worst Starting Hands
at Texas Hold'em

If you're playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker and you get dealt one of these hands, there are extremely few circumstances in which you should play them. (For example, if you're the big blind and no one has raised the pot pre-flop.) Generally, if you see these cards in your hand you should run away as fast as you can.

1. 2-7 (offsuit)
   This is the worst hand to start with in Texas Hold 'Em Poker because there are so few good options: you have no straight draw, no flush draw, and even if you wind up with a pair of 7s or a pair of 2s, you're very unlikely to have the best hand. Of course, you'll see some crazy flops every now and then. But just because you might see a rare 7-7-2 flop once in a blue moon doesn't make this a good hand to play.



2. 2-8 (offsuit)
   See above. This is only slightly better than a 2-7 offsuit because the 8 is better than the 7.



3. 3-8 (offsuit)
   Another horrible starting hand for Texas Holdem Poker.



4. 2-9 (offsuit)
   This one is only ever so slightly better than the ones listed above.



5. 2-6 (offsuit)
   Of the 169 possible starting hands in Texas Hold 'Em Poker, this one ranks 165th. Not something to be proud.