While there are six different ways to get pocket aces - A ♠ A ♥, A ♠ A ♦, A ♠ A ♣, A ♦ A ♥, A ♦ A ♣, A ♥ A ♣ - you're equally happy no matter what suits the cards are. So, too, are the different combinations producing the same pocket pairs all equal before the flop in terms of their relative worth.

That is to say, A ♥ K ♥ is of the same value as A ♣ K ♣ when playing preflop, while 8 ♣ 7 ♦ and 8 ♥ 7 ♠ are also of equivalent value. But that total also considers suits as distinct, when in fact before the community cards come the suits are all essentially of equal value. In truth, there are actually a lot more possible combinations of hole cards in hold’em - 1,326 of them, in fact. For those of us who enjoy working with numbers or creating lists with which to organize our lives, there’s something appealing about the idea of ranking all of those hands from 1 to 169, even if we know such a list probably might have only limited value when it comes to actual game play. In hold’em there are 169 different combinations of hands you can be dealt. Even those with many years of experience who have little need to consult such charts still find them interesting as debate-starters. For a certain segment of new hold’em players, starting hand charts can be fascinating.

3 catagory chart of texas holdem poker