Texas Hold'em Starting Hands: A Beginner's Chart
Which hands to play and which to fold in Texas Hold'em, grouped by strength, with a simple position chart, the odds of being dealt key hands and common mistakes.
The best poker starting hands in Texas Hold'em are big pocket pairs (aces, kings and queens) and big suited cards such as ace-king. There are 169 different starting hands, and most of them should be folded, especially from early seats. A simple starting hands chart sorts hands into groups and tells you which groups to raise from each position.
Starting hand groups
Hold'em hands are written in shorthand. AKs means ace-king suited, AKo means ace-king offsuit and T stands for a ten. If the rules are new to you, read our guide on how to play Texas Hold'em first. Most playable hands fall into one of these groups.
- Premium pairs (AA, KK, QQ): the strongest hands before the flop. Pocket aces win about 85% of the time against one random hand, although that figure falls as more players see the flop.
- Big cards (AK, AQ, JJ, TT): strong hands that often make top pair with the best kicker, or hold a pair higher than most of the board.
- Suited broadways (AJs, KQs, KJs, QJs, JTs): two suited cards, ten or higher. They make good top pairs as well as strong straights and flushes.
- Medium and small pairs (99 down to 22): hands that mostly rely on flopping three of a kind, known as a set. A pocket pair flops a set or better about 11.8% of the time, roughly 1 in 8.5.
- Suited connectors and suited aces (T9s down to 54s, A9s down to A2s): speculative hands that can make straights and flushes but usually miss the flop.
- Offsuit broadways (AJo, KQo, KJo, QJo): they look attractive, but are often beaten by a better kicker.
- Trash: everything else, such as jack-four, nine-three or seven-two offsuit.
A simple starting hands chart by position
This chart is a beginner's guide for a full table when nobody has raised before you. It is deliberately tight and easy to remember. The blinds column covers raising from the small blind when everyone has folded to you, or responding to a single raise from the big blind.
| Hand group | Early position | Middle position | Late position | Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium pairs (AA to QQ) | Raise | Raise | Raise | Raise or re-raise |
| Big cards (AK, AQ, JJ, TT) | Raise | Raise | Raise | Raise or call |
| Suited broadways | Raise the best (AJs, KQs) | Raise | Raise | Raise or call |
| Medium and small pairs | Raise 99 to 77, fold the rest | Raise | Raise | Call if the price is small |
| Suited connectors and suited aces | Fold | Raise the best only | Raise | Call if the price is small |
| Offsuit broadways | Fold | Raise AJo and KQo only | Raise | Mostly fold to a raise |
| Trash | Fold | Fold | Fold | Fold, or check for free in the big blind |
If someone has already raised, tighten up considerably. Their raise shows strength, so continue with the top groups and let the marginal hands go.
When you are the first player to enter the pot, raise instead of just calling. A typical opening raise is two and a half to three times the big blind, so £5 or £6 in a £1/£2 game. Raising gives you two ways to win the hand: everyone may fold, or you may see a flop against fewer opponents.
Suited vs offsuit hands
You will be dealt two cards of the same suit 23.5% of the time, so suited hands are common. Being suited helps, but less than most beginners think. With two suited cards you flop a complete flush less than 1% of the time and a flush draw about 11% of the time. Overall, being suited adds only a few percentage points to a hand's chance of winning.
Those few points matter with hands that are already good. KQs is clearly better than KQo because it can win in more ways. They do not rescue bad hands, though. Jack-four suited is still jack-four, and when it does make a flush it can easily lose to a higher one.
Connected cards work in a similar way. Cards next to each other in rank, such as nine-eight, can make more straights than cards with gaps between them, such as nine-five.
Why position changes the value of a hand
The same two cards are worth more or less depending on your seat. In early position at a nine-handed table, eight players act after you, so there is a good chance one of them holds something stronger. On the button, only the blinds are left, and you will act last on every later betting round.
Take king-jack offsuit. Under the gun, it will often be called by ace-king, king-queen or ace-jack, hands that leave you with the worse kicker when you pair up. On the button, with everyone folded to you, it is a comfortable raise. Our guide to poker positions explains each seat and why acting last is such an advantage.
How often you are dealt specific hands
There are 1,326 possible two-card combinations in Hold'em. The table shows how rarely the best ones arrive, which is why patience is part of the game.
| Starting hand | Chance | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Pocket aces (or any one specific pair) | 0.45% | 1 in 221 |
| Aces or kings | 0.9% | 1 in 110 |
| Any pocket pair | 5.9% | 1 in 17 |
| Ace-king, suited or offsuit | 1.2% | 1 in 83 |
| Ace-king suited | 0.3% | 1 in 332 |
| Any two suited cards | 23.5% | Nearly 1 in 4 |
Mistakes beginners make with starting hands
- Playing too many hands. Folding is the correct play most of the time. Boredom is not a reason to call.
- Overvaluing any ace. Ace-six offsuit often makes a pair of aces and loses to a bigger kicker. Our poker hand rankings guide explains how kickers decide pots.
- Playing any two suited cards. Flushes are too rare to justify weak cards.
- Ignoring position. A hand that is a raise on the button can be a clear fold under the gun.
- Calling when raising or folding is better. Just calling the big blind lets several players see a cheap flop and makes your hand harder to play.
- Paying too much with small pairs. They miss the set about 88% of the time, so calling a large raise with them is rarely worthwhile. Our poker odds and outs guide shows how to check the price.
- Treating ace-king as a made hand. It is strong, but it is still two unpaired cards and it misses the flop about two times in three.
- Never adjusting. A chart is a starting point. At a smaller table you can play more hands, and against several raises you should play fewer.
Where to practise
The quickest way to learn a chart is to use it, ideally at play-money or low-stakes tables. You can find options in our comparison of the best UK poker sites.
Play responsibly
Poker is for adults aged 18+ only. Choosing good starting hands improves your decisions but cannot guarantee wins, and short-term results depend heavily on luck. Set a budget you can afford to lose, stick to it, and visit BeGambleAware.org for free, confidential advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best starting hand in Texas Hold'em?
Pocket aces. You are dealt them about once in every 221 hands, or 0.45% of the time.
What is the worst starting hand in poker?
Seven-two offsuit is usually considered the worst. The cards are low, cannot make a straight together and are not suited.
How many starting hands are there in Texas Hold'em?
There are 1,326 possible two-card combinations. Ignoring which suits are involved, they reduce to 169 different starting hands.
Should a beginner play every suited hand?
No. Being suited adds only a few percentage points to a hand's chance of winning, so weak suited cards are still weak. Stick to suited hands that are also high or connected.