The Worst Hand in Poker

One of poker’s most valued lessons is learning the danger of having the second best hand. In many cases, the difference between pro and schmo is knowing when to dump a solid hand that you know is second best. The key to avoiding this bankroll cancer is two-fold prevention and acceptance.

Step one of this poker strategy starts before the flop. Choosing not to play hands that are notorious for producing second bests will save you thousands over your entire poker career.  Some usual suspects are Ace with a small kicker and hands such as K9. These hands can either give you the ignorant end (loosing end) of a straight or leave you beaten by someone playing a stronger kicker if the board does pair your king.

The real poker strategy here is to avoid these situations. This is especially important with high cards such as Kings and Aces. Be aware that a person playing a King is probably playing it with a connector, or at least a high enough card to form a straight. This means that in the K9 example, your hand is weak. The same holds true with hands including an Ace. The risk of high kickers also increases with more players at the table.

Step two of this poker strategy involves preventing the damage caused by holding the second best hand. This step comes into play when your strong hand turns weak. It’s not easy to dump a great hand once the flop, turn or river has burned you. But it is crucial part of this particular poker strategy and will help you to become a successful player.  You see this a lot with pocket pairs and over cards or when there are four cards to a straight on the board and you are holding the low end. Making the decision to throw your hand away should not be based on how strong your hand was, but how strong it is and potentially will be. If you’re holding trips and there are four cards to a flush, chances are someone made the flush. Your once powerful set is now a very weak, second best, and you must consider folding. The poker strategy of simply recognizing when you are beat will result in huge savings and profits over time. 

So, next time you hear some one blurt out they just got dealt the worst hand in poker, you should smile and realize it could be worse. In the end of the day, a poor starting hand in poker may cost you an ante, but the worst hand in poker could cost you your whole bankroll.  

Other recommended poker strategy articles:
Playing Poker Short Handed
Bluffing in Poker
Slow Playing
Poker Position
Changing Pace in Poker
Pocket Pairs

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