There are a lot of starting hand combination, but among them all there are actually seven hands considered to be the premium starting hands. The pocket pair of Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s are our first five premium hands. They come in pairs, and the hand is pretty strong on its own since you are holding a top pair. When you play with these starting hands, you can simply raise the bet to make the pot goes bigger gradually. If the river is showing no sign of stronger hands to be constructed by other players, continue to gradually increase the pot by placing bets or simply limp to check if other players are constructing possible stronger hand by observing their betting pattern.

A-K and A-Q are also considered to be premium starting hands, but I always advice new players to simply call the bet with these hands. Raise if the flop is giving you a pair of either or even a possible Straight. You can even aim for a nice Royal Flush with these starting hands if they are same-suited. Again, observe other players’ betting pattern and tells to confirm the relative strength of your hand. Things can still go south, so make sure you minimize risks with these two premium hands instead of pushing forward with the first five we discussed.