When you’re sitting at the table, it can be easy to drift away from your standard preflop ranges out of inattention, boredom, or inaccuracy. And if you’re new to the concept of open ranges, it can be hard to keep track of all the combos and parts of ranges spread in percentage form across a range matrix. You’re not alone if that makes your head spin.
Luckily, we’ve created Bulletproof Open Raising ranges that any player can use for a mathematically balanced, tight and aggressive strategy. We’ve designed these charts to be the perfect baseline, you can follow them exactly and you’ll be giving up the bare minimum for a simplified strategy.
Followed exactly, these ranges reliably give you an edge in any ~100bb effective small stakes game.
We took into account keeping out of trouble, maximizing profit and closeness to game theory optimal.
Should you stick to exact range charts or should you deviate?
If you’re relatively new to the game, we’d strongly recommend sticking to these ranges. They are specifically designed to protect you from hands and spots that are likely to get you into trouble.
As you become more experienced, start carefully adding a few hands. Try using a few suited hands from the position ahead of you (for example, use the MP1 suited hands for your EP3 range).
In our collective experience of coaching hundreds of students, we have found that most players tend to over-estimate their skill edge. You may think you can play a weaker hand profitably, but weak hands have razor thin value even for great players.
The bottom line is that there will be preflop situations in your poker career where you will deviate from these ranges, but tread carefully.
Still getting a feel for your overall preflop strategy? Check out CORE for the best beginner structured poker course available.
Mobile users: Click here to sign up and receive your free guide.