Preflop Poker Odds Chart
Interactive 13x13 starting hand chart with win percentages, common all-in matchups, and position-based recommendations.
Preflop odds chart quick answer
The best preflop poker hands are pocket aces, kings, queens, ace-king suited, and pocket jacks. Pocket aces have about 85% equity against a random hand heads up, while ace-king suited has about 67%. Small pairs and suited connectors can be profitable, but they depend heavily on position and stack depth.
- AA is the strongest starting hand and has about 85% equity heads up against a random hand.
- KK and QQ are premium pairs, but they lose value quickly in multiway pots with overcards on the flop.
- AK suited is strong because it can make top pair with top kicker, nut flushes, and broadway straights.
- Hands like 76 suited need position and deep stacks because most of their value comes after the flop.
Common preflop all-in odds
Use these matchups to calibrate the chart before you review a specific hand. Percentages are approximate heads-up Texas Holdem equities before the flop.
| Matchup | Favorite | Underdog | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA vs one random hand | AA: about 85% | Random hand: about 15% | Aces are a huge favorite heads up, but not invincible. |
| KK vs one random hand | KK: about 82% | Random hand: about 18% | Kings are still premium, even though an ace on the flop changes the hand. |
| QQ vs AK suited | QQ: about 54% | AKs: about 46% | This is the classic pair-versus-overcards race. |
| AK offsuit vs 22 | 22: about 52% | AKo: about 48% | Small pairs are slight favorites, but the edge is thin. |
| A5 suited vs KK | KK: about 66% | A5s: about 34% | The suited wheel ace has more life than many dominated aces. |
| 76 suited vs AK offsuit | AKo: about 60% | 76s: about 40% | Suited connectors need position and implied odds, not just raw equity. |
Starting hand groups to remember
The full 169-hand grid is useful for study, but these groups cover the decisions that come up most often in real games.
| Hand group | Examples | Default plan | Main warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium pairs | AA, KK, QQ, JJ | Raise or 3-bet from almost every seat. | Do not invite five callers by slow-playing. |
| Strong broadways | AKs, AKo, AQs, KQs | Open widely and 3-bet value-heavy against loose players. | Ace-king still misses the flop about two thirds of the time. |
| Medium pairs | TT through 66 | Open most seats, call more carefully against early-position strength. | Overcards on the flop make postflop play harder. |
| Small pairs | 55 through 22 | Play best with deep stacks and good implied odds. | Short stacks remove most of the set-mining value. |
| Suited connectors | T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s | Prefer cutoff/button opens and deep-stack calls. | They look pretty but lose money out of position. |
| Weak offsuit aces | A9o through A2o | Steal late when blinds overfold; fold early. | Dominated top pair is the expensive mistake. |
The starting hands that matter before the flop
Preflop charts are useful because they remove one of poker's easiest leaks: talking yourself into playable-looking trash. King-nine offsuit looks fine until you open it from early position and get called by hands that dominate it. Ace-four suited looks pretty until you make top pair and spend three streets paying off a better ace.
The chart above gives every starting hand a baseline equity number, but equity is not the same as profit. Pocket twos has decent raw equity against ace-king, yet it plays terribly when you miss the flop and face pressure. Jack-ten suited has less raw equity than many ace-high hands, but it makes straights, flushes, and strong draws that can win big pots when stacks are deep.
Position is the part most players underweight. A hand that is a clear fold under the gun can be a clear raise on the button. The cards did not change. The number of players left to act did. Late position lets you steal blinds, control pot size, and make decisions with more information. That is why the same hand can move from red to green depending on your seat.
Premium hands should still be played aggressively. Slow-playing aces before the flop is usually a mistake because you invite too many opponents into the hand. Aces love one caller. They hate five. The more players see the flop, the more your 85% heads-up equity turns into a messy multiway spot where someone can outdraw you cheaply.
Small pairs and suited connectors are where stack depth matters most. With shallow stacks, you do not win enough when you hit a set or a disguised straight to justify all the misses. With deeper stacks, those hands can be worth opening or calling in position because the payoff when you connect is large enough to cover the folds.
Crypto poker games often play looser preflop than traditional regulated pools. That makes value hands better and speculative hands more situational. If players are calling too much, widen your value raises a little, but do not follow them into the swamp with weak offsuit hands. The money comes from punishing loose calls, not copying them.
Use the chart as a default, then adjust one step at a time. Start tighter from early position, open more from the cutoff and button, and review the hands that gave you trouble. If the same starting hand keeps creating ugly postflop decisions, that is usually the chart telling you it belonged in the muck before the flop.
Preflop Chart questions
What are the best preflop poker hands?
The best preflop poker hands are AA, KK, QQ, AK suited, and JJ. Those hands can usually be raised from any position, though stack depth, table size, and opponent action still matter.
How much equity does pocket aces have preflop?
Pocket aces have about 85% equity against one random hand before the flop. The number drops in multiway pots because more opponents create more chances for two pair, trips, straights, and flushes to beat you.
Is ace-king better than a pocket pair?
Ace-king is usually behind any pocket pair before the flop, but not by much against medium pairs. Against queens, AK suited is roughly a 46% underdog. Against small pairs, it is close to a coinflip with strong playability.
Should beginners play suited connectors preflop?
Beginners should play suited connectors mostly from late position and with deeper stacks. Hands like 76 suited win by making disguised straights and flushes, so they lose value when you are short stacked or out of position.
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