Preflop Starting Hand Charts: Simple 6-Max Ranges for Beginners

Why preflop charts matter

Most expensive poker mistakes begin before the flop. A loose call with K9 offsuit, a nervous fold with AQs on the button, or a tiny 3-bet with pocket queens can create difficult postflop spots for the rest of the hand. Preflop starting-hand charts give you a disciplined baseline so you are not guessing every time the action reaches you.

A chart is not a law. It is a default plan for normal stack sizes, typical rake, and unknown opponents. You should tighten up against strong early-position opens, widen against passive blinds, and adjust when stacks are shallow. But until you have a reliable baseline, adjustments often become excuses to play too many weak hands.

Position is the engine of every range

The earlier you act, the more players are still behind you. That means stronger ranges. Under the gun in a 6-max game, you need hands that can survive raises and play well out of position. On the button, only the blinds remain, so you can profitably open many more suited hands, broadways, pairs, and selected connectors.

Beginner 6-max open-raise chart

The ranges below are intentionally simple. They are not solver-perfect, and they do not cover every stack depth or table dynamic. They are a strong starting point for low-stakes cash games and beginner tournaments where the priority is avoiding dominated hands and playing more pots with position.

Sizing matters too. A common open is 2.2 to 2.5 big blinds online and 3 big blinds live. From the small blind, slightly larger raises can make sense because you will play out of position. Avoid changing size based on hand strength; observant opponents quickly notice when big raises mean big pairs.

Calling and 3-betting basics

Facing an open is different from opening yourself. You need to respect the raiser's position. A hand like AJo can be a standard open from the cutoff but a fold against a tight UTG raise. Calling too many dominated broadway hands is one of the fastest ways to lose medium pots after flopping one pair.

• 3-bet for value with hands that are comfortably ahead of the opener's continuing range: QQ+, AK, and sometimes JJ or AQs depending on position.
• Use suited wheel aces like A5s as occasional 3-bet bluffs because they block strong ace hands and can make nut flushes or straights.
• Call more in position than out of position. Realizing equity is easier when you act last postflop.
• Defend the big blind wider against small button opens, but do not treat every suited hand as automatic.
• Fold hands that look playable but make dominated pairs: KTo, QTo, A8o, and weak offsuit connectors are frequent traps.

How to study preflop without memorizing 169 combos at once

1. Learn one position at a time. Start with button opens because position makes the logic easier to feel.
2. Group hands by shape: pairs, suited aces, broadways, suited connectors, and offsuit broadways.
3. Drill ten spots, then review only the mistakes. The goal is automatic recognition, not perfect recall on day one.
4. Connect preflop to postflop. Ask which flops your range hits and which hands are likely to be dominated.

GTO Club's trainer is designed around that workflow. You see a position, hand, stack, and action. You choose fold, call, or raise. The feedback explains why the hand fits the range, why it is close, or why it should be released. That repetition is much more useful than staring at a static grid once and hoping it sticks.

Common preflop chart mistakes

• Opening the same range from every position. Button hands are not UTG hands.
• Calling because a hand is suited. Suitedness helps, but rank, domination, and position matter more.
• Flat-calling premium hands too often. Strong pairs and AK usually want value and isolation before the flop.
• Ignoring stack depth. Small pairs and suited connectors lose value when stacks are too short to win a big pot after hitting.
• Treating charts as permission to stop thinking. Opponent tendencies, rake, antes, and tournament pressure all change the best answer.

The best preflop players are not robots. They use charts as a foundation, then adjust with purpose. If you can explain why you are widening, tightening, calling, or 3-betting, you are using the chart correctly. If the answer is only that you felt bored, it is probably a leak. After this guide, continue with the pot odds guide and hand rankings guide, then consider Premium for deeper training sessions.