on the offensive.

Betting and raising have much more influence in no limit games and if you have the skill and courage you can use them at the right time to crush your opponents.

No limit Texas Holdem is a brutal game and only the strong survive.

It’s a game where courage and a strong psychology are needed to execute the skills a player has to win big pots. Chip Size

In no limit Holdem, the amount of chips that a person has, is one of the largest factors affecting play against them.

If you have $4000 in front of you and your opponent has $500, you immediately have the upper hand and an advantage over them.

The size of the bankroll you have at your disposal, against other players, is a major factor in the way you play which is not present in limit games.

Only the strong survive

Limit Holdem poker has favorable odds, which means players can call you easily.

The problem for the more skillful player is other players run them down in many instances with stupid hands.

This is because they don't really know how to play, but a more important factor is that the odds are favorable and they don’t have so much to lose, so it’s worth the risk.

This of course is not so in no .limits games and good players can take out novice players and weak hands quickly.

Bigger Pots

No limits games have more money at stake compared to limit games and the potential gains and losses are far higher. If you are a skillful player this is to your advantage.

If you have the courage and skill, you can take an opponent in one hand for his entire bankroll and knock them out of the game.

Skilful card players, playing No limit Texas Holdem poker have far greater potential to make more money and win bigger pots.

That’s why it’s a much more attractive game for the player serious about winning big pots.

No Limit the choice of the serious player

No Limit Texas Holdem is a brutal game, mistakes are punished and the game gives players far more scope, in terms of skill and the ability to gain a psychological edge.

More tips and strategies

For more tips and strategies on Texas Holdem including articles, downloads, magazines, and newsletters visit our website:

http://www.net-planet.org/gaming.html

Multi Table Poker Tournament Tips

You want to enter a limit tournament so you have to have in mind the gap concept. This is the most obvious change you will have o consider when revising your strategy for a tournament like this. You will pay mare attentions to actually winning every pot you get into and the pot odds will be somewhat disregarded here. This doesn't mean you will do obvious bad moves and get yourself into things you cannot handle. The blind are large when you get yourself further into the tournament, and this is the reason for which you will try and get as little competitors as you can stealing as many blinds as you can to help you rise within the tournaments statistics.

The thing to do is to go through with the hands you see capable of winning the pot. Here hands change values. For example the straight and the flush draws lose their value and high pocket pairs are not so good. On the other hand hands like AK or AQ have a much bigger value because they beat all similar hands like AT, KQ etc. But as you approach the finish you should not get involved with heavy conflicts like when having an A J and you are up against A K. With A J you might get the pot if the flop shows A J, but the A K stands the same chance and it all comes down to luck.

In tournaments you don't go after getting the whole amount of chips your opponents have, you don't necessarily want them to pay your hands greatly, you just want to make them afraid. If they know your hand is a dominating one, they will fold and you can this way slowly increase your stack. And you should do the same whenever you feel threatened by a better hand. As the gap concept says, if you raise with a hand like A 9, then a player that has a hand like A 10 will fold, because he must consider the situation in which you could have a better hand like A J.

If you dealt high pocket pairs like KK or AA you should call any raises that were done in front of your. Raising again will help you eliminate players from the round and that is your purpose. Being this aggressive with top hands you show others that you are indeed determined to take all their chips if they were to continue playing against you.

But, you must never forget to judge the hands of others. While playing your hand make time to reflect what other can hold. Understand the gap concept makes you a good player, but keep in mind that there are bad players out there and they will call your bets and raises just because they have a good hand, regardless of what others might have.

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Poker Starting Hands: Winning Table Strategy

Of course anyone knows that a hand like AA is better that a hand like 22. That is the obvious part of the starting hands and the questions is not posed when talking about extremes, it is posed when we are dealing with middle hands that can get us often confused. It is possible that your pocket aces will loose against a worse starting hand. Why? Probably because you were playing against a lot of people and because they played other types of hands with bigger value in hold'em in this situation. It is important to know that hands hold a different value depending on each situation and that it can not be generalized. A good hand when many players are at the table is a hand like 8s9s. Sometimes people find it strange that hands like Ks7s are worse that a hand similar to 8s7s. This happens because they are not looking at all at the value of the hand itself, they are just comparing the numbers printed on each card.

Hands like 10-6s, Q-7s, J-7s, J-4s and K-7s are no good in hold'em. Why a hand like K-7s is such a bad hand is actually an obvious thing. Its chances of actually wining the pot are very low. How can it win actually? Well first you can hope for your king to hit. Not that it is that unlikely but think about it, even if it does hit then what? Then you have a very low kicker for your pair and that kicker will be easily beaten by another hand. Or, you can catch the 7-7 pair but it is a very low pair and most likely there will be other player in the game to top that hand. To get a flush you have low chances. For a straight you would need so many in between cards that it is practically impossible to be the only one with a flush. Two pairs will be possibly toped by a better hand. And so go all the draws for this weak hand. The idea is that if you hold this hand you should fold it or play only if you are in a position and a game that lets you play it very cheap.

Another type of bad starting hand is the Ax off suit when x is a middle card. Middle cards mean below 10 and above 5. The reason this hand is also crappy is quite simple. If the x is not one of the cards above 10 or below 5 them you can't draw for a straight. For a flush you can't obviously draw because the cards are off suit in the first place.

So caution when playing any of these hands. The books say they should not be played at all because they involve a great risk but some situation might arise when you need to play them, but be careful not to pay too much for this.