Best Poker Hands Preflop

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On this site you can find all possible combinations of preflop hands that can occur in Texas Hold'em Poker. As a bonus you will also learn the nicknames of the different hands.

The hands are ranked from #1 to #169, where #1 is the best. This ranking is applicable when the poker table is full ring (9-10 people). The ranking is based on computer calculation results with all the players staying to the river card. It is not applicable to any real play.
If the hand is named XXs then it means the hand is suited, if XXo then the hand is off suit.


#1
AA


Pocket Rockets
American Airlines
The Hand
Bullets
Rocky Mountains

#2
KK


Cowboys
Kamikaze
King Kong
Cold Turkey
Kangaroos

#3
QQ

Hilton Sisters
Ladies
West Hollywood
The Bitches
The Witches
Double Date
4 Tits
Flower Girls

#4
AKs


Big Slick in a suit
Anna Kournikova
Santa Barbara
Mike Haven

#5
JJ


Jokers
Brothers
Hooks
Jackson Hole
SHIP
Gays Online

News »

January 10, 2007
A lot more nicknames added
November 29

More nicknames added

November 25
More nicknames added

November 11, 2006
Site complete with all possible hands.

November 7, 2006
Site was online for the first time.

#6
AQs


Big Chick
Little Slick
Anthony & Cleopatra

#7
KQs


Mamas and Papas
Newlyweds
Marriage
Royal Couple
Parents

#8
AJs


Ajax
Black Jack
Jack Ass
J-birds

#9
KJs


Kojak
King John
Hary Potter
Bachelor's Hand
Tucson Monster

#10
TT


TinTin
Tension
Twenty Miles

#11
AKo


Big Slick
Anna Kournikova

#12
ATs


Johnny Moss
Bookends

#13
QJs


Oedipus
Maverick

#14
KTs


Katie
Big Al

#15
QTs


Quint
Varkony
Gratitude
Greyhound

#16
JTs


Morgan

#17
99


Wayne Gretzky
German Virgin
Popeye's
Phil Hellmuth

#18
AQo


Big Chick
Little slick

#19
A9s


Rounders Hand
Driving the Truck

#20
KQo


Mixed Marriage
Othello

#21
88


Snowmen
Little Oldsmobile
Two Fat Ladies
Catnuts

#22
K9s


Canine
Pair of Dogs
Turner & Hooch
Pedigree
Fido
Sawmill

#23
T9s


Count Down

#24
A8s


Dead Mans Hand

#25
Q9s


Quinine

#26
J9s


Jeanine

#27
AJo


Ace Jack-off

#28
A5s


High Five

#29
77


Buggy Tops
Saturn
Sunset Strip
Hockey Sticks
Mullets
Walking Sticks

#30
A7s


Red Baron

#31
KJo


Kojak
King John
Jack-King-off
Harry Potter

#32
A4s


Sharp Tops
Amen
Tranny's

#33
A3s


Ash Tray
Baskin Robbins

#34
A6s


Mile High

#35
QJo


Maverick
Fred & Ethel

#36
66


Route 66
Kicks

#37
K8s


The Feast
Kokomo

#38
T8s


Tetris
Tenaciously

#39
A2s


Hunting Season
Arizona
Acey-Deucy

#40
98s


Oldsmobile

#41
J8s


Jeffrey Dalmer

#42
ATo


Bookends

#43
Q8s


Kuwait

#44
K7s


King Salmon
Kevin

#45
KTo


Katie
Woodcutter

#46
55

Presto
Double Nickels
Speed Limit
Sammy

#47
JTo


Morgan

#48
87s


RPM
Tahoe

#49
QTo


Quint
Greyhound

#50
44


Robert Varkonyi
Quint
Magnum
Colt 44
Sail Boats
Diana Dors

#51
33

Crabs
City Parks

#52
22

Quackers
Pocket Swans
Ducks
Barely Legal
The Strippers

#53
K6s


The Concubine

#54
97s


Grapefruit

#55
K5s


King of Nickels

#56
76s


America
Union Oil

#57
T7s


The Bowling Hand
Split

#58
K4s


Fork

#59
K3s


King Crab
Sizzler
Commander Crab

#60
K2s


White Men Can't Jump

#61
Q7s


Computer Hand

#62
86s


Eubie
Maxwell Smart

#63
65s


Ken Warren

#64
J7s


Dice Hand

#65
54s


Colt

#66
Q6s


#67
75s


Heinz 57 Sauce

#68
96s


Overtime
Soixante Neuf

#69
Q5s


Granny Mae (if spades)

#70
64s


Revolution
The Rabbit

#71
Q4s


#72
Q3s


Bitch with Crabs
Gay Waiter

#73
T9o


Countdown

#74
T6s

Driver's License

#75
Q2s

Windsor Waiter

#76
A9o

Jesus
Chris Ferguson

#77
53s

#78
85s

Finky Dink

#79
J6s

Jack Sikma

#80
J9o

Emergency
9-11

#81
K9o

Sawmill

#82
J5s

Jackson Five
Motown

#83
Q9o

Quinine

#84
43s

Waltz Time

#85
74s

Barn Owl

#86
J4s

Done Hand
Jermaine
Flat Tire

#87
J3s

J-Lo
Bird Table

#88
95s

Dolly Parton
Hard Working

#89
J2s

The Jew

#90
63s

JFK
Three Dozen

#91
A8o

Dead Man's Hand

#92
52s

Two Bits
Quarter

#93
T5s

Dimestore
Woolworth
Five and Dime

#94
84s

Big Brother
George Orwell

#95
T4s

Roger That
Over and Out
Convoy
The Good Buddy

#96
T3s

#97
42s

The Answer
Lumberjack

#98
T2s

Texas Dolly
Terminator II

#99
98o

Oldsmobile

#100
T8o

Tetris

#101
A5o

High Five

#102
A7o

Red Baron

#103
73s

Dutch Waiter
Swedish Busboy

#104
A4o

Crashing Airlines

#105
32s

Hooter Hand
Jordan

#106
94s

San Fransisco

#107
93s

Jack Benny

#108
J8o

Jeffery Dalmer

#109
A3o

Baskin Robbins
Ash Tray

#110
62s

#111
92s

Twiggy

#112
K8o

The Feast
Dr Spoon
Kokomo

#113
A6o

Mile High

#114
87o

Tahoe

#115
Q8o

Kuwait

#116
83s

Raquel Welch

#117
A2o

Arizona
Big Balls
Hunting Season

#118
82s

Fat Lady and a Duck

#119
97o

Grapefruit

#120
72s

Beer Hand

#121
76o

Union Oil

#122
K7o

King Salmon

#123
65o

Ken Warren

#124
T7o

Split

#125
K6o

The Concubine

#126
86o

Maxwell Smart

#127
54o

Colt 45
Jesse James
Jane Russell

#128
K5o

Rotten Cowboy

#129
J7o

Dice

#130
75o

Filipino Slick
Heinz

#131
Q7o

Computer Hand

#132
K4o

Fork

#133
K3o

Commander Crab
King Crab

#134
96o

Percy

#135
K2o

Big Fritz

#136
64o

The Question

#137
Q6o

#138
53o

Bully Johnson

#139
85o

The Scag

#140
T6o

Sweet Sixteen

#141
Q5o

#142
43o

Waltz Time

#143
Q4o

#144
Q3o

Gay Waiter

#145
74o

Cambodian Slick

#146
Q2o

The Vesty

#147
J6o

Jack Sikma

#148
63o

JFK
Blocky

#149
J5o

Jackson Five

#150
95o

Dolly Parton

#151
52o

Quarter

#152
J4o

Kid Grenade

#153
J3o

Fortran

#154
42o

The Answer

#155
J2o

Bennifer

#156
84o

Big Brother

#157
T5o

Nickels and Dimes

#158
T4o

CB Hand
Roger That

#159
32o

Big Gulp
Hooter Hand
Mississippi Slick
Can of Corn

#160
T3o

#161
73o

Rusty Trombone

#162
T2o

Texas Dolly

#163
62o

Bed & Breakfast

#164
94o

Joe Montana Banana

#165
93o

Jack Benny

#166
92o

Montana Banana
Twiggy

#167
83o

Suzanna Banana
Sven
Raquel Welch

#168
82o

Sixty Nine

#169
72o

Death
The Big Man Hand
The Hammer

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Hand Guide: Preflop > Flop > Turn > River

In Hold'em the No. 1 starting hand (A♥ A♠) holds 83% preflop equity over the second-best starting hand (K♥ K♠). In Omaha the best starting hand (A♥ A♠ K♥ K♠) is only 33% to win (41% to tie) against the second-best starting hand (A♦ A♣ T♦ J♣).

  1. The baby pairs don’t hold up well if the cards on the flop are all higher cards, at best giving you the fourth-best hand after the flop. They also don’t work well as a straight filler.
  2. Poker hands from highest to lowest 1. Royal flush A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit. Today, CardPlayer.com is the best poker information portal for free poker content.

Preflop Planning is an excellent guide on how to think before the flop when deciding whether to fold, call or raise based on your position and starting hand. It's the perfect compliment to this article.

Preflop overview.

Best Poker Hands Preflop

Top Ten Poker Hands Preflop

Before the flop is where it all starts, where you are forced to make your first important decision depending on all of the variables involved with the hand. It is important to make good, solid decisions before the flop, as it will form the foundations for how the rest of the hand will be played out.

If you make a high-quality decision before the flop, you will set the tone for the rest of the hand and give yourself the best opportunity to get into a moneymaking position. However, if you make a bad decision before the flop, you may well set yourself up for a big loss by getting yourself into a sticky position or missing out on a potentially rewarding hand.

Start as you mean to go on in every hand. Make quality plays at the beginning and continue throughout the rest of the hand.

Therefore after you have been dealt your cards preflop, it is important to take your time to evaluate all of the different variables in the hand, and not just make decisions on the cards that you are holding. It is important to consider your position and the type of opponents you are playing against, as well as know the correct starting hand requirements. So make sure you think very carefully before every flop and build the foundations for a profitable hand by making the correct preflop strategy decision.

Preflop starting hand selection.

Choosing which hands to play and which hands to fold is fundamental to playing a winning poker game. The best hands to play in Texas Holdem are:

  • Big pocket pairs: AA-TT
  • Big suited connectors: AK, AQ, AJ, KQ
  • Big connectors: AK, AQ, AJ, KQ

These particular combinations of cards have the best chances of winning than other cards, so if you stick to these you will find yourself in more profitable situations after the flop. It is possible to play other combinations of cards successfully, but if you are a beginner player then it is advised to stick with the big cards until you find your feet at the poker table.

Preflop position strategy.

Your position in the hand is an incredibly important variable that you should be aware of in every hand, yet it is something that is all too often forgotten about.

Best Poker Hands Preflop

The dynamics of play are slightly different in the preflop betting round, as the small and big blind will be last to act, whereas they will be the first to act on every other betting round. However, the general principles of position will remain the same, as you want to try and play more hands where you have position over your opponents than in positions where you do not.

This means that you should avoid playing too many hands in the blinds or in an early position, as being one of the first to act in each hand can make things very difficult unless you are holding a premium hand. Be very careful when playing in the blinds, and don’t feel as though you have to enter more pots in these positions because you have already committed money to the pot. It is far safer to let marginal hands go rather than to call raises with half a holding and play out of position for the rest of the hand.

Your position can often play a more influential role than the strength of the cards that players are actually holding, so try and keeping the upper hand by combining good position with good cards.

The cards listed above in the starting hands selection section can be played from almost any position, but you should try and tighten up your starting hand selection in the earlier positions. So as a general rule, you can play with a wider range of the top starting hands in later positions than you should in the earlier positions in the hand.

So the top strategy tips on preflop position are:

  • Always be aware of your position in a hand
  • Try to avoid playing out of position unless you have a strong holding
  • You can afford to loosen up your starting hand requirements in later positions
  • Don’t feel committed to playing hands when in the blinds

Preflop betting tips.

When the action reaches you before the flop, you will be faced with the decision to either fold, call or raise. If there has been no raise before you, then a call will simply mean matching the size of the big blind, which is also known as ‘limping in’. This is generally not a good play, as if you are entering any pot in Holdem you will want to be making a raise and show aggression.

If you are limping in with a hand, you are either entering the pot with a sub-standard hand or you are playing a premium hand too weakly. So the real question you should ask yourself if you are first to enter the pot before the flop is; “Am I folding or am I raising?”

Preflop

The majority of the time you should either 'pump it' or 'dump it'. Avoid limping in by simply calling the big blind.

Preflop bet sizing.

If you decide that you are going to enter the pot, you should be looking to make a raise of about 3 or 4 times the size of the big blind. By making a minimum raise you are letting opponents with marginal hands come in cheaply, and you are almost defeating the object of making a preflop raise.

The idea of a preflop raise is to reduce the amount of players who follow you to see a flop, as it is easier to make profitable decisions when there are fewer players in the pot. So make sure to come in with a strong 3 or 4 BB raise, and increase the size of the raise if you find that a lot of players are still calling these raises with marginal hands or if other players have limped in before you.

If there has been a raise before you, you must now consider whether you should fold, call or raise. If you have a poor or marginal starting hand you should look to fold. If you have a good starting hand like the ones mentioned above you should be happy to call and see a flop. If you have one of the top starting hands like AA or KK, should re-raise to help try and get as much money into the pot as possible.

Limping in.

There will be a few cases where limping-in will be an acceptable play. This will normally be when there have been a number of other players limping-in before you, and so you will have better odds to see a flop.

The best hands to limp in with are strong drawing hands such as suited cards with an ace or king, or any connecting cards that can make a straight. You are not looking to make top pair in these limped multi-way pots, as they can often land you in trouble. So aim to play hands that can land you a very strong holding or a strong draw, and then comfortably fold on the flop if neither of these materialize.

Top strategy tips for preflop betting:

  • Don’t be afraid to bet or raise
  • Make solid 3 or 4 BB raises when entering an un-opened pot
  • Increase the size of your raise if other players have limped or are calling stations
  • Avoid limping with mediocre hands
  • Only limp if you have a potentially strong hand and others have limped before you

Other preflop strategy tips.

Top 20 Poker Hands Preflop

If you are playing in a shorthanded game such as a 6-max table, you can afford to reduce your starting hand requirements so that you can see more flops. If you stick to the starting hand requirements mentioned above, you would probably find that you are folding too often and missing out on opportunities to win money. So you can afford to play other hands such as AT, KJ, KT, QJ and so on.

When making your decision pre flop, you should also consider the type of players who you are playing against. If you notice that a tight player has made a raise, it is likely that they have a very strong hand, so you should re-evaluate the strength of your cards in this hand. Similarly, if a loose player makes a raise, it is more likely to be profitable to be call with a decent hand as you could well be holding a stronger hand than them.

It is important to not be afraid about making bets or raises before the flop. It is important to be aggressive in poker, as it is a winning style that all good players adopt. If you are afraid to make bets and raises when you should be, then you will be making unprofitable decisions and you will find it hard to ever win money from the game. To help accustom yourself to being aggressive, you could try dropping down in limits where there is less money at stake, so that you can become comfortable with playing aggressively and notice the advantages of an aggressive style over a weak playing style.

Useful preflop strategy articles:

Top Poker Hands Pre Flop

  • Starting Hand Selection (Beginner)
  • Position (Beginner)
  • The Gap Concept (Intermediate)
  • Relative Position (Advanced)

Best Poker Hands Preflop And Win Percentages

Go back to the thorough hand guide.