Poker Ranges Chart: Reading the 13x13 Grid by Position

A poker range is the entire set of hands an opponent could plausibly hold given their past action in a hand, rather than one specific two-card holding. In standard Texas Hold’em, a full preflop range chart displays all 1,326 possible two-card combinations mapped onto a standardized 13x13 grid containing 169 distinct hand cells.

What a range is

In analytical poker, players evaluate decisions against a mathematical range rather than attempting to put an opponent on a single exact hand. A range represents every starting hand combination that a player would treat in the same way under a specific set of conditions.

When a player enters a pot, their actions narrow down the total group of cards they might hold. Evaluating ranges allows you to estimate equity, choose postflop strategy, and determine mathematical profitability over a large sample of hands. If an action implies a narrow selection of holdings, the opponent is described as having a tight range. Conversely, an action that incorporates many weaker or speculative holdings indicates a wide range.

How to read the 13x13 grid

The standard preflop matrix displays 13 rows and 13 columns, yielding 169 individual cells. Each cell represents a specific pair of ranks, ranging from Aces down to Deuces.

The structure of the grid follows three fixed rules:

• The Diagonal: The central diagonal line running from the top-left cell to the bottom-right cell contains the 13 pocket pair hand types (AA, KK, QQ, down to 22).
• Above the Diagonal: The triangular section located above the diagonal represents all suited starting hands. In these cells, both cards share the exact same suit.
• Below the Diagonal: The triangular section located below the diagonal represents all offsuit starting hands. In these cells, the two cards are of different suits.

Here is the full 13x13 grid itself. Reading down the rows and across the columns reproduces every hand type: pairs sit on the bold diagonal, suited hands sit above it, and offsuit hands sit below it. Most poker tools use this above-diagonal-suited layout, but it is a convention, not a requirement, so check a new tool’s layout before reading its grids.

To locate a hand, cross-reference the higher card rank on the vertical or horizontal axis with the secondary rank. For example, the cell where the Ace row intersects the King column above the diagonal represents AK suited (AKs). The cell corresponding to the same ranks below the diagonal represents AK offsuit (AKo). To verify standard hand hierarchies, refer to the poker hand rankings chart.

How many combinations each hand has

While the grid displays 169 cells, there are exactly 1,326 total starting hand combinations dealt in Texas Hold’em. This difference occurs because each cell on the matrix summarizes multiple card combinations:

• Pocket Pairs: Each pocket pair cell contains 6 combos (13 pair types x 6 = 78 total combinations).
• Suited Hands: Each suited hand cell contains 4 combos (78 suited hand types x 4 = 312 total combinations).
• Offsuit Hands: Each offsuit hand cell contains 12 combos (78 offsuit hand types x 12 = 936 total combinations).

Adding these combinations together confirms the total matrix count: 78 pair combinations + 312 suited combinations + 936 offsuit combinations = 1,326 total combinations.

Individual examples illustrate this weighting. A pocket pair like AA contains 6 combos. A suited holding like AKs contains 4 combos. An offsuit holding like AKo contains 12 combos. Because offsuit hands contain three times as many combinations as suited hands, visual space on a range grid does not automatically translate to an equal number of actual holdings.

Opening range widths by position

Position directly influences which hands are mathematically profitable to play preflop. The later your seat relative to the button, the wider your range can expand. This occurs because fewer active opponents remain behind you to act, reducing the likelihood of encountering a superior hand and ensuring positional advantage after the flop. Detailed position layouts are outlined on the poker position chart.

In a standard 100bb 6-max model baseline where a player raises first in (RFI), the percentages below come from the same hand lists used in our preflop charts article, computed at 100 percent frequency (published charts differ by a few points):

• Under the Gun (UTG): Under the gun is the earliest seat at a 6-max table. The baseline list covers about 12.5 percent of total hands. This tight range focuses on strong pairs, high suited connectors, and broadways.
• Middle Position (MP): Moving one seat right allows a slightly wider selection, about 15 percent of hands in the same baseline.
• Cutoff (CO): With three players remaining behind (the button and both blinds), the opening width expands to roughly 22.5 percent of hands in this site’s baseline lists.
• Button (BTN): The button holds positional advantage for all remaining streets. The opening width opens up to about 40.5 percent of total hands.
• Small Blind (SB): When action folds to the small blind, this site’s baseline uses a simplified raise-or-fold model covering about 33.5 percent of hands to offset playing out of position postflop.
• Big Blind (BB): The big blind does not use an opening range baseline because the seat closes action preflop by calling or raising against prior opens.

Understanding these percentages in terms of physical combinations clarifies why seat position matters so much. An opening width of about 40.5 percent on the button equates to roughly 538 combos out of 1,326. In contrast, the early position UTG list covers 166 combos, about 12.5 percent. The button plays roughly three times as many combination options as UTG, establishing why the button is theoretically and practically the most profitable seat at the table. To explore the full hand lists for each seat, view our preflop charts.

Ranges change with every action

A range is dynamic, never static. An opening range, a 3-bet range, a calling range, and a check range represent vastly different sets of combinations, even when executed by the exact same player from the exact same seat position.

When a player performs an aggressive action, such as betting large or raising, their range typically shifts toward strong value hands and select semi-bluffs. Passive actions like calling or checking update the likelihood of different combinations rather than mechanically deleting hands, because strong hands may also take passive lines. A capped range lacks the strongest relevant holdings under the strategy being modeled; a check or call does not automatically cap a range. On later streets, what counts as the strongest part of a range also depends on the board, not simply on premium preflop pairs.

Every street introduces new board cards and new betting rounds. Actions update combination weights; some combinations may receive zero weight under the modeled strategy. As a hand progresses from preflop to river, mathematically accurate ranges shrink from hundreds of combinations down to a much narrower group of surviving holdings. Updating these range models after every action is the primary framework for analyzing poker strategy.

FAQ

Why are suited hands mapped above the diagonal line?

The standard 13x13 grid separates suited and offsuit combinations to fit 169 visual hand types onto a two-dimensional grid. The 169 hand types are fixed, but tools may arrange suited and offsuit cells differently. This page uses suited hands above the diagonal.

Why does AKo have 12 combos while AKs has only 4 combos?

Four suits exist in a deck of cards. To make AK suited, both cards must share the exact same suit (4 available suits = 4 combinations). To make AK offsuit, the Ace can be any of 4 suits, and the King can be any of the 3 remaining different suits (4 x 3 = 12 combinations).

Is a 13x13 range chart identical for every game format?

The 169 hand types are fixed, but tools may arrange suited and offsuit cells differently. This page uses suited hands above the diagonal. The specific hands selected within the grid shift depending on stack depth, tournament structure, opponent tendencies, and table position.

What is the difference between a capped range and an uncapped range?

An uncapped range still contains the strongest combinations relevant to the board, because the player’s previous lines include them. A capped range lacks those top combinations because the player’s chosen lines rarely keep them. The label depends on the actual strategy being modeled: a passive line usually lowers the weight of the strongest hands, but strong hands sometimes check or call too, so passivity alone does not prove a range is capped.

Data Used

• 13x13 grid structure containing 169 total hand cells.
• Exactly 1,326 total two-card starting hand combinations.
• Pocket pairs: 13 types with 6 combos each = 78 total combinations (~5.9%).
• Suited hands: 78 types with 4 combos each = 312 total combinations (~23.5%).
• Offsuit hands: 78 types with 12 combos each = 936 total combinations (~70.6%).
• 6-max 100bb raise-first-in baseline (same hand lists as our preflop charts article, computed at 100 percent frequency): UTG 166 combos (about 12.5 percent), MP 198 (about 15 percent), CO 298 (about 22.5 percent), BTN 538 (about 40.5 percent), SB 446 raise-or-fold (about 33.5 percent).

Educational content for poker study. 18+.