--- title: "Top 5% of Poker Hands: Range and Combos" url: "https://georgelipoker.com/combos/range/5.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelipoker.com/combos/range/5" last_updated: "2026-10-20" type: "reference" summary: "The top 5 percent of starting hands is 11 hands and 60 combos, 4.52% of the 1,326 two-card hands, from AA down to AJs." related: ["https://georgelipoker.com/combos.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/combos/range/10.md"] --- # Top 5% of Poker Hands: Range and Combos The top 5 percent of starting hands is 11 hands and 60 combos, 4.52% of the 1,326 two-card hands, from AA down to AJs. The top 5 percent range has 11 hands covering 60 combos, 4.52% of the 1,326 hands. Its bottom edge is AJs, and a random hand belongs to it about 1 time in 22.10. - Hands: 11 - Combos: 60 - Share of 1,326: 4.52% - Weakest hand: AJs - Equity vs random: 73.99% ## The 11 hands in the top 5 percent A budget of 66.30 combos (5 percent of 1,326) decides the range. Classes go in from the top of the ranking until the next one, AKo with 12 combos, would carry the total to 5.43%. It stays out, and the range sits at 4.52%. The top 5 percent on the 13 by 13 grid: [AA](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/aa.md), [KK](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/kk.md), [QQ](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/qq.md), [JJ](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/jj.md), [TT](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/tt.md), [99](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/99.md), [88](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/88.md), [AKs](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/aks.md), [77](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/77.md), [AQs](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/aqs.md), [AJs](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/ajs.md). In order, the hands are AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, AKs, 77, AQs, AJs. ## How the combos split Pairs, suited hands and offsuit hands each add to the range in their own way. The table gives the hand count and the combo count for each kind. The top 5 percent by kind of hand: | Kind | Hands | Combos | Share of range | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pairs | 8 | 48 | 80.00% | | Suited hands | 3 | 12 | 20.00% | | Offsuit hands | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 8 pairs make 48 combos, 3 suited hands make 12 and 0 offsuit hands make 0. The largest share is pairs, at 80.0% of the range. ## The range by top card Count the range by its higher card and the weight of each rank is clear. Hands and combos for every top card are in the table. The top 5 percent by higher card: | Top card | Hands | Combos | | --- | --- | --- | | Ace | 4 | 18 | | King | 1 | 6 | | Queen | 1 | 6 | | Jack | 1 | 6 | | Ten | 1 | 6 | | Nine | 1 | 6 | | Eight | 1 | 6 | | Seven | 1 | 6 | | Six | 0 | 0 | | Five | 0 | 0 | | Four | 0 | 0 | | Three | 0 | 0 | | Two | 0 | 0 | The ace row alone is 18 combos, 30.0% of 60. The range ends at the seven row, which has 1 hand and 6 combos. ## Hands worth knowing at the edge AJs (number 11, 65.39% equity) is the weakest hand that fits, and AKo (number 12, 65.32%) is the strongest that does not. This is the narrowest range page. Its 11 hands hold 60 combos, and the next range up, the top 10 percent, adds more hands below AJs. ## How your cards shrink the range Each card you hold removes combos that need it. Below is the range after one known card of each rank, and after you hold both cards of some common starting hands. Combos of the top 5 percent left after one known card of each rank: | Known card | Combos left | Combos removed | | --- | --- | --- | | Ace | 54 | 6 | | King | 56 | 4 | | Queen | 56 | 4 | | Jack | 56 | 4 | | Ten | 57 | 3 | | Nine | 57 | 3 | | Eight | 57 | 3 | | Seven | 57 | 3 | | Six | 60 | 0 | | Five | 60 | 0 | | Four | 60 | 0 | | Three | 60 | 0 | | Two | 60 | 0 | Combos of the top 5 percent left when you hold both cards of a hand: | You hold | Combos left | | --- | --- | | AA | 49 | | KK | 53 | | AKs | 51 | | AKo | 50 | | QQ | 53 | | JTs | 53 | | 77 | 55 | | A5s | 54 | | 72o | 57 | An ace is the biggest blocker, removing 6 combos and leaving 54. A two removes 0. Two aces cut the range to 49, and 72o to 57. ## A worked example Worked example: you look down at AKs and an opponent's range is the top 5 percent, 60 combos before you look. Your cards remove some, leaving 51. Of the 1,225 hands left in the deck, 4.16% are in the range. ## How strong the range is as a group Put the range against two opponents. A random hand gives it 73.99%; the top 50 percent gives 68.83%. Weights are the combos that can be dealt together. ## Neighboring ranges and hands More about the top 5 percent: - [Top 10 percent range](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/range/10.md) - [AJs combos](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/ajs.md) - [AKo combos](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/ako.md) - [AA combos](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/aa.md) - [All starting hands](https://georgelipoker.com/combos.md) - [Hand ranking calculator](https://georgelipoker.com/tools/hand-ranking-calculator.md) - [Poker equity calculator](https://georgelipoker.com/tools/equity-calculator.md) ## Questions about the top 5 percent **How many hands are in the top 5 percent?** The top 5 percent is 11 hands and 60 combos, which is 4.52% of the 1,326 two-card hands. It runs from AA down to AJs. AKo is the first hand left out, because 12 more combos would reach 5.43%. **Why is the top 5 percent really 4.52%?** Hands go in as whole classes, in rank order, and a class is never split. The range stops at the last class that keeps the total at or under 5 percent, so it lands on 4.52%, 60 of 1,326 combos, rather than exactly 5. **How many of the combos have an ace in them?** 4 hands in the range have an ace as the higher card, adding up to 18 of 60 combos, 30.0%. Holding one ace yourself leaves 54 combos of the range possible for an opponent. ## How this was computed The range comes from our ranking of all 169 starting hands by equity against a random hand. Hands are added in that order while the total of their combos (6 for a pair, 4 for a suited hand, 12 for an offsuit hand) stays within 5 percent of 1,326, and a hand that would go over is left out whole. Blocker counts list every combo of every hand in the range and remove the ones that use a known card. Group equity comes from our table of all 169 by 169 preflop matchups, counted over every one of the 1,712,304 boards with no sampling, and weighted by the pairs of hands that can be dealt together. Source: GeorgeLiPoker's own count of the 52-card deck and its preflop matchup table. ## Related - [Poker Combos: Count Every Starting Hand](https://georgelipoker.com/combos.md) - [Top 10% of Poker Hands: Range and Combos](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/range/10.md)