HELP

169 holdem hands ranked by strength

  • ***s = suited cards, o = offsuit
  • Rank Cards Sklansky Group % won % tied
    1 AA 1 31.0% 0.5%
    2 KK 1 26.0% 0.6%
    3 QQ 1 22.0% 0.8%
    4 AKs 1 20.2% 1.9%
    5 JJ 1 19.1% 0.9%
    6 AQs 2 18.7% 2.2%
    7 KQs 2 18.1% 2.1%
    8 AJs 2 17.5% 2.5%
    9 KJs 3 17.1% 2.4%
    10 TT 2 16.8% 1.1%
    11 AKo 2 16.7% 2.0%
    12 ATs 3 16.6% 2.7%
    13 QJs 3 16.6% 2.4%
    14 KTs 4 16.1% 2.6%
    15 QTs 4 15.8% 2.6%
    16 JTs 3 15.8% 2.8%
    17 99 3 15.3% 0.9%
    18 AQo 3 14.9% 2.3%
    19 A9s 5 14.6% 2.7%
    20 KQo 4 14.4% 2.2%
    21 88 4 14.2% 0.9%
    22 K9s 6 14.2% 2.5%
    23 T9s 4 14.1% 2.7%
    24 A8s 5 13.9% 2.9%
    25 Q9s 5 13.8% 2.4%
    26 J9s 4 13.8% 2.5%
    27 AJo 4 13.5% 2.6%
    28 A5s 5 13.4% 3.3%
    29 77 5 13.4% 0.9%
    30 A7s 5 13.4% 3.0%
    31 KJo 5 13.2% 2.5%
    32 A4s 5 13.2% 3.1%
    33 A3s 5 13.1% 2.9%
    34 A6s 5 13.0% 3.1%
    35 QJo 5 12.9% 2.5%
    36 66 6 12.8% 0.9%
    37 K8s 7 12.8% 2.6%
    38 T8s 5 12.7% 2.7%
    39 A2s 5 12.7% 2.6%
    40 98s 4 12.6% 2.4%
    41 J8s 6 12.5% 2.5%
    42 ATo 6 12.4% 2.8%
    43 Q8s 7 12.4% 2.5%
    44 K7s 7 12.2% 2.7%
    45 KTo 6 12.2% 2.8%
    46 55 6 12.2% 0.9%
    47 JTo 5 12.1% 2.8%
    48 87s 5 12.0% 2.3%
    49 QTo 6 12.0% 2.8%
    50 44 7 11.9% 0.7%
    51 22 7 11.9% 0.3%
    52 33 7 11.9% 0.5%
    53 K6s 7 11.8% 2.8%
    54 97s 5 11.7% 2.4%
    55 K5s 7 11.6% 2.9%
    56 76s 5 11.5% 2.3%
    57 T7s 7 11.5% 2.7%
    58 K4s 7 11.4% 2.7%
    59 K2s 7 11.3% 2.3%
    60 K3s 7 11.3% 2.5%
    61 Q7s 9 11.2% 2.6%
    62 86s 6 11.2% 2.3%
    63 65s 5 11.1% 2.2%
    64 J7s 8 11.1% 2.6%
    65 54s 6 10.9% 2.2%
    66 Q6s 9 10.9% 2.7%
    67 75s 6 10.7% 2.3%
    68 96s 8 10.7% 2.4%
    69 Q5s 9 10.6% 2.8%
    70 64s 7 10.4% 2.0%
    71 Q4s 9 10.4% 2.5%
    72 Q3s 9 10.4% 2.4%
    73 T9o 7 10.4% 2.8%
    74 T6s 9 10.3% 2.7%
    75 Q2s 9 10.3% 2.1%
    76 A9o 8 10.2% 2.8%
    77 53s 7 10.2% 2.0%
    78 85s 8 10.1% 2.3%
    79 J6s 9 10.1% 2.7%
    80 J9o 9 10.0% 2.6%
    81 K9o 8 9.9% 2.6%
    82 J5s 9 9.9% 2.8%
    83 Q9o 8 9.8% 2.6%
    84 43s 7 9.8% 1.8%
    85 74s 8 9.7% 2.1%
    86 J4s 9 9.7% 2.6%
    87 J3s 9 9.6% 2.4%
    88 95s 9 9.6% 2.4%
    89 J2s 9 9.5% 2.2%
    90 63s 9 9.5% 1.8%
    91 A8o 9 9.4% 3.0%
    92 52s 9 9.3% 1.8%
    93 T5s 9 9.2% 2.9%
    94 84s 9 9.1% 2.1%
    95 T4s 9 9.1% 2.7%
    96 T3s 9 9.1% 2.4%
    97 42s 8 9.0% 1.6%
    98 T2s 9 9.0% 2.2%
    99 98o 7 9.0% 2.4%
    100 T8o 8 8.9% 2.8%
    101 A5o 9 8.9% 3.4%
    102 A7o 9 8.8% 3.2%
    103 73s 9 8.8% 1.9%
    104 A4o 9 8.7% 3.2%
    105 32s 8 8.7% 1.3%
    106 94s 9 8.7% 2.3%
    107 93s 9 8.5% 2.1%
    108 J8o 8 8.5% 2.7%
    109 A3o 9 8.5% 3.0%
    110 62s 9 8.5% 1.6%
    111 92s 9 8.5% 1.9%
    112 K8o 9 8.5% 2.8%
    113 A6o 9 8.4% 3.2%
    114 87o 8 8.4% 2.4%
    115 Q8o 9 8.3% 2.7%
    116 83s 9 8.2% 2.0%
    117 A2o 9 8.2% 2.7%
    118 82s 9 8.1% 1.8%
    119 97o 9 8.0% 2.5%
    120 72s 9 7.9% 1.8%
    121 76o 8 7.9% 2.4%
    122 K7o 9 7.9% 2.9%
    123 65o 8 7.6% 2.4%
    124 T7o 9 7.5% 2.8%
    125 K6o 9 7.5% 3.0%
    126 86o 9 7.4% 2.4%
    127 54o 8 7.4% 2.3%
    128 K5o 9 7.1% 3.0%
    129 J7o 9 7.1% 2.8%
    130 75o 9 7.0% 2.4%
    131 Q7o 9 7.0% 2.8%
    132 K4o 9 7.0% 2.8%
    133 K3o 9 6.9% 2.6%
    134 96o 9 6.8% 2.5%
    135 K2o 9 6.8% 2.4%
    136 64o 9 6.8% 2.1%
    137 Q6o 9 6.6% 2.9%
    138 53o 9 6.6% 2.1%
    139 85o 9 6.3% 2.5%
    140 T6o 9 6.3% 2.9%
    141 Q5o 9 6.3% 2.9%
    142 43o 9 6.2% 1.8%
    143 Q4o 9 6.1% 2.7%
    144 Q3o 9 6.1% 2.5%
    145 74o 9 6.0% 2.2%
    146 Q2o 9 6.0% 2.3%
    147 J6o 9 5.9% 2.9%
    148 63o 9 5.7% 1.9%
    149 J5o 9 5.6% 2.9%
    150 95o 9 5.6% 2.6%
    151 52o 9 5.6% 1.9%
    152 J4o 9 5.5% 2.7%
    153 J3o 9 5.4% 2.5%
    154 42o 9 5.4% 1.6%
    155 J2o 9 5.3% 2.3%
    156 84o 9 5.3% 2.3%
    157 T5o 9 5.2% 3.0%
    158 T4o 9 5.0% 2.8%
    159 32o 9 5.0% 1.4%
    160 T3o 9 5.0% 2.6%
    161 73o 9 4.9% 2.0%
    162 T2o 9 4.9% 2.3%
    163 62o 9 4.7% 1.7%
    164 94o 9 4.7% 2.4%
    165 93o 9 4.5% 2.2%
    166 92o 9 4.5% 2.0%
    167 83o 9 4.3% 2.1%
    168 82o 9 4.2% 1.9%
    169 72o 9 4.0% 1.9%
    Rank Cards Sklansky Group % win % tie

  • This chart ranks holdem hands from best (AA) to worst (72o). Aces win against nine opponents 31% of the time, while 72 offsuit wins only once in 25 hands.

  • Hand types. 169 represents the number of different types of Texas holdem hands, rather than all possible two-card combinations in a deck. For example, jack-ten suited is just as strong whether hearts or spades, so all suited jack-tens are considered one type. Similarly, pairs are pairs no matter which suits are involved. Although there are 2,652 different two-card combinations in a deck, they are composed of 169 types of hands.

  • Methodology. The data was produced by simulations assuming a ten-handed game with no folding -- all cards were played to the river. Each hand was tested 400,000 times against nine random hands.

  • Limitations. The no-fold'em type of simulation can skew results somewhat. For example, in real life, a pair of kings will win more than the 26% of the time indicated on the chart. Most opponents fold before the river, so fewer long-shot draws will beat kings in actual play. But the basic conclusion is still sound: kings get cracked more often than you might think! The chart also does not take account of position. Hands such as ten-jack unsuited lose money played from early position, but are sometimes acceptable on the button. Since the value or playability of a hand changes with position, a static chart like this is no where near the complete story. But the chart is still useful for getting a general sense of the relative merit of hands. Here's another oddity. The hand 72o ranks below 53o, but if you plug them into the Holdem Odds Calculator, in a faceoff, 72o wins more often. Again, this anomaly is due to the no-fold'em nature of the chart calculations. When paired against just each other, 72o is superior to 53o, due to the high card 7. But when they go up against other (better) hands at a full table, the 53o is more likely to win because of its potential to make straights.

  • Usage. Besides creating a feel for the game, the chart can also help fight impulses to play junk. For example, Eight-seven offsuit is a hand people know they should not play, but it is a connector, and on the button in an unraised pot we feel we can get away with it. Not! 87o is not just bad, it's really bad, with a rank of 114. For an education, look hands up as you play online. Use ctrl+f on your browser to quickly find T9o or whatever the hand is.

  • Median hand. It is useful to note the half-way point, that is, where half the hands are worse, half are better. If you are playing one-on-one, then far more hands are playable, and the half-way point provides a guide to roughly which hands have value. This occurs in the vicinity of hand number 85. So for suited connectors, the average strength hand is 74s. Suited disconnectors, it's J4s, and unsuited connectors it's Q9o. All pairs are well above the median.

  • Conclusions. Because of limitations noted above, there cannot be a clear cutoff point where hands stop being profitable. Although K9o has a feeble rank of 81, good players can eke out a profit with it from last position in an unraised, family pot. Below that, hands are almost certainly never worth playing at a full table. Look down the column and see if you play many of the poorly-ranked cards.

  • Fun with pattern recognition. This is interesting. Suited connectors always win about 4% more hands than the same cards unsuited. This is true whether its AKs vs. AKo, or 32s vs. 32o. If you mull the chart awhile, you notice things.