One of the keys to winning at Internet poker is to be patient and to wait for good starting hands, no matter what game you’re playing. Winning players wait for only good starting hands, folding everything else, until they find a hand that they can aggressively play, betting and raising. Losing players play way too many hands, even bad ones, hoping to get lucky and looking for action instead of patiently waiting for a good starting hand.

So what makes a good starting hand? (We’ll assume you’re playing Texas Hold’em, which is far and away the most popular poker game online.)

Pairs are obviously good, the bigger the bet. Pay attention, though, to your position at the table. If you’re first to act in a hand, you might fold some of the smaller pairs like 22 up to 88, since you may be raised or re-raised by later players with a better hand. If you’re in late position at the table and everyone else has folded, you can happily raise with 22, as you likely have the best hand.

Other than pairs, big cards like AK, AQ, AJ are good, especially if they’re of the same suit. Suited starting hands give you a better chance of making a flush, just as connected cards (J10, QJ, KQ, etc.) give you a better chance of making a straight. Just like before, keep an eye on your position. You might fold KJ if you’re first to act, but raise with the same hand if everyone has folded to you.

While you can find charts that recommend what hands to play in what positions, it’s better to learn and get a feel for it yourself over time, as every game and opponent is different, and you can’t spend your whole poker career following a chart.