05 Aug 2024 Today I’m going to talk about the five most profitable poker hands that most people still overlook these days. These are the five hands that have made me some of my biggest profits in recent years and I want to share them with you in today's video, including step-by-step examples on how to play each one. So let's jump into it! Counting down from 5 to 1, here are the top five poker hands that most people still overlook. #5: 10-8 Suited Coming in at number five is 10-8 suited. Now, guys, this is one of my absolute favorite hands. I've talked about it many times here, and it's still overlooked by a lot of beginners. This hand can make a straight, two pair, trips, a flush, and so much more. This is kind of like the Swiss army knife of hands. If you have a hand like 10-8 of hearts, an excellent flop would be Ace of hearts, 10 of clubs, and 5 of hearts. On a board like this, we have both a flush draw and a pair, giving us a boatload of outs to win the hand. We might even be ahead right now with the middle pair. Remember, there are nine more hearts in the deck, which would give us a flush — a nearly unbeatable hand. There are also two more 10s and three more 8s in the deck, which could give us trips or two pair. That is why a hand like this is so profitable. If you're up against tighter players who can't fold a hand like Ace-King on this board, or recreational poker players (our fishy friends) who don't fold anything, this hand can be absolute money against these kinds of players. You want to raise the preflop with this hand or call in position. On your screen right now, you can see the positions at the poker table, just so you understand what I'm talking about: The cutoff and the button are by far the most profitable seats at the poker table. I've talked about this — the reason why is because you're going to get to act last on the flop, turn, and river—a massive, proven statistical advantage. A lot of the hands on this list really benefit even more from these positions because they allow you to get more raises in, more value bets, or even fold your hand and save money if you think you're beat. So, bottom line: you want to play a hand like this against tighter players who have trouble folding a big top pair or overpair type hand, and also against recreational players. You want to try to flop some sort of big combo draw like this, where you have a pair plus a flush draw. #4: 5-3 Suited A hand that many people overlook these days is 5-3 suited. This is another one of those sneaky suited one-gappers that can play particularly well in deep stack games. By deep stacks, I mean poker games where you have 100 big blinds or more. For example, in a $1/$2 cash game, 100 big blinds would be $200. Many poker tournaments also start off with deeper stacks in the beginning stages, which is where hands like 5-3 suited can be highly profitable. In No Limit Texas Hold'em, you can bet any amount at any time, giving hands like this a lot of potential. 5-3 suited can make a well-hidden straight, trips, two pair, and more. Let me give you an example of a good flop for this hand: Ace of Diamonds, Four of Spades, and Seven of Hearts. Many beginners might overlook this spot, thinking they only have five high and nothing on the board. However, we actually have a gutshot to the wheel straight draw here. If a two comes on the turn or river, we make a well-hidden wheel straight: Ace, Two, Three, Four, Five. Additionally, there's a spade on the board, giving us a backdoor flush draw. If spades come on the turn and river, we also make a nearly unbeatable flush. Similar to the previous hand, you want to play 5-3 suited preflop against tight players, especially in position with deeper stacks, and look to stack their overpairs. This is one of my favorite hands to play against tighter, nittier players who have trouble folding top pair or overpair hands like Ace-King. Recreational poker players also tend not to fold these hands, making 5-3 suited a money-making hand in these situations. This is one of my absolute favorite hands to play against the tighter, nittier players you often encounter in today's games. If they hit the top pair with a hand like Ace-King, they're not folding, and we know recreational poker players won't fold that hand either. #3: Pocket Sixes Let's move on to hand number three, which is often overlooked: pocket sixes. Many beginners and amateurs still underestimate these small pocket pairs, but they can be incredibly profitable, especially against recreational players, or our "fishy" friends. The key with pocket sixes is to look for flops that can give you a set. For example, if you have pocket sixes and the flop comes King-6-4, you’ve flopped a set. Although you'll only hit a set about 12% of the time, that 12% can be significant. I've built a career out of flopping sets against players who can’t fold hands like Ace-King or King-Queen in such situations. These hands are very profitable because opponents often won’t put you on a set, allowing you to stack them frequently, especially if you play aggressively by raising on the flop and turn. #2: Ace-Four Suited Ace-Four suited is another hand I frequently discuss here. Hands like Ace-Four suited, regardless of whether it’s Hearts, Spades, Clubs, or Diamonds, have tremendous nut potential. Let me explain what I mean. This hand can make the nut flush, a wheel straight (similar to the potential of Five-Three suited), and even excellent two-pair combinations. In poker, the term "nuts" refers to the best possible hand or one of the best possible hands, and it’s crucial for your success to be drawing to the nuts as often as possible. That’s the beauty of a hand like this. For example, a good flop for Ace-Four of Hearts might be Jack of Hearts, Eight of Clubs, and Five of Hearts. In this situation, you’re drawing to the nut flush. If an opponent has a hand with two hearts, like Queen-Ten of Hearts, and a heart appears on the turn or river, they’ll be in a tough spot. You’ll have the best flush possible with the Ace-high flush, while they’ll have the third-best flush with the Queen-high flush. So, bottom line: get involved with this hand, especially in position with deep stacks, against tight players and recreational players. Look to flop big draws like two pair or a pair plus a flush draw. Flops like these are extremely profitable with this hand. #1: Seven-Eight Suited All right, guys, let’s move on to the number one poker hand that many people still overlook these days: Seven-Eight Suited. For those of you who are fans of the channel, you know I love suited connectors and suited one-gappers. The reason is simple: they are incredibly profitable with deep stacks. These hands can make multiple straights, trips, two pairs, and flushes. Let me give you an example with Seven-Eight of Diamonds. Suppose the flop comes Ace of Diamonds, Nine of Clubs, and Five of Hearts. In this situation, you have a backdoor flush draw. If another diamond appears on the turn or river, you’ll complete your flush. You also have a gutshot straight draw to the nut straight. If a Six comes on the turn or river, you’ll make an unbeatable straight. Drawing to the nuts is crucial in poker. In a spot like this, especially if there’s an Ace or King on the flop, you can often win a massive pot against tight players or recreational players. If they hit top pair, they’ll rarely put you on a straight or a backdoor flush. That’s why hands like Seven-Eight Suited are so powerful, particularly with deeper stacks where opponents struggle with post-flop bet sizing. That’s it for today! Thanks for reading and we'll see you next time!
