Cash Game Poker Charts: A Practical Guide to Preflop and Postflop Ranges for No-Limit Hold'em

Understanding the structure of cash game charts

To build a practical chart, you should separate your guidance into three interconnected layers: preflop ranges by position, postflop strategies anchored in board texture, and table-aware adjustments that come from stack depth and player tendencies. The preflop layer tells you which hands to open, defend, or 3-bet from each seat. The postflop layer guides your continuation betting and bluff-catching decisions once the flop is out there. The adjustments layer helps you tailor those decisions to your opponents and the table’s overall pressure.

Key concepts you’ll see echoed throughout this guide include: position, stack depth, pot odds, SPR, balance, and selective aggression. If a hand-plotting chart tells you to c-bet in a specific board texture with a certain frequency, you should also consider whether the table is passive or aggressive, whether you have a storytelling range (bluffing hands) that can credibly represent strong holdings, and whether your opponent folds too often to your bets. This is how a chart becomes a living tool rather than a rigid script.

Preflop range charts by position (6-max cash games)

In six-max cash games, the dynamics are tighter and the positional leverage is stronger. The following ranges are intended as starting points. They assume a standard 100 big blind (BB) deep stack and a table with a mix of calling stations and occasional squeezers. Adjustments should be made for table size, opponent tendencies, and your own stack depth. Use these as guidelines to build your own table-specific charts.

Under the Gun (UTG)

• Open range: strong hands only. Think AA-88, AKs-AQo, AJs, KQs, and select pocket pairs down to 77 or 66 depending on observed aggression. Suited connectors like 76s or 65s are typically excluded from a strict UTG open in 6-max unless your table is extremely passive or you know the players behind you are very tight.
• Defend vs 3-bets: call with top pair or better, strong suited Broadway cards, and some middle pairs. If you face frequent 3-bets, tighten further and rely on a robust 4-bet plan with premium holdings.

Middle Position (MP)

• Open range: adds more suited connectors and broadways. Include hands like A2s-A5s, KJs-KTs, QJs, JTs, 99-66, and a few strong backdoor possibilities. The goal is to widen just enough to apply pressure without tipping into overly wide territory.
• Defend vs 3-bets: continue with a portion of your suited hands and pocket pairs in the 77-99 range, plus high-suited aces like A9s, A8s. Avoid calling too wide with marginal hands behind you.

Cutoff (CO)

• Open range: significantly broader than MP. Include A2s-A9s, K9s-KTs, Q9s-QTs, J9s-JTs, T9s, and most pocket pairs down to 66. Suited connectors down to 54s can be included if the table is passive and your image is strong.
• Defend vs 3-bets: balanced mix of strong and semi-bluff-worthy holdings. Consider 4-bet bluffing with hands like A5s or A4s sometimes if opponents are capable of folding to aggression.

Button (BTN)

• Open range: widest of all seats. Include A2s-A9s, K9s-KQ, Q9s-QJ, J9s-JTs, T8s+, 98s-76s, and most pocket pairs. Your aim is to leverage position to operate on later streets and extract value from a wide range of defenses.
• Defend vs 3-bets: call a broad range and consider 4-bet bluff opportunities with certain suited aces or backdoor combos when you identify a capable caller behind.

Small Blind (SB)

• Open range: depends heavily on your image and the big blind’s tendencies. A typical range includes A2s-A5s, K9s-KTs, Q9s-QJs, J9s-JTs, T9s, and suited connectors down to 54s. You’ll frequently apply pressure but must be ready to fold to aggression if you encounter resistance.
• Defend vs 3-bets: be selective. Favor hands with strong postflop playability, such as suited aces and top pair potential with backdoor draws.

Big Blind (BB) when facing a steal

• Defensive range: include pocket pairs 22+, suited connectors, broadway combos, and backdoor draws. Your job is to defend enough to discourage blind steals while not bloating pots with weak holdings.
• Against steal attempts: consider 3-bets with strong hands and some lighter 3-bets with backdoor possibilities to balance your range.

These preflop outlines give you a starting framework. The core idea is to open with a clear central theme per position, keep a compact defense range, and ensure you have a mix of value hands and bluffs across positions. As you gain data from real hands, you should update these ranges to reflect the tendencies you encounter at your table.

Postflop charts: continuation bets, boards, and turn decisions

Postflop play is where charts translate into on-table profit. The central decision is whether to continuation bet (c-bet), and if so, how often, with what sizing, and on which textures. Your plan should be built on the awareness that an ongoing bet can represent air as well as value. A well-balanced approach makes you credible as both a bluffer and a value bettor, while also protecting you from being exploited by perceptive opponents.

Flop textures and c-bet patterns

• Dry boards (e.g., Axx rainbow, KQx rainbow): be more willing to c-bet a high percentage of your range, especially from the BTN or CO. Use a larger sizing (around two-thirds to full pot) when you have backdoor equity or strong value.
• Wet boards (e.g., JdTd9h with two overcards or straight possibilities): mix in more checks and smaller bets. You want to deny easy bluff-calling lines and avoid getting stuck paying off with marginal air to better hands on future streets.
• Texture-driven ranges: have calls with strong high cards and backdoor draws, and bets with bluffs in spots where your range can credibly represent strong top pairs or overpairs.

Turn strategy: equity realization and ballpark frequencies

• When you continue on the turn, consider your hand type and the opponent’s likely range. If you picked up a piece of the board or hold a genuine draw, your turn plan may include pressure or gradual pot control depending on stack depth and pot size.
• Against heavy action on the flop, you may choose to check more often with marginal hands, reserving your stronger lines for the river or a larger payoff when the board runs out favorably.

River play: value, bluffs, and pot control

• Pocket pairs and top pair hands often require a value-seeking line rather than a bluff-heavy approach. If you missed your draw and the opponent has shown aggression, consider folding in many spots rather than paying off large bets with weak holdings.
• Bluffs on the river should be focused, credible, and balanced. Choose spots where your river bluff can be mistaken for a credible value hand, especially against opponents who fold frequently to river bets.

In practice, your postflop chart should include a library of common lines by texture, and a decision framework: what is your pot odds threshold, what backdoors exist, and which hands are strong enough to bet for value versus those that should exploit folds. The ultimate goal is to maintain a balanced line that looks the same to observant opponents on all streets.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Even with charts, players drift. Here are typical slip-ups and practical fixes to keep your cash game equity high over the long run.

• Over-bluffing in spots where the opponent has a strong calling range. Fix: focus your bluffing on situations with credible blockers and missed draws. Ensure your bluffs align with your overall range on that board.
• Under-betting when you have the nuts or strong value. Fix: value-bet enough to extract, but keep control of pot size when you sense resistance. Sometimes a slightly smaller, more frequent value bet yields better long-term EV than large bets that get raised off.
• Failing to adjust to table dynamics. Fix: track opponents’ tendencies and adjust your ranges and bet sizes. If the table is passive, increase your c-bet frequency; if the table is aggressive, consider more check-calling and pressure with value.
• Rigidly following a chart without regard to stack depth. Fix: re-evaluate lines when SPR drops below a threshold. In short stacks, tighten your ranges and simplify decisions to reduce costly mistakes.
• Neglecting backdoor opportunities. Fix: explicitly include backdoor draws in your hand categories and consider long-run implications of adding backdoor equity to your lines.

These fixes are not about abandoning the chart but about applying it in a dynamic, informed way. The best players use charts as a backbone and then layer in read-based adjustments to maximize profitability.

Building your own cash game chart: a practical workflow

Outlining a chart is one thing; living with it at the table is another. Here’s a practical, repeatable workflow to craft and refine your own cash game chart.

1. Review hand histories, focusing on pots where you had a decision that felt automatic or automatic rejection. Note outcomes and how closely your action matched your chart.
2. Define your baseline table type. Decide if you are playing full-ring or 6-max, and identify common opponent types (tight-passive, loose-aggressive, maniac, etc.). Set your baseline ranges to reflect realistic table dynamics rather than idealized situations.
3. Set initial stack-size assumptions. Use typical stacks (e.g., 100bb deep, 75–100bb effective) to standardize your chart. If you regularly play shorter stacks, compress your ranges and adjust c-bet sizing.
4. Create a modular chart. Build separate modules for preflop (by position), flop (c-bet frequencies by texture), turn (line options by hand type), and river (value vs bluff lines). Keep it modular so you can swap pieces as needed.
5. Test and iterate. Implement your chart for a session or two, note where you struggle, and revise. A good chart evolves with your experience and the table you’re facing.

To support this workflow, you can use simple tools like a hand history database, an equity calculator to sanity-check ranges, and solvers for hypothetical scenarios. The aim is not perfection but steady improvement through data-driven adjustments.

Putting it into practice: an example of a compact, action-ready excerpt

Below is a compact, action-ready excerpt you can adapt for your own chart. It’s designed as a quick reference you could print or keep on a sheet and glance at between hands. Remember that these lines are starting points; adjust with experience and table reads.

• A2s-A5s, K9s-KTs, Q9s-QJs, J9s-JTs, T9s, and most pocket pairs down to 66. Mix in some backdoor suited connectors like 54s or 43s when the table is passive.
• Dry boards: bet around two-thirds pot with top-pair or better; some air with strong backdoors. Wet boards: bet smaller or check with marginal hands; bluff with backdoors and overcards that can run into strong hands credibly.
• If you continue with a draw, size appropriately and consider pot control with marginal hands. If you have a strong hand, look for value while keeping lines balanced to avoid predictable exploitation.
• Value bets on strong, obvious holdings; river bluffs on runouts that fit your perceived range and your opponent’s tendencies. Use blockers to increase your fold equity where appropriate.

This is a minimalist excerpt designed for quick reference. Your own chart should expand on these ideas with your table-specific ranges and adjust for your opponents’ tendencies. The goal is clarity and consistency, not complexity or overfitting.

Practice, review, and continual improvement

Even the most precise charts fail without deliberate practice. The best players use hand-history reviews, spot-checks during sessions, and weekly coaching or study routines to keep their charts relevant. Here are practical steps to embed chart-driven play into your routine:

• spend 20–30 minutes reviewing a handful of hands where your decision matched or diverged from your chart. Note what caused deviations and how you could adjust.
• identify a table dynamic you faced (e.g., frequent three-bets or passive calling) and update your ranges to better align with what you observed.
• tag hands by board texture and action type so you can spot patterns in your own adjustments and their outcomes over time.
• run small experiments by varying bet sizes in specific spots to see how opponents respond. Record the results and add successful sizes to your chart.

Across all these practices, your chart evolves from a static document into a dynamic decision framework. The aim is to improve your decision speed and accuracy, increase your long-term win rate, and reduce the mental load of day-to-day decisions at the table.

Closing thoughts: applying the chart to real cash games

A cash game chart is not a guarantee of profit, but it is a powerful tool that helps you play with intent rather than guesswork. By aligning preflop ranges with position, using texture-aware postflop strategies, and continually refining your approach based on real hands, you can build a robust baseline that withstands the grind. Practice with purpose, review honestly, and let your chart grow with your experience. The result is a more confident, disciplined player who makes better decisions more consistently and earns more from the regulars who don’t adapt as quickly.