Starting hand rankings in hold ‘em poker
As has been stated by many authors on poker strategy, starting hand rankings are a key concept to learn. Sklansky and Malmuth take the idea further, categorizing hands into groups then detailing which groups of hands can be played based on the situation. They use 8 groups, with the first group being exactly what you would expect:
Sklansky Groups
| Group | Hands |
|---|---|
| 1 | AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs |
| 2 | TT, AQs, AJs, KQs, AK |
| 3 | 99, JTs, QJs, KJs, ATs, AQs |
| 4 | T9s, KQ, 88, QTs, 98s, J9s, AJ, KTs |
| 5 | 77, 87s, Q9s, T8s, KJ, QJ, JT, 76s, 97s, Axs, 65s |
| 6 | 66, AT , 55, 86s, KT, QT, 54s, K9s, J8s, 75s |
| 7 | 44, J9, 64s, T9, 53s, 33, 98, 43s, 22, Kxs, T7s, Q8s |
| 8 | 87, A9, Q9, 76, 42s, 32s, 96s, 85s, J8, J7s, 65, 54, 74s, K9, T8 |
How do you use Sklansky’s Groupings?
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