Every week on NLOP, we post one of our favorite community challenges: Randoms & Rockets, where we deal a random 9-player poker hand, show you the hole cards for each set (labeled letters A-I) and ask: Which hand do YOU think is going to win? One of those hands always has the big guns: Pocket Aces aka the Rockets. And week after week guess which hand gets picked the most? That’s right, the Rockets. But guess what? They don’t win as often as you think.
How Often Do Pocket Aces Win in a 9-Handed Game?
Pocket Aces are undeniably the strongest starting hand in No-Limit Texas Hold’em. But when you’re up against 8 opponents, things change fast.
- Heads-up (1 vs 1): Pocket Aces win about 85% of the time
- Against 2 players: Win rate drops to 73%
- In a 9-handed game: Pocket Aces win only about 31%-35% of the time
You “can’t lose” aces are actually more likely to get cracked than to hold up in a full ring hand.
Why Do Aces Fall So Often?
When you’re playing against that many opponents, the odds stack up fast. Someone flops a set, someone hits two pai, someone runs a sneaky straight or flush. Even mediocre start hands, like suite connectors or small pairs, can crack the might Rockets when given the right board and enough opponents. And that’s the beauty of Randoms & Rockets. It teaches us that in poker, no hand is a guarantee, not even pocket aces.
Join the Fun Every Week
Next time you see our Randoms & Rockets post on our Facebook (link here) , don’t just automatically pick the aces. Think it through, pick your hand, leave your guess in the comments. You just might beat the odds. Test it for yourself and go to Poker.NLOP.com now to get in and start playing more games, you might get lucky with rockets! As always, stay up to date with all things NLOP at NLOP.com
