When it comes to playing poker, there are many different things that you need to take into account in order to maximize your chances of winning. One of the most important is having a strong starting hand. This means having cards that have the potential to form a straight or flush, or repeat cards that can connect to a double or triple. But what if you have cards that don’t fit into any of those categories? What is the worst hand in poker?
There are a few poker hands that people call “bad beats” because they lose against what seem to be much stronger hands. While bad beats can occur in any game, they are most common when a player calls a raise with weak cards that end up losing to a superior hand.
These are the hands that players should look to muck as soon as they get them. They are not only considered terrible from an odds perspective, but they also create situations where the player can be tempted to make poor decisions because they feel entitled to win with the hands they have in their possession.
The worst hand in poker is 2-7 offsuit, which can be referred to as the devil’s hand or screwdriver because it is so terrible. This is because it can’t form a straight and when it does make pairs, it will often be dominated by opponents with higher kickers.
Some of the other worse poker hands include 7-2 suited, which can be known as the death grip because it was held by American Old West lawman Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot dead at a card table more than a century ago. Another bad poker hand is 9 and 5, which is known as the Dolly Parton hand because of its connection to the famous country singer in the 1980s. This hand is terrible because it can be very difficult to fold when the board and your opponent’s actions are screaming at you that you are beat.
Other bad poker hands include 3 and 4 of clubs, which is a straight that runs from ace-to-five, and 2-7 of hearts, which is sometimes called the Broadway straight because it runs from ten-to-ace. These poker hands do very poorly in equity simulations, and they should be folded as soon as they are dealt. Moreover, they can lead to a lot of money loss for poker players, especially if they are played by people who think that they have the right to win. So, next time you are dealt a poker hand, always remember that not all hands are created equal and that the worst ones can really hurt your bankroll.