Hole Cards
Hole cards are the two private cards dealt face down to each player in Texas Hold'em. Only you see them, and you combine them with the five shared cards.
Hole cards are the two cards dealt face down to each player at the start of a Texas Hold'em hand. They belong to you alone, and nobody else sees them unless you show them at showdown. You combine your hole cards with the five shared community cards to make the best possible five-card hand. Players also call them pocket cards or simply your hand.
How hole cards work
After the blinds are posted, the dealer gives each player one card at a time, clockwise, until everyone has two. The first betting round, preflop, is played using only this information. Every later decision mixes what you hold with what appears on the board. A key rule: you may use both hole cards, one of them, or neither. If the five board cards make a better hand than anything you can build with your own cards, you are said to be playing the board.
How many starting hands are there?
There are 1,326 possible two-card combinations from a 52-card deck. Because suits are interchangeable before the flop, these collapse into 169 strategically distinct starting hands:
- 13 pocket pairs, such as Q♠ Q♥ (6 combos each)
- 78 suited hands, such as A♣ J♣ (4 combos each)
- 78 offsuit hands, such as A♣ J♦ (12 combos each)
The odds of being dealt any pocket pair are 1 in 17, and the odds of a specific pair like aces are 1 in 221. This is why patience matters: premium hole cards arrive rarely.
Worked example
You hold K♠ 9♠. The board finishes A♠ 7♠ 3♦ Q♣ 2♠. Your best hand uses both hole cards: A♠ K♠ 9♠ 7♠ 2♠, an ace-high flush. Now compare a different board, T♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥. That is a royal flush on the board, so every remaining player plays the board and the pot is split no matter what anyone holds.
Using your hole cards well
- Select starting hands by position. Hands that are profitable on the button can be losing plays from early position, because more players act after you.
- Protect the information. Do not reveal your cards to neighbours or react visibly when you look at them. Even in a play-money game, building this habit matters.
- Think about what they block. Holding A♥ means opponents are less likely to have the nut heart flush. Strong players use these card-removal effects when bluffing.
- Re-read after every street. A hand like J♣ T♣ can go from nothing to a straight draw to a made hand in two cards.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to use both hole cards in Texas Hold'em?
No. You can use both, one or neither of your hole cards. Your hand is simply the best five cards out of the seven available.
Why are they called hole cards?
The name comes from the cards being dealt face down, or in the hole, so only the owner knows what they are.
How many hole cards do you get in Hold'em?
Each player receives exactly two hole cards in Texas Hold'em.
Related poker terms
- Community Cards — Community cards are the five shared cards dealt face up in Texas Hold'em: the flop, turn and river. Every player combines them with their own hole cards.
- Pocket Pair — A pocket pair is a starting hand where both hole cards share the same rank, such as 7-7 or A-A. You are dealt one about 1 in 17 hands.
- Suited Connectors — Suited connectors are starting hands with two consecutive ranks of the same suit, such as 8♥ 7♥. They make straights and flushes but rarely strong pairs.
- Combos (Hand Combinations) — Combos are the specific card combinations that make up a starting hand. Pocket pairs have 6 combos, suited hands 4, and offsuit hands 12.
- Position — Position in poker is where you sit relative to the button, which decides when you act. Acting later gives you more information and more control.