This lesson is probably the most important lesson you'll ever learn when it comes to playing and winning Texas Hold 'Em, because the most important decision you'll make in the game is deciding which hands to play.    

Here's an interesting fact. there are 169 possible starting hands in the game, and more than half are considered unplayable!   Now those are some undefeatable odds!  You can see why many novice players have such a hard time getting started in this game.    Knowing when to fold your cards is what separates the experienced players from the "fish".  Most players lose because they play too many hands.  In order to make real money at this game, you need to know exactly which starting hands are playable, and which ones will lose you money.

I've put together a list for you that is organized with the strongest hands on top.  I encourage you to print it out and study it BEFORE you sit down at the table. I don't need to tell you that knowing which starting hands you should play can either make or loose you a TON of money.
Every one of these hands has at least a 10% chance of winning in a game of 10 people.   

So let's get started.

Glossary:

A = Ace K = King Q = Queen J = Jack T = Ten2-9 = Card Value x = Unknown Card s = Same Suit

Playable Starting Hands Any Pair - A pair is always playable.  Of course the higher the pair, the better your odds: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22

Ax, Kx, Qx, Jx, and Tx Suited - "Suited" means that both cards are of the same suit.  When you have one of these starting hands, you have the potential for high pairs, trips (three of a kind), a flush, straights, and straight flush:

AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, A9s, A8s, A7s, A6s, A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s KQs, KJs, KTs, K9s, K8s, K7s, K6s, K5s, K4s, K3s, K2s QJs, QTs, Q9s, Q8s, Q7s, Q6s, Q5s, Q4s, Q3s, Q2s JTs, J9s, J8s. J7s, J6s, J5s, T9s, T8s, T7s, T6s

Ax, Kx, Qx, Jx, Tx Unsuited - These hands all have the potential for high pairs or straights.  Remember, only play unsuited cards with a combined value of 21 or higher:

AK, AQ, AJ, AT, A9 KQ, KJ, KT, K9 QJ, QT, Q9 JT, J9 T9

9x and Lower Suited - These hands are called suited connectors.  When you have two suited cards that are consecutive or one-gapped (one card in between them) they have potential for play for their straight and flush possibilities:

98s, 97s, 96s, 87s, 86s, 85s, 76s, 75s, 65s, 64s, 54s, 53s, 43s   

If you're playing smart, any starting hand that you don't see on this list should be folded. Expect to fold the majority of the time.  If you play with any other hand, you'll be playing against the mathematical odds. and in the long run, you'll lose. Of course, of the above hands, many of them are stronger than the others, and should be played accordingly.  

Another thing that a lot of "fresh fish" don't realize is that you must play hands differently depending on your "position" in the game.  The reason is that if you are in the "back", meaning you are the last to go, you get to see what everyone else does before you make your move.  If you are in the front, you have to make your move before anyone else does.  This can really affect the way a hand is played. and if you don't know exactly what you're doing, in can really affect how much money you go home with.   

I often cringe when I see a young guy stepping up to the tables and laying his hard earned money down on the line. Hey, I used to be one of those guys   I remember my first few Hold 'Em Tournaments. I had played a few games with my friends and family, and since I always did well against the boys, I thought I was ready for the big leagues. boy was I wrong   I lost a lot of hands and a lot of money before I figured it out.  But the good news is, I finally did.  And now that I have it down, it's not that hard to walk away from a day of playing with several thousand dollars in my pocket.   But, like any other skill that's valuable, it's not something that you can learn in 2 minutes.It takes a little practice.  

I kept a journal of each and every hand I played, and studied and learned from my mistakes.I knew my hard work would pay off in the end  And the GREAT news is that instead of taking several YEARS playing, studying, and LOSING like I did, you can get the benefits of my "banging my head against the wall" research... and go straight to the good stuff. My Texas Hold 'Em Secrets eBook is the ULTIMATE training program for this stuff.

Not only did it take me YEARS to learn all of this stuff in the first place, and figure it all out, but it also took me literally thousands of dollars of my own money to gain these skills.   I designed this program to be the best available in history on how to consistently win at Texas Hold 'Em.    In it, I cover every possible scenario and give you dozens of real life examples and winning strategies that you can start using IMMEDIATELY.   

If you're new to Hold 'Em, and you're looking to learn the skills you need to start off a winner, this book will help you.    If you're already a strong Hold 'Em player, this book will make you better.   But I want YOU to be the judge.   My eBook is backed with a 90-Day, satisfaction guarante.e policy.  Go to my website and order it.  These strategies have won me thousands of pots and tens of thousands of dollars, and I know they will work for you too.   

Go check out the eBook here: http://www.Texas-Holdem-Secrets.com/knowyourhands/   .