What is a range in poker?
A range is every hand a player could hold at a given moment, weighted by how likely each is. Instead of guessing one hand ("he has ace-king"), you assign a range ("he opened from UTG, so pairs, suited aces and broadways") and narrow it as the hand plays out.
Why it matters
Thinking in ranges is the difference between guessing and reasoning. You can't know two cards, but you can know that a player who 3-bet from the small blind has a strong, mostly-premium range — and then judge every board and bet against that whole set.
Ranges also describe your own play: a preflop chart is your range from each seat, and a balanced strategy keeps that range uncapped so opponents can't attack it.
The numbers
- There are 1,326 two-card starting hands, which collapse to 169 distinct hands (13 pairs, 78 suited, 78 offsuit). A range like "UTG open" covers 24.1% of those combos; "button open" covers 53.2%.
- Combo counts are what make ranges concrete: a pocket pair is 6 combos, a suited hand 4, an offsuit hand 12 — so "AK" is 16 combos and "QQ" only 6.
Figures come from the same preflop charts and research data the rest of the site uses (charts last updated July 5, 2026); they change when that data does.
Every open-raise and defense range by position, 6-max 100bb, with the frequencies below.
You run one 'correct' script regardless of who's across from you — so you bluff the calling stations and pay off the nits, leaving money against the exact weak players you should be crushing.
Common questions
How do you put someone on a range?
Start from their preflop action and seat (an UTG open is tight; a button open is wide), then remove hands that don't fit each later action. A player who calls a flop bet and raises the turn has a narrower range than one who just calls twice.
What is a capped range?
A range that can't contain the strongest hands — for example, a player who only called preflop is unlikely to have AA or KK. Capped ranges are the ones you can pressure with big bets.
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