Cash Game (Full Ring) Guide Part 3 – Hand Chart

Part 3 – Hand Chart

It may seem strange, but this part of the guide is also the most complex. Because it depends a lot on the actions that are happening at the table, the profile of the villains, the skill and position of the player.

The goal is for everyone to have their own hand chart, mainly understanding the reason for folding some hands OOP (weak aces, for example) and why you should open your range when in position (IP).

It is not necessary to write down or memorize this hand chart, but to understand which hands to play in which positions. All players have a range, which must be adapted to the conditions of the table; you can play looser or tighter depending on the circumstances. Considering that the target audience of this guide is beginners, it is best to start by playing quite tight.

This guide provides a very tight hand chart, which should be expanded as the player becomes more confident in their game. By understanding the logic behind how it was created, it will also be possible to open up the range and modify the hand chart according to each player's style and experience.

UTG, UTG+1, UTG+2: 77+, AQ+ (*22+)
MP: 22+, AJ+, KQs (*KJs+, QT+, JT+)
HJ: 22+, AT+, KTs, QTs+, TJs (*KTo+, QTo+, JTo+)
CO: 22+, A7s+, A9+, KT+, QT+, JT+ (*78s+, 8Ts+, 9Qs+, 9T+)
BU: 22+, Ax, K8+, Q9+, J9+ (*67s+, 8Ts+, 9Qs+, 9T+)
SB: 22+, Ax, K8+, Q9+, J9+ (*67s+, 8Ts+, 9Qs+, 9T+)
BB: 22+, Ax, KT+, QT+, JT+ (when only the SB of the call)

*Some suggestions for expanding the range.

Respecting the concept of position, the hand chart becomes looser as the player approaches the button. The ideal is to play solidly from the blinds and early position (EP), and gradually open up the range as you approach the BU.

Once you know what cards to play, it is wise to disguise the strength of your hand preflop. You can do this by mixing up the amount you open raise with (3x, 4x or 5x), or the simplest way is to have a standard raise. Opponents will have a hard time putting you in a range if your raise is the same with both AA and 78s.
For micro limits it is common to use 4x+1 per limper, to reduce the probability of multi-way pots with many players. The Player should not open the pot by only giving clean, it may even be reasonable in NL2 to give open clean with low (22-66) EP pocket pairs, but don't make a habit of it as it will be -EV at higher limits.

The range is also restricted in the blinds, because these are positions where money is traditionally lost, so the goal here is to lose as little as possible. It is prudent to avoid playing heads-up pots with speculative hands such as suited connectors and also with dominated hands such as broadways and weak aces. Except when the action is gapped (all players have folded to the action) then the open raising range of the SB will be at least equal to the BU's range. If the BU's opponent BB it is nit, the range can be any two cards (ATC) until he starts defending the blinds by calling or 3betting.

In average positions, the suggestion is to remain tight. But it is worth remembering that MP1 is closer to UTG, so it makes perfect sense for the range to be tighter than if it were in MP3 (or Hi-Jack) where it is already considered by some authors as late position.

In the final positions (CO and BU) the game is looser, and you can even open with practically ATC if the players in the blinds are nits. If you use hud, you can open a 3x LP raise with ATC since the SB e BB together, fold at least 66.7% of the time (fold SB x fold BB). If you use a standard 4x raise, the SB e BB they need to fold 72.7% times for the EV to be zero.

But be careful because the style adopted is tight aggressive, so playing looser in LP does not mean calling any raise with speculative hands. The range to open the pot is much looser, but not the range to call raises. You should avoid playing heads-up with dominated hands like A7o.

Speculative hands like suited connectors, suited broadways and low pairs require cheap or good pots. odds (multi-way). The intention is to flop a monster, a strong combo draw or give up the hand after a low investment.

In this series, we present a practical guide for new cash game players. It was written by our forum member Sarsante.

Part 1 – Introduction | Part 2 – Choosing tables | Part 3 – Hand Chart | Part 4 – Pot Odds and Draws