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The strength of your starting hand in Texas Hold'em can help you determine your chances of winning, even before the remaining cards are dealt. From a pair of aces — the strongest starting hand — to a 2 and a 7, knowing the strength of your starting hand is an important part of your success at the table. When playing Texas Hold'em you need to know which starting hands are worth staying in with—and which you should fold.

Best Starting Hands

Having a strong starting hand can help you determine your chances of winning even before the flop is dealt. In general, you're a strong contender if your starting hand contains:

• Ace/Ace: the strongest starting hand in the game.
• King/king, queen/queen, jack/jack: high pairs set you off well.
• An ace with a face card: sets a good foundation, if the flop works in your favor.

Beyond these cards, you'll also often be happy to see cards in sequence, particularly the high cards and face cards, and pairs in your starting hand. While some of these hands aren't always deemed the ideal hands, they can sometimes pay off if you're willing to take a risk. Don't forget the added bonus if your cards are all in the same suit, too. A flush, especially a straight flush or royal flush, can often win you the game. Again, the flop will play a major role in just how strong your chances are at winning, so assess carefully and determine how much risk you're willing to take.

The specific sequence of cards and the order in which they rank is an important aspect of the game. Studying up on the best starting hands in Texas Hold'em can help improve your game and your odds at winning the pot.

A strong starting hand might also encourage you to make a strong blind (your first bet).

Worst Starting Hands

When you're dealt your starting hand, some combinations greatly reduce your chances of winning. These are generally low numbers that are not in sequence or matched. You might consider folding early if your two cards are:

• A 2 or a 3, paired with a 7 or an 8: you can't make a straight out of them.
• An ace or a face card with an unsuited low card: you're taking a risk relying on a single high card.
• Two unmatched, unsuited low cards (like 4 and 7, 5 and 8, etc.): you'll rarely win with these.

The strategy of what to hold, and why, takes a bit to master, so studying the worst starting hands in Texas Hold'em, even more, can help you improve your game.

Beginner's Advice

Play only the cards in the 10-best list and always fold those in the worst hands list. Following this strategy may improve your results. However, there's no guarantee that receiving a strong starting hand will take the round, or that a weak starting hand is a definite loss. You never know how the flop may run, and while an unsuited 2 and 4 might seem like one to deal, sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised with a two-pair or even a full house. Study up on the various hands you're aiming for.

How you approach the game will also differ based on the game itself. For example, if you're playing No-Limit Hold 'em, knowing the top No-Limit Hold'em hands can help you better understand how to play them.

As your skill increases, you'll also want to learn how position affects your Hold'em starting hand decisions. The more you learn, the more you'll realize how important your starting hands are to your bottom line. Play the good hands and fold the bad, and you'll be well on your way to becoming an expert at Hold'em.

Today, if you are looking for information on the Internet, chances are you are going to end up on Reddit. The forum covers possible walk of life and not surprisingly online poker. As such, turning to fellow Redditors to seek answer to the question which the best online poker sites are doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

In fact, there have been many discussions over the years already. While players’ experiences have been somewhat varying, the names of specific poker sites have kept coming up time and again. As a result, you can use Reddit to find the best poker sites available online in the US and also understand why they are considered such.

We took a trip to r/Poker to find out more about find out more about the brands everyone has been talking about today. For those of you who are eager to get started, you can just hop to our dedicated online poker sites reviews:

BetOnline Poker and Redditors’ Opinion

BetOnline

When it comes to big online poker sites, Reddit is swirling with rumors, bit and bobs of information and players’ personal accounts. Players relate their experiences readily and are happy to either refute each other’s statements or back them up.

Combing Reddit for the keen first-hand insight you want to find yourself, we have come across generally good opinions about BetOnline Poker. Players have repeatedly praised the card room’s “softness,” offering a mild entry level to poker fans of all bankroll backgrounds.

More players have been happy to jump on the praise bandwagon, confirming that their experience with BetOnline Poker has been quite to their expectations. One Redditor said they really enjoyed the mobile app available at the poker site, allowing them quick play on the go.

Card Catcher was another touted feature of the poker room, allowing players to run quick analyses of past hands and position themselves well.

So yes, Redditors with a shine on poker have had good things to say about BetOnline from the laconic, “BetOnline is solid” to the slightly more grammatical “Yes, it’s a good poker site.”

We agree as much, especially when the website has a $1000 poker bonus matched at 100% on your first deposit to offer.

Intertops Poker

Intertops Poker

We are not at all surprised that in a topic discussing Redditors’ favorite online poker sites, the name of Intertops will come up. Intertops shares the same client with Bovada Poker, so you will see some similarities there.

Yet, don’t expect to find a poker room that lacks individuality. The website goes out of its way to award players and it generally enjoys the community’s endorsement. One minor blemish however, could be traffic.

Intertops Poker doesn’t necessarily impress with the largest traffic you will see, and part of this is the fact that the website restricts certain jurisdictions if asked by a regulator. Even six years ago, Intertops was one of the most preferred poker sites to play on.

Intertops was also one of the earliest adopters of Bitcoin, with the cryptocurrency arriving to the website several years back. That in turn has tremendously expedited cashouts, although some less tech-savvy players have had to learn the ropes first.

Bovada Poker

Bovada Poker

Full Tilt Poker

Bovada has gone through quite a bit of rebranding and it has been generally well-positioned in the opinions of poker aficionados in the United States. Owned by the same company behind Ignition Poker, Bovada maintains the best industry standards.

One of the touted advantages of Bovada is the use of cryptocurrency for deposits and withdrawals, which guarantees quicker withdrawals.

Another particular feature of the poker site is the focus on the United States, and specifically on individual states. Players can first check if they are allowed to play from their specific location, which is a big relief.

Today, Bovada covers the majority of US states, with some minor exception it seems in states that have already introduced their own online poker. Another great aspect of visiting Bovada is that you can make a living playing there.

Players have actually reported sustaining themselves by playing Bovada poker. As a result, you will find dedicated players and a great traffic. What you need to bring along with you is a good understanding of online poker.

Of course, some opinions are a little more contrasted, but they often CONTAIN CAPSLOCK, which we consider to be a display of bad taste. In fact, we believe that Bovada is the most unequivocally transparent and Reddit-endorsed online poker site you may try yourself today.

We dug up one great guide that can you started in online poker if you are new. Now, this Redditor’s guide covers the situation at Bovada from four years ago, but we can promise you that much of what he says is true today. If anything, Bovada Online Poker has more players today than it has ever had before.

888 Poker

Everything is easier on 888 Poker. This is a phrase that you may hear when you join the website, and not by 888 Holdings themselves, but rather the community. The rake is higher and softness somewhat suffers, but it’s still a pretty well-rounded experience through and through.

Redditors generally agree that cash games are easy enough and MTT’s are easier than some bigger brands, such as PokerStars’. SNG are another big draw for the community, which apparently 888 Poker gets right.

888 Poker is a bit of an educator, too, with the website running in-depth articles on how to play poker and advance. The best part is that this online poker site assumes no knowledge on your part. With this said, you won’t find a single Redditor who truly believes that 888 Poker offers a sub-par service.

In fact, the only remonstrance against the website has been the occasional software crash and somewhat longer customer service times. Granted, these can be big issues sometimes, but overall, 888 Poker is still one of the official networks for the World Series of Poker (WSOP), allowing players to enjoy a sterling experience.

The website runs a ton of events, SNGs, MTTs and cash games to provide you with sufficient opportunities to build your bankroll. Traffic could be a little better, but this is not an enormous issue all things considered.

Read my full 888 Poker review here.

Americas Cardroom

Americas Cardroom

Best Online Texas Holdem Reddit Games

Americas Cardroom or ACR is one of the most debated online poker sites. The opinions of Redditors have been contrasted to the point where some have called the website a good place to stick around, but some have repeatedly insisted that not all games are adequately developed.

Now, the main thing about Americas Cardroom is that if you do choose this website, you generally need to come from a more experienced poker background. The games are difficult, players agree, as there are a lot of grinders due to the popularity of the online poker site.

ACR runs some of the richest online poker tournaments, which has prompted a lot of attention and many players stick around long after events have been wrapped up. Redditors don’t seem to be too fond of recommending Americas Cardroom in general, but we believe there may be some merits still.

Best Free Online Texas Hold'em

The website claims that over $5 million are won daily and the promotion sections is filled up to the brink with tempting and upcoming promotions.