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Starting hands chart
All 169 hands, ranked by how often they win all-in against one random hand (the number in each square). Brighter red is stronger. Tap a hand with a white dot for its full guide.
Suited hands above the diagonal, offsuit below, pairs on it. Number = equity against one random hand. A white dot means the hand has a full guide.
Hand guides by tier
Premium · Raise and re-raise from any position.
Strong · Open from most positions; often 3-bet.
Playable · Good hands that play best with position.
Speculative · Small pairs and suited connectors: position and deep stacks.
Fold · Hands to throw away before the flop.
Top 20 hands by equity
All-in equity against one random hand (heads-up) and against five random hands (a full 6-max table). Monte Carlo estimates, accurate to about ±0.3 points.
| # | Hand | vs 1 hand | vs 5 hands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A-A | 85.3% | 49.6% |
| 2 | K-K | 82.5% | 42.3% |
| 3 | Q-Q | 80% | 37.8% |
| 4 | J-J | 77.5% | 33.7% |
| 5 | 10-10 | 75% | 30% |
| 6 | 9-9 | 72.1% | 26.6% |
| 7 | 8-8 | 69.1% | 24% |
| 8 | A-K suited | 67% | 31% |
| 9 | A-Q suited | 66.4% | 29.3% |
| 10 | 7-7 | 66.2% | 21.9% |
| 11 | A-K offsuit | 65.4% | 27.7% |
| 12 | A-J suited | 65.4% | 27.7% |
| 13 | A-10 suited | 64.6% | 26.6% |
| 14 | A-Q offsuit | 64.5% | 26.1% |
| 15 | A-J offsuit | 63.6% | 24.1% |
| 16 | 6-6 | 63.3% | 19.9% |
| 17 | K-Q suited | 63.3% | 28.3% |
| 18 | A-10 offsuit | 63% | 22.9% |
| 19 | A-9 suited | 62.9% | 24.1% |
| 20 | K-J suited | 62.5% | 26.8% |
How often you’re dealt each type
- Any pocket pair
- 5.9%
- 1 in 17
- A specific pair (e.g. A-A)
- 0.45%
- 1 in 221
- Two suited cards
- 23.5%
- about 1 in 4
Starting hands FAQ
What is the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em?
Pocket aces (A-A). They win about 85% of the time all-in against one random hand.
What is the worst starting hand?
Seven-deuce offsuit (7-2o) is usually called the worst: it can’t make a straight with both cards and has no flush potential. Against five opponents it has the lowest equity of all 169 hands (about 8.5%). Heads-up, 3-2 offsuit is slightly lower.
How many starting hands are there in Hold’em?
There are 1,326 two-card combinations, which group into 169 distinct starting hands: 13 pairs, 78 suited hands and 78 offsuit hands.
How often am I dealt a pocket pair?
About 5.9% of the time (1 in 17). Any specific pair, such as aces, comes about 1 in 221 hands.
Are suited hands much better than offsuit?
A little. Against one random hand, a suited hand has between about 1.5 and 4 percentage points more equity than the same hand offsuit (about 2.8 on average), mostly from flushes. Suited hands are also easier to play after the flop.