Embodiments of a system and method for detecting a palm of a hand using an image are generally described herein. A method for detecting a palm of a hand may include determining a plurality of cumulative distance values from pixels in a set of image pixels to pixels in a plurality of finger template matches, wherein the set of image pixels includes a set of image pixels on detected edges in the image. The method may include selecting a set of finger template matches from the plurality of finger template matches, corresponding to a set of smallest cumulative distance values from the plurality of cumulative distance values. The method may include refining the set of finger template matches to create refined finger templates, bundling refined finger templates to create a bundle of refined finger templates, and verifying that the bundle of refined finger templates includes a valid palm detection.