How starting hands are ranked
Each hand is ranked by its equity against one random hand: how often it would win, counting ties as shared, if both players went all-in before the flop. That is a simple, objective way to compare all 169 hands, but it is not the whole story. Hands like suited connectors and small pairs rank low on raw equity yet play well after the flop because they make strong, well-hidden hands. Each hand page explains when it is worth playing.
Why there are 169 starting hands
There are 1,326 ways to be dealt two cards from a 52-card deck, but many are strategically identical. Grouping them by rank and suitedness leaves 169 distinct hands: 13 pocket pairs (6 combinations each), 78 suited hands (4 each) and 78 offsuit hands (12 each).
How to use these pages
- Check how often a hand wins against one, two, five or eight random opponents.
- See the exact odds of flopping a set, a flush draw, two pair or a straight with it.
- Find which seats open it in a 6-max cash game, based on our starting hand chart.
- Practice the decisions with the free preflop trainer.
For the full multiway equity heat map, see the preflop odds chart. New to the game? Start with how to play Texas Hold'em.