As mentioned earlier, by the nature of Texas Hold ‘Em, if you start with the best hand, you have a big advantage over your fellow players. Another factor is that, as an inexperienced player, judging what to do once the flop has appeared is quite difficult. The game can become even more difficult when you reach the turn and the river. So, your basic strategy should emphasize the action you take before the flop, either to win you the hand there and then, or to put you in a really strong position for future rounds.

For those reasons, I am going to suggest that you limit the number of hands with which you get involved in the action to just twenty-one. When you don’t see one of those hands, you fold (unless you are the Big Blind, in which case, if no one has raised, you’re in the hand anyway). Such a strategy requires a high level of discipline because you won’t see these hands often. However, when you do enter the fray, you will be placed strongly. These are your key starting hands:

All 13 Pairs AA KK QQ JJ 1010 99 88 77 66 55 44 33 22

AA is the strongest starting hand you can pick up, since with only two cards available, no one can hold a higher Pair than you. This hand, often known as “Pocket Rockets”, is what every player hopes to see every time he turns over his cards.

AA KK QQ AK are the premium Pairs; with these and the “Big Slick”, AK, it will be good practice always to come into the action by raising - or even re-raising.

Mid-size and lower Pairs can be dangerous, since if higher cards appear on the flop, you may be outdrawn. There are two key ways of playing low Pairs: some good players like to put in a big raise to win the pot there and then; others believe that it is better merely to call the Big Blind or a small raise and hope that you hit a matching card on the flop, giving you Trips - which is a strong hand and may well clean up from everyone who is still in the pot.
I recommend that, generally, you just call.

AQ AJ suited (suited means that both cards are of the same suit)
These two hands are just ace-High Cards, but both offer the chance of top Pair draws, top Straight draws and top Flush draws. If an ace appears on the flop, you will have top Pair with a convincing kicker; if the flop is Q high or J high (the highest card showing is Q or J), then you have top Pair with the top kicker. For that strength and the potential to make really strong hands, these cards are worth playing in a Pot Limit or No-Limit Hold ‘Em game.

A,10 suited KQ and KJ suited QJ suited J,10 suited
These are the five weakest starting hands, but I have included them because, although they are not wonderful right now, they have the potential to become strong hands if the top card pairs or if a Straight or Flush draw develops and then completes.

These hands are quite flop-sensitive. If the three cards on the flop don’t fit well, you will probably have to abandon your hand the moment there is a bet.