If poker were a vending machine, sometimes you get a snack worth savoring (AA), and most of the time you get … off-brand pretzels. Knowing how often certain hands show up helps you choose which hands to play and how aggressively to play them.
Quick context: how many starting hands are there?
- There are 1,326 unique two-card combinations in Texas Hold’em, which collapse to 169 hand types if you ignore suits.
- Three big buckets:
- Pocket pairs (22–AA): the smallest bucket (13 hands and 78 total combinations)—rare but strong.
- Suited hands (both cards same suit): more common (78 hands and a total of 312 combinations).
- Offsuit hands (different suits): about 3× as common as their suited counterparts (78 hands and a total of 936 combinations).
Quick context: how many hands do we actually see?
At our home games players see roughly 20–30 hands per hour. The average player busts after about 2 hours, and the night ends in about 3–3.5 hours. That means most players will be dealt ~50–100 hands in a typical tournament here. Keep those ranges in mind when you read the table below.
How to read the table
- % = chance of getting dealt this hand (or hand type) on any given hand (rounded).
- 1 in N = the same chance, expressed as easy odds.
- Per hour = expected times you will see the hand (or hand type) in every 20–30 hands (rounded; rare ones show “<1 (~X–Y% chance)”.
- Per tournament = expected times in 50–100 hands (same idea).
- Terms (super quick): Broadway = Ten or higher (T, J, Q, K, A). Connector = consecutive ranks (e.g., J-T). Suited = same suit (♠️/❤️/♦️/♣️). Offsuit = different suits.
Deal frequencies you can actually use
| Hand / Category | What it means | % | 1 in N | Per hour (20–30) | Per tournament (50–100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any pocket pair (22–AA) | One pair in the hole | 5.9% | 17 | 1–2 | 3–6 |
| Premium pairs (JJ+) | JJ, QQ, KK, AA | 1.8% | 55 | 0–1 (~35–50% chance) | 1–2 |
| Specific pocket pair (e.g., A A) | That exact pair rank | 0.5% | 221 | <1 (~10–15% chance) | <1 (~25–50% chance) |
| Any suited hand (non-pair) | Both same suit (not a pair) | 23.5% | 4 | 5–7 | 12–24 |
| Suited hands that can flop a straight (≤3-gap) | Suited connectors + 1/2/3-gappers (incl. A5s–A2s; excludes 4-gappers like A6s) | ~14% | 7 | 3–4 | 7–14 |
| Suited connectors | Consecutive & suited (AKs–32s) | 3.6% | 28 | 1 | 2–4 |
| Specific suited hand (e.g., A♠K♠) | Exactly that suited combo | 0.3% | 332 | <1 (~6–9% chance) | <1 (~15–30% chance) |
| Any offsuit hand (non-pair) | Both different suits (not a pair) | 70.6% | 1.4 | 14–21 | 35–70 |
| Offsuit connectors | Consecutive & offsuit (AKo–32o) | 10.9% | 9 | 2–3 | 5–11 |
| Specific offsuit hand (e.g., A♠K♦) | Exactly that offsuit combo | 0.9% | 110 | <1 (~20–25% chance) | 0–1 (~50–90% chance) |
| Any unpaired Ace (Ax, excludes AA) | At least one Ace, not AA | 14.5% | 7 | 3–4 | 7–14 |
| Ace + Broadway kicker (unpaired) | A with K/Q/J/T (suited or offsuit), not a pair(e.g., AQ, AT) | 4.8% | 21 | 1 | 2–5 |
| Any offsuit Ace (Axo, excludes AA) | Ax offsuit (not AA) | 10.9% | 9 | 2–3 | 5–11 |
| Any suited Ace (Axs) | A♠x♠, etc. | 3.6% | 28 | 1 | 2–4 |
| Any two Broadways (unpaired) | Both cards T+ and not a pair (e.g., KQ, AJ, AT) | 12.1% | 8 | 2–4 | 6–12 |
| Offsuit Broadways (unpaired) | Two T+ cards offsuit, not a pair (e.g., K♠Q♦) | 9.0% | 11 | 2–3 | 5–9 |
| Suited Broadways (unpaired) | Two T+ cards suited, not a pair (e.g., K♠Q♠) | 3.0% | 33 | 1 | 2–3 |
Notes:
- “Any Ace (Ax)” excludes AA, which is counted inside Premium pairs (JJ+).
- “Suited … can flop a straight” = connectors + 1/2/3-gappers (e.g., J8s, T7s), and includes wheel hands A5s–A2s; A6s+ are excluded.
What this should change in your game (plain English)
- Fold more of the offsuit junk.
Offsuit versions are ~3× as common as suited—but most play terribly, especially out of position. You’ll get plenty; you don’t need to play them all. - Pairs are rare—treat them like assets.
You’ll see a pair ~once every 17 hands. Raise first-in, don’t limp. Postflop, stay humble when the board and action say you’re beat. - Suited helps, but it isn’t magic.
Suited is ~1 in 4 hands. Favor suited connectors/Broadways (they make strong top pairs, straights, and flushes). “Any two suited” is not an automatic call (except in the big blind). - Realistic expectations calm the FOMO.
In a typical tournament (50–100 hands), expect roughly:- Pocket pairs: 3–6 times
- Any Ace (non-pair): 7–14 times
- Suited connectors: 2–4 times
- Premium pairs (JJ+): ~1 time (sometimes zero)
How this links to our previous tips
- Tip #1 (Raise preflop): Strong hands are rare and deserve aggression to force large heads-up pots.
- Tip #2 (Position): Play fewer borderline hands early; expand late when you act last.
Try this next game (60-second challenge)
Pick your hand types that you plan to play and commit to raising them first-in:
- Pairs, suited Aces, suited Broadways, suited connectors are all playable hands in a lot of situations.
Then notice how often you are dealt offsuit trash hands (e.g., K-4 offsuit, T-7 offsuit, 8-5 offsuit) and do your best to auto-fold them. Try to track how many chips you save one or two big blinds at a time.