The Poker Cheat Sheet
Every number worth having at a Texas Hold'em table, on one printable page: what beats what, what to open from every seat, what a call needs, and how often you have to defend. All figures come from the same charts and math as HoldemPro's free tools — free, no signup. Playing tournaments short-stacked? The push/fold chart covers 5\u201320bb shoving ranges the same way.
Hand rankings — best to worst
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 7♦ |
| 4 | Full house | J♠ J♦ J♥ 4♣ 4♠ |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ |
| 6 | Straight | T♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 2♥ |
| 8 | Two pair | A♣ A♦ 9♠ 9♥ 5♣ |
| 9 | One pair | K♥ K♦ Q♠ 8♣ 3♦ |
| 10 | High card | A♠ Q♦ T♣ 6♥ 3♠ |
Starting hands — the four tiers
T1 Premium: AA, KK, QQ, AKs
T2 Strong: JJ, TT, AQs, AKo, AJs, KQs
T3 Solid openers: 99, 88, ATs, AQo, KJs, QJs, JTs
T4 Position hands: 77–22, A9s–A2s, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, KQo, ATo, KJo, QJo
T1–T2: play from every seat. T3: middle seats onward. T4: late position only.
Open-raise % by seat (6-max, 100bb)
| Seat | Open % | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| UTG | 24.1% | tight |
| MP | 30.9% | solid |
| CO | 38.1% | wide |
| BTN | 53.2% | half your hands |
| SB | 45.0% | wide |
The button opens ~2.2× as many hands as UTG. Full charts: holdempro.app/tools/preflop-ranges
Pot odds & minimum defense
| Bet size | Call needs | Defend (MDF) |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ pot | 17% | 80% |
| ⅓ pot | 20% | 75% |
| ½ pot | 25% | 67% |
| ⅔ pot | 29% | 60% |
| ¾ pot | 30% | 57% |
| Pot | 33% | 50% |
| 1.5× pot | 38% | 40% |
| 2× pot | 40% | 33% |
Call needs = equity to break even. MDF = how often you must continue so bluffs can't print.
Outs → equity (rule of 4 and 2)
| Draw | Outs | Flop→river | Turn→river |
|---|---|---|---|
| flush draw + open-ender | 15 | 54% | 32% |
| flush draw + gutshot | 12 | 45% | 26% |
| flush draw | 9 | 35% | 19% |
| open-ended straight draw | 8 | 31% | 17% |
| two overcards | 6 | 24% | 13% |
| gutshot straight draw | 4 | 16% | 9% |
| pocket pair → set | 2 | 8% | 4% |
Shortcut: outs × 4 with two cards to come, outs × 2 with one. Exact figures above.
What winning players' stats look like
| Stat | Winning range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| VPIP | 20–26% | Hands played voluntarily. Higher = too loose, lower = too tight. |
| PFR | 17–22% | Preflop raise rate — should sit just below VPIP; a big gap means too much calling. |
| 3-bet | 6–11% | Re-raise rate preflop. Under ~4% is a value-only tell. |
| AF | 1.8–3 | Postflop (bets+raises)/calls. Under ~1.5 is the passive-postflop leak. |
6-max low stakes. Where do you sit? holdempro.app/leak-quiz reads you in 7 hands, free.
Cheat sheet FAQ
Is there a free printable poker cheat sheet?
Yes — this page is print-formatted (use the print button or Ctrl/Cmd+P) and also available as a free PDF at https://holdempro.app/holdempro-cheat-sheet.pdf. It covers hand rankings, starting-hand tiers, open-raise percentages by position, pot odds, minimum defense frequency, and outs — the numbers worth having at the table.
What should a poker cheat sheet include?
The lookups you actually need mid-session: what beats what (hand rankings), which hands to play from which seat (tiers + open percentages), what a call needs to win (pot odds by bet size), how often you must defend versus a bet (MDF), and how to convert outs to equity (the rule of 4 and 2). Strategy beyond that belongs in study, not on a sheet.
How do I quickly work out pot odds at the table?
Divide the call by the pot after your call. Facing a half-pot bet you need 25%, a two-thirds-pot bet about 29%, a full-pot bet 33%. Then estimate your equity with the rule of 4 and 2: outs × 4 on the flop (two cards to come), outs × 2 on the turn.