Texas Hold’em Hand Range Chart | Win Rates and Memorization Techniques Explained for Tight and Loose Play

Understanding Texas Hold’em hand range charts is essential knowledge for improving your winning percentage in poker, including Texas Hold’em.

The position you take and the hands you start with significantly impact your long-term profits and stability. Developing a correct sense of ranges from the beginning is the quickest way to improve.

Therefore, in this article, we will explain hand ranges for each position, what hands are profitable to play, and how to memorize the hand range chart!

We also introduce hand ranges shared by professional poker player Yokosawa, as well as apps that can be helpful for studying, so please take a look!

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What is a poker hand range?

In short, a hand range indicates the range of hand strengths in which you are likely to profit from playing.

Basically, poker is a game where you compete based on the strength of your hand within a group, so if you try to win with every starting hand, you’ll lose.

If the first two cards you’re dealt aren’t of a certain strength, it’s difficult to make a winning record.

Furthermore, if you can sense your opponent’s hand range, you can, although only as a possibility, predict the strength of the cards they hold .

Understanding hand ranges is essential knowledge for increasing your chances of winning.

The rules of poker are explained in detail in this article, ” What is Texas Hold’em? Basic Rules and Strategies Explained in an Easy-to-Understand Way! “, so please be sure to read it as well.

What playing style determines your poker hand range?

Generally speaking, there are established criteria for the strength of a hand range that allows a player to make a profit.

Since poker is a game of probability, the range of hand strengths that can generate a profit does not change.

However, depending on their playing style, a player’s hand range may deviate from the standard range.

In poker, different players have different names for their playing styles depending on their hand range.

Let’s take a closer look at the differences.

Poker playing style ①: Loose

First up is a player known as Loose.

This refers to a player who plays with more hands than those who play with a normal hand range.

Even with weak hands, they fearlessly call or raise pre-flop, significantly increasing their chances of participating in the game.

Poker playing style ②: Tight

On the other hand, a player known as a “tight” player is someone who plays with an even narrower hand range than the average player, and only plays with strong hands.

Since I only play with hands that I believe are generally stronger than my opponent’s, I don’t participate in games very often.

Of course, your chances of winning will increase when you participate in a game, but playing too tightly can have disadvantages.

Specifically, this can lead to disadvantages such as losing the ante, or your opponent not taking on the challenge, resulting in smaller pots and therefore less profit even if you win.

What do “aggressive” and “passive” mean in poker?

In poker , in addition to “loose” and “tight,” the terms “aggressive” and “passive” are also used to describe playing styles.

Aggressive players are those who prefer to make large bets and raise frequently, while passive players are those who prefer to call rather than raise.

These four words are often combined to describe a player’s style in poker.

For example, a player who raises frequently and plays with a wide range of hands is called a loose-aggressive player.

A player who plays very cautiously, only using strong, narrow hands and raising infrequently, is called a tight passive.

Once you can judge a player’s playing style in poker, you’ll be able to predict the strength of their hand. Learn different strategies by actually playing.

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How to interpret poker hand ranges

Now that we understand the basics of hand ranges, let’s move on to learning how to actually read a hand range chart.

First, please take a look at this image.

This is a chart showing common open raise ranges used by tight players in high-stakes games.

The left-right arrangement of numbers indicates a suited card with the same suit, while the top-bottom arrangement indicates an offsuit card.

And when using this table, the part to pay attention to is the section with a yellow background.

When making an open raise pre-flop, sticking to starting hands like 55 or ATo, as outlined in this table, will reduce the chances of incurring losses.

Next, we’ll be looking at open raise hand range charts for tight and loose players at each position, so please continue reading until the end.

[Tight Positions] Hand Range and Win Rate for Each Position

Let’s take a look at the hand range charts used for open raises (the very first raise) at each position.

First, we’ve prepared a range chart designed for tight players.

Incidentally, the percentages shown above the image indicate the percentage of starting hand combinations that can result in a raise.

UTG・UTG＋１

Approximately 10%

Suits (Suited): AT+, KT+, QT+

Offsuit: AT+, KQ+,

Pocket Pairs: 77+ The “+” indicates a combination of a larger number.

As an early position player (UTG), you need a strong hand to compete, considering the possibility of re-raises from later positions.

MP1

Approximately 12%

Suits: A9+, KT+, QT+

Offset: AT+, KQ+

Pocket pair: 66+

Taking action in the middle position also requires a fairly early stage of play, so you need a strong hand to have a chance there as well.

Raising with a weak hand makes it difficult to deal with re-raises or calls from behind.

MP2

Approximately 15%

Suits: A5+, K9+, Q9

Offset: AT+, KT+, QJ+

Pocket pair: 66+

It’s almost identical to the MP1, but with a suited setup, you can also use combinations like the Q9 or K9.

HJ (Hijack)

Approximately 17%

Suit: QT+

Offset: A5+

Pocket pair: 55+

I still don’t have a wide range of hands I can compete with in HJ.

CO (Cutoff)

Approximately 20%

Suits: A4+, K8+, Q9, J9+, T9+

Off-suit: A9+, KT+, QT+, JT+

Pocket pair: 44+

When you reach CO, your hand range expands considerably.

You can go for a win with most face tiles and combinations of 10 (T) or higher, and you can also use most suited combinations with Aces for an open raise.

BTN

Approximately 30%

Suits: A2+, K5+, Q7+, J8+, T8+, 98+

Offset: A5+, K9+, Q9+, J9+, T9+

Pocket pair: 22+

With only two players remaining behind him, the button (BTN), offers a significantly wider range compared to previous positions.

While the range of playable hands is less than that of the small blind (SB), it’s often considered the best position because it’s the last position to act after seeing the opponent’s actions after the flop.

SB (Small Plane)

Approximately 40%

Suits: A2+, K2+, Q4+, J7+, T7+, 97+

Off-suit: A2+, K7+, Q8+, T9+

Pocket pair: 22

With only the big blind behind you, and having already paid half the blinds, the odds and winning probability are relatively balanced, making for a fairly wide range of hands that won’t result in losses.

However, it’s said to be a worse position than the button because it’s difficult to respond to re-raises from the big blind, and you’re the first to take action after the flop, giving information to your opponents.

BB (Big Blind)

BB does not have an open raise hand range chart.

The situation in which the big blind (BB) can open raise is when there are limpers (people who have called), and in this case, since the BB has already paid the blinds, they can move to the flop and see the community cards for free.

Therefore, there is very little benefit to making an open raise.

Incidentally, depending on the situation, it’s generally best to call an opponent’s open raise with a hand in the top 50% of your hand range.

However, always keep in mind that the closer you get to an early position (UTG or UTG+1), the stronger your opponent’s hand range will become.

While it’s fine to increase your calling frequency against the button or small blind in terms of your range, calling against the under-ground player (UTG), who almost always open-raises with strong cards, is likely a sign that you’ve already lost pre-flop.

[Loose Edition] Hand Range and Win Rate at Each Position

Next, let’s look at a hand range chart for loose players who tend to have a relatively wide range of hands.

This time, I’ll introduce a hand range that I often play with, which is about 5% looser than that of a tight player.

I’ll explain this in more detail later, but hand ranges vary depending on the situation, so please use this article as a reference and feel free to make your own adjustments.

UTG・UTG+1

Approximately 15%

Suits: A7+, KT+, QT+, JT+

Offsuit: AT+, KT+, QJ+,

Pocket pair: 77

Similar to tights, there aren’t many starting hand combinations in the UTG position where loose players can really compete.

MP1

Approximately 17%

Suits: A5+, K9+, Q9+, J9+

Offsuit: AT+, KT+, QT+ Pocket Pair: 66

Compared to when playing tightly, the strength of pocket pairs hasn’t changed, but the range of suited hands using Aces has expanded significantly.

MP2

20%

Suits: A4+, K9+, Q9+, J9+, T9+

Off-suit: A9+, KT+, QT+, JT+

Pocket pair: 66+

Loose players, at MP2, have the same hand range as tight players at CO.

HJ (Hijack)

Approximately 22%

Suits: A3+, K7+, Q8+, J9+, T9+

Offset: A8+, KT+, QT+, JT+,

Pocket pair: 55

There aren’t many significant changes from MP.

CO (Cutoff)

Approximately 25%

Suits: A2+, K6+, Q8+, J8+, T8+

Offset: A7+, KT+, QT+, JT+

Pocket pair: 55+

While I can’t take aggressive action yet because the BTN, SB, and BB are still behind me, I have a 25% open-raise range, which means I’ll be fighting at a high frequency of about one in four games.

BTN

Approximately 35%

Suits: A2+, K3+, Q5+, J7+, T7+, 97+, 87+

Off-suit: A2+, K7+, Q9+, J9+, T9+

Pocket pair: 22+

If you have a loose button, even a single Ace or a small pair like 22 will all be within the range of an open raise.

SB (Small Plane)

Approximately 45%

Suits: A2+, K2+, Q3+, J6+, T6+, 96+, 86+, 76+, 66

Off-suit: A6+, K6+, Q8+, J8+, T8+, 98+,

Pocket pair: 66+

When a loose player plays in the SB position, they participate in the game quite frequently.

Even with weaker connectors like 98o or 76s, they’ll still go for straights or flushes, so honestly, it’s difficult to judge the strength of a loose player’s hand.

However, since these hands are often weak, if the game goes to showdown, the loose player usually loses.

Hand range chart of professional poker player Yokosawa

World-renowned professional poker player Yokosawa also shared his original hand range chart on his YouTube channel, ” Yokosawa Poker Channel .”

The strength of the hands is ranked by the color of the squares, with the order of hands with the highest winning percentage being navy blue → red → yellow → green → light blue → white → gray.

I generally don’t participate in games with gray hands because they have a low win rate.

In the video, participation is limited to those with a green or higher rating, regardless of position. Furthermore, actions need to be adjusted depending on the position.

For example, if the CO raises, and you are in the BTN position, refer to the hand range chart and choose one of the following actions.

• If it’s light blue, white, or gray, then it’s “Fold“.
• If it’s green, it’s “Call“.
• Navy blue, red, and yellow are “Relays“

This hand range chart is easy for beginners to understand, so please use it as a reference.

How do you memorize hand ranges?

We’ve covered the basics and concepts of hand ranges so far, but some of you might be wondering, “How do I actually memorize them?”

To put it simply, the most natural and fastest way to learn poker is to repeatedly play while referring to a hand range chart.

In other words,the key is how many opportunities you can secure to play poker.

The more you play, the more players you can compete against.

The more opportunities you have to play against players with diverse play styles, the broader your own experience will become.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Poker Hand Ranges

Here are some frequently asked questions about poker hand ranges.

What are the strongest and weakest hands in poker?

The strongest hand in poker is a royal flush. However, it rarely appears because its probability of occurring is only 0.0032%.

The weakest hand is a high card of 2 or 3. In poker, 2 is the weakest card.

The strength of the other hands is as shown in the table below. The higher up you go, the stronger the hand.

Role	Hand
Royal Straight Flush	A complete set of cards from 10 to Ace in the same suit.
Straight Flush	Five consecutive numbers of the same suit.
Quads (Four of a Kind)	Four of the same numbers appear.
Full house	Three cards with the same number and two cards with the same number.
flash	Five cards of the same suit
straight	Five consecutive numbers, regardless of suit.
Three of a kind (set)	Three of the same numbers appear.
Two Pair	Two sets of two cards with the same number are collected.
One pair	Two cards with the same number are collected.
Highcard	A hand that does not form a winning combination

For more information on hand strength and probability, please also refer to the article ” A List of Various Poker Probabilities! Probabilities of Forming Hands in Texas Hold’em “.

Are there any apps that can help me learn about poker hand ranges?

If you want to learn about poker hand ranges, I recommend the app “Poker Pre-Flo Trainer”.

It can be used on both iPhones and Android devices, so you can study during your free time.

Furthermore, actual experience is crucial for learning hand ranges. If you want to know about the latest online poker games recommended for beginners, please refer to the following article.

Improve your win rate by understanding Texas Hold’em hand range charts!

There is much debate about loose and tight hand ranges in Texas Hold’em, and it’s not always clear which is better.

Your strategy will change depending on the situation; for example, if there are many loose players at the table, you should play tightly and aim for the pot, or if it’s a tight table, you should play loosely and aggressively and aim for blind steals.

To achieve this, it’s crucial to understand the Texas Hold’em hand range chart introduced here and be able to adjust your range to suit your opponent. Let’s practice this through apps and actual games!

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