Pre Flop Hand Poker Odds Betting before the flop can sometimes be a blind bet, because when the flop comes things can change drastically. What can seem like a clear advantage can turn into a trap when the Turn or River or Flop cards hit the poker games.

Betting before the flop can sometimes be a blind bet, because when the flop comes things can change drastically. What can seem like a clear advantage can turn into a trap when the Turn or River or Flop cards hit the poker games.

Best pre flop handsHands

To calculate with which hand you have better chance against other hands, we have assembled the most common grouping of hands against other hands along with their chances of winning (all the way to the River).

Same Hand – ex. QJ vs. QJ

  1. Again the lack of straight possibilities is not such a disadvantage against only one opponent. In heads-up poker 2-3 off suit is the worst starting hand statistically speaking. Chart of Top 20 Heads-Up Poker Starting Hands 1 – A-A 2 – K-K 3 – Q-Q 4 – J-J 5 – 10-10.
  2. 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).

Can you guess the odds? That's right, 50%-50%. If it's suited vs. offsuit, the suited has the edge of course, a 2.5% advantage.

Pocket Pair vs. Two Overcards – ex. 99 vs. KQ

This is a close call. The pocket pair has a small advantage with 55 % to the two overcards' 45%. In the case of having a hand like QJ-suited the advantage is with this hand over a hand with a small pocket pair (55 or lower), because with the QJ you can still form a Straight without having the pair lower your chances of achieving it.

Pocket Pair vs. Smaller Pocket Pair – ex. AA vs. 88

The bigger pair has the advantage here, of course, with 80% to the lower pair's 20%.

Pocket Pair vs. Two Undercards – ex. KK vs. J9

The pair is the favorite with 80% to 20%. The two undercards have a chance of between 23% and 14%, depending on if they are suited and if the pocket interferes with their straight making ability or not.

Pocket Pair vs. Same Card & One Undercard – ex. KK vs. KQ

Poker Hands Pre Flop

This can be a shifty situation. The Pocket Pair has the upper hand here (no pun intended) with about 85% to 15%, while in case the other pair is suited the odds change to 80% to 20% at best.

Pocket Pair vs. Same Card & One Overcard – ex. QQ vs. AQ

The advantage here is on the side of the pair with between 70% to 30% and 65% to 35%.

Pocket Pair vs. One Undercard & One Overcard – ex. JJ vs. KT

The odds here are similar to those of the hands above, with 70% to 30% in favor of the pair.

Top 20 Poker Hands Pre Flop

Two Undercards vs. Two Overcards – ex. AK vs. QJ

While the advantage here is clearly with the overcards – 65% to 35%, the odds change when the undercards are far enough from the overcards and suited without matching the overcards' suit, to around 60% to 40%.

Two Middle Cards vs. Undercard & Overcard – ex. KT vs. QJ

In this case, the edge is with the over/under cards. 60% to 40% which can be reduced to around 52% to 48% if it involves middle-suited connectors that are not of the same suit as the over/under cards and if there is no straight making interference.

Dominated with the Same High Card – ex. QJ vs. QT

The hand with the higher card has a big advantage with around 66.6% to 33.3%. This advantage starts to diminish as the kickers get lower due to split pot possibilities.

Dominated with the Same Low Card – ex. AQ vs. KQ

Top 20 Poker Hands Pre Flop Game

The hand with the higher card has a 66% advantage, while if it's a suited connector against unsuited cards that has a small chance of making a straight the higher kicker hand has a maximum advantage of 40%.

As discussed in the section about starting hands, the foundation of good no limit Texas Hold’em play is an accurate assessment of your hole cards and an idea of how to proceed with what you have been dealt.

It is crucial to grasp the value of hands pre-flop, taking into account your cards, your table position and the action of the opponents also in the pot. Then you need to act accordingly.

Top 20 Poker Hands Pre Flop Odds

After the flop is dealt you need to repeat the considerations above and add one very important other factor: has the flop increased or decreased the value of your hand? You now have five cards with which to make an assessment of your hand (your hole cards and three community cards) and you need to figure out again how to progress.

Pre Flop Hands

But remember the flop may also have helped an opponent, so you also need to consider the number of other players involved, as well as the texture of the flop, before determining how you want to play from here.

This section of the course comprises three lessons, which all combine to determine the correct play after the flop. We will look at determining the strength of your hand (below), then at assessing the texture of the flop, and then how to proceed when all is taken into consideration.