Poker Shark
Poker Starting Hand Guide
How to play the hands you actually get dealt. Each guide has the real equity, which seats open it, and a plain plan for the hand, all built from millions of cash-game hands.
Premium
Raise and re-raise these from any seat. The hands you build big pots with.
Strong
Open from almost anywhere and happily stack off in the right spots.
Playable
Solid opens from middle and late position. Play them, but do not overcommit.
Speculative
Hands that need a good price or position. They flop big or fold.
Trouble
Hands that look nicer than they play. The classic source of dominated spots.
Trash
Fold these as a first-in open. They cost more than they ever make back.
How to use starting-hand strength
Every hand here shows its equity against a random hand, which is the share of the pot it wins on average if all the money goes in before the flop against one unknown opponent. It is the cleanest measure of raw strength, and it is computed from a full hand-versus-hand equity matrix, not estimated.
Raw strength is only the starting point. The same hand plays very differently under the gun than on the button, in a single raised pot than in a four-bet pot, and against a calling station than against a nit. Use the equity to rank the hands, then use position and your read on the table to decide how far to take each one. That second part is what you drill in the training arena.
Related tools
Know the hands? Now learn to play them.
Practice real spots against opponents who punish loose calls and weak folds.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best starting hands in poker? +
The premium starting hands are pocket aces, kings, and queens, plus ace king. These make the most money because they are ahead of almost every other hand before the flop, so you raise and re-raise them for value.
What is the worst starting hand in poker? +
Seven two offsuit is widely considered the worst starting hand. The cards are too far apart to make a straight, they are different suits, and any pair they make is almost always second best, so it is a fold from every seat.
How many starting hands are there in Texas holdem? +
There are 1,326 specific two-card combinations, which group into 169 distinct starting hands: 13 pocket pairs, 78 suited hands, and 78 offsuit hands. A pair is 6 combinations, a suited hand is 4, and an offsuit hand is 12.
Does equity vs a random hand tell me how to play a hand? +
It is a useful baseline, not the whole story. Equity vs a random hand shows raw strength, but real decisions depend on position, the number of players, and how your specific opponents play. That is what you practice in the training arena.