The Worst Hands to Get Dealt in Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em poker is a hugely popular form of poker and possibly the most common poker game you’ll see online. A game of Texas Hold’em starts when you are dealt two cards which you then have to decide to play or fold depending on how good they are.

To give you an idea of what you should definitely be thinking about folding, here are the worst ten starting combinations that you can be dealt. Remember though, just because these are the worst starting positions doesn’t mean you’re definitely going to lose! Poker is highly dependent on the skill of the player and poor hands can win games too.

For the companion article looking at the Top 10 Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em click on the link.

Two / Seven
A two and a seven are the lowest cards you can be dealt that can’t possibly make a straight (as there are 4 cards between them). Even if they’re of the same suit and you get a flush you’re still looking at a very low one. Unless your practicing bluffing or just playing for fun, fold this hand every time.

Two / Eight
Almost as horrible as the worst starting hand (above) the two / eight combo suffers in exactly the same way and is only marginally better because your high card is better. It’s still a pretty miserable and easily foldable hand.

Three / Eight or Three / Seven
The only hands these ones will beat are the two mentioned above and as they’re probably approaching a 100% fold rate on anything but a beginner table, chances are you’d have the worst hand still if you played it.

Two / Six
Again only a marginal improvement on those above, this hand gives you very long odds to pull a straight (assuming 3, 4 and 5 flop). Even if this happens you can still easily get picked off by any number of other much better hands.

Two / Nine or Three / Nine or Four / Nine
All three of these combinations are pretty horrible as they can’t be connected by a straight, and the only real benefit is the nine. Even you pair the nine that’s still more than beatable by pocket tens and anything above.

Two / Ten
You may have heard this hand referred to as the “Doyle Brunson”, as he used it to win two World Series of Poker Bracelets.  That should be warning enough, right there. The fact that it’s extraordinary that a very highly skilled player managed to win with this hand, should tell you all you need to know about the quality here. Unless you’re called Doyle, you might want to consider folding this!

Five / Nine
Another weak hand with a funny name; in this case the “Dolly Parton”, so named after the song, 9 to 5. Don’t be drawn in. You’ll need to be working longer hours than 9 to 5 if you regularly play this hand, just to pay your debts!

Four / Seven or Four / Eight or Five / Eight or Three / Six
With these hands you’re going to need a very favourable flop to make them playable and unless you can get to the flop without putting money in, fold these too.

Face Card / Low Unsuited Card
Players learning the game often get over excited if they get a face card, thinking they have something stronger than they actually have. Paired with a low off suit, 2, 3 or 4 for example, your Jack, Queen or King really is on its own. You’ll need plenty of luck to win from here.

Ace / Low Unsuited Card
The most common mistake of the learning player is playing an ace regardless. An Ace with a low card is really just an ace and you’re going to need plenty of luck on your side to come out on top with this combo too.

Most people who are learning to play poker lose because they play far too many hands. There’s absolutely no shame in folding several hands in a row if you’re getting dealt awful cards. Playing a weak hand, just because you folded the last two, may make your playing experience less boring, but it will also make it a lot more expensive.

If you want to experiment with playing poor hands, or want to play every hand you’re dealt, you should play on free tables only. Only move to tables where you’re betting real money when you’re prepared to sit it out and wait for a playable hand before you start playing.