Poker Range Calculator

What is a poker range?

A range is the set of all possible hands a player could have in a given situation. You almost never know your opponent's exact two cards, but you can usually narrow them to a range of plausible hands based on their actions.

When a tight UTG player open-raises in a 6-max cash game, their range is roughly: 99+, AJs+, KQs, AQo+ (about 5.7% of the hands you are dealt). It's NOT a single hand: it's 12 of the 169 starting hand classes, 76 card combinations, that they would choose to play in that spot.

Range thinking is the foundation of every modern poker decision. Bad players think "does my hand beat HIS hand?" and are right or wrong by accident. Good players think "does my hand beat his RANGE?" and get the right answer 95% of the time because they're working with the actual probability distribution.

How to build a range on the 13×13 grid

The grid above is the standard 169-hand visualization used by every serious poker tool. Here's the layout:

• → Diagonal cells (top-left to bottom-right) are pocket pairs: AA, KK, QQ, ..., 22.
• → Above the diagonal = suited hands (AKs, AQs, KQs, etc.).
• → Below the diagonal = offsuit hands (AKo, AQo, KQo, etc.).
• → Click a hand class to add it to your range. The combo count and percentage update live.

Combos vs hand classes: a single class like "AKs" represents 4 specific combos (one per suit). "AKo" represents 12 combos (4 × 3 suit combinations). "AA" represents 6 combos (the 6 ways to pair two of the four aces). The calculator weights ranges by combo count, not class count, so your equity numbers reflect the actual probability distribution.

Why range vs range beats hand vs hand

Hand vs hand calculations tell you: "If I have AK and they have QQ, what's my equity?" Answer: ~46%.

But that's rarely the actual question at the table. The real question is: "If I have AK and they have THEIR RANGE (not specifically QQ), what's my equity?" That answer is much more useful.

Example: Villain 3-bets you in position. Their 3-bet range might be QQ+, AKs, AKo, A5s, K9s, a balanced value-and-bluff range. Your AK has:

• → ~30% equity vs JJ-AA (their value combos: 18 combos)
• → ~50% equity vs A5s, K9s (their bluff combos: 8 combos)
• → Combined equity ≈ 38-42% against the full range

That weighted-average number is what you actually need to make a profitable 4-bet decision. The calculator above does this math automatically: click both ranges, click Calculate.

Standard ranges (UTG, BTN, BB defense, GTO)

The preset buttons on each grid load ranges by width: Top 3.6% through Top 44.5% of the hands you are dealt, plus pairs, Broadway and suited connectors. For the named positional ranges below, load them from the range library, which has all of them as one-click presets:

• → UTG / EP open: tightest opening range, 9.8% of hands at 6-max.
• → BTN open: widest opening range, 40.0% of hands.
• → BB defense: defending range vs a single open from late position, 32.7% against the cutoff and 44.5% against the button (very wide because of pot odds).
• → 3-bet value: JJ+, AKs, AKo. Hands strong enough to play a bloated pot.
• → 3-bet bluff: A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s. Suited Aces with blocker effects.

For deeper coverage, see our range library (24 curated ranges) or our strategy cheatsheets (TAG/LAG/NIT/GTO with hand-by-hand recommendations).

Worked range vs range examples

Example 1: BB defense vs BTN open

BTN opens 40% (typical). You're in BB. Your defense range is ~30%: pocket pairs, most broadway combinations, suited connectors, and some weaker offsuit hands. Click BTN range on grid 1, BB defense on grid 2, no board, calculate.

Result: roughly 52% / 48% in BTN's favor preflop. Despite their wider opening range, BB's positional disadvantage and uncapped range mean BTN is still a slight favorite. This number is why BB defense at 30% is correct: going wider would tilt the equity further in BTN's favor.

Example 2: 3-bet equity check

Villain opens UTG with their tight range (~10%). You're considering a 3-bet from BTN. Click villain's UTG open range on grid 1, your prospective 3-bet range on grid 2.

A pure-value 3-bet range (QQ+, AKs only) has ~58% equity vs UTG's open. That's good, but it's exploitable (always premium, never bluffing). Adding bluff combos (A5s, K9s) brings overall equity down to ~52% but makes you unexploitable. This is the core GTO tradeoff between maximum-EV and balanced strategies.

Example 3: Postflop range vs range

Set the board to A♠ 7♣ 2♦. Click villain's flop calling range on grid 1 (likely top pair Aces, pairs, gutshots). Click your c-bet range on grid 2 (slightly wider: value + semi-bluffs).

On dry boards like A-7-2, the original raiser's range is heavily favored (~58-62%). That's why c-betting these textures wide is profitable: even with marginal hands, your range crushes villain's flat-call range.

Common mistakes

1. 1. Building too narrow a range for villain. Most players underestimate how wide modern ranges are. A "tight" UTG opener at NL10 still has 9.8% of hands. A LAG BTN can have 45%+. Don't default to "they only have AA-QQ" thinking.
2. 2. Forgetting blockers. If you have AKs, you BLOCK villain's AKs and reduce their AK combos by ~25%. The calculator handles blockers automatically when you specify your hand. But on the flop, board cards block ranges too: an Ace on the flop reduces villain's AK combos by half.
3. 3. Using equity without considering position. 55% equity in position is much more valuable than 55% equity out of position. Position lets you realize more of your equity through better postflop decisions. Don't use raw equity as a play-or-fold rule. Factor in position.

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