Pocket Aces – AA
You have the best possible starting hand in Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, two Aces. On average, pocket Aces should come in at least 0.45% of hands—in other words, exactly every once in two hundred and twenty-two deals would have to be dealt these fine lads! However, be cautious that the best pre-flop hand does not ensure victory.
The very first play you should consider after being dealt pocket Aces is to raise for pot control. Nearly any veteran player will tell you that a solid pre-flop raise and continuation bet are necessary. Why? The answer is simple—AA from a cash game perspective plays large preflop, but it has dangerous opponents to play against postflop if they see the flop. But if you let every hand under the sun see a flop, even 7-2 offsuit can hit lucky flops to turn your Aces into beans.
Some numbers: pocket Aces have an 85% chance of winning all-in pre-flop against a random hand. That is very tough, but it is not foolproof. When the flop comes, your odds can change dramatically based on which cards appear. For example, a coordinated board that connects or suits with cards like 10-J-Q could make straight draws and flush draws very possible to beat your AA.
This is a popular poker quote, “You get paid for what you don’t play.” Especially pocket Aces, as is so often said. You have to know when to fold if the board is getting ugly—even pocket Aces can get beat. Phil Ivey at the 2010 WSOP, with AA no less, on a board too dangerous to proceed with aggressive bets. The cautious play he chose saved him from busting out and allowed for a future stack in later hands.
Consider a situation where you are sitting on AA and opt for the preflop raise. Everyone folds. The pot is awarded to you, but it’s small enough that you end up giving yourself a forehead slap and thinking “Did I bet too much?” This is about balance. How much to bet? A lot of players would advocate for a lesser raise to keep more opponents in the hand. You want people to call, but you also don’t want to give a cheap flop. Adjust your bet sizes, but don’t signpost them.
And here comes the trap—never be too confident. AA can be tricky; if you are not careful, it might cost a large amount from your stack. A real-world example from EPT Barcelona 2019 Main Event: Player one showed AA, player two pocket 5s. Then the flop hit: 5-9-3, and suddenly the set of fives was crushing AA. The board doesn’t cooperate, and pocket pairs such as 5s, 7s, or even slightly bigger ones like 9-9 crush your Aces.
Pocket Kings – KK
Alright, now let’s talk about pocket Kings—also known as “cowboys” by poker players. Second only to Aces as the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em, you will be dealt Kings a fraction over 0.45% of all your hands or around once every 222 times! Yet, as powerful as pocket Kings are, there is another hand that an overpair will lose to, and that is obviously when someone shows up with a set or two-pair. But before they show it, you have to discount—albeit slightly—the 6 combos of AK because we know from above that this has improved slightly in our opponent’s range. But before we tackle that fear, let’s dissect how to actually play Kings.
Pre-flop, your objective with Kings is to reduce the field, just as it was for your Aces. Typically, you want to make a solid raise here. Why? Kings are strong pre-flop but can become vulnerable after more community cards. The more players you let into the pot, the greater the likelihood that one of them flops something they can beat you with—namely, those sneaky small pocket pairs that can flop a set.
As long as we have moved in pre-flop and seen all five community cards, this holds true—but the numbers don’t lie: pocket Kings win about 82% of the time pre-flop when up against a random hand. Not bad at all. But there’s one thing—you’re in a bad spot if someone at the next table has Aces. The chances of you getting pocket Aces when you hold Kings in a regular 9-handed game are just over 4.3%, which is perhaps quite small but enough to keep you cautious!
Let’s go through an example. You raise pre-flop with KK, and somebody re-raises you. This is where it gets interesting. A re-raise is not enough to gauge anything, as they could easily have another big pocket pair (QQ+) in this spot, maybe AK suited, or it might actually be pocket Aces. How do you know? You don’t. But that is where reading your opponent’s tendencies comes into play. Are they aggressive? Perhaps they only play good hands? This is when you have to ask yourself, are you going all-in pre-flop with your Kings knowing that the only real danger is Aces?
Daniel Negreanu famously got himself in this spot back at the 2009 WSOP with a hand. He had pocket Kings and went all-in pre-flop before being called by a player with pocket Aces. The flop was no help, and Daniel’s Kings were crushed. Every poker player knows this is the nightmare scenario when they glance down at KK, but it will just never change. Sometimes, it is unavoidable.
Then the question becomes, how can you extract value from pocket Kings? It’s all about managing risk. The great thing is your Kings are a monster against anything but AA. Although even AK odds are about 70% pre-flop your way. Strongly raising (or re-raising) pre-flop will usually scare off marginal hands, often leaving you with fewer opponents and thus a better chance of winning a nice-sized pot. But don’t go all-in blindly. Secondly, if an Ace drops on the flop, you need to reconsider. That is the one card that will kill your Kings.
For example: You raise pre-flop with your KK; the flop is A-7-4. Now what? It’s complicated by the Ace. Did your opponent have AK? Did they have a weaker Ace? All of a sudden, your Kings seem much more vulnerable. Now you may have to ease up a bit—maybe test your opponent and see how they respond, or just call a small bet instead of blasting out the final bet yourself. Unless you are very sure that your Kings, which started out as the best hand, have still not been beaten, play guardedly.
One mistake new players make with pocket Kings is loving them too much. Although KK is a great hand, and it will have you ahead in most cases pre-flop, when the board isn’t favorable (especially if it contains an Ace), give up on a small pot instead of risking your entire stack trying to win with what’s probably crushed. It is all about discipline at these moments.
Pocket Queens – QQ
Ladies (Pocket Queens)—Pocket tens are not the only huge opening hand in Hold’em. For every 222 hands, or 0.45%, you can expect QQ to be in your dealt cards, which is very close to the amount of KK and AA’s that are dealt as well. While Queens are a powerhouse hand pre-flop, they do have one glaring weakness—overcards, and the Ace/King in particular.
If you find yourself in a hand with Pocket Queens, the first and often most important thought is that your job now is to protect those queens! How? Like Kings and Aces, the normal play is to raise pre-flop in order to charge players wishing to see the flop with overcards. Having fewer players in the pot gives you less of a chance that someone out-flops your pair. Just remember, Queens have a 79% win rate against any random hand pre-flop, so you will be in good shape. However, that percentage can plummet very quickly on the flop if an Ace or a King is present.
Let me illustrate this with a real-world example. You raise with QQ and get a few callers. The flop comes K-9-2. Now you’re in a tricky spot. Suddenly, your Pocket Queens don’t feel so invincible! AK, KQ, or even KJ—any of those hands mean you are likely behind. This is where you have to use your judgment. Likewise, how aggressive were they pre-flop? If they only call your raise, it’s possible they are drawing. On the other hand, if they actually did re-raise you, then perhaps this is an early indication that it may be time to get out as your opponent likely has something better.
When it comes to playing professional poker, one of the biggest skills is reading a situation. For instance, let’s look at a memorable hand from the 2016 WSOP Main Event: one player has QQ and another has AK suited. Eventually, the flop came A-K-7, making him sandwiched, and he lost a major pot with Queens. A common case of how the mighty—strong pocket Queens—can fall.
Ace King Suited – AKs
Ace King suited, or “Big Slick”, is a hand that feels like you’re about to run the table. However, let us not get too far—AKs is a great starting hand but also one of the most challenging hands to play correctly. AKs (or three of a kind or better) is seen about 0.3% of the hands, i.e., once every 331 deals. Well, it’s a hand that will make you lift your coffee cup off the desk and say, “Way to go, buddy!” But remember, its potential is great, but it requires skillful play to win.
Let’s start with the Pre-flop action. Made Hands in No-Limit Hold’em (NLH) – AKs is one of the top four hands that is prepared to aggressively play against a wide range of opponents. In a re-raised pot or raising with this hand, the goal is to provoke action and maximize your returns later on once it hits its range of outcomes. When suited, AK is a monster with the very best pair possible, and you’re also looking at nut flush draws. As far as raw equity goes, AKs has a bit more than 47% chance to win versus any random hand, making it one of the top non-pair hands.
However, AKs truly shines in its versatility. If the flop is A-x-x or K-x-x, then great—you have top pair with a strong kicker. In this position, depending on the table dynamics, you may bet or even raise to prevent someone from drawing out on your hand.
Now, here’s the flip side. The flop can be totally dry—9-7-4, no suits matching yours. In this instance, you have nothing but ace-high and AKs starts to show its trickier side. Ace King is a powerful hand, and it’s very easy to start betting when you miss the board, but against a small sample, some of your opponents will have pocket pairs or perfectly playable suited connectors. In this case, the safest option may be to either check or call when necessary rather than continue punting chips into the middle.
One of the most exciting outcomes is when you flop a flush draw. For example, if the flop comes 10-5-2 with two spades, suddenly your hand has a lot of potential. You have the nut flush draw and are a favorite against anything but a made hand. A flush draw on the flop has about a 35% chance of making it by the river, giving you significant equity. In such cases, aggressive betting or raising can force an opponent with a weaker hand to fold.
However, remember that AKs is not unbeatable. It can be very frustrating when facing big pocket pairs. For instance, if a player behind you has pocket Aces or Kings, your AKs could end up costing you. A well-known example is from the 2012 WSOP Main Event, where a player went all-in with AKs against pocket Kings. The flop was low, leaving the AK with no hope of improving, and the player was eliminated. This scenario is more common than you might think, making AKs a legitimate but risky hand.
Another key point: AK suited does great heads-up but is not as strong in multi-way pots. The more players in the pot, the higher the chance that someone flops a set, two pair, or even a higher flush. This is why AKs typically requires a strong pre-flop raise to thin the field and play heads-up.
Pocket Jacks – JJ
Pocket Jacks are one of those hands that poker players simultaneously love and hate. On average, you should be dealt Jacks about 0.45% of the time—or roughly once every 222 hands, just like any other pocket pair. However, JJ can be a pesky hand as it often finds itself in difficult situations due to the presence of overcards.
First things first—Pocket Jacks are good pre-flop, but you would rather have them than AA, KK, and QQ. In fact, JJ is often called a “trouble hand” because it so frequently gets into tricky spots. For example, if an A, K, or Q lands on the flop, you can find yourself in trouble quickly. But before we delve into post-flop play, let’s discuss how you should be playing Jacks pre-flop.
Let’s say you have Pocket Jacks in early position. Typically, a big raise is your best play. You want to narrow the field because the more players see the flop, the higher the chance of an overcard appearing. With a 57% chance of an Ace, King, or Queen hitting the flop, your Jacks will face a higher card on the board more than half the time. As such, pre-flop raising can help protect your hand and control the action.
…but it also means Jacks can be the ones being 3-bet off their hand. Any other raise, especially from a tight player, indicates that they may have at least QQ, KK, or AA. This is where a strong read of your opponent is crucial. Do they re-raise a lot with hands like AK or AQ? If so, you might still be ahead. But if they only 3-bet with top pairs, folding or calling cautiously might be the best course of action.
To see another example of this, consider the 2018 WSOP where a player holding Pocket Jacks faced off against AK. The player with Jacks made it 100 on the pre-flop, and his opponent called. The flop was A-Q-7, and Jacks were suddenly in trouble. Pocket Jacks started strong, but the overcards on the flop immediately put the hand in jeopardy. This is why you must be cautious when overcards appear, especially against aggressive opponents.
With Pocket Jacks, you risk a lot less when investing chips from late position. If the action has been subdued, you can make a comfortable raise, knowing your opponent will have to play carefully. However, if there is a lot of action ahead of you (especially raises), JJ is a premium hand, but it’s not one you want to just jam all-in with, especially when facing significant action from players who might have stronger pairs.
Ace King Off Suit – AK
Ace King off-suit (A-Ko)—also known as Big Slick—can be a very rewarding hand, but with great rewards come great risks. It’s a good one to have in your arsenal as it can either scoop you a giant pot or leave you frustrated. According to the statistics, AK off is dealt just as often as its suited counterpart—approximately once every 331 hands or 0.3% of the time. However, while it remains a monster hand starting out, AK offsuit lacks the flush potential of its suited counterpart. It’s still strong, but it requires finesse and wits to play effectively.
Typically, you should continue aggressively with pre-flop AK off. Raising or even re-raising (if you are in late position) is often the best move. Why? AK is a hand that performs well by reducing competition. While it’s not a made hand (yet), it has great potential to make top pair or even a straight. You raise pre-flop with the goal of both eliminating speculative hands and isolating one or two players, thereby increasing the value of your Aces or Kings in a showdown.
Let’s look at the numbers. AK offsuit has a 48% win rate against any random hand pre-flop, which is quite good. However, things get tricky if you are facing pocket pairs. For example, AK is a slight underdog against pocket Jacks, Queens, or Kings, and a huge underdog against Aces. The chances of someone having pocket Aces or Kings at a full table are low—around 4.3%—but this should still alert you to the possibility of a better hand out there.
For example, you open with AK off, and a player 3-bets. This can be interpreted in various ways—they might have massive hands like Queens or better, or they might have AQ or AJ; small suited connectors are also common re-raises. Most of the time, you call the re-raise, but if your hand doesn’t improve, be cautious on the flop.
Back to the flop: if you catch an Ace or King, you have top pair, which is a strong position to be in. A continuation bet or raise can protect your hand in this scenario. However, if the flop is low (like 7-5-2) and you’ve missed, you’re left with Ace-high, often the best hand in this situation, but vulnerable to pocket pairs.
If the flop comes Queen-Jack or includes both, this is where AK off starts to struggle. The possibility of straights and better pairs looms, and without a flush draw as an option, AK offsuit offers fewer outs. In this case, be cautious—don’t overextend with a hand that has been weakened by the board. If your opponent starts betting aggressively, it may be time to fold.
The 2003 WSOP Main Event illustrated a scenario every poker player fears: Moneymaker faced pocket Aces with AK off in a crucial hand. The flop came 8s-9d-3c. Moneymaker had top pair, but his opponent’s pocket Aces were still ahead. Like I said earlier, even a great hand like AK can walk into traps.
Finally, AK offsuit’s value diminishes in multi-way pots. Your AK becomes weaker as the number of players in the pot increases. It’s less equipped for multi-way battles compared to hands with more showdown value, like sets or two pairs. This is why pre-flop, you should raise to reduce the number of opponents and increase your chances of winning.
Pocket Tens – TT
Pocket Tens (TT) is a strong middle to top-range hand that can both make and lose you money if not played correctly. You don’t hear as much about it compared to AA, KK, or AK, but it can still win very good-sized pots if played well. This hand will appear once every 221 hands in theory (about 0.45% of the time), as your odds are the same as any other pocket pair being dealt pre-flop. However, like Jacks, Pocket Tens can lead you into difficult situations—especially when overcards show up on the flop.
Pre-flop Strategy
First, Pocket Tens should be a ‘raise almost always’ hand, especially from early or middle positions. Half the time, overcards (any Ace, King, or Queen) will appear on the flop, so you don’t want everyone calling behind you. When raising pre-flop, your aim is to win the pot outright or to get heads up (or at most against two opponents), as this gives you a better chance that your hand is actually the best.
In late position, TT is a strong hand, but your next actions will be heavily influenced by the prior betting. If there hasn’t been a raise, calling with Tens is often fine when you will soon have position post-flop. However, if the action has been quiet, a raise is advisable to take control of the hand.
Remember, Pocket Tens are powerful but not invincible. They are most at risk against overcards (Queens through Aces). What happens when one (or more) of those shows up on the flop? This is where Pocket Tens can become problematic. If the flop comes Q-8–3, and you raised pre-flop, but there is only one overcard, you must assess the situation. If there is a lot of action post-flop and one or both of your opponents have AQ or KQ, they could easily be ahead now.
A classic example of Pocket Tens getting into trouble occurred during the 2011 WSOP Main Event. A player with TT made a great pre-flop raise, which was called by a player with AK. The flop of A-K-J put the tens far behind. When facing a 3-bet, a continuation bet, and significant action with overcards on the board, folding one of the top starting hands becomes necessary. This underscores the importance of reading the board and being able to fold even strong hands like Pocket Tens when faced with heavy action.
The Flop
Pocket Tens love to see low, dry boards—such as 8-6–2 or 7-3–4. In these cases, you are likely still holding the best hand, and it is in this situation that you should bet, both to build the pot and to protect your vulnerable hand against draws. A continuation bet (c-bet) works well in most cases, putting your opponents in a tough spot if they are on a draw and still want to see the turn and river.
However, when flops come with overcards, things can get messy. If the board comes A-K-5 or Q-J-9, you are in a very tricky spot. In these situations, you need to study your opponents’ play. Did they raise pre-flop? If so, they might be ahead. In these cases, it’s generally wise to check and see how the others react before committing more chips to the pot.
Post-flop is where Pocket Tens get really tough to play. In a multi-way pot, and with the board showing something like 9-7-4 (neutral/not flush), your tens are probably good, but now you need to worry about possible straight draws. In such situations, stronger bets are advisable to avoid giving your opponents a free chance to draw out on you. Remember, Pocket Tens can also hit a set, and if it does, you want to be in good shape to win a big pot.
Another example is set-mining with Pocket Tens. This tactic works particularly well in deep-stacked games where you can afford to call a pre-flop raise with the hope of flopping a set. Poker statistics show that TT flops a set around 12% of the time (about one in eight flops). When you make your set, your hand is very strong, and you want to extract as much money as possible from your opponents.
However, don’t fall in love with Pocket Tens. While they are a powerful hand, they are also extremely vulnerable to overcards and straight draws. Be mindful of your opponents’ actions and play cautiously. One of the biggest mistakes bad players make is becoming too attached to their hand, even when the board clearly shows that they are beaten. Discipline is key with TT—often, folding is better than throwing more chips into a pot that will likely be won by someone else.
In the later stages of tournaments, Pocket Tens are played a bit differently. When short-stacked, you may find it valuable to go all-in with TT to steal the blinds and antes. However, you still need to be careful. Pushing all-in with TT is dangerous, especially if you are called by a larger stack holding AK or AQ. You already know that TT only has about 54% equity against overcards like AK pre-flop, meaning it’s often just a coin flip.
Ace-Queen Suited – AQs
AQs—Ace-Queen suited—is a strong and flexible starting hand in Texas Hold’em, especially if you catch high cards on the flop. You will be dealt AQs statistically about 0.3% of the time or roughly once every 331 hands. While it’s not as strong as the aforementioned AKs, it’s still solid, with many top-pair-with-high-kicker situations, alongside flush and straight draws. However, AQs can also put you in tricky spots against tough opponents or stronger hands like AK and big pocket pairs.
A good rule of thumb is to play AQs aggressively pre-flop almost every time. You should either raise or re-raise, depending on your position and the amount of action that has taken place before you. You should try to build the pot pre-flop with AQs, which also helps you define your range and maintain equity post-flop. When you raise, weaker hands or speculative draws will be put in a tough spot, forcing them to decide whether to continue with the hand.
AQs is playable from the hi-jack and is powerful in late position. If you are on the button or in the cutoff, a raise is nearly mandatory if it folds to you. In these spots, the goal is to seize control of the hand and maximize your positional advantage in post-flop play. However, AQs is still a good hand to raise in early position, although be prepared for some re-raises from players in later positions who may have AK, Kings, or Aces. In such cases, flatting or folding might be the best option.
A standard pre-flop spot might involve you holding AQs in the cutoff with a button caller. If the flop is K-10-4, you pick up a big gutshot straight draw to go along with the possible flush if two of the overcards are of your suit. This is when AQs shines because of its flexibility. While you haven’t hit top pair, you have many outs—a Queen, Jack, or Ace will improve your hand, not to mention the possibility of a flush draw if two suits match yours.
You should almost always bet in this spot. Why? AQs carries a lot of equity even if you miss the flop. Following up with a continuation bet (C-bet) will usually force weaker hands to fold. Alternatively, you may improve by hitting on the turn or river cards, offering the best of both worlds. Gutshot draws complete their straight at an average rate of 16.5%, and a flush draw completes about one in five times, increasing your odds to around 35%.
The only issue with AQ is that sometimes you will find yourself in tricky situations if you hit top pair versus hands like AK. For example, holding an Ace on the flop but facing considerable aggression is a bad situation, as you may be dominated. AQs tends to lose money when it goes up against AK-type hands or big pairs like AA and KK. Therefore, it’s crucial to observe your opponents’ bet sizes and avoid overcommitting yourself to hands that are likely losing.
A classic example is from the 2008 WSOP. A player with AQs raised pre-flop and got a call from an opponent holding pocket Kings. The flop fell A-Q-6, giving the AQs player top two pair. Unfortunately, the AQs player misread the situation and made a poor call, leading to a significant loss. This illustrates how even premium hands like AQs can get you into trouble if not played correctly.
When AQs hits top pair with an Ace on the flop, it plays very well. Unless the board is very scary—like featuring J-10-Q or three suits—you are likely ahead of most of your opponents. However, if the board is coordinated and shows two suited cards and the flop is 7-3-A, you should be betting your top pair of Aces aggressively. The general rule is to raise for value and protect your hand against draws. In these situations, betting a dry flop helps fold out better hands and forces those with draws to pay to see the next card.
But if the board is coordinated like K-Q-9, you need to slow down. In such situations, you could be facing hands like sets, straights, or even better two-pair combinations. Here, the key is to play cautiously and evaluate the strength of your hand relative to the board.
AQs performs exceptionally well when it connects with a flush draw. For instance, if you are holding Ace-Queen of hearts and the flop comes 7h-5h-2h, your hand is very strong. You have a flush draw to the nuts, and if someone has an inferior flush draw, you will likely win if you complete your flush. It’s common for players to continue betting with their flush draws to build the pot, and in such cases, betting aggressively can be very profitable.
Of course, when you do hit a flush—especially the nut flush—AQs can become a monster. After building the pot, hitting your flush on the turn or river is the perfect time to bet big and extract as much value as possible from opponents with weaker holdings.
Ace Jack Suited – AJs
Ace Jack suited (referred to as AJs from here) is often called a “trap hand” for good reason. AJs can be played differently in many situations. It may seem like a powerful starting hand, but it can set up some of the toughest scenarios you will face unless played properly. AJs is part of the suited high cards, which all rank around 0.3% of the time (once every 331 hands). AJs is a hand with incredible top pair potential combined with the ability to flop and draw to an overcard nut flush or straight draw, but it also can get into tricky situations because, often, you will have no good choice other than to check or fold against strong Ace-high hands like AK or AQ.
When it comes to pre-flop, you should play AJs aggressively—especially from a late position. In the cutoff, on the button, or in the small blind, you should be raising almost every time. By raising, you can increase the size of the pot and better your chances of winning on later streets by making life difficult for weaker hands that have a drawing element. AJs fares well against weaker Aces (like A10 and suited Ax), as well as lower, connected cards, but runs into trouble if you are up against hands like AQ or AK—both of which dominate it.
However, in early position, you need to be more cautious. You might find yourself in awkward spots after you open AJs UTG (Under the Gun) and someone 3-bets behind. When someone 3-bets you, especially a tight player, odds are good they have AK or AQ if not an overpair. Folding or calling lightly is often wiser than jamming all your chips pre-flop in these spots. AJs loses to top-end hands, and that’s the nature of it.
An example of a pre-flop breakdown: let’s say you are on the button with AJs and have raised. The big blind calls. The board reads J-7-2 with two hearts, and you look down at Ace-Jack of Hearts. Now you have top pair, top kicker, and the nut flush draw—perfect. In this situation, you should be betting to maintain your lead in the hand while also trying to build the pot further. This is the type of board where AJs thrives, especially with a backdoor flush draw and multiple clean outs.
But what if you miss your flop? Even if your opponent is playing lightly, you still have a 4/5 chance of missing the flop when it comes Q-9-5. AJs can easily become tricky to play here, particularly when your opponent bets hard post-flop. If you suspect your opponent has a better hand (like KQ or AQ), checking and folding is often preferable to blindly continuing to bet. Sure, AJs is powerful pre-flop, but when you miss the board, it’s often just Ace-high.
The biggest challenge with AJs is overcards. If the flop comes K-Q-8 or A-10-7, you are likely way behind, and any further decisions will be in a spot where it’s hard to play well. You need to consider how much pressure your opponents are applying. Did they raise pre-flop? Are they playing wide? If you’re not careful, AJs can put you in spots where you’re ahead of weaker Aces but drawing thin against made hands like sets or two pairs.
A perfect illustration of the perils of AJs occurred during the 2010 WSOP Main Event. A player had AJs and hit top pair, but lost to an opponent who held AQ. The AJs player suffered a huge loss when the board didn’t change significantly, revealing that he had the weaker kicker. This is one of the situations where AJs, despite its apparent strength, struggles due to being outkicked.
This brings us to the flop, and what to do when you hit top pair with A-J suited. If the flop is especially dry, like J-8-3, and your opponent likely missed entirely, you have a powerful hand that’s vulnerable to overcards. You also have position, allowing you to bet for value from worse hands like QJ, KJ, JT, T9, and 87. You can catch a lot of top pairs with good kickers and bet them aggressively on dry boards to build the pot because, in many cases, this will win you the hand.
But if the flop comes out very coordinated—such as 9-6-X or Q-J-T—you need to slow down. Jacks with an Ace kicker are still useful here, especially if you have a straight or flush draw as well, but you should be cautious. You could c-bet, and it might work some of the time, but if you face strong resistance, it’s often better to fold than to get trapped.
AJs does very well when you connect with a flush draw. For example, if you have Ace-Jack of spades and see K-7-3 with two spades, your hand is solid. You have a flush draw for the nuts, so if someone has an inferior flush draw, you will win if your flush completes. It’s often the case that players keep betting aggressively with their flush draws to increase the pot, so understanding the strength of your draw is crucial. A suited Ace combined with two more suited cards on the flop gives you around a 35% chance to complete your flush by the river, making it a strong hand to continue betting.
Of course, when you do hit a flush—especially the nut flush—AJs can become a powerful hand. After building the pot, hitting your flush on the turn or river is the time to go for maximum value from opponents holding weaker hands.
King Queen Suited – KQs
King Queen suited (KQs) is one of those hands that looks and feels powerful—especially in late position—but it also carries significant risk. Statistically, you will see KQs about 0.3% of the time, or every 331 hands dealt. While it may not be as strong as AKs or AQs in terms of true equity, it’s still a very solid starting hand due to its high card value, flush, and straight potential. However, KQs can be tricky to play post-flop, especially against stronger hands like AK and big pocket pairs.
Pre-flop, you can feel free to play KQs more aggressively, especially when in late position. If you are on the button or in the cutoff, this is a hand you want to raise with to build the pot and hopefully isolate a weaker opponent. KQs is great for heads-up play, as its suited potential can win big pots with flushes and straights. A strong pre-flop raise with KQs often forces opponents to fold hands like Q10 or even stronger hands.
In early position, I would still sometimes open with KQs, but it should be done with caution. If a tight player re-raises you, they likely have AK, AQ, or a big pocket pair. In such spots, the better play would be to call or fold, depending on the remaining work and your read on a particular opponent. A few massive hands will crush KQs, and going all-in pre-flop without more information can be a mistake.
KQs is one of those hands where many novices overvalue it, especially when facing action from an aggressive player. For example, if you open with KQs from middle position and get 3-bet by the button, you should be cautious. If you bet, AK, AQ, or even AA, KK (higher pairs) will dominate your hand if either opponent calls. As much as you might want to see a flop, this is a spot where laying down the hand will prevent taking a big hit to your stack.
Once the flop comes, if you hit a K or Q for top pair, KQs is usually in good shape. If the flop is K-9-5 or Q-7-2, you have top pair with a good kicker and should aim to get value from worse hands in these spots. You are likely ahead of all the second-best hands that would have called your pre-flop bet, making this a good time to continue betting. A continuation bet (C-bet) will help protect your hand and get weaker hands out.
However, if you miss the flop, or the flop is A-10-4 with no flush draw, KQs can become tricky. You only have King-high, and many opponents could have made an Ace or a Ten, or they might hold KJ or JQ for a straight draw. In such spots, it makes more sense to check and see how your opponents react. If they bet, it may be time to fold rather than put more chips into a bad situation.
One of the strengths of KQs is its ability to make substantial draws on many boards. For example, if the flop is J-10-3, you have an open-ended straight draw, making it easier to continue betting. You have about a 31.5% chance of hitting your straight by the river, which is significant. Given this, KQs is a hand that can win big pots, especially if your opponents don’t see the straight coming.
A King or Queen of the same suit works great for you too. For instance, if you have King-Queen of spades, and the flop is A-7-2 with two spades, you have a flush draw. While you are behind any Ace at that moment, betting aggressively is still advisable. You have around a 35% chance to complete your flush by the river, plus the possibility of a straight if the board runs out favorably.
KQs is a balanced post-flop hand, particularly when you hit a piece of the board. If you have top pair or a strong draw, building the pot through confident bets makes sense. However, if the flop comes unfavorable, like A-J-4 or K-Q-10, it’s crucial to evaluate your hand strength. You are only one overcard (to the Queen) away from having little fold equity against stronger hands like AK, AQ, or even a flopped set, making it essential to check or fold when the action heats up.
A textbook example of a strong yet tricky KQs hand occurred during the 2007 WSOP Main Event. A player had KQs and hit top two pair on a flop of K-Q-8, but their opponent held AK and turned a straight with a J. This hand illustrates that even when KQs seems strong, it can put you in a vulnerable spot against hands like AK, which are likely to outdraw you when behind.
Position is also a key factor with KQs. You want to play it from a late position where you can act last and observe how everyone else plays. KQs is more challenging to play from early position because you have less information, making it harder to gauge what your opponents might be holding. With KQs, value is all about position.