 As a new player to the game of no limit Texas Holdem, knowing the type of hands that you should avoid playing is just as important as knowing the hands that you should play with. Because the game is no limit, there is the possibility that all your chips could be entering the pot at some point during the hand; therefore you should be cautious and avoid hands that could potentially get you into a lot of trouble.
It is all too common to see players playing hands that may look strong, but they are deceptive and dangerous. If you regularly play these danger hands, you will find yourself in a number of sticky situations where you have a strong hand, yet it is still second best to your opponents. And unfortunately, you don’t win anything for coming runner-up in the game of poker, no matter how strong your hand may have been. So here is a list of the hands that you should be cautious of and avoid entering pots with, especially if you are new to the game:
Rag Aces
 A ‘rag ace’ is when you hold an ace in your hand along with another low card, typically below a 9. A lot of novice players get too attached to the fact that they are holding an ace in their hand, regardless of the fact that their second card is low and good land them into some trouble. Even though you might be able to make the highest pair possible with your ace, your low kicker could mean that you are second best to an opponent that has a stronger kicker than you and you may find yourself losing a very big pot. So stick with the aces that have strong kickers, and let yourself be the one that catches out opponents that get too attaches to their rag aces.
Low Suited Cards
 Although having two suited cards instead of two unsuited holecards increases the chances that you have to make a flush, they are often over-valued by novice players along with many intermediate players. Even as a beginner poker player, you will probably be aware that a hand like Th 3s is nothing to shout about, and you probably wouldn’t even consider entering a pot with a hand like that. However, you would be surprised at the number of players that would be more than happy to play that hand if it was suited, e.g Tc 3c or Td 3d.
The problem with suited cards is that they only slightly improve your chances of making a flush, and so it is not going to be profitable to play them on a regular basis in the face of raises in the hopes of getting lucky and hitting a flush. The figures show that a suited hand only has roughly 2% more chance of winning than the same unsuited hand, so don’t get too attached.
Furthermore, if you are playing low suited cards, there is always going to be the possibility that an opponent also has two cards of the same suit but of a higher value. Therefore you are just setting yourself up for bigger losses rather than wins if you intend on entering numerous pots with suited cards in the hope of getting lucky each time. Save your chips for when you have monster suited cards like Ah Kh!
Deceptively Strong Hands
 The above title basically rounds up every other hand that hasn’t already been covered by ‘rag-aces’ and ‘low suited cards’. The deceptively strong hands are the ones that appear to be strong with good potential, yet they have the sneaky ability to put you into some tough spots, quite like rag aces can. The typical deceptively strong hands are the ones like; KJ, KT QJ, QT and even AT. It is always great to see two face cards in your hand, but be careful not to overvalue them, as they are often not as strong as you think.
If you find that there has been some raising before the action gets to you preflop, you can be fairly sure that they will have a better hand than you. This is because it is unlikely that too many players will be betting out with a hand that is worse than yours. I wouldn’t completely say that these hands are completely worthless, as they are perfectly playable in the correct situations. But just remember that they are not the sort of hands that are going to hold up against a lot of resistance, or are going to play well from an early position.
Summary
The above hands are the ones that novice players all too often get attached to, and they often prove to be very costly in the long run. If you can resist the temptation to play these hands, I can guarantee that you will be saving yourself from losing more money than is necessary. It is good to remember that money saved is money earned, as it is going to be the foundations for your winnings at the end of the day. A good poker player can always spot a dangerous situation before it arises, and so by throwing these hands into the muck you will be making the correct move every time.
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