Do you have preflop charts memorized?

[Brain Gainz]

Hello! Over the past week or so I've been reading a lot about constructing ranges. From what I've read, it seems like these ranges are different based on position, the number of limpers / raisers before you, and the type of opponents you're playing against. I've been trying to wrap my head around of the concepts. Overall they make sense, but it's still a bit overwhelming since there seems to be a lot of things to consider when deciding on a specific range. I've been playing around with flopzilla, but to be honest I'm still not entirely sure what I should be looking to get out of the program. Should I be looking at the equity of specific hands against different ranges?

Anyways, the main questions I have for y'all are: Do you have ranges memorized that you are able to use based on the factors I've mentioned above? Or do you get to a point where you are experienced enough to just sort of have a "feel" for what hands you're supposed to play and when/how to play them? Also, are there other factors I should be considering that I didn't mention above?

Sorry for all of the questions. Any answers / suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[DrazaFFT]

Definitely, you have to know your ranges, there are training sites that can teach you ranges with some kind of quiz questions. you can find good set of opening ranges on our strategy pages but for sure, when i had a coach years ago, he insisted in knowing the ranges and he considered it as a mistake if i miss some 3bet or some opens

 

[bellicoso]

I have a pre-flop chart that I am just now starting to get committed to memory. Still glancing at it from time to time as I play, but I definitely give it some study time each day. My problem with it is I'm still learning how to apply it properly. Prior to using the chart, there were some hands in it I'd never consider playing, and also some hands that it tells me to fold that I would have played lol... So it's taking some getting used to.

 

[CriesuaID]

I never spent time to memorize a pre-flop chart that I found in the internet, but as every player I have an idea about what hands I have to play most of the times and what hands I have to fold.
I also don't follow the "pre-flop" rules strictly, as I can fold an AK or another good hand if there are too many players raising a hand or if i'm disadvantageous position or stack.

 

[Dailon Arroyo Blandon]

I think you should not memorize it ... you must understand it and apply it according to your needs (position, raises, limpers, etc ...) to the extent that you better understand how to build your Open Range ... the better results you will have ...

 

[akmost]

I totally agree with you, the ranges is something dynamic in the game.For example a hand which you could FRI(raise first in) or Open Raise , it's a fold if a previous opponent has open raised before us.

Or for example we can't RFI UTG with 54s but it is profitable to do it in later positions.

Rule of the thumb says the earlier our position the strongest our range.
Also a super important factor is our table image.For example when we play super tight and Open Raise with a monster hand then most of the times we won't have any action.So sometimes we can use that in our favor and open raise lighter.

Also we can RFI wider if the players line up is super tight and vice versa.

Plus we should be aware of the range advantage , for example an early position RFI most of the times will hit a K high board etc.

Super important factor what hands-range we should squeeze , 3bet /isolate has to do with your opponent, is he an aggressive one or a super tight one? There are many articles which can explain what to do and why.

I think those concepts require some understanding and some studying and maybe a little bit of experience , I mean you should try them while playing.

 

[Lorpugo]

It is important to know your ranges and also to be able to adjust it during play

 

[fundiver199]

Generally yes, because you cant afford to waste brain power thinking about the same trivial spots again and again. Like "I have KTo UTG, what should I do???" This has to be automatic, unless its a very close or unusual spot. Then but only then does it makes sense to stop and think about it.

 

[frnandoh]

If you want to play by gto, you have to memorize charts on all streets. I have an idea about ranges and I open or close my range at each position depending on each specific situation.

 

[thetick33]

ya i do not have memorize not a chance... is more feeling and notes on players and betting patterns... i am a flop person think can outplay people if see flops.... will say biggest mistake i see is players even me folded to cbets with boards which do not tell you a story that makes sense

 

[Brain Gainz]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! People seem to be split between either memorizing ranges or just understanding the game and their opponents well enough to know what to play and in what position. Since I'm somewhat inexperienced, I feel like maybe I should just set up ranges for myself and stick to those until I get more comfortable with the game. Does this sound like the best option?

Also, I'm wondering what the best resource is to either find ranges or get good suggestions on how to come up with my own. I've found a few online, but they all seem to be a little different. That makes sense since there are so many factors to consider, but I generally play in small stakes cash games / tournaments, and what I've gathered so far is that most of my opponents tend to be very loose. Does that mean my ranges should be pretty tight? Thanks again.

 

[Fatman0912]

I never memorized anything, but of course I have a good idea what is a strong hand in what position. In my case this came by experience.

 

[Wozo30]

Training Sites/Apps

Definitely, you have to know your ranges, there are training sites that can teach you ranges with some kind of quiz questions. you can find good set of opening ranges on our strategy pages but for sure, when i had a coach years ago, he insisted in knowing the ranges and he considered it as a mistake if i miss some 3bet or some opens

What poker training sites or Apps do you suggest to learn starting ranges, odds, etc? Ty

 

[Eric Salvador]

After I looked over some preflop charts I molded my preflop to fit my game. They’re never set because of adjustments. If I’m at a table full of unknowns and I gather information they adjust from preflight charts. It makes it much easier to exploit villain when I’m adjusting mine and villains ranges by the information I’ve gathered.

 

[okeedokalee]

Check out Upswingpoker. They have good positional charts.

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Hello! Over the past week or so I've been reading a lot about constructing ranges. From what I've read, it seems like these ranges are different based on position, the number of limpers / raisers before you, and the type of opponents you're playing against. I've been trying to wrap my head around of the concepts. Overall they make sense, but it's still a bit overwhelming since there seems to be a lot of things to consider when deciding on a specific range. I've been playing around with flopzilla, but to be honest I'm still not entirely sure what I should be looking to get out of the program. Should I be looking at the equity of specific hands against different ranges?

Anyways, the main questions I have for y'all are: Do you have ranges memorized that you are able to use based on the factors I've mentioned above? Or do you get to a point where you are experienced enough to just sort of have a "feel" for what hands you're supposed to play and when/how to play them? Also, are there other factors I should be considering that I didn't mention above?

Sorry for all of the questions. Any answers / suggestions would be much appreciated.

The easiest thing to do is categorize the hands and remember what the bottom one is you'll open from each position.

So for example

What is the worst PAIR you will open? 77+ or 22+
What is the worst SUITED ACE you will open?
What is the worst SUITED CONNECTOR?
What is the worst UNSUITED CONNECTOR?
What is the worst BROADWAY (face card) HAND?

And then as you get wider you can say what is the worse suited king, suited queens, suited jack etc. same for offsuit hands.

Also with the suited connectors, you can branch out to suited gappers, suited 2 gappers etc.

Then you just learn it for each position, what is the bottom of my opening range under the gun, mid position, cutoff, button, small blind.

The more you do it, you'll just start to get it.

I always found that trying to remember ALL the hands however was overwhelming and inefficient. (also, don't give yourself a hard time if you miss one or two hands sometimes, the expected value from the hands at the bottom of the opening range is very close to zero, and thus the difference between playing them and folding them is negligible.)

 

[okeedokalee]

Excellent advice Evan, that system makes memorizing so much easier. Thank-you.