In Poker, players compete by forming hands of five cards, each with a different value. If two of your cards are a pair, you win; if not, you lose. Otherwise, the highest pair wins, and so on. The highest pair and second pair are called “best hands,” while the third and fourth pair are called “better hands.” The high card breaks ties when no one has a pair or better. A straight hand, however, is not considered a high hand.

A balanced range allows you to have more options. A variety of playing strategies makes it hard for your opponents to exploit your weak hands. A player who sticks to one betting strategy is easily exploited. For example, “Harry” raises under the gun only when he has a premium pair or an AK. Using a varied strategy allows you to take the upper hand in the pot. This is a critical point in a game of poker.

In some poker variants, the minimum hand is a pair of jacks. This hand is necessary to make the first bet before the draw. If you don’t have a pair of jacks, you should mix your strong hand with a weak hand for balance. It’s not a good idea to fold an active hand because you will end up losing money! A strong hand is a good idea to make a bet, but don’t bet too much.