Opening ranges by position (RFI)
Everyone before you folded: these are the hands the solver raises first in. Every open is to 2.5 big blinds, except the small blind’s, which is to 3 — and this tree gives the small blind no limp, only raise or fold. The ranges widen seat by seat, from 17.6% of hands in the lojack to 43.6% on the button.
LJ opening range
Folded to the lojack · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comHJ opening range
Folded to the hijack · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comCO opening range
Folded to the cutoff · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comBTN opening range
Folded to the button · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comSB opening range
Folded to the small blind · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comHow often each seat opens: GTO vs NL50 regs
Share of hands opened when folded to · 6-max, 100bb, GGPoker NL50
| Seat | GTO | NL50 regs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| LJ | 18% | 18% | 0 |
| HJ | 22% | 21% | −1 |
| CO | 29% | 28% | −1 |
| BTN | 44% | 42% | −2 |
| SB | 43% | 44% | +1 |
pokalab.comWhat NL50 regulars really open
A chart says what to do. Our database says what players do: the last card above puts the solver’s opens next to those of NL50 regulars on GGPoker, at the same table size and stack depth, over 13.1 million first-in decisions. Regulars stay within 2 points of the solver at every seat: a little tighter from the hijack, cutoff and button, a little wider from the small blind, level from the lojack.
Close is not the same as identical. Which hands they open, how they play against a 3-bet and what they do after the flop is where the money is, and that is what MDA measures, spot by spot, from ~300M real hands.
Big blind defense against every open
Facing an open, the big blind folds, calls or 3-bets. The later the opener sits, the wider his range and the less the big blind folds: 78.3% against the lojack, 59.7% against the button and 48.4% against the small blind. The 3-bet is to 13bb against a 2.5bb open and to 9bb against the small blind’s 3bb raise.
BB vs LJ open
The lojack raises to 2.5bb, the rest fold · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comBB vs HJ open
The hijack raises to 2.5bb, the rest fold · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comBB vs CO open
The cutoff raises to 2.5bb, the rest fold · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comBB vs BTN open
The button raises to 2.5bb, the rest fold · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comBB vs SB open
The small blind raises to 3bb, the rest fold · GTO, 6-max, 100bb
pokalab.comBig blind vs each open: fold, call, 3-bet
GTO · 6-max, 100bb, GGPoker NL50 rake
| Opener | Fold | Call | 3-bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| LJ | 78.3% | 16.6% | 5.1% |
| HJ | 75.0% | 18.2% | 6.7% |
| CO | 70.0% | 21.5% | 8.5% |
| BTN | 59.7% | 27.6% | 12.7% |
| SB | 48.4% | 33.2% | 18.3% |
pokalab.comHow to read the charts
- The grid. Each cell is a hand: pairs on the diagonal, suited hands above it, offsuit hands below.
- The colors. A cell’s colors are its strategy. A cell split in two is a mixed strategy: the width of each color is how often the solver takes that action with that hand. The legend above each chart gives the share of all hands that take each action.
- The game. Six players, 100 big blinds each, opens to 2.5bb (3bb from the small blind), with GGPoker’s NL50 rake: 5% capped at 8bb ($4), the rake GGPoker also takes on 3-bet pots that end before the flop, and its Bad Beat Jackpot fee. Rake makes calling worse and folding better, so a chart solved without it is not the game you play.
- The solver. Pokalab’s own preflop solver. It is the tree free accounts open in Solutions and the one MDA compares the population to.
Printable PDF
All ten charts on two A4 pages, in color, with the share of hands for each action. Print them, keep them next to your tables.
Download the charts (PDF)Questions
What are GTO preflop charts?
A chart shows, for each of the 169 starting hands, what a game-theory-optimal strategy does at one decision: here, the first raise from each seat and the big blind’s answer to it. A GTO strategy cannot be beaten by any counter-strategy; it is the baseline you deviate from once you know how your opponents play.
How wide should I open from the button at 6-max?
At 100bb with GGPoker NL50’s rake, the solver opens 43.6% of hands from the button to 2.5bb. NL50 regulars open 42%.
How often should the big blind fold to a button open?
Against a 2.5bb button open the solver folds 59.7% of hands, calls 27.6% and 3-bets 12.7%.
Why doesn’t the small blind limp?
This tree gives the small blind two options when folded to: raise to 3bb or fold. It raises 43.5% of hands.
Can I use these charts at other stakes or rooms?
As a starting point, yes. But the rake moves the ranges — the higher the rake, the tighter the opens and the more the blinds fold — and the open size changes them too. Pokalab solves a tree per room and stake; Pro opens all of them in Solutions.
Are the charts really free?
Yes, on this page and in the PDF, with no account. A free account also opens the same tree in Solutions (every hand’s EV, every node after the open) and in the Trainer.