Position and opening ranges for live 1/2 and 2/5 cash games
The seat you open from decides how many players can wake up with a strong hand behind you and whether you act last for the rest of the hand. This lesson gives a starting chart for every seat in a nine-handed live game, shows how to read it, and explains when to tighten or widen it. Treat the chart as a starting point you adjust to your table, not a rule.
Why position matters
Position is where you sit relative to the button. The button acts last on the flop, turn and river, so the player there sees what everyone else does before deciding. Acting last lets you take a free card, control the size of the pot and value bet when you have it. Acting first means every decision is made with less information.
Position matters before the flop too, because every player still to act is another chance that someone holds a better hand. Take the strong hands QQ, KK, AA and AK: there are 34 combinations of them out of 1,326 starting hands. Hold 9♠ 8♠ and open from under the gun with eight players behind, and at least one of them holds one of those hands about 21% of the time. Open the same hand from the cutoff with three players behind and that falls to about 8%.
The same hand is a different hand in a different seat. That is why the chart below grows as you move towards the button.
Opening ranges by position
These ranges are for a nine-handed game with stacks of about 100 big blinds, when everyone folds to you. Each range contains the one before it.
| Seat | Opening range | Combinations | Share of hands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early (UTG, UTG+1) | 77+, ATs+, KTs+, QTs+, JTs, T9s, AJo+, KQo | 140 | 10.6% |
| Middle (UTG+2, lojack) | 55+, A8s+, A5s, KTs+, QTs+, J9s+, T9s, 98s, ATo+, KJo+ | 196 | 14.8% |
| Hijack | 22+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, J9s+, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, ATo+, KJo+, QJo | 258 | 19.5% |
| Cutoff | 22+, A2s+, K8s+, Q9s+, J9s+, T8s+, 97s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A9o+, KTo+, QTo+, JTo | 338 | 25.5% |
| Button | 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q6s+, J7s+, T7s+, 96s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, 43s, A2o+, K9o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o | 554 | 41.8% |
A plus sign means that hand and every better one of the same kind: 77+ is every pair from sevens to aces, and ATs+ is ace-ten suited up to ace-king suited. The “s” means suited and the “o” means offsuit.
From the small blind, when everyone folds to you, a simple plan is to raise a range close to the cutoff’s and fold the rest. The big blind defends against a raise rather than opening; the defending the blinds lesson covers it.
Try it: the opening chart by seat
Choose a seat to see its opening range on the grid. Each range contains the one before it.
A starting point for a nine-handed game at about 100 big blinds when everyone folds to you. Not solver output; adjust for your table.
How to read the chart
The chart is a 13 by 13 grid of every starting hand. Pairs run down the diagonal. Suited hands sit above it and offsuit hands below it. Each pair is 6 combinations, each suited hand 4 and each offsuit hand 12, so offsuit hands make up more of a range than the grid makes them look.
Ace-king, for example, is 16 combinations: 4 suited and 12 offsuit. When you count a range, count combinations, not squares. The range combinations calculator does this for any range you type.
How big to open at 1/2 and 2/5
Think in big blinds, not pounds. At £1/£2 the big blind is £2, so a £200 stack is 100 big blinds. At £2/£5 the big blind is £5, so a £500 stack is also 100 big blinds. The decisions in this lesson are the same at both stakes when the stacks are the same in big blinds.
Online games often open to 2.5 or 3 big blinds. Many live games play bigger because more players call. A practical approach:
- Pick one open size and use it with every hand from a given seat, so the size does not give your hand away.
- Watch what your table does. If a 3 big blind open gets four callers, a bigger open is more likely to get the heads-up pot your range plays best in.
- Add to the open for each player who limped in front of you. The limpers lesson shows how much.
When to change the chart
The chart assumes a normal game with nobody in the pot. Change it when the table is different:
- Limpers in front. You are no longer opening; you are raising over players already in the pot. See how to play against limpers.
- A straddle on. The straddle acts like a bigger big blind and halves the stacks measured in blinds. See the straddle.
- Aggressive players behind. If the players to your left re-raise often, tighten, especially the offsuit hands at the bottom of each range.
- Blinds who fold too often. From the cutoff and button, widen with suited hands.
- Short stacks. With 40 big blinds or fewer, speculative hands such as small pairs and suited connectors lose much of their value, because you cannot win a big pot when you hit.
Common mistakes
- Playing the same hands from every seat. King-jack offsuit is a fine button open and a weak under-the-gun open.
- Counting squares instead of combinations, and so misjudging how wide a range is.
- Changing the open size with hand strength, so observant players can read your hand from your bet.
- Following the chart when four players have already limped. That is a different decision.
- Opening wide from early position because the table looks passive, then facing a re-raise from the one player who woke up with a hand.
Check yourself
How many combinations of ace-king are there, and how many are suited?
16 in all: 4 suited and 12 offsuit. Every unpaired hand has 4 suited and 12 offsuit combinations, and every pair has 6.
The early range above is 140 combinations. What share of all starting hands is that?
140 ÷ 1,326 = 10.6%. About one hand in nine.
You hold 9♠ 8♠. Why is it an easier open from the cutoff than from under the gun?
From the cutoff only three players are left to act, so at least one of them holds QQ+ or AK about 8% of the time, against about 21% with eight players behind. You also act last after the flop more often, which helps a hand that needs to make something.
Key takeaways
- The later your seat, the fewer players behind you and the wider you can open.
- Count ranges in combinations: pairs 6, suited hands 4, offsuit hands 12.
- Use one open size per seat, sized for how your table calls, and change the chart when limpers or a straddle change the spot.
Sources and method
Original Overshove writing. The ranges are an editorial starting point for a nine-handed live game at about 100 big blinds, not solver output and not a guarantee of profit. Combination counts and shares were counted exactly over all 1,326 starting hands. The chances of a strong hand behind were estimated by simulating two million deals with 9♠ 8♠ removed from the deck.
Questions
What hands should you open from early position in live poker?
In a nine-handed game, a sound starting range is about 10 to 11% of hands: pairs from sevens up, strong suited aces, kings and queens, suited connectors from ten-nine, and ace-jack offsuit or better plus king-queen offsuit. Tighten if the players behind you re-raise a lot.
What hands should I fold preflop?
When it folds to you, fold everything outside your seat's opening range: under the gun that is about nine hands in ten, on the button about six in ten. The hands to let go first are weak offsuit hands such as king-five and queen-seven offsuit, and offsuit hands that look strong but make second-best pairs from early seats, such as king-ten and queen-jack offsuit.
How wide should you open on the button?
When everyone folds to you, the button can open far wider than any other seat because only the blinds are left to act and you will have position after the flop. About 40% of hands is a reasonable starting point; adjust for how often the blinds defend and re-raise.
How much should I raise preflop at 1/2 live?
There is no single right amount. Many live 1/2 games need a bigger raise than online games because more players call. Use one size from each seat whatever your hand, watch how many callers it gets, and add to it for every limper in front of you.
Why is position so important in poker?
The player who acts last sees every other decision before making their own. That makes it easier to control the size of the pot, take free cards and win pots when others show weakness. Before the flop, fewer players behind also means a lower chance that someone holds a better hand.