Your first decision in every hand is whether to play it at all. Getting preflop right is the fastest way to stop losing money, and the single biggest factor is your position. This guide covers how wide to open from each seat when everyone before you has folded, in a 6-max no-limit hold'em cash game with 100 big blind stacks.
Opening ranges at a glance
| Position | Range size | Examples of the weakest opens |
|---|---|---|
| UTG (under the gun) | About 16% | A2s, KTs, 76s, AJo, KQo |
| Hijack | About 20% | K9s, 65s, ATo, KJo, QJo |
| Cutoff | About 28% | K6s, 54s, A8o, KTo, JTo |
| Button | About 44% | K2s, 43s, A2o, K8o, 98o |
| Small blind | About 38% | Q5s, 54s, A4o, K9o, T9o |
See every hand for every seat on the interactive starting hand chart.
Why ranges get wider in late position
Two things change as you move around the table toward the button:
- Fewer players are left to act. Under the gun, five players can wake up with a strong hand. On the button, only the two blinds can. The chance that someone behind you has you beat drops sharply.
- You get position after the flop. From the cutoff and button you usually act last on every later street, which lets you win more pots with weaker hands.
The small blind is a special case. Only the big blind is left to act, so the range is wide, but you'll be out of position after the flop, which is why it's a little tighter than the button.
What the hands have in common
- Pairs are opened from every seat, although small pairs from early position are marginal.
- Suited aces and suited broadways (two cards ten or higher) are strong because they make top pairs, nut flushes and straights.
- Suited connectors like 76s and 54s play well because they make straights and flushes that win big pots.
- Offsuit hands are opened much less often. Hands like K8o and 98o only become opens on the button.
How big should you raise?
Online, a raise to 2–2.5 big blinds is standard. In live low-stakes games, where players call much more often, raises of 3–5 big blinds (plus one big blind for each limper) work better, because you get paid more when you have a good hand and face fewer players.
Adjusting for live games
- Tighten up early. Live games are often full ring (9 players). Use the UTG range for the first three or four seats.
- Expect multiway pots. Hands that make big pairs and nut draws gain value; weak offsuit hands lose value.
- Raise bigger. See our live $1/$2 strategy guide for more adjustments.
When this guide doesn't apply
These ranges are for opening when everyone before you has folded. If someone has already raised, you need a much tighter range of 3-bets and calls. In tournaments with 15 big blinds or fewer, switch to the push/fold strategy.
Practice until it's automatic
Reading a chart is easy; using it at the table without thinking takes practice. The free preflop trainer deals you a random seat and hand and asks you to raise or fold, then shows the correct answer. A few minutes a day for a week is usually enough to make these ranges second nature.