Article updated on March 4, 2025
The poker term “preflop” literally means “before the flop”. The flop refers to the three community cards after the first betting round in variants such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha. Therefore, the first betting round is “preflop”, and this part of the game can send off fireworks before any community cards!
Preflop play is critical in poker and may involve many strategic considerations. Knowing how to play preflop is key for beginners to improve and find a win at the table.
Note that the term only applies to games where there are three community cards on the second betting round (referred to as the “flop”).
Draw and stud types of poker games do not have a flop. Hence, the terms postflop and preflop do not apply to such variants.
Keep reading to learn more about “preflop” and the best hands in poker preflop.
Preflop Poker Terms for Beginners
Those new to poker should become acquainted with some of the game's basic mechanics – including preflop action. There are three streets that make up the postflop betting rounds called the flop, turn, and river.
Here's a look at how the action might play out in a typical game of Texas Hold'em:
- Dealer button – The dealer button denotes which player would have been the dealer in a typical home poker game. Casinos use full-time dealers, so the button is on whoever would have been the dealer. After each poker hand ends, the dealer button moves one spot around the table.
- Blinds – The player two spots to the left of the dealer button posts the “big blind,” a forced bet that all players must call to play a hand. The player one seat to the left of the dealer button posts the "small blind," which is usually half of the big blind. This player has to call half of the big blind preflop to play. These bets are made preflop and before the cards are dealt.
- Preflop – Preflop play begins with players calling or raising the big blind. Of course, players can also opt to fold. When all the players have acted on their hands, the game moves to the next stage.
- Flop – The dealer places three community cards for all poker players to use. A round of betting then begins with the player to the left of the button acting first. Players can check, bet, fold, or raise.
- Turn – After all betting on the flop concludes, the fourth community card is dealt. Another round of betting then commences.
- River – This final community card is dealt after betting on the river wraps. Players then go through a round of betting again.
- Showdown – When two or more players remain on the river, they must reveal their cards to see who wins the pot. The player with the higher hand takes the pot.
It's essential to remember that the preflop portion of the game only occurs before the first three community cards are dealt.
Example of Preflop Used in a Sentence
Now that you know what preflop means in poker, understanding how to use this term with poker hand probabilities is crucial.
Here are a few examples of how to use this term in a sentence:
|
"Preflop play is especially crucial in poker games with shallow, effective stacks." "I decided to fold my hand after Steve raised a big preflop." "There were a lot of chips already in the pot preflop." "My preflop strategy was very lacking, so I began working on my game more." |
What Are the Best Hands in Poker Preflop?
Preflop strategy is critical to knowing the best preflop hands. It can help players determine which hands may be flop-worthy and whether to raise or fold. This concept also helps to understand what other players may be holding when they call or raise, allowing you to react and counter some of their play.
Here’s a quick look at the top 10 preflop starting hands in poker:
- Ace-Ace (pocket Aces)
- King-King (pocket Kings)
- Queen-Queen (pocket Queens)
- Ace-King (suited)
- Jack-Jack (pocket Jacks)
- 10-10 (pocket 10s)
- Ace-King (unsuited)
- Ace-Queen (suited)
- 9-9 (pocket 9s)
- Ace-Jack (suited)
Basing your play on these hands indicates which hands you should watch for. Other less-powerful hands may also be worth at least calling preflop or even raising, depending on opponents and your position at the table.
Many players also like seeing flops with suited connectors, such as J♦️Q♦️, 7♠️8♠️, or 9♣️J♣️. These types of hands allow players the chance to hit straights or flushes and can be powerful on a draw-heavy poker board.
These hands are popular with seven-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu. He uses his “small ball” strategy (meaning controlling the size of the pot with smaller bets) in this context.
“Playing suited connectors from time to time makes you less predictable,” Negreanu notes.
“When played sensibly, cards like 6♥️7♥️ have the potential to make very strong hands — straights, flushes, even full houses — that could result in a handsome payday.”
Knowing when to mix in preflop raises and semi-bluffs can also help players win. Players using position have opportunities to add to their chip stacks with well-timed preflop aggression.
Making correct preflop decisions can go a long way toward becoming a better player.
How to Use Preflop as Part of Your Poker Strategy
Preflop is a critical betting round in all poker variants. Although there is typically the least money at stake, preflop, decisions on this betting round will influence the profitability of the entire hand.
It’s generally believed that a small mistake, preflop, can lead to big problems postflop.
The most common mistake recreational players make is playing too many starting hands preflop, which bumps up the poker variance. Depending on the variant, you should play around 20-25% of starting hands preflop.
A novice player might find it difficult to play significantly more starting hands than this. That approach can result in many second- and third-place hands, which is not ideal. Losing too many pots can drain your chips stack and your bankroll.
Don’t be a preflop “calling station,” meaning you call too many bets. Players who call too often to “see a flop” will end up losing many chips in the long run.
In recent years, game theory optimisation (usually known as “GTO”) has had a major impact on how players act on their hands, including preflop play.
GTO poker refers to a playing style that is entirely unexploitable by opponents. Players achieve this by balancing their actions across a range of hands.
The goal is to play as perfectly as possible mathematically, where players bet and bluff so that it’s extremely difficult for opponents to predict your hand based on your actions. This strategy helps maximise long-term profit against opponents. A GTO poker chart can help players determine the optimal preflop plays to make with specific poker hands.
Stay focused on your hands, preflop, and work on making good decisions, and more chips may be heading your way!
See Also
Postflop, Community Cards, Hold’em, Omaha, Flop, Turn, River
