Any two cards can win a hand of Texas Hold’em, but some poker hands simply don’t win often enough for you to consider them.
The worst poker hands on this list have very little potential to improve into anything more than a pair, and the pairs they make are weak and rarely best by showdown.
If you have a problem with choosing the starting hands to play, keep reading and find out which ten poker hands you should always discard as soon as the action is on you.
- #1 Worst Poker Hand – 72 Offsuit
- #2 Worst Poker Hand – 82 Offsuit
- #3 Worst Poker Hand – 62 Offsuit
- #4 Worst Poker Hand – 32 Offsuit
- #5 Worst Poker Hand – T2 Offsuit
- #6 Worst Poker Hand – 83 Offsuit
- #7 Worst Poker Hand – 73 Offsuit
- #8 Worst Poker Hand – 94 Offsuit
- #9 Worst Poker Hand – T3 Offsuit
- #10 Worst Poker Hand – J2 Offsuit
- How to Play the Worst Poker Hands
- FAQs
#1 Worst Poker Hand – 72 Offsuit
If there is one hand poker players hate to see, it is 72 offsuit. Statistically speaking, this is the worst possible starting card combination you can be dealt in Texas Hold’em.
If you look at the two cards, the reasons why 72 offsuit is so bad become quite clear. The two cards are low, making any potential pair quite weak and disjointed, making it impossible to make a two-card straight.
Since 72 offsuit also doesn’t contain any suited cards, the potential for a flush is weak, and the flushes you do make will rarely be the best.
Essentially, 72 offsuit will very rarely make any of the stronger poker hands.
If you are dealt 72 offsuit in a regular poker game, throw your cards away immediately and don’t think about making any fancy plays.
The only time you should consider playing 72 offsuit is when the “72 Game” is on, which means any player who wins with 72o wins additional money from each player at the table.
Even if you are playing with the “72 Game,” you should still be careful not to overplay this hand, as the extra money you stand to win is nothing in comparison to the chips you stand to lose if you go too far with a bluff.
#2 Worst Poker Hand – 82 Offsuit
There isn’t much of a difference between 72 and 82 offsuit. Both hands are disjointed and not suited, and they are both made of a couple of low cards.

Making a pair of eights is a tiny bit better than making a pair of sevens on some boards, which makes 82 offsuit a notch better than 72 offsuit, but both are at the very top of the list of the worst poker hands you could be dealt.
If you are dealt 82 in a poker game, you should throw your cards away the same way you would throw away your 72.
Since “82 Game” is not really a thing, even the one redeeming quality of the worst poker hand does not apply to the next worst!
#3 Worst Poker Hand – 62 Offsuit
Looking over the list of the worst poker hands, you are probably noticing a pattern in that they are all made up of low and junky offsuit cards.
The next hand on our list is 62 offsuit, whose only advantage over the previous two listings is that it can make a two-card straight.
If you start with 62, there is a chance the board will bring 5, 4, and 3, giving you a straight. A straight is a powerful hand and will often win you the pot if you do get the right board.
Of course, the odds of making a straight are astronomically low, but the ability to flop some straight draws also allows you to find more bluffing opportunity spots with 62.
Overall, 62o is a hand you should still fold in almost all cases but one that can possibly become playable in a few extreme scenarios.
#4 Worst Poker Hand – 32 Offsuit
Much like 62 offsuit, 32 offsuit has some potential to make a straight. In fact, there are two different ways you can make a straight with 32, which makes it slightly better.
The fact a 3 and a 2 are the two lowest cards in the deck does not help in any way, but making a pair of deuces or a pair of sixes usually won’t make much of a difference anyway.
On the other hand, the slight straight potential of 32 offsuit does make this hand a bit more playable than hands like 82 and 72, which is why it sits in fourth place on the worst poker hands list.
But 32o didn’t get it’s poker nickname, “The Dirty Diaper”, for no reason and should still not be a part of your raising or calling range too often, but playing it from the small blind or checking back in the big blind can give you a chance to see some flops with it.
#5 Worst Poker Hand – T2 Offsuit
Another terrible starting hand in poker is T2, the hand that was made famous by poker legend Doyle Brunson, who won two World Series of Poker Championships holding these exact cards.

Out of all the bad poker hands, T2 offsuit is probably the most overplayed one, as poker players around the world try to impress their peers and show off by winning pots with the hand that Texas Dolly got lucky with a couple of times.
The truth is that T2 offsuit is one of the worst hands in poker, and it is definitely not worth putting more chips into the pot than necessary.
Having a Ten in your hand is a bit better than having a low card to go with your Deuce, but the fact you can’t make a straight with T2o somewhat negates that slight advantage.
Overall, avoid playing T2o in most scenarios and definitely avoid playing it just for the sake of turning over “The Doyle” once everyone else has folded.
#6 Worst Poker Hand – 83 Offsuit
We finally arrive at a hand that does not contain a Deuce in it, but 83 offsuit is not much better than the hands we already listed here.
In fact, there is very little difference between 83o and 72o, as neither hand has the potential for a two-card straight, and both hands are made up of two low cards that don’t play well postflop.
Generally speaking, 83o is considered one of the worst poker hands you can get, and most players never play this hand, regardless of the situation.
The next time you get dealt 83o, the best thing to do is show restraint, throw the cards in the muck, and wait for a better opportunity, regardless of your poker position or chip stack.
#7 Worst Poker Hand – 73 Offsuit
Another one of the worst poker hands you can imagine is 73 Offsuit. Much like 62 offsuit, 73 offsuit can make a two-card straight, which makes it slightly more playable than a hand-like 72 offsuit.

In either case, 73o does not really have too many redeeming qualities including the lack of “72 Game” opportunities and is almost as bad as you can get in terms of starting poker hands.
You will occasionally see the splashiest poker players get in the mix with 73o, but if you look at optimal poker ranges for any play, this hand will not be a part of them.
In the long run, almost any other starting hand plays better and has more potential to win the pot than 73o, which is why playing 73o makes very little sense.
#8 Worst Poker Hand – 94 Offsuit
Both cards being higher than in a starting hand like 72o, 94o shows a bit of extra potential, although its overall equity against any meaningful range still remains dreadful.
Moving away from the absolute worst hands in the game, we arrive at 94 offsuit. 94o is another very weak poker hand that should rarely be played, but it’s slightly better than some of its weaker counterparts.
The somewhat counterintuitive thing is that you will see more players play hands like 72o and 82o than 94o, although the latter has a slightly better chance of winning the pot.
Yet, if you think about two cards you don’t want to have to start a poker hand with, a Nine and a Four definitely come to mind, which is why this hand should also be discarded.
Unless there is some terrible urgency, or your opponents are extremely weak and you’re using some extreme exploitative poker, 94o should practically never be a part of your starting hand range.
#9 Worst Poker Hand – T3 Offsuit
We already mentioned the famous “Doyle Brunson Hand” (T2o), and there is very little difference between it and T3o.
In fact, the two hands are nearly identical, and the slightly improved kicker in T3o almost never makes any real difference.
Making a pair with either hand will put you in a situation where you can win a small pot or lose a fairly hefty one while straight and flush possibilities are not available.
Much like T2o, T3o plays very badly on almost any board, gives very few semi-bluffing opportunities, and simply doesn’t make for a good starting hand.
The next time you are dealt T3o, throw the hand away and wait for the next deal, as you are almost guaranteed to have better cards come your way.
#10 Worst Poker Hand – J2 Offsuit

Seeing a picture card like a Jack can be a big refreshment after getting dealt cards like 83 and 72, but it should not be enough to tempt you to play if your other card is a Deuce.
A starting hand like J2o is very similar to T3o and T2o, and it does not provide any real reasons to get involved in a pot.
Much like other hands on our list of the worst poker hands, J2o cannot make a two-card straight, although flopping a pair of Jacks can sometimes be enough to win a pot.
Yet, you should at least wait for your J2 to be suited before you start opening from the small blind or defending in the big blind, while you can safely throw away all your J2o combinations before the flop.
Put simply, whether it’s a GTO poker strategy of otherwise, J2o should never be part of a sound poker strategy.
How to Play the Worst Poker Hands
There is really only one good way to play the worst poker hands listed here, as well as other similar card combinations, and that is to fold them as early as you can.
Whether you are dealt 72o, 93o, or T4o, these cards have almost no winning potential and should be folded as soon as the action is on you.
While suited variants of some of these hands can be played on occasion, the offsuit versions are simply too weak to get involved in any circumstances.
Stay faithful to the optimal poker strategy of folding all of the worst poker hands before the flop, and your bottom line will see a significant improvement very quickly.
FAQs
What is the worst hand in poker?
Statistically speaking, 72 offsuit is the worst hand in poker. This hand contains the two lowest cards that can’t make a two-card straight and thus has the lowest potential to win a pot against the range of all other poker hands.
What are the most dangerous hands in poker?
Hands like 72o and 93o are not very dangerous because they are almost never played. However, hands like A7o and K9o can get you into a lot of trouble if you overplay them and make a pair, as you will often be up against the same pair with a better kicker.
Why is 72 offsuit the worst poker hand?
72 offsuit is the worst poker hand because it has the lowest equity against all other starting hands in the deck. The hand can’t make a two-card straight or flush and is made up of the two lowest cards with these characteristics.
What is the weakest card in poker?
The weakest card in poker is the Deuce. Since suits don’t really matter in Texas Hold’em Poker, any Deuce you are dealt will be equally as bad as any other.