The following table ranks the top hands in a 6-player game. This table assumes that all players stay in until the end. Explanation of column headings: Cards: Initial two-card hand. Probability of win: Probability that this hand will win, or tie for the win. The Best Poker Hands Calculator You can use this calculator while playing or reviewing past hands to work out the odds of you winning or losing. Have fun letting your friends know that they made a less than optimal move against you in a home game. Preflop Poker Odds Probability of being dealt a certain starting hand. There are a total of exactly 1,326 different starting hand combinations in Texas Hold’em poker. However, many of them are practically identical, e.g. A ♥ K ♣ is exactly the same hand as A ♦ K ♠ before the flop. If you group these identical hands together, you get. The pot odds represent the number of times out of 100 you need to achieve a hand to break even. Professional poker players compare the pot odds to the hand odds before calling bets on the turn and river. When pot odds exceed hand odds, a solid betting situation exists. After the flop, there is $50 in the pot. Starting hands heads up. For any given starting hand, there are 50 × 49 ÷ 2 = 1,225 hands that an opponent can have before the flop (after the flop, the number of possible hands an opponent can have is reduced by the three community cards revealed on the flop to 47 × 46 ÷ 2 = 1,081 hands).

1. Poker Starting Hands Winning Odds Genesis Open
2. Poker Starting Hands Winning Odds Against
3. Poker Starting Hand Winning Odds

Types of Starting Hands

by Rich McComas (updated Feb 6, 2004)

Below, I have categorized thirteen types of starting hands, in order of their value. The statistics are borrowed from www.pokalyzer.com which has ran 700 billion simulated hands to produce their results.

1. High Pairs (80%ers)

A high pair is a pair of Aces, Kings, or Queens. Some people count Jacks as high pairs, but I do not as they are not statistically matched to the value of other high pairs. My advice is Raise Pre-Flop and drive the garbage out. If you are in a late position, then you do not need to raise if someone else has driven out the garbage for you. However, if you are in the blind and someone else has raised, you might want to re-raise in order to increase the size of the pot from one more round of betting, and to drive out someone like a small blind who may have limped in with a mediocre hand. Whatever you do, DO NOT limp in with a high pair. If you fail to raise above the big blind and get beat by someone with a suited non-connector, it will be your own fault. If no one else has raised, it is your job to do so in every case.

These are legitimately the best hands in poker, so rather than jam the pot and re-raise pre-flop you should probably just call the raise, or slow-bet. If someone else has raised ahead of you, the garbage will be cleared and you can wait till the flop to reveal a betting strategy. If you flop a King and Ace, and you are holding two King, you will be in the driver's seat and no one will know what hit them.

ODDS: You are going to land any given pair every 220 hands you play, so a pocket pair of aces is extremely rare. Assuming you play 100 hands a night, it will only happen every other night. The chance of landing one of the high pairs, however, is once in every 73 hands, so it should happen to you once every evening. Don't lose out on that opportunity.

HAND	Rank	Win%
Pair of Aces	1	84.9%
Pair of Kings	2	82.1%
Pair of Queens	3	79.6%

2. Medium Pairs (70%ers)

A medium pair includes Jacks, Tens, Nines, Eights and Sevens. These are medium pairs because odds are that an overcard will flop more than half of the time. Even though the odds of winning with a pair of Jacks is 77.2%, the chances of having the high pair after the flop are only 43%. You are hoping for trips so, but if you don't land them, only continue if you have the high pair possible, and then bet high to throw out the single face cards in the hole. Do not be suckered by landing another board pair, giving you two pair. Either someone else has trips or someone with a face card will get the high pair on the turn or river.

ODDS: The chance of landing any pocket pair of sevens or higher is the same as landing two cards ten or higher. These events happen every 5.4 hands you play (or 16% of the time).

HAND	Rank	Win%
Pair of Jacks	4	77.2%
Pair of Tens	5	74.7%
Pair of Nines	6	71.7%
Pair of Eights	7	68.7%
Pair of Sevens	9	65.3%

3. Ace-Face Suited (65%ers)

An ace with another face card of the same suit is Ace-High suited, which is a winning hand most of the time. Two suited hole cards only draw to a flush 3% of the time, but if they are both high, you have a great shot at winning high pair as well. Because you hold the ace, any draw to a straight is a close-end straight, so your odds are lower than an open-end straight.

ODDS: You will receive two suited cards every 3.3 hands, and it is likely that at least two players at the table have suited cards, so don't get over-excited about just any suited combination.

HAND	Rank	Win%
AK Suited	8	66.2%
AQ Suited	10	65.3%
AJ Suited	11	64.4%

4. Ace-Face Offsuit (63%ers)

An Ace plus a face card of another suit are the most frequently played hands in Hold 'em. Most people stay in and raise with this hand. If you pair the face card, you will have the high kicker, and if you pair the ace, you will probably have a higher kicker than anyone else. If you draw to a straight, you will beat other straights and at least split the pot.

HAND	Rank	Win%
AK Offsuit	12	64.5%
AQ Offsuit	14	63.5%
AJ Offsuit	15	62.5%

5. Ace-Low Suited (60%ers)

An ace with anything 10 or lower in the same suit. This is not a hand to go heads up against someone with. This is best played in late position with a lot of callers already in the pot, giving you higher pot odds for a flush draw. This is also a good hand for stealing the blinds if you are on the button, because at least you have one ace in the hole. Mostly, though, I like to play this hand only in No Limit Hold'em because I may need to stay in to the river to get my cards, and I want to be able to go all-in and make a big score if I have the high flush. Earning a minor pot on such low odds just doesn't make as much sense.

POT ODDS: While the chances of winning against random hands are respectable, the chances of winning in heads-up play are not. Two suited pocket cards will flop a flush less than 1% of the time, and complete a flush by the river 6.52% of the time, and two separated cards (such as A5) will hit a draw will hit a draw only about 0.06% of the time. The probability of making a flush, therefore, is 15 to 1 against, meaning that you should really only enter the pot if there are 15 other players in, which never happens, so playing these cards with any regularity is a losing proposition.

If you are on the button, and the flop is cheap, and you do go with Ace-Low suited, then you should fold unless you immediately receive either two cards that match your hole cards or a four flush. The probability of flopping a four-flush is 8.1/1 or 10.9%, and the possibility of completing the flush by the river is 1.9/1 or 35%. When betting on the turn hoping for flush, you really want at least three people in the pot, or enough money for three in the pot.

HAND	Rank	Win%
AT Suited	13	63.5%
A8 Suited	21	60.5%
A6 Suited	30	58.2%
A4 Suited	35	57.1%
A2 Suited	46	55.5%

6. Face-Face Offsuit (58%)

Two face cards are best used when drawing to a straight, so you want to get into the flop as cheaply as possible. If your high card is a King, you will flop an Ace 23% of the time, and if your highest is a queen, a higher card will flop 41% of the time.

HAND	Rank	Win%
KQ Offsuit	23	60.4%
KJ Offsuit	26	59.4%
QJ Offsuit	39	56.9%

7. Low Pairs (55%ers)

Low pairs are sixes or lower. All low pairs are questionable investments at best. If you all you have are have sixes, the chances are that someone will flop a higher pair 95% of the time. If you have a low pair and you flop a open-end straight draw, stay in, because you own TWO of the hole cards needed for the straight, lowering the odds that you will have to split the pot.

ODDS: You are going to land a pocket pair about once every 16 hands so don't get too excited about the lower pairs. Half the time, your pocket pairs will be high or medium pairs. Stick to those.

POT ODDS: Some people play low pairs in late position hoping to see trips, which is also the hope for higher pairs. If you take a pocket pair to the river, you have a 4.2/1 (19%) chance of making a set or better, so NEVER put money in the pot with this hand unless there are at least five other players. However, I don't bet on low pairs EVER, because it is more likely that someone else will take a straight or a flush or higher trips or a full house to the river and beat my low trips. With low pairs, I would never want to stay in unless I saw trips on the flop, and the chances of that are 7.5/1 (or 11.8%) so I would need 9 other people in the pot to make money, which is a very rare occurrence.

HAND	Rank	Win%
Pair of Sixes	17	62.7%
Pair of Fives	27	59.6%
Pair of Fours	48	56.3%
Pair of Threes	66	52.8%
Pair of Deuces	87	49.4%

8. King Flush Draw (55%ers)

A king plus another card in the same suit is a dangerous hand, unless the Ace is on the board, which will happen one-third of the time that you draw to a flush. These cards should be considered the same value as low pairs, except with a low pair, at least you know if you have trips on the flop. With a King Flush draw, you could have the ace on the flop, and still not get the flush on fifth street, so this is a potentially costly hand. See the section on 'Sucker Hands' for more info.

HAND	Rank	Win%
KQ Suited	16	62.4%
KT Suited	22	60.6%
K8 Suited	37	56.8%
K6 Suited	50	54.8%
K4 Suited	60	52.9%

9. Ace-Low Offsuit (55%ers)

An Ace plus a non-suited card lower than a face card is one of the biggest losers in Hold'em. Most players stay in with any ace, especially if you are playing with less than 10 at a table. However, I routinely fold this hand because 75% of the time, with 20 cards dealt into the pocket, someone else is ALSO holding an Ace in the pocket, and more often than not, their kicker will be higher than yours.

HAND	Rank	Win%
AT Suited	19	61.6%
A8 Suited	32	58.4%
A6 Suited	42	55.9%
A4 Suited	49	54.7%
A2 Suited	59	53.0%

10. Suited Connectors (45%ers)

Two suited cards next to each other are only slightly better than non-suited connectors because they help with the straight flush. If you draw to a flush or a straight ONLY, however, you are in serious risk of losing to larger straights or flushes. Don't get too excited about these cards because they share the same suit. The flush draw potential only increases your chances of winning by 3%. I generally fold all suited connectors, occasionally keeping a QJ or JT if I am in late position and several players are in and none have raised. If, after the flop, your hole card is at the low end of the straight, this is a classic 'Sucker Hand.' I know of some good players who love suited connectors, however, because they know on the flop if they have a killer hand, and a further investment will not be required. My attitude is that if you love suited connectors pre-flop, you might as well get equally excited about any low straight draw.

ODDS: You will receive a suited connector once every 46 hands (or 2.1% of the time), and this is so rare, that people tend to jump for joy whenever it happens, not thinking that the changes of getting a 2-4 are even worse.

HAND	Rank	Win%
JT Suited	45	56.2%
98 Suited	83	48.9%
76 Suited	115	42.8%
54 Suited	136	38.5%
32 Suited	163	33.1%

11. Low Straight Draw (42%ers)

Two cards of different suits next to each other in value are going for a straight draw, and they are 3% less likely to win than the comparable suited connectors. Like suited connectors, only stay in if the pot is big because there are lots of other players calling pre-flop. Two low cards not in order is a Trash hand, and is not a Low Straight draw even if they are separated by only one card. Also, 3-2 in the pocket is the worst possible hand in poker even it if is a straight draw. An excellent analysis of unsuited connectors can be found at: http://www.pokerstove.com/unsuited.txt.

HAND	Rank	Win%
JT Offsuit	57	53.8%
98 Offsuit	99	46.1%
76 Offsuit	133	39.7%
54 Offsuit	153	35.0%
32 Offsuit	169	29.2%

12. Two Suited Cards (40%ers)

Two other suited cards, with at least one NOT being a face card, results in a four-flush flop only 10% of the time, and only a third of those finish as a flush. This is a loser hand.

HAND	Rank	Win%
T7 Suited	84	48.7%
T2 Suited	118	42.5%
83 Suited	139	38.3%
73 Suited	143	37.3%
62 Suited	156	32.8%

13. Trash Hands

Everything not mentioned above is a trash hand (as are some of the hands above, in my opinion), and there is no coincidence that these are in unlucky category 13. The only reason anyone stays in with these hands is that the flop was so cheap that the couldn't say no, such as being in the big blind with no raises. If you get a trash hand, and you are in the small blind, only consider calling if everyone else has and if you are sure that the person in the big blind won't raise you.

Poker odds can appear confusing at first, but once you understand some of the basic fundamentals about how they work, not only will you have a much better understanding of the game itself, but you’ll also stand a higher chance of winning while playing the game. In this post, we’re going to take a look […]

Poker odds can appear confusing at first, but once you understand some of the basic fundamentals about how they work, not only will you have a much better understanding of the game itself, but you’ll also stand a higher chance of winning while playing the game.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at all forms of poker odds, from poker hand odds, how to calculate poker odds, the best poker winning hands, and more – and we’ll begin by taking a look at how exactly the odds work in conjunction with the game.

How Poker Odds Work

To look at how poker odds actually work, it can be handy to use an example of a football game. Let’s say the Chargers are playing the Eagles. A bookmaker may give the Eagles 3:1 odds to beat the Chargers. This means that for every $1 you staked, you would win $3, were the Eagles to win.

This, of course, roughly equates to the Eagles having a 1 in 3 chance of beating the Chargers – and this is the general ethos of how odds work, both in sports betting, and poker.

The higher the odds, the less chance you have of winning – and subsequently, the lower the odds, the more chance you have of winning.

Poker Hand Odds

One of the most common scenarios you’ll hear about odds in poker, is when looking at your “outs”. We’ll cover this in the section below – in this part of the guide, we’re going to look at the actual odds of getting some of the most popular and sought-after poker hands.

• Being Dealt Pocket Aces: Pocket aces are the premium starting hand in ALL Texas Hold’em games, and the odds of being dealt two aces is 0.4525% – equating to odds of 1:220. This means that you can expect to be dealt pocket aces once out of every 220 hands you play. (An interesting statistic is the chances of both you AND your opponent being dealt pocket aces. In this situation, the probability is just 0.0816%, equating to odds of 1:1,224!
• Hitting a Set on The Flop: Most players will always try to reach the flop when they hold a pair in their hand, pre-flop, as, if they’re able to make a 3-of-a-kind hand, they stand a very good chance of winning against their opponents. If you hold a pair pre-flop, the chances of hitting a set on the flop are relatively good; the probability is 11.7551%, equating to odds of 1:8.
• Hitting Quads: 4-of-a-kind is one of the strongest hands in Texas Hold’em, and it’s a hand that – despite being very hard to get – probability wise, isn’t actually too hard! The probability of making quads if you have a pair pre-flop, and make it all the way to the river, is 0.8163%, equating to odds of 1:122. Things become a little crazier when you look at the chances of two players hitting quads; in this case, the probability is just 0.0003%, equating to odds of 1:312,663!
• Royal Flush: The unbeatable hand – the hand all players dream of getting – a Royal Flush is the best possible hand in Texas Hold ‘Em poker, and cannot be beaten. Interesting, the board will only allow for a Royal Flush 1 in 59 times – and the odds of just ONE player making a royal flush at a full 9-person ring game is 1:3,628.

That’s just a few of the most common poker odds scenarios. It can be useful to have a rough idea of the odds for various hands and occurrences – but for the most-part, you don’t need to think into it too deeply, as the more important thing to worry about is the odds of you hitting your “outs”.

Outs and How to Use Them to Calculate Probability in Texas Hold’em

In Texas Hold’em poker, if you require an additional card, or more than one card to complete your hand, you’ll be looking to hit what’s known as an ‘out’.

For example, say you hold 5, 6 off-suit pre-flop, and the board comes King, 7, 8. You now have an up-and-down straight draw, meaning you need to hit either a 4 or a 9 to complete a straight – a strong hand that gives you a very good chance of winning over your opponents.

Now, in a 52-card deck, there are four 4’s, and four 9’s, which means you have 8 cards out of the 52 to hit your hand. However, you’ve already been dealt two cards – and there are three showing on the flop – which means the actual probability of hitting one of the cards you need is 8:47.

This means that approximately one in 6 times the turn card is dealt, you’ll hit your hand. Now, you may be thinking “why is this important” – and there are two reasons.

The first, is the simple fact that it’s good to know how likely you are to hit your hand. The second, and far more important reason, is that knowing how many outs you have allows you to make solid mathematical decisions, when faced with a bet. We’ll look at this in the following section.

Should You Call an Opponent’s Bet?

Using the example above, we can safely say that you’ll hit your hand – on average – once in every 6 times when the turn card is dealt.

Now, let’s say there is currently $40 in the pot, and your opponent bets $10. There are no other players in the hand.

In order to see a turn card, you must call $10. With the $40 in the pot, and the $10 your opponent bet, that means you’re required to risk $10, to have the potential to win $50. This means you’re getting 1:5 on your money – which means that over the long run, this would be a losing play, to call.

Now, say that there was $80 in the pot already, instead of $40. Now, when your opponent bets $10, you have to call $10 to have the chance of winning $90 – meaning you’re getting 1:9 on your money. In this scenario, it would almost always be a profitable decision to call, as, while you won’t always hit your hand, you’re getting odds that make it worthwhile, as over the long-run it would be a profitable, winning move.

That’s just one example, and of course, things become more complex when you start involving multiple players, and factoring in the possibility of re-raises. That being said, it should serve as a good starting-point for you to learn more about “outs”, and how they tie in with poker odds.

Tips to Improve Your Knowledge of Poker Odds

Like many things in life, having a firm grasp of poker odds and poker statistics takes time. There is no “quick-fire” way to memorize everything about odds, and how to use them in your game, and much of it comes from practice.

Poker Starting Hands Winning Odds Genesis Open

Thankfully, there are many great poker theory books available to purchase today, that you can use to improve your knowledge of the game and determine your odds of hitting your poker outs.
It’s worth pointing out that poker theory can become very complex – and even things like the poker outs example we looked at above can become difficult, when looking at things like reverse-implied odds.

As a general rule of thumb, the best thing to do is to simply stay calm while playing, and figure out how many cards you need to hit your hand. Calculate whether you’re getting the right pot odds to call to try and hit one of your poker outs – and don’t forget to factor in the fact that if there are multiple players to act after you, there’s a chance you may get raised and subsequently forced out of the hand.

Things to Remember

It’s important to note that many times, you’ll probably find that you simply don’t have time – or you forget – to work out the odds, especially when you’re in the middle of a hectic hand. However, try to brush up on your knowledge of poker winning hands from time to time, as you’ll find that this will soon become concreted within your brain, helping you to get a firm grasp on the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, we’re going to finish this guide by answering a few commonly asked questions about poker odds.

How to Work Out Outs In Your Head

Like we just mentioned, there will often be times that it just seems too confusing, or hard to work out the odds in your head. When you find yourself in situations like these, one of the best pieces of advice we can offer, is to just slow down, take a deep breathe, and keep yourself calm and collected.

In most Texas Hold’em games, you’ll have ample time to think about the hand, and the odds – and if you’re looking for a quick way to work them out, it can help to brush up on some of the more common situations you’ll come across. For example, if you hold a pair pre-flop, and find yourself against a player holding two over cards, there is pretty much a 50/50 chance of you winning the hand.

Things like this can help – but above and beyond, it all comes down to practice as we keep mentioning, so spend a few minutes every day reading about poker statistics, and you’ll soon find that it becomes second nature to you!

What Are Outs?

The “outs” are the cards that you can hit to complete your hand. Say, for example, that you hold 2 cards that are suited hearts, and the flop contains another two cards that are hearts, and one spade. You “outs” are the remaining heart cards in the deck that can be drawn on the turn or the river, to help you complete your hand.

How to Count Outs

To determine how many outs you have, you simply need to work out how many cards there are in the deck that help you to complete your hand – and then minus the two hole cards you’ve been dealt, and the community cards currently visible.

Odds of Winning Poker

Some of the most common poker hands that you’d want to know the odds of, include an open-ended straight draw, which has odds of approximately 6/1, four-to-a-flush, which offers odds of around 4/1, an inside straight draw, which is approximately 10/1, and having a pair pre-flop which then turns into a set when the community cards are dealt, which is approximately 8/1.

Odds of Being Dealt Poker Aces

The odds of being dealt pocket aces in a standard Texas Hold’em game is around 220/1. This means that every 220 hands you play, you can expect to see pocket aces once – although, as is the case with ANY type of gambling, it could be 2,000 hands before you see aces… or you may see them back-to-back. It’s all a game of chance at the end of the day.

Chances of Winning with Pocket Aces

Poker Starting Hands Winning Odds Against

Pocket aces are – by far – the strongest starting hand in Texas Hold’em, and the chances of you winning with them largely depends on how many players are also in the hand with you. As a general rule of thumb, if you hold pocket aces on a 9-player table, you have odds of around 25% to win the hand at showdown – but the odds of you winning improve as more players drop out of the hand, so it can often be a good idea to play aces aggressively to avoid too many players joining the hand.

Poker Starting Hand Winning Odds

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