Hand Chart Design Notes

The 4 Assumptions Fixed First

If these 4 move, everything in the chart changes

6-max

How many players are left behind you is the biggest variable that decides the width of a range. At 9-max, UTG gets another 3–4% narrower.

100BB effective stack

The stack decides the implied odds and the SPR. At 40BB, suited connectors lose a lot of value.

Open to 2.5BB

The size decides the fold rate your opponent needs. If you open to 3BB, it is natural to lean a little tighter.

Online rake

The higher the rake, the tighter every range gets. With high live rake, tighten by 3–5%.

Being able to write “when this chart cannot be used” first is possible because the assumptions were fixed.

What Breaks When the Assumptions Move

Each variable affects a different place

More players (9-max)	The earlier the seat, the narrower. UTG down to about 12–14%
Shallower stacks	Pairs and suited connectors lose value
Deeper stacks	Hands with nut potential (suited) gain value
Bigger open size	Ranges tighten. The range you can make fold widens
High rake	Everything tightens. Mixed hands go first
Antes	The pot is bigger, so everything widens
Tournaments (ICM)	Chip EV and prize EV diverge. You need a different chart

In other words, there is not just 1 “correct preflop chart.” There are as many charts as there are sets of conditions.

Holding Ranges as “Formulas”

If you line up all 169 by hand, you will always make mistakes

The notation used

• 55+ = the pairs from 55 to AA
• A2s+ = the suited hands from A2s to AKs
• A5s-A2s = only that interval
• A8s:0.5 = that hand at a frequency of 50%

The advantages of formulas

• You can calculate the % of the whole range on the spot
• When it is too wide, you can see where to cut by the difference
• You can compare the structure with other positions
• Writing mistakes surface as numbers that are off

You do not need to memorize this notation. What matters is the way of treating it: “a range is not something you memorize, but something you can calculate from the conditions.”

The Basis for Checking: Combo Counting

MemorizeMemorize this. It is the basis of poker arithmetic

Pocket pairs

6

6 combos for 1 kind. 78 across 13 kinds

Suited

4

4 combos for 1 kind. 312 across 78 kinds

Offsuit

12

12 combos for 1 kind. 936 across 78 kinds

Combo breakdown (1326 combos in all)

• Offsuit 936 (70.6%)
• Suited 312 (23.5%)
• Pairs 78 (5.9%)

What this tells you

• 1326 combos in all. This is the denominator
• 70% of the chart’s area is offsuit
• How wide it looks and the actual % do not match
• That is why you always check with %

Decide the “Width” Before the Hands

What % to open comes before which hands to put in

The order is decided by logic

• The fewer players left behind you, the wider
• UTG < HJ < CO < BTN, without exception
• Only the SB is decided by different dynamics (OOP)

Set the absolute values as “bands”

• Adopt the bands of commonly published range widths
• Treat it as a width, not 1 number
• Where to land within the band depends on the rake

Target bands and the values finally set

UTG	15 – 17%	16.1%
HJ	19 – 22%	21.6%
CO	26 – 29%	28.6%
BTN	45 – 50%	47.6%
SB	38 – 44%	40.1%

If you decide the width first, choosing hands becomes “allocation” rather than “addition.”

In Reality, It Was Not Settled at the First Attempt

The version first set (the 1st version; its data has not been kept) was off everywhere once it was counted

UTG	1st version 12.0%	Too narrow	→ final 16.1%
HJ	1st version 22.6%	A little wide	→ final 21.6%
CO	1st version 32.5%	Too wide	→ final 28.6%
BTN	1st version 48.9%	A little wide	→ final 47.6%
SB	1st version 41.6%	About right	→ final 40.1%

Ranges written by feel almost always come out too wide. You do not notice it yourself until you count. That is why checking is built into the steps.

In What Order to Cut the Excess

The 4 principles were given a priority order

① Start with dominated hands

First drop hands like KJo and A9o, which lose more the more they hit. Judge not by the win rate but by “the loss when you win.”

② Hands with low realization

Offsuit hands cannot win it all without position. Even at the same win rate, cut first the hands that keep less of it.

③ Hands without nut potential

Hands like Q6s, which are only 2nd-best even when they hit. Your opponent does not fold to you, so their value does not grow.

④ Hands without blockers

When you are on the side that gets 3bet, a hand that reduces nothing has nowhere to go. The hands kept to the end are the ones with blockers.

Put the other way round, the hands that fit none of these 4 are the first candidates to bring back when you want to widen.

Example: CO from the 1st Version’s 32.5% (Data Not Kept) to 28.6%

The cells with a frame are the hands that were cut or reduced

AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2sAKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2sAQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2sAJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2sAToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2sA9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92sA8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82sA7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72sA6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62sA5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52sA4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42sA3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332sA2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22

What was cut

• K2s–K4s: flushes that are not the nuts
• Q6s, 74s, 53s: only 2nd-best even when they hit
• A4o, Q9o (removed), K9o, J9o (reduced to mixed): low realization

What was kept

• Everything down to A2s: blockers and nut potential
• Down to 54s: shapes that can make the nuts
• A5o: the combination of wheel potential and a blocker

The pattern of the decision

Not “cut because it is weak” but “cut because it has no role”

How the Mixed Frequencies (0.5 and So On) Were Set

This is the least reliable part of this material

Why mixing is needed

The boundary of a range is a band, not a line. There is no clear cliff between A8s and A7s. Mixing is the way to express that band.

So, please use it like this

• Read a mixed cell as “either is fine”
• You may tip it to 0% or 100% depending on your opponent’s tendencies
• Do not memorize the decimals themselves

How they were set (an honest account)

0.7 / 0.5 / 0.3 were assigned according to the distance from the boundary, and adjusted so that the overall % fell inside the target band. This is not solver output.

Why solvers use mixing

• To make the opponent indifferent
• If you always treat the same hand the same way, you get read
• They mix only where the EV is equal

Decisions on A-Blocker Hands

The difference between A5s and A9o is not the strength of the kicker

A5s / A4s

The only band where all 3 hold at once: the blocker, wheel potential and nut-flush potential. The first choice for 3bet bluffs and 4bet bluffs.

A3s / A2s

The blocker is the same, but they make fewer hands. They were treated as the slot to add when there are not enough bluff combos.

A5o / A4o

They are put in thickly from the SB because wheel potential and the blocker make them easier to stand a 3bet with. This is the difference that makes A6o harder to include.

A9o / ATo

Holding an A has value, but if you call, almost all of your opponent’s A hands are above you. They lose more the more they hit, so they were dropped from the early seats.

The common question: what does this hand take away from your opponent? If it takes nothing away, do not use it to bluff.

Decisions on Suited Hands

Not “strong because it is suited”

K5s / Q5s

They can make a flush, but it tends to be 2nd-best. They have no power to make opponents fold either, so they are used only in seats that need range width.

76s / 65s

Shapes that can make nuts your opponent’s range does not have. Hands used for calling, not suited to 3bet bluffs.

54s

The very bottom edge of the range. The place where whether it goes in changes most with the rake and position. That is why it is mixed.

T9s / JTs

The most flexible band, reaching both Broadway and low boards. They can be used for both calls and 3bet bluffs.

The chance of completing a flush by the river is about 6%. The value of a suited hand lies less in the completion rate than in “the quality of the hands it can make.”

How the Charts for Facing an Open Were Made

3bet, call and fold were made separately and layered

AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2sAKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2sAQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2sAJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2sAToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2sA9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92sA8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82sA7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72sA6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62sA5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52sA4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42sA3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332sA2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22

The order

• Make the 3bet range first (width 6–13%)
• Next, write a wide calling range
• Where they overlap, give priority to the 3bet and subtract it

Widths (est.)

• BB vs BTN: 3bet 12.0% / call 31.4% (est.)
• BB vs UTG: 3bet 5.5% (est.) / calls are also narrowed a lot
• BTN vs CO: 3bet 9.4% (est.) / can hold a thick calling range

Here too, it was too narrow at first

BB vs BTN was raised from the 1st version’s 9.8% (data not kept) → 12.0%

How the Shape of the 3bet Was Decided

The shape of the range itself changes with who the opponent is

Polarized

Use only the top (QQ+ / AK) and the bottom (A5s–A2s), not the middle. Chosen when your opponent’s range is strong, or when you are OOP. BB vs UTG has this shape.

Leaning linear

Use hands thickly from the top down. When your opponent’s range is wide and you can lower your value threshold. BB vs BTN leans this way.

The axes of the decision

• The stronger your opponent’s range, the more polarized; the wider, the more linear
• If you are OOP, lean polarized (because it is hard to get to showdown)

Why 4bets and 5bets Were Not Put in a Chart

Drawing this as 13×13 would be a lie

Because the SPR decides the structure

Once you 4bet, the remaining stacks get shallow, and the choices narrow to “fold” or “get it in.” It is decided by how the stacks are left, more than by hand strength.

Because it depends too much on size

IP 2.2 times and OOP 3 times are different things in both the fold rate needed and the bluff ratio. Put them in one chart, and one of them is always wrong.

Because mixing dominates

Even solvers mix a lot in this area, and decimals set as estimates would distort decisions in real play. That is why only the way of thinking was left, in writing.

Deciding not to make something you could make is also part of the design.

What Was Put on the Wallpaper, and What Was Left Off

What you look at during play is more useful the fewer choices it offers

AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2sAKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2sAQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2sAJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2sAToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2sA9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92sA8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82sA7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72sA6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62sA5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52sA4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42sA3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332sA2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22

Why it became a tiered chart

• If you carry 5 charts, a chart per seat, you cannot pick one during play
• Fold them into 1 chart: color depth = how early a seat can play the hand
• Looking becomes a single action: “find your seat’s color”

What was deliberately left off

• The SB / BB ranges (they move by different dynamics)
• The charts for facing an open (easy to misuse)
• Bet-size charts (do not add things to hesitate over)

What was added instead

3 lines on “situations where this chart must not be used”

The Physical Design of the Wallpaper

If it cannot be read, being correct means nothing

1179 × 2556

The actual resolution of the iPhone 14 Pro. It is made at full size to avoid blurring from scaling.

Keep the top 700px empty

The area where the lock screen’s clock and date sit. Information placed here gets hidden.

76px for 1 cell

Worked backward from the smallest size at which text does not get crushed, while fitting 13 columns across the screen.

A dark background

It does not glare on OLED, and colors are easier to tell apart. It assumes being looked at at a dark table.

It is for the lock screen. As a home screen, most of it gets hidden by icons.

Designing the Material Side

Even with the same content, how it is arranged changes what stays with you

In the order conclusion → reason → mistakes

• A conclusion alone cannot be applied to other cases
• A reason alone is too slow in real play
• Putting the mistakes last makes them stay in memory

Memorize, Understand and Judgment were kept separate

• Mix them, and you end up trying to memorize everything
• What should be memorized is only the layout and the widths
• Mixed cells are something to judge, not something to memorize

What is in the 3 categories

Memorize

The 13×13 layout, combo counts, the 5 numbers for range width

Understand

The reasons for the boundaries, blockers, realization, domination

Judgment

Mixed cells, the opponent’s type, the rake, the pool’s tendencies

What Can and Cannot Be Claimed Strongly

The value of material is decided by whether it can state its limits

Can be trusted (structure)

• The order UTG < HJ < CO < BTN
• That suited hands beat offsuit hands
• Why A blockers suit bluffs
• The idea of dropping dominated hands
• Combo counting (6 / 4 / 12 and 1326)

Must not be trusted (numbers)

• Decimals themselves, such as “A8s is 50%”
• The SB strategy (mixing that includes limps is not reflected)
• The BB defense width (the most sensitive to rake)
• The frequencies of 4bets and 5bets
• How hands exactly on the boundary are treated

The left can be derived from reasoning; the right needs measurement. This dividing line is the most important part of this material.

Situations Where It Does Not Apply at All

If one of these applies, throw away the whole chart

Live 9-max	The number of players is different. Tighten the early seats by another 3–4%
Tables where several players limp in	It becomes a matter of isolating, not opening
Effective stack of 40BB or less	The SPR changes, and suited connectors lose value
Games with antes	The pot is bigger, so it moves toward widening everything
Tournaments (especially from the bubble on)	With ICM, chip EV and prize EV diverge
Games with extremely high rake	Tighten every range by 3–5%, or do not play

Being able to say when a chart cannot be used is as much a skill as being able to use it.

The Order of What to Verify Next

Fill things in with measurements, from the highest priority

1 The rake at your own stakes

Once you know the rake, you can decide by what % to tighten everything

2 The BB defense width

The place with the biggest effect, and the easiest to get wrong

3 The SB strategy (whether to limp)

Only here might the structure itself change

4 The pool’s response to 3bets

If they fold too much, you can tip the mixed cells to 100%

5 4bet frequencies

Only once you get this far does the precision of the numbers become an issue

If you replace these with data from real play from the top down, this chart becomes your own.

Steps to Rebuild It Yourself Under Different Conditions

This is the final aim of this material

① Write out the conditions

Players, stack, size, rake, antes. Write these 5, and the assumptions are fixed.

② Decide the widths first

Build the order from the number of players behind, and set the absolute values from the known bands.

③ Lay the skeleton

Fill in the 4 pillars first: pairs, suited A, Broadway and connectors.

④ Check and cut

Divide by 1326 to get the %, and drop hands in the order of the 4 principles.

⑤ Explain the edges

Choose 3 boundary hands; if you can put their reasons into words, it is complete.

Once you can run these 5 steps, the chart you were given becomes unnecessary.

Until You Can Throw the Chart Away

What this material handed over is not 169 answers but how to make the answers.

Once you can handle the fact that when the assumptions change the chart changes too, you can use the same steps in spots you have never seen.

Short term

Get the width for each seat into your body with the wallpaper

Medium term

Be able to explain the boundary hands in 30 seconds

Long term

Change the conditions and rebuild the chart yourself

Next, start by practicing explaining the boundaries without looking at this chart.