cards of a different suit and rank (e.g. ). 70.59% of all hands are offsuit non-paired hands Offsuit pairs = 78 Other offsuit hands = 936 It is typical to abbreviate suited hands in hold 'em by affixing an "s" to the hand, as well as to abbreviate non-suited hands with an "o" (for offsuit). That is, QQ represents any pair of queens, KQ represents any king and queen, AKo represents any ace and king of different suits, and JTs represents any jack and ten of the same suit. Limit hand rankings Some notable theorists and players have created systems to rank the value of starting hands in limit Texas hold'em. These rankings do not apply to no limit play. Sklansky hand groups David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth assigned each hand to a group, and proposed all hands in the group could normally be played similarly. Stronger starting hands are identified by a lower number. Hands without a number are the weakest starting hands. As a general rule, books on Texas hold'em present hand strengths starting with the assumption of a nine or ten person table. The table below illustrates the concept: Chen formula The "Chen Formula" is a way to compute the "power ratings" of starting hands that was originally developed by Bill Chen. Highest Card Based on the highest card, assign points as follows: Ace = 10 points, K = 8 points, Q = 7 points, J = 6 points. 10 through 2, half of face value (10 = 5 points, 9 = 4.5 points, etc.) Pairs For pairs, multiply the points by 2 (AA=20, KK=16, etc.), with a minimum of 5 points for any pair. 55 is given an extra point (i.e., 6). Suited Add 2 points for suited cards. Closeness Subtract 1 point for 1 gappers (AQ, J9) 2 points for 2 gappers (J8, AJ). 4 points for 3 gappers (J7, 73). 5 points for larger gappers, including A2 A3 A4 Add an extra point if connected or 1-gap and your highest card is lower than Q (since you then can make all higher straights) Phil Hellmuth's: Play Poker Like the Pros Phil Hellmuth's Play Poker Like the Pros book published in 2003. Statistics based on real online play Statistics based on real play with their associated actual value in real bets. Nicknames for starting hands In poker communities, it is common for hole cards to