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Poker Starting Hands

In Hold'em, there are 1326 possible combinations that are possible for you to get dealt. This may seem like a lot but when you consider the 52 cards in the pack and KH 7S being one initial hand, it is not really that many. If you listed every possible combination you would find that there are 1326 different possible hands that you could start with but we are not going to go down to that level!

Considering that you have all these combinations, when you consider that so many hands (2 card combinations) are the same- for instance KH 7S is the same as KD 7H, there are actually 169 different hands to start with which are unique. In Hold'em you will get your 2 starting cards which will be one of the 169 possible starting combinations and you will have to decide whether to call, raise or fold your cards. It is important to have a game plan in your head as to which cards you intend to play in certain situations.

We have set out the win rate of each hand when randomly played against any other hand. This guide is intended to give you an indication of how each hand compares in terms of strength against any other card combination.

1.
A-A pair
86.1%
2.
KK pair
74.6%
3.
AKs
68.6%
4.
QQ pair
68.5%
5.
AKu
67.0%
6.
AQs
64.9%
7.
JJ pair
64.4%
8.
10-10 pair
60.8%
9.
AQu
60.5%
10.
AJs
58.6%
11.
99 pair
55.4%
12.
KQs
54.6%
13.
88 pair
51.8%
14.
A-10s
50.7%
15.
AJu
48.9%
16.
KJs
45.3%
17.
QJs
44.2%
18.
A8s
41.5%
19.
K-10s
40.9%
20.
A-9s
40.5%
21.
J-10s
40.0%
22.
Q-10s
39.4%
23.
KQu
39.2%
24.
10-9s
38.3%
25.
A-10u
34.4%
26.
A-7s
33.9%
27.
A-4s
30.6%
28.
A-5s
29.7%
29.
A-6s
29.6%
30.
77 pair
28.6%
31.
J9s
27.9%
32.
66 pair
26.2%
33.
A3s
21.3%
34.
55 pair
20.7%
35.
KJu
20.5%
36.
A2s
20.0%
37.
K9s
20.0%
38.
Q9s
19.1%
39.
A9u
17.4%
40.
QJu
16.8%
41.
A7u
10.2%
42.
A8u
10.0%
43.
A6u
9.9%
44.
98s
9.8%
45.
J8s
9.8%
46.
A4u
9.6%
47.
K8s
9.5%
48.
10-8s
9.5%
49.
A5u
9.4%
50.
J-10u
9.4%
51.
Q-10u
9.3%
52.
K-10u
9.1%
53.
Q9u
8.8%
54.
A2u
8.8%
55.
10-9u
8.8%
56.
K7s
8.6%
57.
A3u
8.5%
58.
K6s
8.4%
59.
J9u
8.4%
60.
10-7s
8.4%
61.
44 pair
8.3%
62.
K9u
8.2%
63.
87s
8.0%
64.
76s
7.2%
65.
97s
5.8%
66.
33 pair
4.5%
67.
Q5s
4.4%
68.
K5s
4.3%
69.
Q8s
4.2%
70.
65s
4.2%
71.
J8u
4.1%
72.
22 pair
4.0%
73.
K3s
4.0%
74.
10-6s
3.9%
75.
K4s
3.9%
76.
10-8u
3.9%
77.
85s
3.9%
78.
74s
3.9%
79.
95s
3.8%
80.
Q7s
3.8%
81.
J7s
3.8%
82.
J3s
3.8%
83.
98u
3.8%
84.
87u
3.8%
85.
53s
3.7%
86.
86s
3.6%
87.
75s
3.6%
88.
64s
3.6%
89.
K2s
3.6%
90.
54s
3.6%
91.
Q8u
3.5%
92.
Q6s
3.5%
93.
J5s
3.5%
94.
K8u
3.4%
95.
97u
3.4%
96.
J4s
3.3%
97.
84s
3.3%
98.
10-5s
3.2%
99.
96s
3.2%
100.
K6u
3.1%
101.
Q2s
3.1%
102.
J6s
3.1%
103.
Q3s
3.0%
104.
Q4s
3.0%
105.
K7u
2.8%
106.
63s
2.4%
107.
73s
2.1%
108.
K2u
1.6%
109.
Q4u
1.6%
110.
43s
1.6%
111.
K4u
1.5%
112.
K3u
1.5%
113.
Q6u
1.5%
114.
Q7u
1.4%
115.
Q5u
1.4%
116.
J2s
1.4%
117.
K5u
1.3%
118.
10-4s
1.3%
119.
10-3s
1.3%
120.
32s
0.7%
121.
94s
0.7%
122.
76u
0.7%
123.
52s
0.6%
124.
10-2s
0.5%
125.
42s
0.5|%
126.
J6u
0.5%
127.
J4u
0.5%
128.
J2u
0.5%
129.
96u
0.5%
130.
85u
0.5%
131.
Q3u
0.4%
132.
J7u
0.4%
133.
10-7u
0.4%
134.
10-5u
0.4%
135.
10-3u
0.4%
136.
92u
0.4%
137.
84u
0.4%
138.
74u
0.4%
139.
72u
0.4%
140.
J5u
0.4%
141.
J3u
0.4%
142.
10-4u
0.4%
143.
92s
0.4%
144.
95u
0.4%
145.
93u
0.4%
146.
83s
0.4%
147.
83u
0.4%
148.
73u
0.4%
149.
54u
0.4%
150.
42u
0.4%
151.
Q2u
0.3%
152.
10-6u
0.3%
153.
93s
0.3%
154.
94u
0.3%
155.
86u
0.3%
156.
82u
0.3%
157.
72s
0.3%
158.
75u
0.3%
159.
62s
0.3%
160.
52u
0.3%
161.
43u
0.3%
162.
10-2u
0.3%
163.
82s
0.3%
164.
65u
0.3%
165.
53u
0.3%
166.
32u
0.3%
167.
64u
0.2%
168.
63u
0.2%
169.
62u
0.2%

These statistics were calculated by Dennis Purdy using a computer system simulation of 1 Million hands dealt. Please note that figures do vary depending on the number of players at the table. This guide is simply to show comparisons between any set of starting cards.

 

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