Starting-Hand Chart Maker

How to read the chart

All 169 starting hands sit on a 13×13 grid: pairs run down the diagonal, suited hands are above it and offsuit hands below. Highlighted cells are the hands you open-raise first-in from that seat; everything else folds. The later your position, the wider the block — the button opens roughly three times as many hands as under the gun.

Why position sets the range

The later you act preflop, the more hands you can profitably open: fewer players are left to wake up with a monster, and you'll have position after the flop. That's why an under-the-gun range is tight (~15% of hands) while the button is wide (~45%). Learn the logic in the poker positions guide and drill it with the Range Trainer.

Print it or keep it on your phone

Download the PNG for a clean reference you can print for a home game or glance at between hands. These are standard GTO-based 6-max opening ranges — the same shapes taught across modern strategy. For the full theory, see preflop & ranges and preflop opening ranges.

How position changes the range

Position is the single biggest factor in which hands you can open. Under the gun you act first and have the whole table left to act behind you, so any hand you play has to survive four or five other players who could wake up with something better. That forces a tight, high-quality range of roughly 15% of hands — big pairs, strong broadways and the best suited hands. As the action moves around the table, that pressure eases with every seat that folds.

By the button you're last to act with only the two blinds behind you, and you'll have position on every street after the flop. Both facts let you open far wider — around 45% of hands, roughly three times an under-the-gun range. The cutoff sits in between and starts adding suited connectors and weaker broadways; the small blind opens wide too, but out of position, which is why its range is built differently from the button's. Reading the grid left to right and top to bottom, each later seat simply lights up more cells.

• UTG: tightest, about 15% — premium pairs and top broadways.
• MP: a little wider as one seat has folded.
• CO: adds suited connectors and more offsuit broadways.
• BTN: widest, about 45% — the reward for acting last.

Suited vs offsuit on the grid

The diagonal splits the grid into two very different halves. Everything above the diagonal is suited (AKs, KQs, and so on); everything below is offsuit (AKo, KQo). The same two ranks are worth noticeably more suited than offsuit, because a suited hand can make flushes and has a little extra equity in almost every pot. That's why you'll see suited hands highlighted several rows deeper than their offsuit twins — a range might open all of the suited connectors 76s and 65s while folding 76o and 65o entirely. When you read a chart, always check which side of the diagonal a cell is on before you trust it.

How to practise with the chart

A chart only helps if the ranges become automatic. The fastest way is to pick one position, study its shape until you can picture the block, then test yourself by naming raise-or-fold for random hands before you check. Work through the seats one at a time rather than trying to memorise all five at once. A few habits that speed it up:

• Learn the edges of each range — the marginal hands that separate a raise from a fold — since the obvious hands take care of themselves.
• Drill live with the Range Trainer and Range Flashcards so the shapes stick under pressure.
• Keep the downloaded PNG on your phone and glance at it between sessions until you no longer need to.

Adjusting ranges for the situation

These are first-in raising ranges for a standard table, and they're the right starting point. Real games move around them. When stacks get short you play tighter and lean on hands that flop well; when there's an ante in play the extra dead money makes opening a touch wider correct, since every steal is worth more. A loose, passive table where opens get called by many players rewards hands that make strong made hands over thin bluff-catchers, while a tough, aggressive table calls for discipline. Treat the chart as your default and adjust deliberately — never randomly. The reasoning behind each shift lives in preflop & ranges and the positions guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is a poker starting-hand chart?

It's a 13×13 grid of all 169 starting hands showing which ones to play from a given position. Pairs run down the diagonal, suited hands sit above it and offsuit hands below. Highlighted cells are the hands you raise first-in; the rest you fold.

How do I read the grid?

The top-left is AA and the bottom-right is 22. Any cell above the diagonal is suited (e.g. AKs), any cell below is offsuit (AKo). The wider the highlighted block, the more hands that position opens — the button opens far more than under the gun.

Are these ranges GTO?

They're standard, widely-taught reference opening ranges for 6-max no-limit hold'em — GTO-based shapes rather than a solve of one exact table and stack depth. They're ideal for learning and for a printed reference; a solver would fine-tune them for specific conditions.

Can I download the chart?

Yes. Pick a position and click Download PNG to save a clean image you can print or keep on your phone. It's free and needs no signup.