Texas Holdem Cheat Sheet
Hand rankings, starting-hand tiers, 6-max opens, and the equity a call needs.
Hand rankings
Best to worst. Ties go to the highest cards, then the kicker. Suits never break a tie.
| Hand | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ | Ace through ten, one suit. Nothing beats it |
| Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five suited cards in a row. Higher top card wins |
| Four of a kind | A♠ A♥ A♦ A♣ K♠ | Four of one rank. The fifth card is the kicker |
| Full house | K♠ K♥ K♦ Q♠ Q♥ | Three of a kind plus a pair. Compare the trips first |
| Flush | A♣ J♣ 8♣ 6♣ 2♣ | Five of one suit, not in sequence. Highest card wins |
| Straight | T♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | Five in a row, mixed suits. Ace plays high or low |
| Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ A♣ K♠ | Three of one rank, then two kickers |
| Two pair | A♠ A♥ K♦ K♣ 9♠ | Two different pairs, then one kicker |
| One pair | A♠ A♥ K♦ 9♣ 5♠ | One pair, then three kickers |
| High card | A♠ K♦ J♣ 8♥ 4♠ | No pair. Compare from the top card down |
Starting-hand tiers
Groups for a normal cash game. The cell-by-cell Open / 3-Bet grid is the starting hands chart.
| Tier | How to play it | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Raise from any seat | AA KK QQ JJ AKs AKo |
| Strong | Raise from most seats | TT 99 AQs AQo AJs ATs KQs |
| Position | Open later, usually fold up front | 88–22, suited connectors, suited aces |
| Fold early | Weak offsuit hands lose over time | K9o Q9o J8o and worse offsuit |
6-max opening ranges
A common 100BB 6-max reference: UTG about 15%, MP about 19.5%, CO about 27%, button about 44.5%. Earlier seats are tighter. This is not a single correct answer.
| Seat | Reference open | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| UTG | ~15% | Tightest. Four players still to act |
| MP | ~19.5% | A little wider than UTG |
| CO | ~27% | Start stealing the blinds |
| BTN | ~44.5% | Widest. You usually act last after the flop |
| SB | Mixed | You act first for the rest of the hand. Do not open like the button |
| BB | Defend by price | You already posted. Call or 3-bet against a raise when the price is right |
Draws and call price
Flop-to-river chances match the odds calculator. A half-pot bet means the pot is 100 before the bet, the bet is 50, you call 50, and the pot after your call is 200. You need 25%.
| Draw | Outs | To the river | One card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush draw | 9 | ~35% | ~19% |
| Open-ended straight | 8 | ~31.5% | ~17% |
| Gutshot | 4 | ~16.5% | ~8% |
| Pocket pair to a set | 2 | ~8.4% | ~4% |
| Bet you face | Equity you need |
|---|---|
| Half pot | 25% |
| Two-thirds pot | ~29% |
| Pot-sized | 33% |
Actions
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fold | Give up the hand. Chips already in the pot stay there |
| Check | Pass the action when nobody has bet |
| Bet | Put chips in first on this street |
| Call | Match the current bet and stay in |
| Raise | Increase the bet |
Questions
What is a Texas Holdem cheat sheet?
One page for what beats what, which starting hands to play, how wide each 6-max seat opens, and the equity a call needs. It is not a solver.
How do I download the PDF?
Type the code shown next to the download button.
What equity do I need to call a half-pot bet?
25%. If the pot is 100 before the bet and the bet is 50, you call 50 into a pot of 200.