Poker eLife

Ace-Ace
A pair of aces, also known as “pocket rockets” (and sometimes “American Airlines”) is the best starting hand.

King-King
Second on the list is a pair of kings, also known as “cowboys” or “King Kong.”

Queen-Queen
A pair of queens, also known as “ladies,” rounds out the top three best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker.

Ace-King (suited)
This is where people start to disagree. A suited ace-king, also known as “big slick,” is my pick.

Ace-Queen (suited)
The suited “big chick,” or “little slick,” the nicknames given to a pocket ace-queen, is next in line.

Jack-Jack
A pair of jacks — also known as “hooks” or “fishhooks” — checks in at number six on my list.

King-Queen (suited)
A suited royal couple, king-queen, is next in the list of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker’s most powerful starting hands.

Ace-Jack (suited)
Nicknamed “blackjack” for obvious reasons, and sometimes called “ajax,” the ace-jack combo rates eighth.

Ace-King (offsuit)
Only one offsuit non-pair makes it into the list of the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker — the “big slick,” an ace-king.

10-10
This is the only starting hand in the top 10 without a face card: a pair of tens (aka “dimes”).