Skip to content
Learn GTO
Get started

All 169 poker starting hands

There are 169 strategically distinct starting hands in Texas hold'em: 13 pairs, 78 suited and 78 offsuit. Pocket aces lead at 85.2% equity against a random hand; 32o trails at 32.2%. All 169 are ranked below, and 46 of them have a page of their own with combos, equity by opponent count and position advice.

The grid

Pairs run down the diagonal, suited hands sit above it and offsuit hands below. Colour shows equity against a random hand.

AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2sAKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2sAQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2sAJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2sAToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2sA9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92sA8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82sA7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72sA6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62sA5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52sA4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42sA3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332sA2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22

Strongest hands

Weakest hands

Every hand, ranked

Questions about starting hands

Why are there 169 starting hands and not 1,326?

There are 1,326 ways to be dealt two cards, but before the flop only three things matter: the two ranks, and whether the suits match. Collapsing suit permutations leaves 169 strategically distinct hands, 13 pairs, 78 suited and 78 offsuit.

What is the best starting hand in poker?

Pocket aces. They win 85.2% of the time against a single random hand, more than any other holding, and they are the only hand that is never behind before the flop.

What is the worst starting hand?

By raw equity against a random hand it is 32o, which wins 32.2%. Seven-two offsuit is the hand more usually called the worst, because it is the lowest pair of cards that cannot make a straight, a playability problem rather than an equity one.

How is the ranking on this page calculated?

Each hand was run against a random opponent hand for 500,000 seeded Monte Carlo runouts, and the 169 were sorted by the resulting equity. That measures raw strength heads-up; playability in a real game also depends on position and how easily the hand plays after the flop.

Hear when the trainer opens

All 46 hand pages, and this ranking of all 169, are published for anyone to read and print. The course that deals these hands from every seat and grades what you do with them opens without a card while Learn GTO is in early access.

Held in this browser only, nothing is sent anywhere yet.