Are these ranges for cash games or tournaments?

6-max cash and early-stage MTTs with effective stacks ≥ 50 BB. Sub-15 BB needs push/fold charts.

Why does small blind have a narrower range than button?

Position. SB acts first on every post-flop street and loses ~3-5 BB/100 to position alone.

How do these change at a 9-max table?

Each named position tightens 5-10% in 9-max due to more players left to act.

Starting Hands Chart — Texas Hold'em Poker Ranges by Position

How to Read the Chart

The chart above is the canonical 13×13 starting-hand grid used by every modern poker training site. Each cell is one of the 169 distinct two-card combinations in Texas Hold’em. The layout follows a universal convention:

Diagonal (top-left to bottom-right) — the 13 pocket pairs, from AA at the top-left to 22 at the bottom-right.
Above the diagonal— suited hands. Row tells you the higher card; column tells you the lower. So row A column K means “Ace-King suited” (AKs).
Below the diagonal— offsuit hands. Row tells you the lower card; column tells you the higher. So row K column A means “Ace-King offsuit” (AKo).

Each pair represents 6 specific 2-card combinations in the deck (C(4,2) = 6). Each suited hand represents 4 combos (one per suit). Each offsuit hand represents 12 combos (4 × 3). That’s why the “% of deck” stat below the chart isn’t just “hands in range ÷ 169” — it’s weighted by combo count.

Why Position Matters So Much

The same two cards are wildly different in profitability depending on where you’re sitting. A9 offsuitis a fold under-the-gun (UTG) — you have to act first on every street, and 5 players still have to decide what to do behind you, so any of them could have a hand that crushes A9o. The same A9o from the button is a standard open: 4 of the 5 opponents have already folded, you’ll have position on the blinds post-flop, and you can c-bet boards that don’t hit them very hard.

The ranges shift dramatically as you move around the table:

UTG (first to act): ~12-15% of hands. Premium pairs, strong suited aces, AK, a handful of suited connectors.
MP (middle position): ~17-20% of hands. UTG’s range plus a few more pairs and broadway suited.
CO (cut-off): ~25-30% of hands. Now all pairs come in, more suited aces, more suited connectors.
BTN (button): ~40-50% of hands. Widest range — any pair, any suited ace, most suited kings, suited gappers, broadway offsuit.
SB (small blind): ~25-30% of hands when opening. SB is out-of-position post-flop so its open range is narrower than the button despite being later in betting order.
BB (big blind): doesn’t open — defends instead. The big-blind defending range is its own chart (calling vs. each position’s open).

Are These Ranges “GTO”?

They’re solver-derived approximations. Modern solver outputs (GTO Wizard, PioSolver, MonkerSolver) include mixed strategies — many hands raise some percentage of the time and fold the rest, with the mix depending on stack depth, rake, ante structure, and how opponents play. A binary “in range / out of range” chart loses that nuance.

For a learning tool, the binary view is the right default. Memorise the rough shape of each position’s range, internalise which hands are clearly opens (top-left quadrant), which are clearly folds (bottom-right), and which are positional (the middle band that flips on or off depending on where you’re sitting). When you’ve internalised that, study mixed-strategy solver charts to fine-tune.

Common Beginner Range Mistakes

Over-playing weak aces.A8o, A7o, A6o look like “ace-high” hands but they’re dominated by every higher ace. Open them only from CO/BTN/SB.
Limping pairs. Small pairs (22-66) should raise-open, not limp. Limping invites multiway pots where you need to flop a set (12% chance) to continue.
Folding suited connectors too often.76s, 65s, 54s have post-flop equity that pure suited gappers don’t. Open them from CO/BTN.
3-betting too small from out of position. If you 3-bet from the small blind, size up to 3.5-4× the open — anything smaller gives the opener cheap implied-odds calls.
Playing KQ vs UTG opens.KQ is great in late position but trash facing an UTG raise — you’re behind every ace and dominated by AK. 3-bet for value with KK+ AK only; fold KQ to UTG.

FAQ

Are these ranges for cash games or tournaments?: 6-max cash games and early-stage tournaments (effective stack ≥ 50 BB). Tournament ranges shift significantly as stacks shrink — sub-15 BB is push/fold territory where the chart doesn't apply. ICM near a bubble also tightens calling ranges that the open-range chart doesn't capture.
Why does small blind have a narrower range than the button?: Position. The button acts last on every post-flop street; the small blind acts first. Being out of position costs ~3-5 BB/100 over the long run, so SB needs stronger hands than BTN to compensate. Modern SB strategy mixes opens with 3-bets even more — many "raise" hands from the SB are 3-bets vs the opener, not opens.
How do these change at a 9-max table?: Each named position tightens by 5-10% because you have more players left to act behind you. UTG in 9-max is even tighter than UTG in 6-max. CO and BTN ranges stay roughly the same. We may add a 9-max toggle in a future version.
What does "OPEN-RAISE" mean in the hover tooltip?: It means: when the action folds to you, raise (don't limp). The standard size is 2.5× to 3× the big blind. If someone has already raised before you, this chart doesn't apply — you need a 3-bet defense chart (which is much tighter).
Where do I learn 3-betting and 4-betting ranges?: Those are separate charts that depend on which position is opening and which position is 3-betting. We'll add 3-bet and 4-bet range tools to /tools/ as future releases. For now, the rough principle: 3-bet for value (QQ+, AK) and 3-bet bluff with hands too weak to call but with playable post-flop properties (A5s, A4s).

Pair this chart with our Poker Odds Calculator to verify equity for specific hands, or the Cheat Sheet for the rest of the at-the-table math. Practice the spots at our free Texas Hold’em table.