Every Texas Hold’em Starting Hand Ranked by Win Rate
The strongest Texas Hold’em starting hand is AA at 85.1% equity, while the weakest is 32o at 32.45%. These results come from a heads-up simulation of all 169 canonical starting hands against a single random opponent, in which every hand still wins at least around one-third of the time.
How we ran this
This study ranks all 169 canonical Texas Hold’em starting hands by their equity against one randomly dealt opponent hand. The canonical set groups every two-card combination that shares the same ranks and suitedness into a single abstract starting hand, which is the standard shorthand in poker analysis. Each hand was simulated 12,000 times using hands.poker’s own equity engine, the same Monte Carlo evaluator that powers the site’s hand equity calculator.
At every trial, the engine deals a random two-card hand to the opponent and a complete five-card board from the remaining deck. It then evaluates both hands according to standard poker hand rankings and records a win, a loss, or a tie. The reported metric is equity, defined as the win percentage plus half of the tie percentage. A tie is worth half a point because both players split the pot at showdown.
A single random opponent is the fairest possible baseline for measuring raw hand strength. It averages over every hole-card combination the opponent could hold, so no specific matchup skews the results. The 12,000 trials per hand keep the equity estimates stable, and the same engine is available on the site so any reader can reproduce a row or test a different matchup. Heads-up is the cleanest reference point because the all-in comparison is a pure test of card strength.
The resulting table is a preflop strength ranking only. It removes position, betting, and post-flop decision-making from the equation. Those factors matter in real poker, but this table answers one specific question: if you race all-in preflop against an unknown random hand, how often do you win?
One caveat applies to every row: multiway pots are different. Hands that win a small majority heads-up can lose money in three-way all-ins, and flush potential matters less when extra opponents hold cards from the same suits. This table is a heads-up reference, not a universal hand ranking for every game situation.
Key findings
Six findings stand out from the 169-hand ranking.
- AA is the strongest hand at 85.1% equity, ahead of KK at 82.41% and QQ at 79.61%. The top of the table is dominated by premium pairs.
- Pocket pairs hold eight of the top ten slots: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, and 77. The only non-pairs in the top ten are AKs at 66.87% and AQs at 66.44%, and AQs edges out 77 at 66.43% by a fraction of a point.
- Suitedness adds a measurable edge. AKs records 66.87% equity while AKo records 65.58%, a 1.3 point difference that comes from flush potential alone. That edge is precisely what separates the two versions of ace-king in the ranking.
- The median hand is Q3s at 50.46% equity, placing it at the exact midpoint of the 169-hand table. Every hand above this line holds a positive equity edge against a random opponent, and every hand below it is a statistical underdog.
- All 13 pocket pairs rank in the stronger half of the field. The lowest pair, 22, sits at rank 88 with 49.72% equity, making it barely below break-even against any random two cards.
- The bottom of the table is not worthless. The worst hand, 32o, still wins 32.45% against a random opponent, so all 169 hands start with meaningful equity and are never drawing dead before the flop.
The ranking below orders all 169 hands by this equity metric. Because the opponent is a uniform random hand, the order is a pure function of preflop card strength.
The full ranking
| Rank | Hand | Equity | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AA | 85.1% | 84.82% |
| 2 | KK | 82.41% | 82.12% |
| 3 | 79.61% | 79.33% | |
| 4 | JJ | 77.19% | 76.88% |
| 5 | TT | 75.95% | 75.64% |
| 6 | 99 | 71.65% | 71.28% |
| 7 | 88 | 68.64% | 68.18% |
| 8 | AKs | 66.87% | 66.01% |
| 9 | AQs | 66.44% | 65.45% |
| 10 | 77 | 66.43% | 65.97% |
| 11 | AKo | 65.58% | 64.74% |
| 12 | AJs | 65.54% | 64.48% |
| 13 | ATs | 64.48% | 63.32% |
| 14 | AQo | 64.34% | 63.49% |
| 15 | KQs | 63.88% | 62.83% |
| 16 | 66 | 63.62% | 63.06% |
| 17 | A9s | 62.93% | 61.7% |
| 18 | AJo | 62.92% | 61.78% |
| 19 | ATo | 62.82% | 61.67% |
| 20 | KJs | 62.8% | 61.67% |
| 21 | A8s | 62.1% | 60.71% |
| 22 | KQo | 61.46% | 60.42% |
| 23 | A9o | 61.36% | 59.92% |
| 24 | KTs | 61.1% | 60.04% |
| 25 | A7s | 60.89% | 59.37% |
| 26 | QJs | 60.83% | 59.73% |
| 27 | KJo | 60.51% | 59.33% |
| 28 | K9s | 60.29% | 58.88% |
| 29 | KTo | 59.99% | 58.62% |
| 30 | 55 | 59.85% | 59.18% |
| 31 | A5s | 59.67% | 57.77% |
| 32 | A8o | 59.62% | 58.15% |
| 33 | QTs | 59.61% | 58.26% |
| 34 | A7o | 59.12% | 57.44% |
| 35 | A6s | 58.97% | 57.23% |
| 36 | A4s | 58.43% | 56.57% |
| 37 | A3s | 58.42% | 56.66% |
| 38 | K8s | 58.42% | 56.93% |
| 39 | QTo | 58.2% | 56.79% |
| 40 | A6o | 58.2% | 56.61% |
| 41 | K7s | 57.91% | 56.27% |
| 42 | QJo | 57.77% | 56.58% |
| 43 | K9o | 57.7% | 56.22% |
| 44 | A2s | 57.42% | 55.49% |
| 45 | A5o | 57.39% | 55.31% |
| 46 | JTs | 57.27% | 55.91% |
| 47 | K6s | 57.09% | 55.21% |
| 48 | Q9s | 56.96% | 55.53% |
| 49 | 44 | 56.84% | 56.15% |
| 50 | A4o | 56.63% | 54.66% |
| 51 | K8o | 56.32% | 54.83% |
| 52 | Q8s | 55.96% | 54.31% |
| 53 | K5s | 55.53% | 53.61% |
| 54 | J9s | 55.44% | 53.97% |
| 55 | K4s | 55.27% | 53.28% |
| 56 | A3o | 55.2% | 53.23% |
| 57 | K7o | 55.13% | 53.4% |
| 58 | JTo | 54.95% | 53.47% |
| 59 | A2o | 54.87% | 52.93% |
| 60 | Q9o | 54.77% | 53.4% |
| 61 | T9s | 54.61% | 52.99% |
| 62 | Q7s | 54.48% | 52.76% |
| 63 | K3s | 54.33% | 52.54% |
| 64 | Q8o | 53.94% | 52.21% |
| 65 | K6o | 53.85% | 51.88% |
| 66 | Q6s | 53.84% | 51.84% |
| 67 | 33 | 53.76% | 52.96% |
| 68 | K2s | 53.52% | 51.6% |
| 69 | J8s | 53.46% | 51.9% |
| 70 | J9o | 53.23% | 51.6% |
| 71 | Q5s | 53.13% | 51.31% |
| 72 | K5o | 53.04% | 50.92% |
| 73 | K4o | 52.7% | 50.72% |
| 74 | T8s | 52.41% | 50.63% |
| 75 | J7s | 51.95% | 49.99% |
| 76 | Q4s | 51.87% | 49.95% |
| 77 | K3o | 51.76% | 49.63% |
| 78 | J8o | 51.73% | 49.88% |
| 79 | T7s | 51.68% | 49.87% |
| 80 | Q7o | 51.66% | 49.68% |
| 81 | T9o | 51.61% | 49.87% |
| 82 | Q6o | 50.83% | 48.64% |
| 83 | 98s | 50.76% | 48.69% |
| 84 | Q2s | 50.47% | 48.41% |
| 85 | Q3s | 50.46% | 48.51% |
| 86 | J5s | 49.96% | 47.75% |
| 87 | J6s | 49.8% | 47.83% |
| 88 | 22 | 49.72% | 48.76% |
| 89 | K2o | 49.67% | 47.55% |
| 90 | Q5o | 49.52% | 47.46% |
| 91 | T8o | 49.25% | 47.4% |
| 92 | J7o | 49.23% | 47.14% |
| 93 | T6s | 49.19% | 47.09% |
| 94 | 97s | 49.05% | 46.91% |
| 95 | Q4o | 48.93% | 46.8% |
| 96 | J4s | 48.77% | 46.55% |
| 97 | Q3o | 48.63% | 46.35% |
| 98 | 98o | 48.14% | 46.23% |
| 99 | 87s | 47.96% | 45.8% |
| 100 | J5o | 47.82% | 45.53% |
| 101 | T7o | 47.75% | 45.52% |
| 102 | J3s | 47.69% | 45.47% |
| 103 | J6o | 47.69% | 45.38% |
| 104 | Q2o | 47.68% | 45.56% |
| 105 | J2s | 47.51% | 45.47% |
| 106 | 96s | 47.13% | 44.88% |
| 107 | T5s | 46.8% | 44.78% |
| 108 | J4o | 46.58% | 44.3% |
| 109 | T4s | 46.27% | 43.64% |
| 110 | 97o | 46.27% | 43.82% |
| 111 | T3s | 46.13% | 43.7% |
| 112 | T6o | 45.95% | 43.78% |
| 113 | 86s | 45.88% | 43.33% |
| 114 | 95s | 45.82% | 43.33% |
| 115 | 76s | 45.75% | 43.17% |
| 116 | 87o | 45.63% | 43.39% |
| 117 | T2s | 45.2% | 42.97% |
| 118 | 85s | 45.01% | 42.51% |
| 119 | J3o | 44.87% | 42.55% |
| 120 | 96o | 44.61% | 42.32% |
| 121 | J2o | 44.18% | 41.98% |
| 122 | 94s | 44.17% | 41.81% |
| 123 | 75s | 43.87% | 41.14% |
| 124 | T5o | 43.81% | 41.27% |
| 125 | 84s | 43.27% | 40.64% |
| 126 | 86o | 43.24% | 40.8% |
| 127 | 65s | 42.9% | 40.28% |
| 128 | T4o | 42.86% | 40.38% |
| 129 | 92s | 42.67% | 40.08% |
| 130 | 93s | 42.43% | 39.94% |
| 131 | T3o | 42.39% | 39.95% |
| 132 | 76o | 42.33% | 39.72% |
| 133 | 95o | 42.1% | 39.5% |
| 134 | 85o | 41.82% | 39.1% |
| 135 | T2o | 41.65% | 39.29% |
| 136 | 74s | 41.58% | 38.63% |
| 137 | 64s | 41.52% | 38.67% |
| 138 | 54s | 41.51% | 38.63% |
| 139 | 83s | 41.16% | 38.53% |
| 140 | 94o | 41.12% | 38.56% |
| 141 | 53s | 40.99% | 38.04% |
| 142 | 75o | 40.48% | 37.64% |
| 143 | 82s | 40.41% | 37.86% |
| 144 | 65o | 40.28% | 37.29% |
| 145 | 93o | 40.27% | 37.71% |
| 146 | 84o | 39.91% | 37.18% |
| 147 | 73s | 39.87% | 37.21% |
| 148 | 63s | 39.57% | 36.73% |
| 149 | 92o | 39.32% | 36.97% |
| 150 | 43s | 38.78% | 35.74% |
| 151 | 64o | 38.72% | 35.91% |
| 152 | 74o | 38.39% | 35.66% |
| 153 | 62s | 38.25% | 35.27% |
| 154 | 54o | 37.95% | 35.01% |
| 155 | 52s | 37.73% | 34.77% |
| 156 | 72s | 37.52% | 34.77% |
| 157 | 82o | 37.45% | 34.58% |
| 158 | 83o | 37.4% | 34.67% |
| 159 | 63o | 36.95% | 33.98% |
| 160 | 42s | 36.91% | 33.95% |
| 161 | 73o | 36.78% | 34.02% |
| 162 | 53o | 36.36% | 33.36% |
| 163 | 32s | 35.41% | 32.58% |
| 164 | 72o | 34.82% | 31.92% |
| 165 | 43o | 34.75% | 31.65% |
| 166 | 52o | 34% | 30.95% |
| 167 | 42o | 33.8% | 30.68% |
| 168 | 62o | 33.79% | 30.68% |
| 169 | 32o | 32.45% | 29.41% |
To test any matchup with the same Monte Carlo engine used in this study, open the hand equity calculator. It supports specific hand versus hand comparisons as well as range scenarios. To review the poker hand rankings that decide every simulation and every real showdown, consult the guide to what beats what in poker.
