Play or fold?

Keys, with the player focused: Space or K plays and pauses, ← and → move a step, R restarts, F goes full screen, Home and End jump to the start and the end.

Opening rangesPosition

1. 1. You're on the button and everyone before you folded. You hold ace-king. Play or fold?

   This lesson is about which hands to play: you see two cards, then play or fold.

   You're on the button, which acts last, and everyone before you folded. You hold ace-king. Play or fold?

   • Play✓ Right

     Correct: play it. Ace-king is one of the strongest starting hands, so you raise and make the others pay to see more cards.

     Three chips slide forward from your seat to raise. Under the cards the hand's name reads ace-king. The verdict reads: play, ace-king is a raise.

   • Fold✗ Not right: Folding one of the strongest starting hands

     Folding gives up one of the strongest starting hands. Ace-king is a raise from every seat.

     Your two cards slide up and fade as you fold. Under them the hand's name reads ace-king. The verdict reads in red: ace-king is too strong to fold.

2. 2. Next hand, same seat. You hold a seven and a two of different suits. Play or fold?

   Next hand, same seat. You hold a seven and a two of different suits. Play or fold?

   • Fold✓ Right

     Correct: fold it. Seven-two is the weakest starting hand. The cards are low, far apart and in different suits.

     Your two cards slide up and fade as you fold. Under them the hand's name reads seven-two. The verdict reads: fold, seven-two is the weakest hand.

   • Play✗ Not right: Playing low, unconnected cards of different suits

     Seven-two is the weakest starting hand. Low cards far apart in different suits rarely win, so you fold it, even on the button.

     Three chips slide forward from your seat to raise. Under the cards the hand's name reads seven-two. The verdict reads in red: seven-two loses too often to play.

3. 3. Last one, still on the button. You hold king-seven of different suits. Play or fold?

   Last one, same seat. You hold king-seven, different suits. Play or fold?

   • Play✓ Right

     Correct: play it. Only two players are left to act behind you, and you act last on every later round. That's why the button chart plays king-seven.

     Three chips slide forward from your seat to raise. Under the cards the hand's name reads king-seven. The verdict reads: play, the button chart raises it.

     Your seat changes which hands you play. From the first seat, king-seven is a fold. Next, open the chart for each seat.

     The cards dim. Three lines stack in the middle: ace-king, play from any seat; seven-two, fold from any seat; king-seven, play on the button and fold up front.

   • Fold✗ Not right: Folding a hand the button chart plays

     From the button, king-seven is a play. Only two players are left to act behind you, and you act last on every later round.

     Your two cards slide up and fade as you fold. Under them the hand's name reads king-seven. The verdict reads in red: from the button, king-seven is a raise.