Poker starting hands

Position first, then the cards

Under the gun you open a tight, strong range — lots of players still to act. On the button you act last postflop, so you steal wide. Same two cards, opposite decision.

A simple shape (6-max, 100bb)

Think in bands, then look at the real grid:

• Any seat: TT+, AK. These are never a fold to one raise in a cash game.
• Middle / cutoff: add suited broadways, medium pairs, some suited connectors.
• Button: the widest open — suited kings, most suited connectors, many offsuit broadways.
• Small blind: raise or fold. Open-limping here is usually a leak.
• Big blind: you already paid. Defend wider vs a steal than you would cold-call.

The actual charts

PokerGym publishes the house opening ranges as 13×13 grids — same charts the trainer grades you against.

After you memorize a band

Drill it. Opening the right hands is step one. 3-betting, defending the big blind, and not calling too wide are the next leaks. Train grades those decisions on a felt, not a quiz.