Free poker reference
Middle position (hijack) Preflop Range
These charts are the starting point
Sharkling solves the spots the chart can't cover, and grades your play against the answer.
Middle position (hijack) — First raise
100bb, 6-max cash
21.5%of hands
Range notation
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, A9s, A8s, A7s, A6s:0.66, A5s, A4s:0.48, KQs, KJs, KTs, K9s, K8s:0.77, K7s:0.34, QJs, QTs, Q9s, Q8s:0.87, JTs, J9s, J8s:0.96, T9s, T8s, T7s, 98s, 97s, 87s, 86s:0.87, 76s:0.64, AKo, AQo, AJo, ATo, A9o, KQo, KJo, KTo:0.06, JTo:0.24, T9o:0.43
Hands with a :0.5-style suffix are mixed — the solver plays them that fraction of the time. Copy this string into the equity calculator to run it against a specific hand.
Where this came from: Cash open-raise charts from solver-core's preflop solver (engine v0.1.0). Postflop continuation values calibrated against real postflop solves (Phase B) at 100bb and reused at this depth. No cross-player card removal; cold-continues vs 3-bets pruned. See the methodology page. Converged to 0.00088 bb of Nash distance.
Static charts can't cover every postflop spot
Build the board, stacks and ranges in Neural Custom Solve, then study the flop strategy while the exact solve runs.
Playing the middle position (hijack)
Middle position — the hijack in a 6-max game — has one fewer player to get through than under the gun, and the range widens accordingly. Small pairs come in, more suited aces come in, and the suited connectors become playable.
The step from UTG to MP is smaller than the step from MP to the cutoff. The seats closest to the button gain the most, because the value of position compounds: not only are more hands profitable, but the hands you do open realise their equity better after the flop.
The other seats
Position changes the correct range more than any other single factor. Compare:
- Under the gun — opens 16.6% of hands
- Cutoff — opens 29.6% of hands
- Button — opens 49.3% of hands
- Small blind — opens 40.6% of hands
Once you know which hands to open, the next question is how they perform when called. The equity calculator will run any of these ranges against a specific hand or another range — paste the range notation from above straight into it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a preflop chart?
A grid of all 169 starting hand types showing which to raise, call or fold from a given seat. It is the compressed output of a solver run: the machine plays the spot millions of times and the chart records the strategy it settles on.
Should I follow preflop charts exactly?
As a default, yes — they are far better than instinct, and preflop is where the most money is lost to bad habits. But charts assume opponents who play back correctly. Against players who never fold or never defend their blinds, deviating is where the profit is.
Why does position change the range so much?
Two reasons. Acting last after the flop is worth several big blinds per 100 hands on its own, and opening from an early seat leaves more players still to act behind you. The button opens roughly three times as many hands as under the gun.
Do these charts work for 9-handed games?
Choose a 9-max set in the chart browser for a full-ring game. The opening examples below the browser are for 6-max cash games, so use the set that matches your table size and stack depth.
Are all the charts free without an account?
Yes. Every published set and action is free to browse and share, including opening, calling and re-raising ranges. The postflop presolve library is also free. Training, personal analysis and custom solves have their own account and plan requirements.
Related tools
- Hand RankingsEvery hand, ranked — and what beats what.
- Equity CalculatorHand vs hand, hand vs range, range vs range.