Starting hand 84 of 169
98s Nine-Eight suited
- Wins vs 1 random hand
- 50.7%
- Wins vs 5 random hands
- 20.3%
- Dealt
- 1 in 332
- Opening guide
- Late position
How to play it. Raise from the cutoff and the button, or when the table folds to you.
98s pairs at least one of its cards on the flop 32.4% of the time and makes two pair or better 7.8% of the time.
Because both cards share a suit, it flops a flush or a four-card flush draw 11.8% of the time. Compare 98o at 48.1% heads-up.
The cards are close enough to make straights, so 98s gains value in pots with several players.
Win percentage by number of opponents
98s against common hands
| Opponent | 98s equity | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| AA Pocket Aces | 22.2% | Big underdog |
| KK Pocket Kings | 21.8% | Big underdog |
| QQ Pocket Queens | 20.8% | Big underdog |
| JJ Pocket Jacks | 19.8% | Big underdog |
| TT Pocket Tens | 18.1% | Big underdog |
| 77 Pocket Sevens | 48.9% | Coin flip |
| 22 Pocket Twos | 53.5% | Coin flip |
| AKs Ace-King suited | 37.4% | Underdog |
| AKo Ace-King offsuit | 40.1% | Underdog |
| AQo Ace-Queen offsuit | 41.1% | Underdog |
| KQs King-Queen suited | 36.9% | Underdog |
| JTs Jack-Ten suited | 35.4% | Underdog |
| 76s Seven-Six suited | 64.0% | Favourite |
| 72o Seven-Two offsuit | 71.0% | Big favourite |
All-in before the flop, averaged over every suit combination. 40,000 simulated boards per matchup.
98s on the flop
| Pair one of your hole cards | 32.4% |
| Two pair or better | 7.8% |
| Three of a kind or better | 3.8% |
| Straight or better | 2.2% |
| Flush draw or better (four or more of a suit) | 11.8% |
Exact, counted over all 19,600 possible flops.
Questions players ask
- Is 98s a good poker hand?
- 98s (Nine-Eight suited) ranks 84 of 169 by heads-up equity and 46 of 169 against five opponents. Our simple opening guide puts it in the "Late position" group: Raise from the cutoff and the button, or when the table folds to you.
- How often are you dealt 98s?
- There are 4 ways to be dealt 98s out of 1,326 possible starting hands, so it comes about 0.30% of the time, or 1 in 332 hands.
- What are the odds of 98s against Aces?
- All-in before the flop, 98s wins about 22.2% against AA (equity including split pots).