Adapt Your Strategy Based on Poker Combinations

Professional poker players often outperform newcomers even when they receive identical cards. Why? The difference lies in their understanding and use of poker combinations.

New players see cards and think, “Strong hand, weak hand.” But the pros? They see beyond that, counting combinations to make accurate reads based on precise hand probabilities rather than intuition alone. How, then, should you play? 

To help you dominate your games like a pro, this casino guide breaks down poker combos and how to count them. 

Poker Combinations Are Key To Smart Play

Poker combinations (also called poker combos or combinatorics) refer to all possible ways a specific hand can exist. Let’s use pocket Aces (A-A) as an example. This two-card starting hand (also called paired aces) has six different combinations: A♠️A♥️, A♠️A♦️, A♠️A♣️, A♥️A♦️, A♥️A♣️, and A♦️A♣️.

With the knowledge of poker card combinations, you can assess your hand strength accurately, as well as that of your opponents, so that you can make the right decision at the table. For a full breakdown of which hands beat others, visit our Poker Hand Rankings guide.

Counting Poker Combos

Poker hand combinations can be concisely categorized into pre-flop (two-card starting hands) and post-flop (five-card hands formed from the two hole cards and community cards).

Preflop Combinations

A standard 52-card deck has 13 unique hand ranks and 4 unique suits. So there are 1,326 starting hand combinations in Texas Hold ’em. 

Below is our poker preflop chart showing the hand combinations:

Postflop Combinations

In Texas Hold ’em, there are 2,598,960 feasible five-card hand combinations in a standard 52-card deck. Below is a poker combinations chart that contains all the relevant hands, along with their number of combinations and frequency of occurrence.

Blockers

Poker blockers are the cards you hold (or see on the board) that reduce the number of possible card combinations your opponent can have. For example, keeping a K♥️ when the board has a King on it eliminates the likelihood of your opponent holding a flush hand that includes a K♥️. Check out our beginner poker guide for further gameplay explanations. 

Leveraging Poker Combinations & Blockers

Pro players who utilize a poker hands cheat sheet are often masters at using combination counts and blockers to gain against opponents. Here’s how to do it as well:

Using Blockers in Counting Combos

You can use combo counting rules to calculate how many possible hands your opponent can form. Apply the “6-3-1-0” rule for pocket pairs:

0 blockers = 6 combinations

1 blocker = 3 combinations

2 blockers = 1 combo

3 blockers = 0 combinations

Strategic Use of Blockers

1. You can bluff with blocker-filled hands to increase the chances of success.
2. You can use blockers to reduce your opponent’s hand range to make more precise calling, folding, or raising decisions.
3. Reduce opponent hand ranges by eliminating combos that are no longer suitable for the action or board. 
4. During the pre-flop, choose hands that block strong opponent combos, reducing their 3-bet or 4-bet ranges and giving you a better edge.
5. During the post-flop, count combos of key hands and consider blockers so that you may estimate your winning chances and adjust bet sizing or calling ranges accordingly.

Recognize The Patterns Of Poker Combinations

One of the first crucial steps to playing poker is to know what beats what (hand rankings). However, to advance your strategy and analyze your opponents’ potential hands, it becomes essential to understand poker combinations.

In sum, when used with blockers, poker combinations help you narrow ranges, eliminate unlikely holdings, reduce the value of opponent’s hands, and balance your strategy for unpredictable bluffs and value bets.

FAQs

What are good combinations in poker?

Good combinations refer to strong starting combos that are easy to play and offer multiple drawing opportunities, such as pocket Aces and suited Ace-King.

How to count poker combinations?

You have to calculate. Unsuited hands have 12 combinations, suited hands have four combinations, and pocket pairs have six combinations. Adjust your gameplay based on the visible cards.