The Worst Hand in Poker and the Best Hold'em Starting Hands
The worst hand in poker is 7-2 offsuit by reputation and 3-2 offsuit by raw odds: in our test of all 169 starting hands, 3-2 offsuit won 32.2% of the time against one random hand and 7-2 offsuit won 34.6%, both near the very bottom. The best Texas Hold'em starting hands are pocket Aces, Kings and Queens, followed by Jacks, Tens and Ace-King.
Key points
- Worst hands: 3-2, 4-2, 6-2, 5-2 and 7-2 offsuit. Fold them, especially early.
- Best hands: A-A wins 85% against one random hand and 64% against three.
- Ace-King is the best hand that is not a pair. Raise it.
- Small pairs win only 22% against three random hands, below the 25% fair share at a four-player table: play them cheaply.
- NitroPlayer Hold'em uses free virtual chips only: no real money, no deposits, no prizes.
Play Texas Hold'em freeNo download, no sign-up. Play solo, online or with a friend.
What is the worst hand in poker?
Most players call 7-2 offsuit the worst starting hand in Texas Hold'em. It has two low cards of different suits, and the 7 and the 2 are too far apart to ever be part of the same straight. Raw numbers put a few hands slightly below it. We dealt every starting hand against random hands, ran each board to the river, and counted wins (a split pot counts as a share):
| Hand | Wins vs 1 random hand | Rank of 169 | Wins vs 3 random hands | Rank of 169 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-2 offsuit | 32.2% | 169 | 14.3% | 169 |
| 4-2 offsuit | 33.3% | 168 | 14.7% | 167 |
| 6-2 offsuit | 33.9% | 167 | 14.9% | 166 |
| 5-2 offsuit | 34.4% | 166 | 15.4% | 164 |
| 7-2 offsuit | 34.6% | 165 | 14.4% | 168 |
Heads-up, 3-2 offsuit is the weakest hand. At a four-player table, the size of the solo table on NitroPlayer, 7-2 and 3-2 offsuit are virtually tied for last. The video calls 7-2 the weakest hand, which matches its reputation; the honest answer is that the bottom five are all so close that the lesson is the same: fold them.
Texas Hold'em starting hands chart (tested)
We ran each of the 169 starting hands 60,000 times against one random hand and 40,000 times against three, using the hand evaluator from NitroPlayer's own Texas Hold'em game. These are the top hands. "Suited" means both cards share a suit.
| Hand | Wins vs 1 | Wins vs 3 | Rank vs 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-A | 85.3% | 64.1% | 1 |
| K-K | 82.4% | 58.1% | 2 |
| Q-Q | 79.9% | 53.7% | 3 |
| J-J | 77.6% | 49.2% | 4 |
| 10-10 | 75.1% | 44.9% | 5 |
| A-K suited | 67.1% | 41.7% | 6 |
| 9-9 | 72.2% | 41.3% | 7 |
| A-Q suited | 65.8% | 40.0% | 8 |
| A-K offsuit | 65.4% | 38.3% | 9 |
| A-J suited | 65.5% | 38.2% | 10 |
| K-Q suited | 63.7% | 37.9% | 11 |
| 8-8 | 69.2% | 37.3% | 13 |
| A-Q offsuit | 64.6% | 36.9% | 14 |
These numbers assume every hand goes to showdown with nobody folding, so they measure raw card strength, not how a hand plays. They still show the big picture: high pairs and high suited Aces lead, and the more opponents there are, the more pairs and high cards matter.
A simple starting hand plan for a four-player table
- Raise: A-A down to 10-10, A-K, A-Q, A-J suited, K-Q suited.
- Play, mostly from late position: 9-9 down to 2-2, A-J offsuit, A-10 suited, K-Q offsuit, K-J suited, Q-J suited, J-10 suited.
- Fold: almost everything else, and always the low offsuit hands at the bottom of the list.
How often you get a hand from the top: a pocket pair comes once in about 17 deals, Ace-King once in about 83, and pocket Aces once in 221. Most of the time the right play is to fold, and on NitroPlayer folding before you have put chips in costs nothing.
Why "play any pair" needs care
The video says to play any pair, and pairs are good hands to see a flop with. But small pairs are weaker than they look against several players:
| Pair | Wins vs 1 | Wins vs 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 7-7 | 66.1% | 34.3% |
| 5-5 | 60.5% | 29.1% |
| 4-4 | 57.0% | 26.5% |
| 3-3 | 53.8% | 23.8% |
| 2-2 | 50.4% | 22.0% |
With four players, your fair share of the pot is 25%. Pairs of 3s and 2s fall below that against three random hands. They win big when the flop gives you three of a kind, so call cheaply with them, but do not raise or call large bets. Big pairs, from 10-10 up, are the ones to raise.
Position: why acting last matters
At the NitroPlayer table, the two seats to the left of the dealer button post the blinds (10 and 20 chips). Before the flop the first player to act sits left of the big blind. After the flop the action starts left of the button, so the button acts last on the flop, the turn and the river.
Acting last means you see what everyone did before you decide. Play more hands on the button and fewer when you act first. A hand like K-J offsuit is a fine raise on the button and an easy fold from first position.
Worked example: the hands from the video
- Hand 1. Alice has the button, Bob posts the small blind and Charlie the big blind, so you act first. You hold the 7 of clubs and the 2 of diamonds. Fold: it costs nothing, because you posted no blind this hand.
- Hand 2. Same seats. You hold the Ace and King of spades, a suited Ace-King, which won 41.7% against three random hands in our test, sixth best of all 169 hands. Raise.
- Everyone folds. You win the blinds, 30 chips, without a showdown. A raise with a strong hand often wins the pot right away.
Frequently asked questions
What is the worst starting hand in Texas Hold'em?
7-2 offsuit is the famous answer, because it is low, unsuited and cannot make a straight with both cards. By raw odds 3-2 offsuit is slightly worse: in our test it won 32.2% against one random hand, compared with 34.6% for 7-2 offsuit.
Is Ace-King better than a small pair?
Against one opponent all-in before the flop, a small pair is a slight favorite: in our test 2-2 beat Ace-King offsuit about 53% of the time. Ace-King is still the better hand to raise, because it wins more pots without a showdown and makes top pair often.
What percentage of hands should you play in Hold'em?
The raise and play lists above add up to about 12% of all deals, a solid start for a beginner. Add a few more hands on the button, and play only the raise list from first position.
Is NitroPlayer Texas Hold'em played for real money?
No. It uses free virtual chips only. There is no real money, no deposits and no prizes. You start with 1,000 chips and get a fresh stack if you run out, solo against three computer players or with friends at a private table.
Video transcript
Want to win more at Texas Hold'em? Be picky with your first two cards.
Seven-two is the weakest hand in poker. Just fold it.
Folding costs you nothing. Let the computer players fight it out.
And position matters: acting last shows you what everyone else did.
Play strong starting hands: any pair, Ace-King, or Ace-Queen.
Ace-King? Raise!
Everyone folds, and the pot is yours. The chips are just for fun.
Now you try! And on NitroPlayer, you can play with your friends. Games are so much more fun together.
Play free at NitroPlayer dot com.
Try it now: play Texas Hold'em
