progressHow to read a preflop chart
Once you understand the grid, every chart on the site becomes readable.
A preflop chart is a 13 by 13 grid with one square for every starting hand. It tells you what to do with each hand in one situation: for example, "folded to the small blind at 30 big blinds".
The grid
- Pairs (AA, KK, 77 …) sit on the diagonal from the top-left corner to the bottom-right.
- Suited hands (AKs, T9s …) are above the diagonal. Two cards of the same suit are slightly stronger because they can make flushes.
- Offsuit hands (AKo, T9o …) are below the diagonal.
- The rows and columns run from the ace down to the deuce.
The colours
On our pages each action has its own colour. Typically one colour means raise, another all-in, another call or limp, and another fold. Most squares are a single colour, which means the book plays that action every time.
Mixed hands
Some squares are split into two or more colours. The book plays those hands with a mix: part of the time one action, the rest another. The widths show the frequencies. Mixed hands are the closest decisions, where either play loses almost nothing. Here are examples from the small blind at 30 BB:
| Hand | Raise | Limp | Fold |
|---|---|---|---|
| K9o | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| A5s | 36% | 64% | 0% |
| T8o | 42% | 58% | 0% |
| AJo | 20% | 80% | 0% |
| 76s | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| 72o | 0% | 0% | 100% |
For a mixed hand you do not need an exact random number generator. Use the seat, the clock or the suits of your cards to vary your play roughly in the proportions shown, and do not worry about small deviations: the cost of a small imbalance is tiny.
What a chart does not tell you
- The situation matters: who opened, how many players are left, how deep everyone is. A different situation is a different chart.
- Our charts are for 8-max tournaments with a 12.5% ante and chip EV. At the bubble or the final table, payouts change the right play. See ICM.
- The numbers are an approximation of equilibrium with a modelled postflop, not an exact solution.
How to learn from a chart
Do not memorise it square by square. Read it by groups: which pairs, which suited aces, which offsuit broadways. Then drill the situation in the trainer until your first instinct matches the chart. Start with the list of charts, for example the button at 30 BB.
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Related guides
Questions
What do the colours on a preflop chart mean?
Each colour is an action, such as raise, all-in, call, limp or fold. A square split into colours is a mixed hand.
What is a mixed strategy?
Playing the same hand in different ways with set frequencies, for example raising 40% and limping 60%.
Where are suited and offsuit hands on the grid?
Suited hands are above the diagonal, offsuit hands below it and pairs on the diagonal.
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progressGTO guides use our own solution book (v13, 8-max tournaments with ante, chip EV): an approximation of equilibrium with a modelled postflop, not an exact solution. Numbers are computed from the book and from the exact ICM model.
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