What is on it. Hand rankings, a starting hands chart by seat, the odds of hitting your draw, the pot odds you need to call, and the common all-in matchups. One page, no sign-up.
Poker hands cheat sheet: the rankings
Best hand at the top. In Hold'em you make your best five cards from seven: your two plus the five on the board. The last column is how often each hand turns up by the river.
| # | Hand | Example | By the river |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush Ace-high straight flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ | 1 in 30,940 |
| 2 | Straight flush Five in a row, same suit | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 1 in 3,590 |
| 3 | Four of a kind Four cards of one rank | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 4♠ | 1 in 595 |
| 4 | Full house Three of a kind plus a pair | J♠ J♥ J♦ 8♣ 8♠ | 1 in 39 |
| 5 | Flush Five cards of one suit | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | 1 in 33 |
| 6 | Straight Five in a row, mixed suits | T♠ 9♦ 8♥ 7♣ 6♠ | 1 in 22 |
| 7 | Three of a kind Three cards of one rank | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 3♠ | 1 in 21 |
| 8 | Two pair Two different pairs | A♠ A♦ 9♥ 9♣ 5♠ | 1 in 4.3 |
| 9 | One pair Two cards of one rank | K♠ K♦ T♥ 6♣ 2♠ | 1 in 2.3 |
| 10 | High card None of the above | A♠ J♦ 8♥ 5♣ 3♠ | 1 in 5.7 |
Two things trip up new players. A flush beats a straight, always. And when two players have the same hand, the highest side card, the kicker, decides it. Ace-king beats ace-nine on an ace-high board.
Texas Hold'em starting hands cheat sheet
Most money lost by beginners is lost before the flop, by playing too many hands from the wrong seat. The later you act, the more hands you can play, because fewer players are left to wake up with something big.
| AA | AKs | AQs | AJs | ATs | A9s | A8s | A7s | A6s | A5s | A4s | A3s | A2s |
| AKo | KK | KQs | KJs | KTs | K9s | K8s | K7s | K6s | K5s | K4s | K3s | K2s |
| AQo | KQo | QJs | QTs | Q9s | Q8s | Q7s | Q6s | Q5s | Q4s | Q3s | Q2s | |
| AJo | KJo | QJo | JJ | JTs | J9s | J8s | J7s | J6s | J5s | J4s | J3s | J2s |
| ATo | KTo | QTo | JTo | TT | T9s | T8s | T7s | T6s | T5s | T4s | T3s | T2s |
| A9o | K9o | Q9o | J9o | T9o | 99 | 98s | 97s | 96s | 95s | 94s | 93s | 92s |
| A8o | K8o | Q8o | J8o | T8o | 98o | 88 | 87s | 86s | 85s | 84s | 83s | 82s |
| A7o | K7o | Q7o | J7o | T7o | 97o | 87o | 77 | 76s | 75s | 74s | 73s | 72s |
| A6o | K6o | Q6o | J6o | T6o | 96o | 86o | 76o | 66 | 65s | 64s | 63s | 62s |
| A5o | K5o | Q5o | J5o | T5o | 95o | 85o | 75o | 65o | 55 | 54s | 53s | 52s |
| A4o | K4o | Q4o | J4o | T4o | 94o | 84o | 74o | 64o | 54o | 44 | 43s | 42s |
| A3o | K3o | Q3o | J3o | T3o | 93o | 83o | 73o | 63o | 53o | 43o | 33 | 32s |
| A2o | K2o | Q2o | J2o | T2o | 92o | 82o | 72o | 62o | 52o | 42o | 32o | 22 |
How to read it: pairs run down the diagonal, suited hands sit above it and offsuit hands below. Find your seat's colour. Raise those hands and every colour listed before it, and fold everything else. The chart assumes a six-handed table, stacks of about 100 big blinds, and that everyone before you has folded. The starting hands chart has the small blind and a seat-by-seat view.
These are sensible defaults, not solver output. They will keep you out of trouble while you learn, and you can widen them once you know why each hand is there.
Outs and odds
An out is a card that turns your hand into the likely winner. Count your outs, then use the table, or the rule of 2 and 4: multiply outs by 2 with one card to come and by 4 with two.
| Outs | Draw | Next card | Turn + river | Rule of 2 / 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Pocket pair to a set | 4% | 8% | 4% / 8% |
| 4 | Gutshot straight draw | 9% | 16% | 8% / 16% |
| 6 | Two overcards to a pair | 13% | 24% | 12% / 24% |
| 8 | Open-ended straight draw | 17% | 31% | 16% / 32% |
| 9 | Flush draw | 20% | 35% | 18% / 36% |
| 12 | Flush draw + gutshot | 26% | 45% | 24% / 48% |
| 15 | Flush draw + open-ender | 33% | 54% | 30% / 60% |
The rule of 4 runs a little high once you pass eight outs, as the last row shows. It is still close enough to make the right call at the table.
Pot odds
Pot odds tell you how often you have to win for a call to pay for itself. If your draw comes in more often than the "equity needed" figure, call. If not, fold, unless you expect to win more on later streets.
| Bet you face | Pot odds | Equity needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 pot | 4.0 to 1 | 20% |
| 1/2 pot | 3.0 to 1 | 25% |
| 2/3 pot | 2.5 to 1 | 29% |
| 3/4 pot | 2.3 to 1 | 30% |
| Full pot | 2.0 to 1 | 33% |
| 2x pot | 1.5 to 1 | 40% |
Example: the pot is $60 and your opponent bets $30, a half-pot bet. You need 25%. A flush draw on the flop with two cards to come is 35%, so you can call. On the turn with one card to come it is 20%, and the same call loses money.
All-in matchups before the flop
| Situation | Example | Win % |
|---|---|---|
| Pair vs lower pair | KK vs 77 | 80 / 20 |
| Pair vs two overcards | QQ vs AK suited | 54 / 46 |
| Pair vs two undercards | AA vs KQ offsuit | 86 / 14 |
| Dominated hand | AK vs AQ | 74 / 26 |
| Two live cards | AK vs JT suited | 59 / 41 |
| Small pair vs overcards | 22 vs AK | 53 / 47 |
Run any matchup yourself in the poker odds calculator.
Can you use a cheat sheet at the table?
Online, yes. A printed chart or a second window is allowed on every site, because it is reference material and makes no decisions for you. Software that reads the table and tells you what to do in real time is different, and sites ban it. In a casino, ask the floor. Most rooms do not allow charts at the table during a hand.
Want somewhere to use this? See which sites take players in your state.
Common questions
Is this poker cheat sheet free?
Yes. The PDF is free to download and print, with no sign-up.
What beats what in poker?
From best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush beats a straight, and a full house beats both.
What is the rule of 2 and 4?
Multiply your outs by 2 to estimate the chance of hitting on the next card, or by 4 for the chance of hitting by the river when you are on the flop.
Is using a cheat sheet cheating?
No. A static chart is allowed when you play online. Real-time assistance software that advises you during a hand is banned by poker sites.