Texas Holdem Starting Hands Percentages

1. Texas Holdem Poker Hands Chart
2. Texas Holdem Poker Hand Percentages
3. Texas Holdem Starting Hands Ranking
4. Texas Holdem Percentage Chart

The main underpinning of poker is math – it is essential. For every decision you make, while factors such as psychology have a part to play, math is the key element.

This range would include the top 10 starting hands, plus around a dozen more combinations. Equity calculation tools like PokerStove and Equilab define the top 10% as 77+, QTs+, and KQo+. Meaning pairs Sevens and higher, suited connectors Queen Ten and higher, and unsuited connectors KQ and higher. Follow these hand charts and learn how to play your starting hands at Texas Holdem. The charts below will give you a great starting point on how to play your starting hands. For all of you beginners, we recommend consulting these charts will playing online. We provide 4 separate charts depending on where you are seated relative to the dealer.

At the bottom of this page is a comprehensive listing of Texas Hold'em starting hands based on their EV (expected value). Expected value is the average number of big blinds this hand will make or lose. For example: AA from the Small Blind in a $3/$6 game will make, on average, 2.71 times the big. At the bottom of this page is a comprehensive listing of Texas Hold'em starting hands based on their EV (expected value). Expected value is the average number of big blinds this hand will make or lose. For example: AA from the Small Blind in a $3/$6 game will make, on average, 2.71 times the big blind, or $16.20 per hand (2.71. $6). Given hole cards XY in an n-player Texas Holdem game, with no cards on the table, what is the probability that XY will beat all other n-1 hole cards after the river? Actually winning your hands depends on many more factors (as my poker buddies will be quick to point out!)—knowing when to fold on flop/turn/river (even if you started out well.

In this lesson we’re going to give an overview of probability and how it relates to poker. This will include the probability of being dealt certain hands and how often they’re likely to win. We’ll also cover how to calculating your odds and outs, in addition to introducing you to the concept of pot odds. And finally we’ll take a look at how an understanding of the math will help you to remain emotional stable at the poker table and why you should focus on decisions, not results.

What is Probability?

Probability is the branch of mathematics that deals with the likelihood that one outcome or another will occur. For instance, a coin flip has two possible outcomes: heads or tails. The probability that a flipped coin will land heads is 50% (one outcome out of the two); the same goes for tails.

Probability and Cards

When dealing with a deck of cards the number of possible outcomes is clearly much greater than the coin example. Each poker deck has fifty-two cards, each designated by one of four suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades) and one of thirteen ranks (the numbers two through ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace). Therefore, the odds of getting any Ace as your first card are 1 in 13 (7.7%), while the odds of getting any spade as your first card are 1 in 4 (25%).

Unlike coins, cards are said to have “memory”: every card dealt changes the makeup of the deck. For example, if you receive an Ace as your first card, only three other Aces are left among the remaining fifty-one cards. Therefore, the odds of receiving another Ace are 3 in 51 (5.9%), much less than the odds were before you received the first Ace.

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Pre-flop Probabilities: Pocket Pairs

In order to find the odds of getting dealt a pair of Aces, we multiply the probabilities of receiving each card:

(4/52) x (3/51) = (12/2652) = (1/221) ≈ 0.45%.

To put this in perspective, if you’re playing poker at your local casino and are dealt 30 hands per hour, you can expect to receive pocket Aces an average of once every 7.5 hours.

The odds of receiving any of the thirteen possible pocket pairs (twos up to Aces) is:

(13/221) = (1/17) ≈ 5.9%.

In contrast, you can expect to receive any pocket pair once every 35 minutes on average.

Pre-Flop Probabilities: Hand vs. Hand

Players don’t play poker in a vacuum; each player’s hand must measure up against his opponent’s, especially if a player goes all-in before the flop.

Here are some sample probabilities for most pre-flop situations:

Post-Flop Probabilities: Improving Your Hand

Now let’s look at the chances of certain events occurring when playing certain starting hands. The following table lists some interesting and valuable hold’em math:

Many beginners to poker overvalue certain starting hands, such as suited cards. As you can see, suited cards don’t make flushes very often. Likewise, pairs only make a set on the flop 12% of the time, which is why small pairs are not always profitable.

PDF Chart

We have created a poker math and probability PDF chart (link opens in a new window) which lists a variety of probabilities and odds for many of the common events in Texas hold ‘em. This chart includes the two tables above in addition to various starting hand probabilities and common pre-flop match-ups. You’ll need to have Adobe Acrobat installed to be able to view the chart, but this is freely installed on most computers by default. We recommend you print the chart and use it as a source of reference.

Odds and Outs

If you do see a flop, you will also need to know what the odds are of either you or your opponent improving a hand. In poker terminology, an “out” is any card that will improve a player’s hand after the flop.

One common occurrence is when a player holds two suited cards and two cards of the same suit appear on the flop. The player has four cards to a flush and needs one of the remaining nine cards of that suit to complete the hand. In the case of a “four-flush”, the player has nine “outs” to make his flush.

A useful shortcut to calculating the odds of completing a hand from a number of outs is the “rule of four and two”. The player counts the number of cards that will improve his hand, and then multiplies that number by four to calculate his probability of catching that card on either the turn or the river. If the player misses his draw on the turn, he multiplies his outs by two to find his probability of filling his hand on the river.

In the example of the four-flush, the player’s probability of filling the flush is approximately 36% after the flop (9 outs x 4) and 18% after the turn (9 outs x 2).

Pot Odds

Another important concept in calculating odds and probabilities is pot odds. Pot odds are the proportion of the next bet in relation to the size of the pot.

For instance, if the pot is $90 and the player must call a $10 bet to continue playing the hand, he is getting 9 to 1 (90 to 10) pot odds. If he calls, the new pot is now $100 and his $10 call makes up 10% of the new pot.

Experienced players compare the pot odds to the odds of improving their hand. If the pot odds are higher than the odds of improving the hand, the expert player will call the bet; if not, the player will fold. This calculation ties into the concept of expected value, which we will explore in a later lesson.

Bad Beats

A “bad beat” happens when a player completes a hand that started out with a very low probability of success. Experts in probability understand the idea that, just because an event is highly unlikely, the low likelihood does not make it completely impossible.

A measure of a player’s experience and maturity is how he handles bad beats. In fact, many experienced poker players subscribe to the idea that bad beats are the reason that many inferior players stay in the game. Bad poker players often mistake their good fortune for skill and continue to make the same mistakes, which the more capable players use against them.

Decisions, Not Results

One of the most important reasons that novice players should understand how probability functions at the poker table is so that they can make the best decisions during a hand. While fluctuations in probability (luck) will happen from hand to hand, the best poker players understand that skill, discipline and patience are the keys to success at the tables.

A big part of strong decision making is understanding how often you should be betting, raising, and applying pressure.
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Conclusion

A strong knowledge of poker math and probabilities will help you adjust your strategies and tactics during the game, as well as giving you reasonable expectations of potential outcomes and the emotional stability to keep playing intelligent, aggressive poker.

Remember that the foundation upon which to build an imposing knowledge of hold’em starts and ends with the math. I’ll end this lesson by simply saying…. the math is essential.

By Gerald Hanks

Gerald Hanks is from Houston Texas, and has been playing poker since 2002. He has played cash games and no-limit hold’em tournaments at live venues all over the United States.

Texas Holdem Poker Hands Chart

Poker Range Calculator

The Poker Hand Range Calculator calculates Texas Hold'em hand ranges from percentage values and vice-versa. All this online and free. Setup a poker range by selecting the hands in the poker hand calculator and share the link which is automatically generated for you.

Texas Holdem Poker Hand Percentages

Questions? Refer to our Poker Hand Calculator FAQ page.

Poker Hand Range Calculator

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AA

AKs

AQs

AJs

ATs

A9s

A8s

A7s

A6s

A5s

A4s

A3s

A2s

AKo

KK

KQs

KJs

KTs

K9s

K8s

K7s

K6s

K5s

K4s

K3s

K2s

AQo

KQo

QQ

QJs

QTs

Q9s

Q8s

Q7s

Q6s

Q5s

Q4s

Q3s

Q2s

AJo

KJo

QJo

JJ

JTs

J9s

J8s

J7s

J6s

J5s

J4s

J3s

J2s

ATo

KTo

QTo

JTo

TT

T9s

T8s

T7s

T6s

T5s

T4s

T3s

T2s

A9o

K9o

Q9o

J9o

T9o

99

98s

97s

96s

95s

94s

93s

92s

A8o

K8o

Q8o

J8o

T8o

98o

88

87s

86s

85s

84s

83s

82s

A7o

K7o

Q7o

J7o

T7o

97o

87o

77

76s

75s

74s

73s

72s

A6o

K6o

Q6o

J6o

T6o

96o

86o

76o

66

65s

64s

63s

62s

A5o

K5o

Q5o

J5o

T5o

95o

85o

75o

65o

55

54s

53s

52s

A4o

K4o

Q4o

J4o

T4o

94o

84o

74o

64o

54o

44

43s

42s

A3o

K3o

Q3o

J3o

T3o

93o

83o

73o

63o

53o

43o

33

32s

A2o

K2o

Q2o

J2o

T2o

92o

82o

72o

62o

52o

42o

32o

22

100%

Poker Hand Calculator For Poker Ranges

Texas Holdem Starting Hands Ranking

To fully utilize the poker hand calculator, follow the steps below:

Texas Holdem Percentage Chart

• 1. You obviously need a poker room to play. Make sure to check out one of the best poker rooms, William Hill.


• 2. So, now you're playing at one of the poker rooms. You also have our range calculator available. You may have an idea how of the range of your opponents. But how to keep track of all opponents' PFR, VPIP, etc? Here comes Holdem Manager into the picture. Holdem Manager is a poker tracker software: it keeps track of your opponents' play and shows the most important statistics of a player while playing. A time-limited version is available free. This piece of software is a must to have - even for low stakes.


• 3. Ok, now you're using Holdem Manager , and see that your opponent is re-raising (4-bet) 4% of his hands. But what is exactly 4%? Is TT in it? Simply use our range calculator to get an idea of his range. Although - with one million simulations per hand - the calculator's results are reliable, always keep in mind that there are other factors to take into account: your image shown at the table, the last hands played, etc. You will see that combining HM and our calculator makes you play poker much more profitable. The Poker Hand Range calculator will help you to make the best poker reads - you will most likely be able to read you opponents' poker tells. Just enter a percent value and hit calculate. The tool will show the hand range for the given percent value.


• 4. Enjoy more profitable poker!