Lojack Opening Range (RFI) Chart
The lojack opening range is the first true middle-position RFI — about 20-22% of hands in 6-max. See the exact chart, the added hands, and a worked open.
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The lojack is where a range stops feeling “early” and starts opening up. Sitting two seats off the button, it is the first true middle-position seat, and the lojack opening range runs about 20-22% of hands in 6-max. This chart shows what the lojack adds over the earlier seats and why the extra room appears.
What the lojack opening range looks like
A solid 6-max baseline at 100bb. This is a pure RFI range — the pot is unopened and you are the third seat to act.
| Category | Hands opened from the lojack |
|---|---|
| Pairs | 22+ (all pairs) |
| Suited aces | A2s–AKs (all) |
| Offsuit aces | ATo, AJo, AQo, AKo |
| Suited kings | K6s+ |
| Offsuit kings | KJo, KQo |
| Suited queens | Q8s+ |
| Offsuit broadways | QJo |
| Suited broadways | JTs, T9s, QTs+ |
| Suited connectors | 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, 54s |
That comes to roughly 20-22% of the 169 starting-hand types — a clear step up from the ~18% you open at UTG+1.
What the lojack adds over UTG+1
The middle-position widening shows up in three places:
- Offsuit broadways enter.
KJoandQJoare folds in early position but become profitable opens here, the first offsuit broadways below KQo to make the cut. - Suited kings and queens stretch down. K6s and Q8s join the range as domination worries ease.
- The suited connector ladder extends to
54s, and a suited gapper or two becomes playable.
The strong core — pairs, suited aces, offsuit AQ/AK — never leaves. Middle position simply loosens the edges.
Why the range keeps widening
The same force is at work as at every earlier seat: fewer players behind. The lojack has three opponents left to act, versus four at UTG+1 and five UTG. Each seat closer to the button cuts the chance that someone wakes up with a premium and lowers the risk of being dominated.
There is a second force too — position on future streets. From the lojack you will act ahead of the button and cutoff, but behind the blinds if they call. Hands that would be too marginal from the first seat, where you are always out of position, become fine opens here where you are more often in position postflop.
A worked lojack open
You are on the lojack with K♣ J♦. The action folds to you.
KJois an open from the lojack. It just missed the early-position ranges, but with three players behind it clears the bar as an offsuit broadway with domination equity over weaker kings and jacks.- Raise to about 2.5bb.
Move that same K♣ J♦ to UTG+1 and it is a fold — too many players behind, too easily dominated by AK, AJ, KQ. Same two cards, two seats apart, opposite decision. KJo is a signature lojack addition precisely because it lives right on that early-to-middle boundary.
Common lojack mistakes
- Opening it like the button. The lojack is middle, not late — offsuit connectors, weak offsuit queens, and wide suited gappers are still folds here.
- Refusing to widen from early ranges. If your lojack range looks like your UTG range, you are leaving profitable opens unmade.
- Forgetting the blinds act behind. You still get flatted or 3-bet by the blinds, so keep the added hands playable, not pure junk.
How the range shifts with stack depth and table size
The 20-22% baseline assumes 100bb 6-max. Change the conditions and the lojack range moves with them:
- Shorter stacks (40bb and under). Suited connectors and suited gappers lose value because you can’t realize their postflop equity as well, while high-card hands and pairs hold up. Trim the weakest suited connectors (54s, 65s) and the loosest suited kings first; keep the pairs and broadways.
- Deeper stacks (200bb+). The opposite. Suited, connected, and pair hands go up in value because their implied odds — the chance of stacking someone when you hit a set or flush — grow. You can lean a touch wider on the suited hands and be slightly more cautious with dominated offsuit broadways like KJo out of position.
- Full-ring (9-handed). With three extra players, the “lojack” seat is deeper in the field and effectively an early-to-middle seat. Tighten toward a UTG-style range — drop the loosest offsuit broadways and the bottom suited connectors.
The principle underneath all three: hands that need to see flops (suited, connected) want depth, and hands that win by high card (offsuit broadways) want fewer players behind.
Facing action after you open
Opening 20-22% means you’ll get three-bet more than the early seats do, so have a plan. Against a button or blind three-bet, your continuing range is the pairs, suited aces, and stronger broadways; the loosest additions — K6s, Q8s, 54s, KJo out of position — are the first folds. The offsuit broadways that just entered the range are exactly the hands that play worst in a three-bet pot, because they’re often dominated. Don’t fall in love with KJo just because it cleared the RFI bar; it opens fine and folds fine to real pressure. Keeping the added hands playable rather than junk is what lets you both open wide and fold cleanly when someone fights back.
Wrapping up
The lojack opening range is your first middle-position range: about 20-22% of hands, adding offsuit broadways like KJo and QJo, lower suited kings and queens, and one more rung of suited connectors over the early seats. Widen deliberately, keep the strong core, and let the range keep growing as you slide to the hijack and the late seats. Anchor it all in the full preflop strategy framework.
Frequently asked
What is the lojack in poker?
The lojack is the seat two to the right of the button, first to act in what is usually called middle position. In a 6-max game it is the third seat to open. The name comes from the seating shorthand where hijack and lojack sit just before the cutoff.
How wide is the lojack opening range?
In 6-max at 100bb, the lojack opens around 20-22% of hands. That is meaningfully wider than the early seats, adding hands like KJo, ATo, more suited connectors, and suited gappers as fewer players remain behind.
What hands does the lojack add over UTG+1?
Typical additions are KJo, QJo, more suited kings and queens (K7s, Q9s), suited connectors down to 54s, and a suited gapper or two. The offsuit broadways start entering the range here as the position loosens toward the button.
Is the lojack early or middle position?
The lojack is the start of middle position in 6-max. It sits between the early seats (UTG, UTG+1) and the late seats (cutoff, button), so its range is wider than early position but still tighter than the hijack and cutoff.