Preflop ranges explained
Updated: June 5, 2026
Ask a beginner “what would you do with King-Jack?” and they answer with that one hand. Ask a strong player and they answer with a range — the whole set of hands they’d play the same way. Learning to think in ranges is the second big leap after expected value.
What a range is
A range is the group of hands you’d take a given action with from a given situation. Instead of “I raise King-Jack,” you think “from this seat I raise these hands” — maybe all pairs, strong aces, suited broadways, and so on. The individual hand matters less than where it sits inside that group.
Why position changes everything
The later you act, the more information you have, so you can play more hands:
- Early position (first to act): tight. You’ll face many players behind you, so you want hands that play well under pressure.
- Middle position: a bit wider.
- Late position (button, cutoff): widest. Acting last is a huge advantage, so you can open hands you’d fold up front.
The same King-Jack that’s an easy raise on the button can be a clear fold under the gun. The hand didn’t change — your position did.
Suited vs offsuit
Suited hands make flushes and have more ways to connect, so they’re worth more than their offsuit twins. King-Jack suited belongs in more ranges than King-Jack offsuit. Small differences like this are exactly what ranges capture.
A note on “perfect” ranges
You’ll see charts online that look like gospel. Treat them as starting points, not laws. Real ranges shift with your opponents, stack sizes and table dynamics. In Spot+ the ranges behind each spot are approximate and procedurally generated — designed to build correct instincts, not to memorise an “exact” solution that doesn’t survive contact with a real table.
How to start
- Pick tight ranges from early position and wider ones late.
- Favour suited and connected hands when you add hands in.
- Notice why a hand is in or out, not just whether it is.
Do reps until “what’s my range here?” replaces “what do I do with this hand?” — that switch is when preflop starts to click.