When a player has a pair of their hole cards it is called a 'pocket pair.' And if the pair is made up of face cards (jack, queen, king) and their suits match, they are 'suited ' if they aren't the same, then they are considered 'offsuit.' In addition to this lingo, there are many nicknames for cards and hands that you may encounter along the way. Each hand has a rank, which is compared against the ranks of other hands participating in the showdown to decide who wins the pot. In this type of poker game, there are cards dealt to the players, called hole cards, and cards dealt to the board, called community cards. In poker, players form sets of five playing cards, called hands, according to the rules of the game. If you are new to Texas Hold 'em-or poker altogether-you may need to brush up on some of the terminology.
This list reflects a consensus of the most trusted resources. Also, a great starting hand can turn bad quickly with the wrong community cards. Do keep in mind, however, that there is some disagreement over which hands are the best, and it does depend in part on your skill level and style of play.
This list of the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Hold 'em is a good place to start learning. One of the keys to being a strong Texas Hold 'em poker player is to know which hands are playable and which are not.
