But what’s a powerful hand? It’s always good to see a pocket pair but you need to play them properly. I can’t stress enough that it’s folly not to raise when holding a big pocket pair. Pocket Aces are a huge favourite over any other single hand, but consider the following percentages - pocket Aces have an 80 percent chance of prevailing against 6♦-9♥. However, throw in a J♣-Q♣ and this drops to 62 percent.

Stick two more random cards into the mix and the Aces are now favourite to lose. It’s ironic, but raising with Aces guarantees the chances of you taking on a player holding a good hand while also increasing the possibility of heads-up action. The latter point is vital if you want to avoid getting busted out.

I say ironic as you want to go against a good hand as your raise will create a pot worth fighting over and one that a player with a strong hand may well commit all his chips to on a flop that shows promise. Large raises will often be called by the likes of pocket Jacks, who will love the look of an 8- high flop, or Q-K who will relish a Queen or King-high flop. In either scenario you could see all the chips going into the centre with your opponent needing a small miracle to survive.