The one seat that has already paid to be here. This is the exact price at every open size, the frequency that stops a steal being free, and defending ranges against the widest and tightest opener.
| High card | A | K | Q | J | T | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | AA — Keep playing | AKs — Keep playing | AQs — Keep playing | AJs — Keep playing | ATs — Keep playing | A9s — Keep playing | A8s — Keep playing | A7s — Keep playing | A6s — Keep playing | A5s — Keep playing | A4s — Keep playing | A3s — Keep playing | A2s — Keep playing |
| K | AKo — Keep playing | KK — Keep playing | KQs — Keep playing | KJs — Keep playing | KTs — Keep playing | K9s — Keep playing | K8s — Keep playing | K7s — Keep playing | K6s — Keep playing | K5s — Keep playing | K4s — Keep playing | K3s — Keep playing | K2s — Keep playing |
| Q | AQo — Keep playing | KQo — Keep playing | QQ — Keep playing | QJs — Keep playing | QTs — Keep playing | Q9s — Keep playing | Q8s — Keep playing | Q7s — Keep playing | Q6s — Keep playing | Q5s — Keep playing | Q4s — Keep playing | Q3s — Fold | Q2s — Fold |
| J | AJo — Keep playing | KJo — Keep playing | QJo — Keep playing | JJ — Keep playing | JTs — Keep playing | J9s — Keep playing | J8s — Keep playing | J7s — Keep playing | J6s — Keep playing | J5s — Fold | J4s — Fold | J3s — Fold | J2s — Fold |
| T | ATo — Keep playing | KTo — Keep playing | QTo — Keep playing | JTo — Keep playing | TT — Keep playing | T9s — Keep playing | T8s — Keep playing | T7s — Keep playing | T6s — Keep playing | T5s — Fold | T4s — Fold | T3s — Fold | T2s — Fold |
| 9 | A9o — Keep playing | K9o — Keep playing | Q9o — Keep playing | J9o — Keep playing | T9o — Keep playing | 99 — Keep playing | 98s — Keep playing | 97s — Keep playing | 96s — Keep playing | 95s — Fold | 94s — Fold | 93s — Fold | 92s — Fold |
| 8 | A8o — Keep playing | K8o — Keep playing | Q8o — Fold | J8o — Fold | T8o — Fold | 98o — Fold | 88 — Keep playing | 87s — Keep playing | 86s — Keep playing | 85s — Keep playing | 84s — Fold | 83s — Fold | 82s — Fold |
| 7 | A7o — Keep playing | K7o — Keep playing | Q7o — Fold | J7o — Fold | T7o — Fold | 97o — Fold | 87o — Fold | 77 — Keep playing | 76s — Keep playing | 75s — Keep playing | 74s — Fold | 73s — Fold | 72s — Fold |
| 6 | A6o — Keep playing | K6o — Fold | Q6o — Fold | J6o — Fold | T6o — Fold | 96o — Fold | 86o — Fold | 76o — Fold | 66 — Keep playing | 65s — Keep playing | 64s — Keep playing | 63s — Fold | 62s — Fold |
| 5 | A5o — Keep playing | K5o — Fold | Q5o — Fold | J5o — Fold | T5o — Fold | 95o — Fold | 85o — Fold | 75o — Fold | 65o — Fold | 55 — Keep playing | 54s — Keep playing | 53s — Fold | 52s — Fold |
| 4 | A4o — Keep playing | K4o — Fold | Q4o — Fold | J4o — Fold | T4o — Fold | 94o — Fold | 84o — Fold | 74o — Fold | 64o — Fold | 54o — Fold | 44 — Keep playing | 43s — Fold | 42s — Fold |
| 3 | A3o — Keep playing | K3o — Fold | Q3o — Fold | J3o — Fold | T3o — Fold | 93o — Fold | 83o — Fold | 73o — Fold | 63o — Fold | 53o — Fold | 43o — Fold | 33 — Keep playing | 32s — Fold |
| 2 | A2o — Keep playing | K2o — Fold | Q2o — Fold | J2o — Fold | T2o — Fold | 92o — Fold | 82o — Fold | 72o — Fold | 62o — Fold | 52o — Fold | 42o — Fold | 32o — Fold | 22 — Keep playing |
| High card | A | K | Q | J | T | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | AA — Keep playing | AKs — Keep playing | AQs — Keep playing | AJs — Keep playing | ATs — Keep playing | A9s — Keep playing | A8s — Keep playing | A7s — Keep playing | A6s — Keep playing | A5s — Keep playing | A4s — Keep playing | A3s — Keep playing | A2s — Keep playing |
| K | AKo — Keep playing | KK — Keep playing | KQs — Keep playing | KJs — Keep playing | KTs — Keep playing | K9s — Keep playing | K8s — Fold | K7s — Fold | K6s — Fold | K5s — Fold | K4s — Fold | K3s — Fold | K2s — Fold |
| Q | AQo — Keep playing | KQo — Fold | QQ — Keep playing | QJs — Keep playing | QTs — Keep playing | Q9s — Keep playing | Q8s — Fold | Q7s — Fold | Q6s — Fold | Q5s — Fold | Q4s — Fold | Q3s — Fold | Q2s — Fold |
| J | AJo — Keep playing | KJo — Keep playing | QJo — Fold | JJ — Keep playing | JTs — Keep playing | J9s — Keep playing | J8s — Fold | J7s — Fold | J6s — Fold | J5s — Fold | J4s — Fold | J3s — Fold | J2s — Fold |
| T | ATo — Keep playing | KTo — Fold | QTo — Fold | JTo — Fold | TT — Keep playing | T9s — Keep playing | T8s — Keep playing | T7s — Fold | T6s — Fold | T5s — Fold | T4s — Fold | T3s — Fold | T2s — Fold |
| 9 | A9o — Fold | K9o — Fold | Q9o — Fold | J9o — Fold | T9o — Fold | 99 — Keep playing | 98s — Keep playing | 97s — Keep playing | 96s — Fold | 95s — Fold | 94s — Fold | 93s — Fold | 92s — Fold |
| 8 | A8o — Fold | K8o — Fold | Q8o — Fold | J8o — Fold | T8o — Fold | 98o — Fold | 88 — Keep playing | 87s — Keep playing | 86s — Keep playing | 85s — Fold | 84s — Fold | 83s — Fold | 82s — Fold |
| 7 | A7o — Fold | K7o — Fold | Q7o — Fold | J7o — Fold | T7o — Fold | 97o — Fold | 87o — Fold | 77 — Keep playing | 76s — Keep playing | 75s — Fold | 74s — Fold | 73s — Fold | 72s — Fold |
| 6 | A6o — Fold | K6o — Fold | Q6o — Fold | J6o — Fold | T6o — Fold | 96o — Fold | 86o — Fold | 76o — Fold | 66 — Keep playing | 65s — Keep playing | 64s — Fold | 63s — Fold | 62s — Fold |
| 5 | A5o — Fold | K5o — Fold | Q5o — Fold | J5o — Fold | T5o — Fold | 95o — Fold | 85o — Fold | 75o — Fold | 65o — Fold | 55 — Keep playing | 54s — Keep playing | 53s — Fold | 52s — Fold |
| 4 | A4o — Fold | K4o — Fold | Q4o — Fold | J4o — Fold | T4o — Fold | 94o — Fold | 84o — Fold | 74o — Fold | 64o — Fold | 54o — Fold | 44 — Keep playing | 43s — Fold | 42s — Fold |
| 3 | A3o — Fold | K3o — Fold | Q3o — Fold | J3o — Fold | T3o — Fold | 93o — Fold | 83o — Fold | 73o — Fold | 63o — Fold | 53o — Fold | 43o — Fold | 33 — Keep playing | 32s — Fold |
| 2 | A2o — Fold | K2o — Fold | Q2o — Fold | J2o — Fold | T2o — Fold | 92o — Fold | 82o — Fold | 72o — Fold | 62o — Fold | 52o — Fold | 42o — Fold | 32o — Fold | 22 — Keep playing |
This chart is authored, not solved: a deliberately simplified 6-max baseline — 100bb, no ante, a 2.5bb open, raise-or-fold from the small blind. It is not solver-derived, and it does not claim that every boundary hand is pure in every rake structure. The code that expands and tests this notation is public; the ranges themselves are a teaching choice, and the lessons are checked against them rather than the other way round.
Exact arithmetic, not a range: what a call costs, what it is calling into, and the raw equity it needs to break even. The last column is the frequency the blinds have to defend between them before an open stops being free money.
| Open | To call | Pot | Break-even | Min defence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2bb | 1bb | 4.5bb | 22.2% | 42.9% |
| 2.5bb | 1.5bb | 5.5bb | 27.3% | 37.5% |
| 3bb | 2bb | 6.5bb | 30.8% | 33.3% |
| 3.5bb | 2.5bb | 7.5bb | 33.3% | 30.0% |
| 4bb | 3bb | 8.5bb | 35.3% | 27.3% |
Blinds of 0.5/1, small blind folded, so its half blind is dead money in the pot. Break-even is raw equity: out of position you will not realize all of it, which is why real defending ranges sit tighter than the price alone implies.
Every other seat starts a hand with nothing in the middle. The big blind starts with one blind already paid, which changes the maths of every decision that follows: you are not deciding whether to invest, you are deciding whether to abandon an investment you have already made.
That is what the price table above measures. Against a 2.5bb open you are risking 1.5 to win 5.5, so a call breaks even at just over 27% raw equity, a bar that most two-card holdings clear. What it does not measure is realization: out of position, with the initiative in the other player's hands, you will not collect all of that equity, which is why real defending ranges are tighter than the raw price suggests.
The other number is the one that keeps opponents honest. A raise to 2.5bb risks 2.5 to win the 1.5 in blinds, so if the blinds fold more than 62.5% of the time between them, the raise prints with any two cards. Defending is not generosity: it is the reason a wide steal stops being free.
Real hands from the trainer where you are sitting in this seat. Each one shows the solver-verified answer before it asks you to trust anything.
It depends entirely on who opened. Against a button open, something like 43% of hands; against an under-the-gun open, closer to 20%. Both charts are on this page. The rule underneath is that defence tracks the opener's range, not your own optimism.
Against a 2.5bb open you call 1.5 into a pot of 5.5, which is just over 27% break-even equity. Against a 3bb open it is 2 into 6.5, or about 31%. The full table on this page prices every common size, including the minimum defence frequency.
Both, and the split matters more than the total. Three-bet the hands that want the pot heads-up and can stand a four-bet, call with the ones that flop well and lose value when the pot grows. This chart merges them: it answers whether to keep playing, not how.