Strategy
Which hands to open from each seat
Solved Hand5 min read
When everyone folds to you, the hands you should raise depend on your seat. These charts show the ranges for a raise-or-fold game. At a six-handed table 100 big blinds deep, the trainer's charts open about 15% of hands from the first seat and 45% from the button.
Use the preflop chart index to choose a seat and stack depth, then inspect the hands behind each opening range.
01How wide each seat opens
These are the trainer's charts for an : the pot is unopened, and you raise or fold. The share counts starting combinations, so a pair counts as 6 combinations, a suited hand as 4 and an offsuit hand as 12.
| Seat | Players still to act | Hands raised |
|---|---|---|
| Under the gun (UTG) | 5 | 15.3% |
| Middle position (MP) | 4 | 18.6% |
| Cutoff (CO) | 3 | 24.8% |
| Button (BTN) | 2 | 45.0% |
| Small blind (SB) | 1 | 46.7% |
The big blind has no row: when everyone folds to it, it wins the pot without acting.
The ranges widen slowly for three seats, then jump at the button. Going from the cutoff to the button almost doubles the range, from 24.8% to 45.0%.
02The first seat
| AA: raise 100% | AKs: raise 100% | AQs: raise 100% | AJs: raise 100% | ATs: raise 100% | A9s: raise 100% | A8s: raise 100% | A7s: raise 95%, fold 5% | A6s: raise 50%, fold 50% | A5s: raise 50%, fold 50% | A4s | A3s | A2s |
| AKo: raise 100% | KK: raise 100% | KQs: raise 100% | KJs: raise 100% | KTs: raise 100% | K9s: raise 50%, fold 50% | K8s | K7s | K6s | K5s | K4s | K3s | K2s |
| AQo: raise 100% | KQo: raise 100% | QQ: raise 100% | QJs: raise 100% | QTs: raise 100% | Q9s | Q8s | Q7s | Q6s | Q5s | Q4s | Q3s | Q2s |
| AJo: raise 100% | KJo: raise 70%, fold 30% | QJo | JJ: raise 100% | JTs: raise 100% | J9s: raise 5%, fold 95% | J8s | J7s | J6s | J5s | J4s | J3s | J2s |
| ATo: raise 100% | KTo | QTo | JTo | TT: raise 100% | T9s: raise 100% | T8s | T7s | T6s | T5s | T4s | T3s | T2s |
| A9o: raise 5%, fold 95% | K9o | Q9o | J9o | T9o | 99: raise 100% | 98s: raise 5%, fold 95% | 97s | 96s | 95s | 94s | 93s | 92s |
| A8o | K8o | Q8o | J8o | T8o | 98o | 88: raise 100% | 87s | 86s | 85s | 84s | 83s | 82s |
| A7o | K7o | Q7o | J7o | T7o | 97o | 87o | 77: raise 100% | 76s | 75s | 74s | 73s | 72s |
| A6o | K6o | Q6o | J6o | T6o | 96o | 86o | 76o | 66: raise 100% | 65s | 64s | 63s | 62s |
| A5o | K5o | Q5o | J5o | T5o | 95o | 85o | 75o | 65o | 55: raise 100% | 54s | 53s | 52s |
| A4o | K4o | Q4o | J4o | T4o | 94o | 84o | 74o | 64o | 54o | 44: raise 100% | 43s | 42s |
| A3o | K3o | Q3o | J3o | T3o | 93o | 83o | 73o | 63o | 53o | 43o | 33: raise 100% | 32s |
| A2o | K2o | Q2o | J2o | T2o | 92o | 82o | 72o | 62o | 52o | 42o | 32o | 22: raise 5%, fold 95% |
RaiseCallFold
Under the gun, five players still have to act, and any of them can hold a strong hand. The range is mostly pairs, suited aces and big cards:
- every pair from 33 up, with 22 raised only now and then;
- suited aces down to A8s, with A7s nearly always and A6s and A5s half the time;
- offsuit hands only when both cards are big: ATo and better, and KQo, with KJo raised most of the time;
- every suited broadway hand, and T9s.
A hand that is raised some of the time and folded the rest is a mixed entry. A5s raised half the time means the two choices are worth about the same; the chart's split says how often to raise it.
03What each later seat adds
Later seats generally raise more hands, though a particular hand may be raised less often even as the overall range widens.
From middle position the chart adds the rest of the suited aces down to A5s, KJo, K9s and most of 22. From the cutoff it adds every pair, every suited ace, offsuit aces down to A7o, KTo, and suited kings to K7s.
The biggest expansion comes on the button. It raises every suited ace and every offsuit ace, suited kings all the way down, offsuit kings to K6o, offsuit queens to Q8o, and suited connectors down to 54s.
| AA: raise 100% | AKs: raise 100% | AQs: raise 100% | AJs: raise 100% | ATs: raise 100% | A9s: raise 100% | A8s: raise 100% | A7s: raise 100% | A6s: raise 100% | A5s: raise 100% | A4s: raise 100% | A3s: raise 100% | A2s: raise 100% |
| AKo: raise 100% | KK: raise 100% | KQs: raise 100% | KJs: raise 100% | KTs: raise 100% | K9s: raise 100% | K8s: raise 100% | K7s: raise 100% | K6s: raise 100% | K5s: raise 100% | K4s: raise 100% | K3s: raise 100% | K2s: raise 100% |
| AQo: raise 100% | KQo: raise 100% | QQ: raise 100% | QJs: raise 100% | QTs: raise 100% | Q9s: raise 100% | Q8s: raise 100% | Q7s: raise 100% | Q6s: raise 100% | Q5s: raise 100% | Q4s: raise 100% | Q3s: raise 95%, fold 5% | Q2s: raise 45%, fold 55% |
| AJo: raise 100% | KJo: raise 100% | QJo: raise 100% | JJ: raise 100% | JTs: raise 100% | J9s: raise 100% | J8s: raise 100% | J7s: raise 100% | J6s: raise 80%, fold 20% | J5s: raise 30%, fold 70% | J4s | J3s | J2s |
| ATo: raise 100% | KTo: raise 100% | QTo: raise 100% | JTo: raise 100% | TT: raise 100% | T9s: raise 100% | T8s: raise 100% | T7s: raise 100% | T6s: raise 60%, fold 40% | T5s | T4s | T3s | T2s |
| A9o: raise 100% | K9o: raise 100% | Q9o: raise 100% | J9o: raise 100% | T9o: raise 100% | 99: raise 100% | 98s: raise 100% | 97s: raise 100% | 96s: raise 85%, fold 15% | 95s | 94s | 93s | 92s |
| A8o: raise 100% | K8o: raise 100% | Q8o: raise 100% | J8o: raise 5%, fold 95% | T8o | 98o | 88: raise 100% | 87s: raise 100% | 86s: raise 100% | 85s | 84s | 83s | 82s |
| A7o: raise 100% | K7o: raise 100% | Q7o | J7o | T7o | 97o | 87o | 77: raise 100% | 76s: raise 100% | 75s: raise 90%, fold 10% | 74s | 73s | 72s |
| A6o: raise 100% | K6o: raise 100% | Q6o | J6o | T6o | 96o | 86o | 76o | 66: raise 100% | 65s: raise 100% | 64s | 63s | 62s |
| A5o: raise 100% | K5o: raise 60%, fold 40% | Q5o | J5o | T5o | 95o | 85o | 75o | 65o | 55: raise 100% | 54s: raise 100% | 53s | 52s |
| A4o: raise 100% | K4o | Q4o | J4o | T4o | 94o | 84o | 74o | 64o | 54o | 44: raise 100% | 43s | 42s |
| A3o: raise 100% | K3o | Q3o | J3o | T3o | 93o | 83o | 73o | 63o | 53o | 43o | 33: raise 100% | 32s |
| A2o: raise 100% | K2o | Q2o | J2o | T2o | 92o | 82o | 72o | 62o | 52o | 42o | 32o | 22: raise 100% |
RaiseCallFold
The small blind raises 46.7% in this model, a little more than the button, though it has to play the rest of the hand out of position. A strategy that also allows limping can divide its hands differently. Only one player is left to act, and the small blind has already put in half a big blind, so each raise costs less.
04Why later seats play more hands
Two things change as you move toward the button.
The first is how many players are left. From under the gun, five players can wake up with a strong hand. From the button, only the two blinds can. The fewer players still to act, the more often everyone folds and your raise wins the blinds straight away.
The second is . The button acts last on every street after the flop, so it sees what the blinds do before it decides. The chart folds a hand like K8o under the gun, where a raise often runs into a better king and plays out of position. On the button it raises K8o every time: only the blinds can hold a better hand, and the button acts last.
The small blind is the exception: it opens as wide as the button with only one player behind, but after the flop it acts first.
05Learning the charts
Nobody needs to memorise every square. Start with the shape: pairs and suited aces from every seat, offsuit hands only when they are big early on, and almost any ace or suited king on the button. Then learn the edges: the last hands each seat raises.
Try itDrill the opening chartsPick any preflop chart and practise its decisions one hand at a time.Try itPosition, the lessonThe interactive lesson on why acting later gives you information.Sources
- Position (poker), Wikipedia
- Preflop charts, Solved Hand
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