Starting hand 6 of 169, nicknamed Wayne Gretzky
99 Pocket Nines
- Wins vs 1 random hand
- 72.1%
- Wins vs 5 random hands
- 26.7%
- Dealt
- 1 in 221
- Opening guide
- Premium
Named after Wayne Gretzky's jersey number. A pair that beats the majority of unpaired hands but faces overcards on most flops.
How to play it. Raise from any position and re-raise often.
You flop three of a kind or better with 99 12.0% of the time, about 1 in 8.3. Small and medium pairs earn most of their money by flopping a set, so they play best when you can see a flop cheaply and the stacks are deep.
Against nine opponents it still wins 15.2%, 1.5 times its fair share of 10.0%.
Win percentage by number of opponents
99 against common hands
| Opponent | 99 equity | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| AA Pocket Aces | 19.1% | Big underdog |
| KK Pocket Kings | 19.2% | Big underdog |
| QQ Pocket Queens | 19.0% | Big underdog |
| JJ Pocket Jacks | 18.5% | Big underdog |
| TT Pocket Tens | 17.8% | Big underdog |
| 77 Pocket Sevens | 81.7% | Big favourite |
| 22 Pocket Twos | 82.0% | Big favourite |
| AKs Ace-King suited | 52.6% | Coin flip |
| AKo Ace-King offsuit | 55.5% | Favourite |
| AQo Ace-Queen offsuit | 55.4% | Favourite |
| KQs King-Queen suited | 52.5% | Coin flip |
| JTs Jack-Ten suited | 51.1% | Coin flip |
| 76s Seven-Six suited | 80.1% | Big favourite |
| 72o Seven-Two offsuit | 88.6% | Big favourite |
All-in before the flop, averaged over every suit combination. 40,000 simulated boards per matchup.
99 on the flop
| Two pair or better | 28.2% |
| Three of a kind or better | 12.0% |
| Straight or better | 1.2% |
| Flush draw or better (four or more of a suit) | 2.2% |
Exact, counted over all 19,600 possible flops.
Questions players ask
- Is 99 a good poker hand?
- 99 (Pocket Nines) ranks 6 of 169 by heads-up equity and 12 of 169 against five opponents. Our simple opening guide puts it in the "Premium" group: Raise from any position and re-raise often.
- How often are you dealt 99?
- There are 6 ways to be dealt 99 out of 1,326 possible starting hands, so it comes about 0.45% of the time, or 1 in 221 hands.
- What are the odds of 99 against Aces?
- All-in before the flop, 99 wins about 19.1% against AA (equity including split pots).