Poker Combinatorics: 1,326 Hands, 6 Combos per Pair and Blockers
Poker combinatorics counts hands in combinations, or combos: there are 1,326 starting hands, 6 combos per pair, 4 per suited hand and 12 per offsuit hand. The 13 pairs make 78 combos, 5.9% of all hands. Your cards take some away from the others: with Q♠J♠, only 3 combos of QQ and 12 of AQ are left. And the more players are left behind you, the tighter an opening range gets.
Q♠J♠ in middle position when it folds to you
It folds to you in middle position (the hijack at a 6‑max table) with Q♠J♠. Fold, open to 2.5bb or limp?
See the answer
Q♠J♠ against hands that may be waiting behind, before the flop:
| Opponent's hand | Q♠J♠'s equity |
|---|---|
| J♦T♦ | 70.3% |
| 6♥5♥ | 61.5% |
| A♣2♦ | 47.5% |
| T♥T♣ | 47.1% |
| A♥K♦ | 39.6% |
| A♦Q♥ | 31.7% |
| K♥Q♦ | 30.6% |
| Q♥Q♦ | 15.8% |
Q♠J♠ dominates the hands that share one of its cards with a smaller kicker, and suffers against those that share it with a bigger one. By opening, it takes the blinds when everyone folds and keeps the initiative when called. The expected answer is the open to 2.5bb.
How many players are left behind you
| Seat (6‑max) | Players acting after you before the flop | After the flop |
|---|---|---|
| UTG | 5 | out of position against the hijack, cutoff and button, in position against the blinds |
| Hijack | 4 | out of position against the cutoff and button, in position against the blinds |
| Cutoff | 3 | out of position against the button, in position against the blinds |
| Button | 2 | in position against everyone |
| Small blind | 1 | out of position against everyone |
Counting a range in combinations
| Hand family | Hands | Combinations | Share of the 1,326 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 13 pairs (22 to AA) | 13 | 78 | 5.9% |
| All suited hands | 78 | 312 | 23.5% |
| All offsuit hands | 78 | 936 | 70.6% |
| Suited aces (A2s to AKs) | 12 | 48 | 3.6% |
| Suited broadways (AKs to JTs) | 10 | 40 | 3% |
| Offsuit broadways (AKo to JTo) | 10 | 120 | 9% |
| Suited connectors (54s to T9s) | 6 | 24 | 1.8% |
What your cards take away from the others
With Q♠J♠ in your hand, fewer combinations are left for hands that hold a queen or a jack:
| Opponent's hand | Combinations to start with | With Q♠J♠ in your hand |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | |
| JJ | 6 | 3 |
| AQ | 16 | 12 |
| AJ | 16 | 12 |
| KQ | 16 | 12 |
| AA | 6 | 6 |
Keep going
- The order of play seat by seat: poker positions.
- Q♠J♠'s family: suited broadway hands.
- The aces often opened late: suited aces.
- The hands not worth an open: worst poker hands.
- Preflop decisions to practice: the preflop quiz.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- Counting combos against a 5‑bet range: the 4‑bet value range.
- What those combos are for: poker range.
- What your cards take from your opponent: poker blockers.
- A range's combos as a percentage: VPIP and PFR.
- Counting combos to pick a bluff: river bluffs with blockers.
To go from one opposing hand to a whole range, see how to calculate equity vs range.
Sources
- Combinations are exact counts over 52 cards; every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, checked on October 11, 2026.
- No range chart: without solver exports it would be invented.
- The answer to the spot follows rules written by the app's author; it does not come from a solver.