Here is a list of the top ten starting hands and their nicknames:
1. A-A – Pocket aces is hands down the strongest starting hand in Texas Hold’em, and when played correctly you will win with them more often than not. Nicknames: American Airline, Pocket Rockets.
2. K-K – The second most powerful hand is almost always the strongest opening pair at the table, though you do have to be wary of anyone that could have flopped aces. Nickname: Cowboys.
3. Q-Q – Pocket queens fall into the range of hands that you will likely raise with pre-flop regardless of your position, though you must proceed with caution. Nickname: Ladies.
4. A-K – Ace-king is one of those hands that can win you a lot of money or send you packing depending on how you play it. Ace-king suited is a little stronger than its non-suited counterpart. Nickname: Big Slick.
5. J-J – Statistically, pocket jacks will win a ten-handed pot approximately 20% of the time. As long as the flop doesn’t bring an ace, king or queen, you should be good to go. Nickname: Jesters.
6. A-Q – Much like J-J, A-Q is expected to win a ten-handed pot around 20% of the time. It is considered the second best drawing hand.
7. K-Q – Although you won’t want to call any pre-flop raises with this hand in early or middle position, K-Q is a great drawing pair that can make you tough to beat with the right flop.
8. A-J – With suited A-J you can call a raise in late position, though with the unsuited variation you will be better off just folding the majority of the time.
9. K-J – This is mostly a hand to play in late position, and you would almost never stick around after a pre-flop raise unless the table is short-handed.
10. A-10 – When you are dealt A-10, you are hoping to see a cheap flop where maybe you can get lucky and land a deceptively strong hand that will be hard for your opponents to pick up on.
