Recognizing the Worst Texas Holdem Poker Hand

If you want to play Texas Holdem well, you need to learn to recognize the bad hands, as well as the good.  Many people think that the worst hand in a Holdem game is 72 off suit.  That’s true, from a certain point of view.

The Statistics:

Statistically speaking, 72 off suit is the worst hand in Holdem.  That’s because it has no immediate straight potential, no immediate flush potential and is not a pocket pair, so it runs a low chance of flopping three of a kind or any other similar hand.

Since 72 off suit is statistically the worst hand in poker, almost anyone who has been playing Holdem for a short time knows well enough to fold it.  That’s a smart move.  However, you can’t always go strictly by statistics, even when those statistics are good.

A “Good” Hand:

Most people think that AA is one of the best hands in poker.  In fact, there’s nothing like the thrill of being dealt pocket aces.  Unfortunately, though, a lot of people don’t play such hands well.

It’s easy to get sucked into the thrill of the game when you have a hand like pocket aces.  It’s not going to win all the time, though.  That’s where many people make a huge mistake.  They often play the hand through to the river and find themselves on the losing end.  Your pocket aces will do no good, for instance, if three hearts come on the flop, letting your opponent catch a flush.

Numbers and Reality:

The above example happens all the time.  That’s why you can’t just assume that a hand is bad based on the cards you’re dealt.  You have to be willing to accept that a great hand can quickly turn bad.  That’s one of the most important skills in poker, knowing when to fold.

A True Bad Hand:

A true bad Holdem hand has less to do with your hole cards and more to do with the board cards and the cards your opponents are holding in their hands.  You can’t get sucked into the trap of being unable to let your hand go.  If you do, you might as well paint a sign on your chest that says “please take all of my chips”.

I’m not saying you should play statistically bad hands like 72 all the time.  In fact, you shouldn’t play 72 at all.  I’m just saying that you need to factor more than statistics into your game, if you want to avoid the true bad poker hands.

Reading:

One skill that will help you along the way to Holdem success is reading.  By that, I don’t mean reading books, though that could help.  I actually mean reading your opponents.

You see, you can sometimes tell what sort of hand your opponent has, especially if they’re a predictable player who always does the same things all the time.  They might, for instance, be a tight player.  If they fold most hands and raise big on a few, chances are that they have a hand.  When you can read your opponents, you can better gage whether or not your own hand is bad by comparison.  That’s the way to win at Texas Holdem.

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