Poker Ranges: How to Read Charts and Think in Combinations

A range is a set of hands, not one hand

When someone raises under the gun, they might hold AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ suited, and more. You cannot see which one it is this time - but you can estimate which hands they would use for that raise. That whole set is their range in the spot.

• Less storytelling: "They always have AA" is usually wrong. AA is only 6 combos; the same raise range often includes many more hands.
• You can count: Knowing how many combos beat you, tie you, or lose to you turns a vague feeling into numbers you can compare with pot odds.

You have a range too. Opponents are asking the same question about you - good lines keep strong and weaker hands in your range so you are harder to read. Hand types: starting hands.

Notation: s, o, +, and combo counts

Basics (AKs, AKo, 169 types, 1,326 combos) live on the starting-hands page. Range shorthand you need most:

Remember three numbers: pair = 6, suited = 4, offsuit = 12.

Reading a 13x13 range chart

Charts arrange 169 hand types in a square with ranks A to 2 on both axes:

• Diagonal: AA to 22 - 13 pair cells.
• Upper triangle: suited hands (AKs, KQs...) - 78 cells.
• Lower triangle: offsuit hands (AKo, KQo...) - 78 cells.

Colored cells are inside the range. One color often means raise, another call, grey/blank fold; half-colored cells mean mixed frequency. Legends differ by source - read them first.

Before trusting a chart, ask three questions: which seat? what happened ahead (folded to, facing a raise, facing a 3-bet)? about how deep are stacks? The same seat's first-in open chart is not the same as its facing-raise chart.

Percentages by combo, not by cell

The easy visual trap: cells look equal but hold different combo weights. Exact shares of all starting hands:

Paint every pair and every suited hand and the chart looks "more than half" - yet that is under 30% of combos. One row of offsuit hands weighs three times the suited row of the same ranks. When someone says "about a 20% range," they almost always mean combo share.

How large are a few hypothetical ranges?

Practice counting only - not seat recommendations:

The third list "looks busy" on a chart and is still only about one-eighth of all starting combos. Counting once makes "what do they often have?" more realistic.

Ranges follow position and action

• Later seats open wider. Early seats have many players behind - tighter opens. The button has only two blinds behind - much wider opens. Why: positions.
• Stronger actions mean narrower ranges. An open-raise range is usually more polarized than a call range; after a 3-bet, ranges get stronger and tighter. Layer counting: 3-bet / 4-bet.

Beginners miss this: a hand you can open first-in is not always a hand you should call a raise with. Opening KTs when folded to you is different from calling an UTG raise with KTs against a tighter range that often includes AK, KQ, and AT. Preflop choices: preflop guide.

The board removes combos: a precise example

Suppose you put an opponent on "QQ+, AK" (34 combos). Flop: Ks 7d 2c (K of spades, 7 of diamonds, 2 of clubs). Any combo that needed that king of spades is gone:

Of those 27, sets of kings plus AK top pair are 15 combos (~55.6%). If you hold KQ (top pair, weaker kicker), most of this assumed range still beats you - one reason range thinking beats "maybe they are bluffing." Visible cards - including your hole cards - block the same way. More math habits: odds guide.

Narrowing street by street

Treat a hand as stepwise elimination (hypothetical sketch):

1. Preflop: They open middle position - start with a typical open group for that seat (coarse starting-hand groups are fine).
2. Draw types
3. The nuts
4. Flop: Remove impossible combos, then note bet vs check. Continuation-bet ranges mix value and some bluffs; checks lean toward medium hands and give-ups. See c-bets.
5. Turn: A second large bet keeps removing air and the weakest margins - the range leans toward strong made hands and strong draws.
6. River: Draws either hit or miss; bet size helps separate value from missed draws. Ask: what share of their range beats me, and what equity do I need to call?

You do not need perfect math every street. Habit: after each card and each action, ask whether the range got wider or narrower, stronger or weaker. Lines like a check-raise are strong narrowing signals.

Range advantage vs nut advantage

• Range advantage: Your entire range is stronger on average on this board. Early openers often have more top pairs and overpairs on A-high / K-high flops than a big-blind caller.
• Nut advantage: Who holds more of the very strongest hands. On low connected boards like 7-6-5, a wide blind-defense range may own more straights and two pairs.

They need not sit with the same player. Nut advantage often supports building a bigger pot; range advantage alone often prefers smaller probes. Bluffing context: bluffing basics.

Common range mistakes

• Assigning one exact hand: Start with a set, then remove.
• Trusting cell %: Count combos; offsuit weight is 3x suited for the same ranks.
• Copying random internet charts: Sources, table size, and depth differ - learn why a cell is painted.
• Forgetting your cards block: An ace in your hand cuts opponent AA from 6 combos to 3.
• Only studying them: If you only bet big with the nuts, your range becomes transparent.

Related

• Starting hands
• Preflop actions
• Position guide
• 3-bet and 4-bet
• Outs and pot odds
• Continuation bets
• Check-raise
• Beginner tips checklist
• Blind defense
• Poker glossary
• Effective stacks and SPR
• What GTO means
• Learn hub

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