The term pocket means different things in different poker games, but in all cases it refers to a specific subset of hands. In most variants of poker, pocket hands are hands that are worth more than a set number of other hands, typically two.
Pocket hands are particularly valuable in Omaha and Seven-Card Stud, where they can be worth up to half the total number of cards in the deck.
One reason pocket hands are so valuable is that they’re usually the best hand against most opponents. If you have a pocket hand, you’re almost guaranteed to win against any other hand that your opponent might have, unless your opponent has a very strong hand.
Pocket hands also tend to be especially powerful when combined with other good cards, like an Ace or a high card.
In most cases, the best way to try and win a pot with a pocket hand is to get as many other players as possible out of the game. This can be done by playing strong hands that are likely to beat any other hand, or by playing hands that are weak but which can be combined with other good cards to create a winning hand.
