Worst Hand In Texas Holdem
The Situation:
The first step to mastering poker is to learn the hand rankings. These rankings remain the same for all forms of poker. We'll start with the worst hand. In this video, I show you the worst starting hands in poker. If you are dealt these cards at the beginning of a game of No Limit Hold'Em, then your odds of w.
You’re playing heads-up $5/$10 No-Limit Texas Hold’em cash with full 100bb stacks. Your opponent is a player who will call a shove with any two cards.
The Question:
What’s the worst possible hand you could jam with in this situation?
(a) 7-2 offsuit
(b) Q-2 offsuit
(c) 3-2 offsuit
(d) Other
Please leave your answer in the comments below before scrolling down and reading the analysis and answer.
Done that? Great. Now read on for the analysis and answer…
The Analysis:
Conventional wisdom in poker is that an offsuit 7-2 is the worst possible hand you can open with before the flop. In fact, many popular side bets in poker center around winning with the so-called 7-2 “beer hand.” Against a top 20% hand, for instance, 7-2 is in fact the W.H.I.P., or Worst Hand In Poker….
…ah, but in the specific situation of this quiz, in which your opponent will call a shove with any two cards, regardless of their strength, offsuit 3-2 is actually a slightly worse hand.
To see this, we can run an equity calculator (such as the awesome Poker Cruncher app) and compare the three quiz answer hands against a range comprised of ATC, or Any Two Cards.
7-2o Against ATC:
The Answer:
(c) 3-2 offsuit is the WHIP—in this specific scenario.
The Discussion:
There are a few things worth adding to the discussion:
Close Equities. The respective equities of 7-2 and 3-2 against ATC are not very different; they’re both in the low 30% range. And these values actually aren’t terrible. If you were facing an all-in situation with your last $32 and there was $100 in the pot, you’d be justified in making the call with an offsuit trey-deuce.
Calling Ranges Matter. Against a top 20% hand range, 7-2 offsuit slips below 3-2 offsuit in strength, with just 27.7% equity against 29.2%, respectively.
The (Not So) Mighty Q-2. The Q-2 offsuit hand is nearly a coin-flip against an ATC calling range. But against a top 20% hand range, the equity drops significantly to just 31.3%. I.e., against someone who calls with ATC, Q-2 is a fairly strong hand, but against someone more discerning with their calling range, Q-2 ain’t great.
Equity Calculator. If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend getting an equity calculator and learning to use it. For Mac users (like me) and iOS and Android users, I highly recommend Poker Cruncher. And if you’re on a Windows machine, the industry standard is Flopzilla. Both programs are powerful and easy use.
Other WHIPs. Finally, what was amusing to me when I first posted this question was the number of non-standard responses I received from readers, including AQ, AK, KK, and JJ. The question these folks were actually answering was not “What is the worst preflop starting hand heads-up against ATC,” but rather “What hands do they lose the most money with and/or have the most trouble with?” These are very different kettles of fish altogether…
The Bottom Line:
Always carefully read a hand situation closely before jumping in with the answer/decision to make. Like everything in poker, the answer usually depends. Against a heads-up opponent who will call with any two cards, 3-2 offsuit is the WHIP. But against a stronger calling range, 7-2 offsuit is the WHIP. And if you move beyond the flop… well, all bets are off. Pocket Kings just may in fact be your own personal worst hand in poker!
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At the beginning of every round of Texas Hold’em Poker, you get two cards, which sometimes can make one of the worst hands in poker.
The extent to which your starting hand is strong can define your success in a game. That might affect the final result even if the other cards are not dealt with yet. Therefore, it’s important to know the strength of the starting hand to know how to act next. Practically, you need to know these details to ensure your success. Because knowledge is power when it comes to skill-based gambling, and Texas Hold’em Poker is a part of it. So, if you obtain enough information about the worst and best hands in Texas Hold’em Poker, you will know what hands are worth keeping to play with and which are better to fold.
In fact, it’s pretty easy to understand how to play Texas Hold’em Poker itself. What makes it challenging is knowing when you should keep playing or fold.
Therefore, we prepared a list of the worst hands that you can have while playing Poker. Knowing these hands will let you define whether you should continue playing. Thus, if you have one of the following hands, it’s better not to play with those. So, folding them will be the better option to choose.
Worst Hands in Poker – 2 and 7 Is One of the Worst Combinations That You Can Have in Texas Hold’Em Poker
One of the worst hands in Poker that you might face in Texas Hold’em Poker is 2 and 7 offsuit. These two cards are the lowest that you will not be able to make a straight with them.
No matter whatever the scenario the game gets, the pair of 2 and 7 makes a very weak hand. Thus, even if they fit, they still make low flush.
It’s true that the possibility to get the pairs is always present but remember that these two make a very low pair together.
2-8 Offsuit Is Almost the Same as 2-7 With a Slight Difference
The case with 2-8 offsuit hand makes almost the same scenario as with 2-7 offsuit starting hand. The only difference is that a combination of 2-8 is just a little bit better than 2-7 offsuit. That’s simply because 8 is higher than 7.
Nevertheless, it still makes one of the worst hands in poker that you should not proceed with. Dropping out of the game would be the better option here.
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3 and 8, 3 and 7 Are Just a Little Bit Better Than 2-7 and 2-8
Continuing on the worst hands in poker, the combination of 3-8 and 3-7 has not gone far from 2-8 and 2-7. Maybe just a little bit.
If you have 3 and 8, you are still unable to make a straight. But there is a very probability of a straight to occur if you have 3 and 7.
Once again, the probability to get the pairs is always in place, but the pairs are still low and you can’t change that. What you can do is to be careful with them.
If You Have 2 and 6, You Will Lose in 90% of the Cases
Once you see a draw of 2 and 6, it’s better to drop it because 90% of this combination will make you lose. No wonder why it makes one of the worst hands in poker.
The magic might happen, and you might get flop of 3, 4, and 5 that will give you a straight. However, if any other player has 6 and 7, you will fail.
9 Can Save You in Combinations of 2-9, 3-9, and 4-9
Among the worst hands in Poker, a hand of 2-9, 3-9, or 4-9 offsuit is just a little bit better. Well, that’s because 9 itself is a high card, thus, this is the only card that might save you.
Once 9 pairs, you will have a middle pair. However, if other players have 10s, jacks, queens, kings, or aces they can easily beat you.
9 and 5, Known as “Dolly Parton”
The next combination that makes one of the worst hands in poker is 9-5 which is famous as “Dolly Parton”.
If you have a hand of 9 and 5, you can still play if you are playing just to entertain. In the end, it has a funny game, so, you can have some fun.
Nevertheless, if you have a goal to win, it’s better not to play with these cards.
The Story Behind the Hand of 10-2
The hand of 10 and 2 has its mythical fame. It’s just because it’s the hand that Doyle Brunson used to win two bracelets of World Series of Poker. But that’s only the story behind it, so, let’s come to reality. And in this reality, this hand is not a good one to play with. Therefore, if you are going to continue strongly believing that you would win, that’s probably not going to work.
Not the Worst Hand in Poker Ever, but Not the Best Either
There is a mistake that is very common for most of the dummies in Texas Hold’em Poker. And it’s that different paintings on the cards, like queens or jacks, can easily attract their attention. Thus, they choose to play with them. Though it’s not that bad as some other worst hands in poker, it’s not going to instantly make you a winner. Therefore, it’s better to get familiar with the rules of Texas Hold’em Poker for dummies first.
Worst Poker Hand In Texas Holdem
Still, practice makes it perfect – the more you play, the easier it becomes for you to get lucky in a game. Try playing Texas Hold’em Poker at one of the best online casinos in the US with some of the best betting odds – Bovada. It’s Christmastime soon, so, keep an eye on the online gambling promotions in the US!