Poker starting hands: which hands should you play?
You know the rules of poker, but when your two cards are dealt, you wonder which ones are worth playing? This page answers that question without jargon and walks you step by step towards the charts that regular players use.
Looking for the poker hand rankings instead (straight flush, four of a kind, full house and so on)? They have their own page. Here we talk about the two cards you get at the start of every hand, and which ones are worth playing.
Starting hands in Texas Hold'em
In Texas Hold'em you get two hole cards. There are 1326 ways to be dealt two cards, but once you ignore the exact suits, only 169 different hands remain: 13 pocket pairs, 78 suited hands (both cards of the same suit, written "s") and 78 offsuit hands (written "o").
- 13
- pairs, on the diagonal, from AA down to 22
- 78
- suited (s), above: same suit
- 78
- offsuit (o), below
They fall into a few big families:
- Pocket pairsFrom AA down to 22. Big pairs win on their own, small pairs hope to flop a set.
- Strong acesAK, AQ, AJ: they often make the best pair.
- BroadwaysTwo cards from ten to ace, such as KQ, KJ or QJ.
- Suited handsSame suit, such as A5s or K9s: they can make a flush.
- ConnectorsTwo consecutive cards, such as 98 or 76: they can make a straight.
Why you fold most hands
The most common beginner mistake is playing too many hands. A hand like 72o, J4o or K3o rarely wins, and when it does pair up, it is usually a weak pair that costs you chips against a better hand.
Winning players fold most of their hands before the flop. Playing fewer but better hands is the simplest way to stop losing chips.
Position changes everything
Your position is where you sit relative to the button. The later you act, the more information you have about the other players, and the more hands you can play. Here is a baseline for a 6-handed cash game table, with 100 big blinds, when nobody has entered the pot yet. The percentages are the share of hands you open from each seat. In tournaments, antes widen these ranges, and they change with your stack:
| Position | Share of hands to open (approx.) | What you add |
|---|---|---|
| UTG / Lojack | 13% | Medium and big pairs, strong aces, suited broadways |
| Hijack | 22% | Small pairs, suited aces, strong suited connectors like T9s |
| Cutoff | 32% | All pairs, all suited aces, offsuit broadways like KJo |
| Button | 44% | Lots of suited hands, small connectors like 65s, offsuit aces |
| Small blind | 32% | A range close to the cutoff, because you will be out of position after the flop |
In the big blind you have already paid part of the bet, so you defend a lot of hands against a raise. That is a separate topic.
Which hands to play as a beginner
If you want one simple rule for your first sessions, start with this one:
- AlwaysAAKKQQJJAK
- From almost any seatTT99AQAJsKQs
- In late position (cutoff and button)small pairssuited aces98s76sKQoAJoKJQJ
- Fold in most cases72o93oJ4oK5o
That chart is called a range
What you just read, a list of hands to play from a given position, is what players call a range. It is shown as a 13 by 13 grid: pairs on the diagonal, suited hands on one side and offsuit hands on the other. Here it is, in the colors of the rule above.
Our poker range charts guide shows complete charts for MTT, Spin & Go and cash games, and the page on opening ranges breaks the percentages down position by position. Do you play tournaments? The MTT ranges give you a chart per stage and per stack.
Your first ranges, on us
Import base ranges, then adapt them
Create your free account and import a pack for your format: one chart per position, which you adapt to your game and review in the app.
- Cash game ranges to adaptFreeBase ranges, one opening chart per position, to adapt to your game.
- MTT path (discovery)FreeBase ranges for the early tournament (100 charts) and the first 11 concepts of the path, to adapt to your game.
- Expresso ranges to adaptFreeBase ranges for three players, to adapt to your game.
Try it for free, no credit card
To keep your starting hands in front of you, draw your grid and download your range as a PDF to print, for free and without an account.
Poker starting hands FAQ
How many starting hands are there in poker?
In Texas Hold'em there are 169 distinct starting hands: 13 pocket pairs, 78 suited hands and 78 offsuit hands. Counting every suit separately, that makes 1326 two-card combinations.
What is the best starting hand in poker?
Pocket aces (AA) is the best starting hand. It wins about 85% of the time against a random hand when both players see all five board cards.
Should you play every suited hand?
No. Being suited only adds a few points of equity. A weak hand like 82s is still a weak hand: the flush potential does not make up for low, unconnected cards.
Which hands should you play in tournaments (MTT)?
The basics are the same, but everything depends on your stack. With a deep stack you can open the usual ranges by position. Once your stack drops below 10 to 15 big blinds, you switch to push or fold charts, where you either go all-in or fold.