# Texas Hold 'em quiz time **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 26, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254 "2005-04-26T21:49:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/1 "2005-04-26T21:49:17Z")
What’s the best hand to go heads up against A, A with (besides another A, A)? What’s the worst hand to go heads up against A, A with? What are the most lopsided hole cards two players can go heads-up against each other with? Player A has what cards and Player B has what cards to give Player A the biggest advantage possible? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/2 "2005-04-26T21:54:43Z")
I don’t understand. TH’E isn’t played with the hole cards showing, so the “best” hand one can have against AA (and you have no way of knowing if this is what your opponent holds) is whatever you can convince your opponent you have. If you have a flush, good. If you can make him _think_ you have a flush, equally good. > [@x-ray vision](#): > > What are the most lopsided hole cards two players can go heads-up against each other with? Player A has what cards and Player B has what cards to give Player A the biggest advantage possible? On the various Hold’Em threads, there no end of bellyaching from people who were holding AA and lost to an unsuited 2-7 when the river ran a certain way. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/3 "2005-04-26T22:00:57Z")
Lets assume that one player went all-in before the flop and both sets of hole cards are flipped face up. No, its not A, A against 2,7 off suit. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/4 "2005-04-26T22:22:15Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > Lets assume that one player went all-in before the flop and both sets of hole cards are flipped face up. > > No, its not A, A against 2,7 off suit. Then I still don’t understand your question. I suppose the best possible counter to AA would be AK suited, with an eye on getting a royal flush, but that’s overkill. Having _any_ card could, with the right flop, turn and river, clobber AA. A hand of 2,7 off-suit will crush AA if the 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the 2’s suit turn up, creating a straight flush. Heck, even if the 3456 is a rainbow, the straight beats a high pair. A pair of twos (and useless other cards) means three-of-a-kind beats two pairs. What are you asking, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/5 "2005-04-26T22:30:28Z")
He’s talking about heads-up “races” – no betting, just deal out the board and see who wins. Against AA, which hands have the best and worst odds, and which is the most lopsided matchup possible. > [@](#): > > I suppose the best possible counter to AA would be AK suited. . . Certainly not, as with AK two of the cards that the underdog could use to make a straight, two pair, or trips are in the opponent’s hand. More likely it would be something like 78 suited. Give me a minute and I’ll try to find the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/6 "2005-04-26T22:33:28Z")
For “worst hand against AA” I would guess something like A-6 off-suited; the point is that with 2-7, 2-2 or 7-7 appearing beats the pocket AA; with A-6, if the other A appears it doesn’t help, so it’s gotta be 6-6 to beat the A-A with pairs. (Of course this ignores straights and flushes. I guess the 6 should be the same suit as one of the other players As to cancel out flushes too. Straights still favor the A-6, but this is pretty unlikely.) ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/7 "2005-04-26T22:39:02Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Then I still don’t understand your question. I suppose the best possible counter to AA would be AK suited, with an eye on getting a royal flush, but that’s overkill. Having _any_ card could, with the right flop, turn and river, clobber AA. A hand of 2,7 off-suit will crush AA if the 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the 2’s suit turn up, creating a straight flush. Heck, even if the 3456 is a rainbow, the straight beats a high pair. A pair of twos (and useless other cards) means three-of-a-kind beats two pairs. > > What are you asking, exactly? He’s asking for odds, plain and simple. Do you ever watch poker on TV? They show the odds of two hands against each other pre-flop. Forget about bluffing and betting and all that stuff, he’s just asking percentages. Here are my wild-ass guesses: Against AA, two suited connectors (of a different suit than either ace) would seem best. Ax is dominated (even AKs), as is any lower pair. Suited connectors gives you a shot at a flush, a straight, two pair, trips, full boat, etc. Suppose I should specify middle suited connectors, so you can hit the straight on either end. Worst hand against AA would be, I think, Axo, where x is 6-9, so there’s no straight possibility, and x is same suit as one of opponent’s A’s. 27o against AA actually ain’t that bad, as you’ve got two live cards–something like 25% IIRC. Most lopsided head’s up? Hmm–I guess it’s not AA against something else or you wouldn’t have asked this as a separate question. That’s a toughie. I’ll have to think about that. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/8 "2005-04-26T22:43:52Z")
78s (Ace of spades is live) – 22.87% --\> This is probably the best. KK (same suits as the aces) – 17.09% 22 (same suits as the aces) – 16.83% 72o (same suits as the aces) – 10.87% K2o (same suits as the aces) – 9.64% --\> The cards are too far apart to use both in a straight, and getting a 4-card straight either high or low is hampered by the two dead Aces. A6o (6’s suit is shared by one the aces) – 5.65% --\> This is probably about as bad as it gets. Note that A7o (among other, probably) yields the same result. [Two Dimes Odds Calculator](http://twodimes.net/poker) ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/9 "2005-04-26T22:45:26Z")
Well, off the cuff it would seem that it would have to be something that would predispose you to at least a straight, since according to probability you have a less than or equal chance as your opponent of having a pair, 2 pair, or trips, only yours will necessarily be worse. Since only 2 of 4 aces remain in the deck, it would seem best to have 2 cards that might lead to a straight which wouldn’t include an ace. It actually wouldn’t matter terribly much which straight in particular (e.g. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, 9, 10, J, Q) since they’ll both beat a pair of aces equally. If your cards are suited now you’ve included the possibility of a flush. So my off-the-cuff guess to your question would be suited connectors with 8, 9 being the highest you’d want. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/10 "2005-04-26T22:47:59Z")
> [@](#): > > 78s (Ace of spades is live) Ah, sorry. The “s” signifies that the hand is suited, not necessarily that those are the 7 and 8 of spades. What I meant is that the 22.87% assumes that the ace of that particular suit is not in the opponent’s hand. Which was probably obvious anyway. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/11 "2005-04-26T22:49:19Z")
**Omphaloskeptic** ansewred one question correctly. The worst hand against A,A is A,6 where the 6 is the same suit as one of the Aces. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/12 "2005-04-26T22:53:03Z")
There’s a better matchup that 78s? ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/13 "2005-04-26T22:54:29Z")
Okay, think I’ve got the third one. KK against K2 (w/ 2 same suit as one of the kings) gets a serious ass kicking of 94%-4%. Can’t imagine much worse than that. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/14 "2005-04-26T22:56:17Z")
Chalk one up for **Opus**. That’s two answered correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/15 "2005-04-26T23:02:34Z")
Okay, gotcha. The most lopsided match I can make using this [handy-dandy](http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_odds/texas_holdem/index.php?stats=Tzo4OiJzdGRDbGFzcyI6ODp7czoxMToibnVtX3BsYXllcnMiO2k6MjtzOjM6ImNsaSI7czoxMjoiQVMgQUQgOUQgQUggIjtzOjE0OiJwbGF5ZXJfMV9jYXJkcyI7czo1OiJBUyBBRCI7czozOiJwY3QiO2E6Mjp7aToxO3M6NToiOTQuMSUiO2k6MjtzOjQ6IjUuOSUiO31zOjM6InRpZSI7YToyOntpOjE7czo0OiIxLjQyIjtpOjI7czo0OiIxLjQyIjt9czoxNDoicGxheWVyXzJfY2FyZHMiO3M6NToiOUQgQUgiO3M6OToibnVtYm9hcmRzIjtzOjc6IjE3MTIzMDQiO3M6MTU6InByb2Nlc3NpbmdfdGltZSI7czo1OiIwLjI3MyI7fQ==) calculator is AA vs A9, with the 9 matching suits with one of opponent’s aces, at 5.9% for the underdog. Why the odds are lower than A2 escapes me. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/16 "2005-04-26T23:02:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **VarlosZ** > There’s a better matchup that 78s? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/17 "2005-04-26T23:05:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Okay, gotcha. The most lopsided match I can make using this handy-dandy calculator is AA vs A9, with the 9 matching suits with one of opponent’s aces, at 5.9% for the underdog. Why the odds are lower than A2 escapes me. A2 only needs three cards to make a straight, A9 needs 4. Pairing a 9 doesn’t help any more than pairing a 4 in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/18 "2005-04-26T23:06:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Bryan Ekers** > Okay, gotcha. The most lopsided match I can make using this handy-dandy calculator is AA vs A9, with the 9 matching suits with one of opponent’s aces, at 5.9% for the underdog. Why the odds are lower than A2 escapes me. Nope. **Opus** already answered it. The reason that A9 is better than A2, is because A,2 has a straight possibility. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/19 "2005-04-26T23:12:58Z")
Better than 78s? I’m skeptical. It’s not a pair. It’s hard to imagine that it wouldn’t be a suited connector, and the further away from 78s the connectors get, the worse the odds become. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254/20 "2005-04-26T23:19:36Z")
56s shows another tenth of a percent. Not sure why, though – I’d figure that killing off one of the AA guy’s straight possibilities would be overwhelmed by killing off two of your own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-hold-em-quiz-time/301254.md?page=2)