Relative hand strength refers to the value of the two cards you are dealt at the start of the poker game.  These cards are commonly called “pocket” cards.

Obviously, the best possible pocket cards are two aces.  However, this happens only about once every 200 hands or so.  The worst pocket cards are a 7 and a 2 off-suited.  Every other combination of pocket cards falls somewhere in between these two extremes.

So how do you know if you have a good hand to play?  This is where the “relative” strength of your cards comes into play.  Your position at the table can have a significant impact on the strength of your hand.  If you are dealt a middle value pair and are the first to place a bet, you are at a disadvantage.  Yet if you have this same pair and are in a position to bet after half the players at the table have already folded, that mediocre hand suddenly becomes much stronger.  If your hand is strong to begin with, your odds of winning with it increase according to how many players are left at the table – the fewer opponents you have to play against, the more likely you are to win. 

To use relative hand strength to your advantage in a poker game, focus on one opponent at a time to pare down the field.  Isolating other players improves the value of your hand and reduces the distance between you and the pot.

Feb 27 2010