Preflop Strategy Hub
Explore Texas Holdem poker charts for Cash and Tournaments. Learn how to read preflop ranges, study them efficiently, and apply them in real games. Everything you need to master preflop, all in one place.
A set of preflop charts for different poker formats and disciplines. Each card links to a full article with downloadable charts and practical explanations on how to use them in real games.
Open-raise (RFI) preflop charts for 6-max cash games, covering all positions from UTG to SB. Learn which hands to open, how ranges change by position, and how to adjust your strategy based on players behind you.
View 6-max rangesComplete preflop charts for 9-max Texas Hold’em games. Includes position-based opening ranges and other common situations. Helps you build a solid and disciplined preflop strategy for full-ring tables.
View 9-max rangesTournament preflop charts for all positions and stack sizes. Covers deep-stack play, mid stacks, and short-stack push/fold ranges. Helps you make correct preflop decisions throughout every stage of an MTT.
View MTT rangesExploitative Spin & Go preflop charts created by Team Bas Poker school. Ranges are optimized for real-world player pools, with clear breakdowns by stack size for 3-max and heads-up situations.
View Spin&Go rangesExplore hundreds of GTO preflop solutions for any format and situation in the GTO Library. Study original solver ranges or simplified versions for better memorization.
Complete preflop GTO strategies for cash games with filters by rake structure, stakes (NL25, NL100, NL500), table size (HU, 6-max, 7-max, 9-max), and ante size. Explore the optimal ranges for all typical preflop scenarios in Cash games.
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Tournament preflop strategies with ChipEV and ICM formats. Filter by table size (HU, 5-max, 6-max, 8-max), ante size and other parameters. Perfect for studying how ranges change based on stack depth and tournament dynamics throughout different stages of play.
Explore MTT solutions →
Short-stack preflop strategies optimized for fast-paced hyper-turbo tournaments. Solutions for heads-up and 3-max formats with clear breakdowns by stack size. Master push/fold ranges and optimal play for Spin&Go games.
Explore Spin&Go solutions →
Preflop charts are an essential part of modern poker strategy for beginner and intermediate players. They act as a visual guide that shows how to play every starting hand in different preflop situations. Good charts take into account key variables like position, stack depth, antes, and facing action, giving you a mathematically grounded baseline — a stable foundation for all future decisions.
Instead of guessing which hands to open, call, or 3-bet, you follow a structured plan that has been tested with solvers and real-game data. This removes emotional decisions, prevents common leaks, and helps you build a consistent, disciplined strategy.
Every preflop chart is displayed as a 13×13 starting-hand matrix that includes all 169 types of Texas Hold'em starting hands. Each cell in the grid represents one hand, and each hand is color-coded to show the recommended action.
Let's have a look at a big blind defense chart vs an early-position open in MTT 6-max (40bb effective stacks).
Once you understand how the matrix works, reading any chart becomes straightforward — even when the ranges become complex or include mixed-frequency actions.
There are three main types of preflop charts you'll encounter:
Remember: charts are not a magic pill and they don't guarantee instant winnings. But they give you a solid, proven foundation that eliminates major mistakes. By playing according to well-constructed ranges, you immediately separate yourself from most players at your stakes — and you build a clean strategic base that makes future improvement much easier.
A curated set of strategy articles that help you understand preflop concepts more deeply, fix common leaks, and apply GTO principles more effectively.
Many players follow GTO charts blindly and still lose. In this article we uncover 3 key reasons why solver-based pre-flop ranges fail in real games — and share steps to adjust your charts for real-world results.
Preflop mistakes snowball into brutal river blunders. This piece explains how practicing in Freebetrange trainer helps you build a solid foundation and avoid costly mistakes when the hand reaches the river.
Dmitriy “myatiy” lists the most common leaks: ignoring rake, passive blind defense, calling instead of squeezing, and overrating AK in early positions. Each point includes a quick adjustment you can encode into your charts today.
Answers to the most common questions about preflop charts in Texas Hold’em
A preflop chart is a visual guide that shows you which hands to raise, call, or fold in various situations before the flop based on your position, stack size, and other factors. It usually uses a 13×13 starting-hand grid and color-coded actions to give you a clear, easy-to-follow preflop strategy.
Yes. Cash games usually use deeper stacks (100bb+), so opening and 3-bet ranges are tighter. Tournaments and Spins often have 15–50bb stacks and antes, which changes the strategy completely and introduces push/fold and reshove ranges that don’t exist in deep-stack cash.
Early positions (UTG, HJ) open tight ranges because more players act after you. Middle positions add more suited aces and broadways. Late positions (CO, BTN) and blinds play the widest ranges. Good charts always specify both the position and the exact type of spot (RFI, vs open, blind vs blind).
Simple starting-hand charts show heavily simplified strategies designed for beginners — usually just "play these hands, fold the rest". They’re easy to learn, but they don’t cover real-game situations like different stack sizes, 3-bets, 4-bets, or mixed strategies. GTO preflop charts are built from solver calculations and represent the theoretically optimal baseline strategy in modern poker. They give balanced ranges for every position and spot (open, call, 3-bet, reshove, etc.) and serve as the foundation for any strong, winning strategy today. Even simplified charts should ultimately be derived from full GTO ranges to ensure accuracy.
Live casinos usually don’t allow strategy material at the table. Online rooms allow charts for off-table study but forbid real-time assistants (RTA) that tell you the best move in the current hand. The safest approach is to learn charts off-table and play from memory.
The most effective way to memorize preflop charts is to use dedicated study tools instead of trying to memorize every single hand manually. In Freebetrange, the Range Viewer helps you quickly navigate your entire preflop strategy and compare multiple ranges side by side. This makes it much easier to spot patterns—how ranges change by position, stack depth, and situation—which your brain remembers far better than individual hands. You can also use the built-in Preflop Trainer to practice spots in a realistic, game-like format. Regular training sessions reinforce the patterns you've learned and build automatic decision-making, so the ranges become natural without needing to look at charts during play.
Poker charts help you avoid major preflop mistakes and give you a solid baseline strategy. While they don't guarantee instant profits, playing correct preflop ranges immediately improves your decision-making and long-term results, especially at low and mid stakes.
Freebetrange is the ultimate platform for studying GTO, building your own preflop charts, and practicing any preflop spot in a powerful trainer. Create your account in under a minute and unlock the full preflop study toolkit.
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