Texas Hold’em Starting-Hand Charts for Six Players

Use this chart only when the pot is unopened

These are original, conservative learning ranges for a six-player No-Limit Hold’em cash-style table with roughly 100 big blind stacks. They describe which hands to consider raising first in after every earlier player folds. They are not a solver solution, a promise of profit or a chart for calling a raise.

Early position faces more players behind it, so its range is narrower. Later positions can consider more hands because fewer opponents remain. The small blind is a separate case: although only the big blind remains before the flop, the small blind usually acts first after the flop.

Read the notation

A is ace, K king, Q queen, J jack and T ten. The suffix s means suited and o means offsuit. AKs is ace-king of the same suit; AKo has different suits. Pairs have no suffix because two cards of the same rank cannot share a suit.

77+ means 77 through AA. AJs+ means AJs, AQs and AKs. KTs+ means KTs, KJs and KQs. A5s–A2s means A5s, A4s, A3s and A2s, not every suited ace. T8s+ means T8s and T9s. Different sources can use different notation; always read the key.

When someone has already acted, switch decisions

A hand listed as a button open is not automatically strong enough to call an early-position raise. Your opponent’s range, raise size, position, effective stacks and players still behind you all change the decision. Avoid using this first-in chart as permission to continue with every listed hand.

Try two examples

You are on the button with A♠ 5♠ and everyone folds. A5s is in the button suited-ace range, so it is a candidate to open. If UTG has already raised, that same hand requires a new decision; the opening chart no longer applies.

You are UTG with K♥ J♦. KJo is outside this conservative early-position range, so fold rather than entering just because both cards look high. On the cutoff after everyone folds, KJo is a listed candidate. Position changes the starting decision.

Adjust with a reason, not a streak

Short stacks, very large raises, aggressive players behind you, tournament pressure and rake can change sensible ranges. Start with the chart, observe a specific condition and review the result later. Do not widen simply because recent hands won or because you feel due. Keep using hand rankings and pot odds after the flop.