This table comes from the book Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. The Sklansky and Malmuth starting hands table groups together certain hands in Texas Hold'em based on their strength. Starting with the strongest set of hands that you can be dealt in group 1, the hands get progressively weaker working down the table until the virtually unplayable hands in group 9.The rough idea is that a hand in one group has roughly the same value and can be played the same way preflop as any other hand in that group. This is a strategy book for limit Hold'em, but the starting hand groups do have some practical use in no limit Hold'em.
- Group 1: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs - Premium Hands
- Group 2: TT, AQs, AJs, KQs, AK
- Group 3: 99, JTs, QJs, KJs, ATs, AQ
- Group 4: T9s, KQ, 88, QTs, 98s, J9s, AJ, KTs
- Group 5: 77, 87s, Q9s, T8s, KJ, QJ, JT, 76s, 97s, Axs, 65s
- Group 6: 66, AT, 55, 86s, KT, QT, 54s, K9s, J8s, 75s
- Group 7: 44, J9, 64s, T9, 53s, 33, 98, 43s, 22, Kxs, T7s, Q8s
- Group 8: 87, A9, Q9, 76, 42s, 32s, 96s, 85s, J8, J7s, 65, 54, 74s, K9, T8
- Group 9: The rest ...
Notes: * AKs = Ace and King, suited. * AK = Ace and King, not suited. * Kxs = King combined with a random card, suited.