Texas Hold'em Preflop Calculator: Master Your Starting Hands

Preflop decisions set the foundation for every hand. Our calculator shows optimal actions for every starting hand from every position—the critical first step to winning poker.

What Is Preflop Strategy?

Preflop is the betting round before the flop (first three community cards). You see only your two hole cards and must decide to fold, call, or raise based on hand strength, position, and opponent action.

Quick Answer: Premium hands (AA, KK, QQ, AKs) play from any position. Strong hands (JJ, TT, AK, AQs) play from most positions. Speculative hands (suited connectors, small pairs) need position and multiway pots. Position is crucial: play ~15% of hands from early position, ~25% from middle, ~35%+ from late position. Tight is right for beginners.

How to Use Our Calculator

Use the Preflop Calculator →

Enter your cards and position to see optimal preflop action.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Enter Your Hole Cards: Your two cards

2. Select Position: Early, middle, late, blinds

3. Input Prior Action: Folds, raises, calls

4. View Recommendation: Raise, call, or fold

5. See Hand Strength: Equity and ranking

Input Fields Explained

Field	Description	Example
Hole Cards	Your two cards	A♠ K♥
Position	Table position	Button
Prior Action	Action to you	1 raise
Recommendation	Optimal play	3-bet
Hand Strength	Equity vs random	65.4%
Range Percentile	Top X% of hands	Top 3%

Starting Hand Rankings

Premium Hands (Top 3%)

Hand	Category	Action
AA	Monster	Raise/re-raise any position
KK	Monster	Raise/re-raise any position
QQ	Premium	Raise any position
AKs	Premium	Raise any position
JJ	Premium	Raise, caution vs 3-bet
AKo	Premium	Raise any position

Strong Hands (Top 10%)

Hand	Category	Action
TT	Strong pair	Raise, set-mine if 3-bet
AQs	Strong broadway	Raise, careful vs 3-bet
AJs	Strong ace	Raise from most positions
KQs	Strong broadway	Raise from mid+ position
AQo	Strong ace	Raise, fold to 4-bet
99	Medium pair	Raise, set-mine often

Playable Hands (Top 25%)

Hand	Category	Position Needed
88-66	Medium pairs	Middle+ position
ATs-A9s	Suited aces	Middle+ position
KJs, QJs	Suited broadway	Middle+ position
AJo, KQo	Offsuit broadway	Cutoff+
55-22	Small pairs	Late position, multiway
87s-54s	Suited connectors	Late position

Position-Based Ranges

Early Position (UTG, UTG+1)

Range: ~12-15% of hands

Raise:
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT
AKs, AQs, AJs, AKo, AQo
KQs

Fold everything else
Tight because many players act after you

Middle Position (MP, MP+1)

Range: ~18-22% of hands

Add to early position:
99, 88
ATs, KJs, QJs
AJo, KQo

Still relatively tight

Cutoff Position

Range: ~25-30% of hands

Add to middle position:
77, 66
A9s-A2s, KTs, QTs, JTs
T9s, 98s, 87s
KJo, QJo

Opening up with position advantage

Button Position

Range: ~35-45% of hands

Add significantly:
55-22
Any suited ace
Suited connectors (T9s down to 54s)
Any suited king/queen
Many offsuit broadways

Best position—widest range

Small Blind

Range: Variable by strategy

Completing: Rarely recommended
Raising: ~30-35% (stealing)
3-betting: Polarized range

Worst post-flop position
Play straightforward

Big Blind

Range: Defending ~40-50% vs steal

Already invested, good pot odds
Wide defense range
But worst position post-flop

Action-Based Decisions

Open Raising (No Prior Action)

Position	Open-Raise Range
UTG	10-12%
MP	15-18%
CO	25-28%
BTN	40-50%
SB	35-45%

Facing a Raise

Your Hand	vs EP Raise	vs LP Raise
AA-QQ	3-bet	3-bet
JJ	Call/3-bet	3-bet
TT-99	Call	3-bet/Call
AKs	3-bet	3-bet
AKo	3-bet/Call	3-bet
AQs	Call	3-bet
Suited connectors	Call (with odds)	Call/3-bet

Facing a 3-Bet

Your Hand	Action
AA-KK	4-bet/All-in
QQ-JJ	Call/4-bet
TT-99	Call/Fold
AKs	4-bet/Call
AKo	Call/Fold
Other	Fold usually

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Premium Hand

Your hand: A♠ A♥ Position: UTG Action to you: First to act

Analysis:

• Best hand in poker
• Raise from any position
• Size: 2.5-3x BB

Action: RAISE

Example 2: Positional Decision

Your hand: 7♦ 6♦ Position: Button Action to you: Folded to you

Analysis:

• Suited connector
• Best position at table
• Can steal blinds
• Plays well postflop

Action: RAISE (stealing)

Example 3: Facing Aggression

Your hand: J♥ J♣ Position: Cutoff Action to you: UTG raises, MP 3-bets

Analysis:

• JJ is strong but vulnerable
• UTG raise = strong range
• 3-bet over that = very strong
• JJ is often dominated

Action: FOLD or CALL (never 4-bet)

Example 4: Big Blind Defense

Your hand: Q♦ 9♦ Position: Big Blind Action to you: Button raises 2.5x

Analysis:

• You have 1BB invested
• Button has wide stealing range
• Q9s has reasonable playability
• Getting good pot odds

Action: CALL

Hand Equity Calculations

Preflop Equity vs Random Hand

Hand	Equity
AA	85.2%
KK	82.4%
QQ	79.9%
JJ	77.5%
TT	75.0%
AKs	67.0%
AKo	65.3%
AQs	66.2%
99	72.1%
72o	35.4%

Equity vs Specific Ranges

AA vs tight range (QQ+, AK):
AA: 81% equity

JJ vs wide 3-bet range:
JJ: 52% equity

AKs vs calling range:
AKs: 48% equity (but wins big pots)

Common Preflop Mistakes

1. Playing Too Many Hands

Mistake: Calling with K7o from early position Problem: Dominated hands, bad position Fix: Stick to ~15% range from early position

2. Not 3-Betting Enough

Mistake: Only 3-betting AA-QQ Problem: Predictable, exploitable Fix: 3-bet with value hands AND bluffs

3. Calling 3-Bets Too Wide

Mistake: Calling 3-bet with KJo Problem: Playing dominated hands OOP Fix: Fold marginal hands to 3-bets

4. Position Blindness

Mistake: Same range from every position Problem: Missing value, losing to better positions Fix: Dramatically widen range from button

Preflop Sizing

Open Raise Sizing

Format	Standard Size
Live poker	3-5x BB
Online cash	2-3x BB
Tournament	2-2.5x BB

3-Bet Sizing

Situation	Size
In position	3x open
Out of position	3.5-4x open
Vs limp-raise	4-5x open

4-Bet Sizing

4-bet sizing:
~2-2.5x the 3-bet size
Often pot-commits you

Example:
Open: 3BB
3-bet: 9BB
4-bet: 20-25BB (often all-in effective)

Advanced Concepts

Range Construction

Balanced range has:
- Value hands (raise for value)
- Bluff hands (fold equity)

3-bet range example:
Value: AA-TT, AK, AQs
Bluffs: A5s-A2s, 76s, 65s

~3:1 value to bluff ratio

Pot Odds in Preflop Decisions

Big blind defense:
2.5x raise, you have 1BB in

Pot: 3.5BB (SB + BB + raise)
Cost to call: 1.5BB
Pot odds: 3.5:1.5 = 2.33:1 = ~30%

Need 30% equity vs range to call

Stack Depth Considerations

Stack Depth	Impact
Deep (100BB+)	Implied odds matter, speculative hands better
Standard (50-100BB)	Normal strategy
Short (20-50BB)	Tighten up, pairs increase value
Very short (<20BB)	Push/fold mode

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best starting hand?

Pocket aces (AA). 85% equity vs random hand. Raise from every position, re-raise always.

How tight should I play?

Depends on game. Default: ~15% EP, ~25% MP, ~35% LP. Tighten vs good players, loosen vs weak players.

Should I limp?

Almost never. Open-limping is generally bad strategy. Raise or fold. Exception: Some big blind defense.

Is suited much better than offsuit?

Worth ~3-4% equity. Suited hands make flushes ~6% of the time, enough to justify wider play. AKs is noticeably better than AKo.

How do I adjust for player count?

Fewer players = wider ranges. Heads-up plays 50%+ of hands. 10-handed plays much tighter.

What about antes?

Antes increase pot size, making stealing more valuable. Widen opening ranges slightly with antes in play.

Pro Tips

• Position is everything: Same hand is raise from button, fold from UTG

• 3-bet more: Most players don't 3-bet enough

• Fold small pairs to 3-bets: Set-mining rarely profitable

• Adjust to opponents: Tighten vs good players, attack weak players

• Don't be results-oriented: Correct decisions sometimes lose

Related Calculators

• Poker Equity Calculator - Hand vs hand equity
• Poker Odds Calculator - Pot odds calculation
• Poker EV Calculator - Expected value analysis
• Poker Hand Odds Calculator - Specific matchups
• Poker Outs Calculator - Drawing odds

Conclusion

Preflop decisions determine your poker profitability more than any other street. Our calculator shows optimal actions for every starting hand from every position, building the foundation for winning play. Master position, understand hand strength, and develop disciplined ranges—preflop excellence leads to overall poker success.

Calculate Preflop Strategy Now →

Starting hand selection separates winning players from losing ones. Our calculator provides position-aware recommendations that keep you in profitable situations and out of trouble. Learn your ranges, adjust to opponents, and make mathematically sound preflop decisions every hand.