How to read a preflop chart

If you've ever opened a poker preflop chart and seen a 13×13 grid of colored squares, you've seen the standard format every solver and every poker training site uses. The grid encodes every possible starting hand. Here's how the layout works and how to read off the strategy.

The layout

• Diagonal (top-left to bottom-right): the pocket pairs. AA in the top-left, then KK, QQ, all the way down to 22 in the bottom-right.
• Above the diagonal: suited hands. AKs is just right of AA. As you move further right, you're adding more kicker gap (AQs, AJs, ATs, …, A2s).
• Below the diagonal: offsuit hands. AKo is just below AA. Same downward kicker progression.

So a hand like K9o lives below the diagonal in the row for K, column for 9. JTs lives above the diagonal — row for J, column for T.

The colors

Most charts use 3-color encoding: raise (red/orange), call (green/blue), fold (gray). A solid red square means "always raise this hand" — every combo. A solid gray square means "always fold". A mixed square (half red half green, or a gradient) means a mixed-frequency strategy: raise some percentage of combos, do something else with the rest.

The mixed squares are the most counterintuitive part for new readers. Why would a solver play A5o by raising 30% and folding 70%? Because at the indifference point between two actions, both have nearly identical EV. The solver mixes specifically to remain unexploitable — if a perfect opponent knew you always raised A5o, they could adjust their defending range to exploit you. Random mixing prevents that.

Common mistakes when using charts

1. Treating mixed frequencies as exact recipes. If a chart says "raise A5o 30%", picking 3-of-10 such hands to raise and 7-of-10 to fold is approximately right — and almost no one will exploit you if you just always raise it or always fold it. Don't agonize over the mix.
2. Using a 6-max chart in a 9-max game. Position-relative ranges are different. The "CO" position in 6-max plays a wider range than the equivalent seat in 9-max because there are fewer players behind. Use position- and game-type-specific charts (our preflop tool lets you switch between 6-max cash, 9-max cash, and tournament push/fold).
3. Ignoring stack depth. A 100bb RFI chart is wrong at 25bb (use push/fold) and slightly wrong at 200bb (tighter ranges, more flatting). Match the chart to the actual game depth.
4. Using charts as a 'never deviate' rule. Charts are baselines. If you have specific reads (this player never 3-bets the BB without QQ+), profitable exploits exist.

What charts can't tell you

Preflop charts encode the equilibrium first action. They say nothing about how to play the flop, turn, or river — that's where the real money is made or lost. The postflop solver handles the next street; combine the two and you have an end-to-end strategy baseline.

Start by learning the most important charts in this order: BTN opening range, BB defending vs BTN, BB 3-bet range. These three cover roughly half the hands you'll play heads-up postflop.