Many players make the error of playing too many hands, which costs them money. But you can also win by betting and forcing all the other players to fold their hands, either before or after the flop (the first three community cards). The most common way to win is by having the best poker hand when all the cards are shown at the end of the hand (the “showdown”). The first thing to understand is that poker has different ways to win. The next highest-ranking hands are four of a kind, a full house, a flush, a straight, three of a kind, two pairs, one pair and high card. The best hand in poker is a royal flush, followed by a straight flush. There are ten different types of poker hands. The better the hand, the higher it ranks on the list. Hand rankings are determined by what cards make up the hand and how they are arranged. This article shares the ten best starting hands in Texas Holdem and how you can use them to your advantage. Every beginner must have a solid understanding of poker hand rankings because the best way to win in poker is to play the hands that offer the highest expected return and fold the rest. Starting hands are vital in Texas Holdem.