Poker strategy guide · 6 min
Preflop ranges
Preflop work turns vague hand selection into a repeatable range plan. The goal is not to memorize every combo; it is to know why a hand opens, calls, three-bets, or folds in a specific seat and stack configuration.
Position drives the baseline
Early position needs stronger hands because more players can wake up behind. Button and small blind ranges widen because fewer players remain and the hand has more ways to win uncontested. A good preflop plan starts with seat, then adjusts for stack depth and opponents.
Range shape matters more than one hand
A solver range contains value hands, suited connectors, suited aces, and blocker-heavy bluffs in deliberate proportions. When you study one hand, ask what other hands travel with it. That prevents overfitting to a single combo and keeps the whole range coherent.
Rake and stack depth change marginal calls
High rake punishes loose flat calls because small edges disappear after fees. Shorter stacks reduce implied odds for small pairs and suited connectors, while deeper stacks reward hands that can make disguised strong hands and apply pressure across streets.
Practice prompts
- Choose one seat and write the hands that are pure opens, mixed opens, and folds before checking a chart.
- Compare a suited ace and an offsuit broadway hand with similar raw equity. Explain which one realizes equity better postflop.
- Mark which hands leave your calling range first when rake increases.