The best seat in poker: two blinds to get through and last action on every street after the flop. Around 42% of all hands are a raise here.
| High card | A | K | Q | J | T | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | AA — Open-raise | AKs — Open-raise | AQs — Open-raise | AJs — Open-raise | ATs — Open-raise | A9s — Open-raise | A8s — Open-raise | A7s — Open-raise | A6s — Open-raise | A5s — Open-raise | A4s — Open-raise | A3s — Open-raise | A2s — Open-raise |
| K | AKo — Open-raise | KK — Open-raise | KQs — Open-raise | KJs — Open-raise | KTs — Open-raise | K9s — Open-raise | K8s — Open-raise | K7s — Open-raise | K6s — Open-raise | K5s — Open-raise | K4s — Open-raise | K3s — Open-raise | K2s — Open-raise |
| Q | AQo — Open-raise | KQo — Open-raise | QQ — Open-raise | QJs — Open-raise | QTs — Open-raise | Q9s — Open-raise | Q8s — Open-raise | Q7s — Open-raise | Q6s — Open-raise | Q5s — Fold | Q4s — Fold | Q3s — Fold | Q2s — Fold |
| J | AJo — Open-raise | KJo — Open-raise | QJo — Open-raise | JJ — Open-raise | JTs — Open-raise | J9s — Open-raise | J8s — Open-raise | J7s — Open-raise | J6s — Fold | J5s — Fold | J4s — Fold | J3s — Fold | J2s — Fold |
| T | ATo — Open-raise | KTo — Open-raise | QTo — Open-raise | JTo — Open-raise | TT — Open-raise | T9s — Open-raise | T8s — Open-raise | T7s — Open-raise | T6s — Fold | T5s — Fold | T4s — Fold | T3s — Fold | T2s — Fold |
| 9 | A9o — Open-raise | K9o — Open-raise | Q9o — Open-raise | J9o — Open-raise | T9o — Open-raise | 99 — Open-raise | 98s — Open-raise | 97s — Open-raise | 96s — Open-raise | 95s — Fold | 94s — Fold | 93s — Fold | 92s — Fold |
| 8 | A8o — Open-raise | K8o — Fold | Q8o — Fold | J8o — Open-raise | T8o — Open-raise | 98o — Open-raise | 88 — Open-raise | 87s — Open-raise | 86s — Open-raise | 85s — Fold | 84s — Fold | 83s — Fold | 82s — Fold |
| 7 | A7o — Open-raise | K7o — Fold | Q7o — Fold | J7o — Fold | T7o — Fold | 97o — Fold | 87o — Fold | 77 — Open-raise | 76s — Open-raise | 75s — Open-raise | 74s — Fold | 73s — Fold | 72s — Fold |
| 6 | A6o — Open-raise | K6o — Fold | Q6o — Fold | J6o — Fold | T6o — Fold | 96o — Fold | 86o — Fold | 76o — Fold | 66 — Open-raise | 65s — Open-raise | 64s — Fold | 63s — Fold | 62s — Fold |
| 5 | A5o — Open-raise | K5o — Fold | Q5o — Fold | J5o — Fold | T5o — Fold | 95o — Fold | 85o — Fold | 75o — Fold | 65o — Fold | 55 — Open-raise | 54s — Open-raise | 53s — Fold | 52s — Fold |
| 4 | A4o — Open-raise | K4o — Fold | Q4o — Fold | J4o — Fold | T4o — Fold | 94o — Fold | 84o — Fold | 74o — Fold | 64o — Fold | 54o — Fold | 44 — Open-raise | 43s — Fold | 42s — Fold |
| 3 | A3o — Open-raise | K3o — Fold | Q3o — Fold | J3o — Fold | T3o — Fold | 93o — Fold | 83o — Fold | 73o — Fold | 63o — Fold | 53o — Fold | 43o — Fold | 33 — Open-raise | 32s — Fold |
| 2 | A2o — Open-raise | K2o — Fold | Q2o — Fold | J2o — Fold | T2o — Fold | 92o — Fold | 82o — Fold | 72o — Fold | 62o — Fold | 52o — Fold | 42o — Fold | 32o — Fold | 22 — Open-raise |
On the button only the blinds are left, and they have to fold most of the time or bleed. That gives a raise the best price at the table — and unlike every other seat, when it is called you have the last word on the flop, the turn and the river.
Position is worth more than cards here. A hand like Q6s is not opened because it beats a defending range; it is opened because you will see what your opponent does before you have to do anything, on every street. That information turns a marginal holding into a profitable one, which is the whole reason the range is this wide.
The mistake is treating the width as licence. Opening 42% of hands only works if you also fold most of them when the big blind fights back — a wide opening range paired with an unwillingness to give up is how the button turns into the biggest loser at the table.
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.
Around 42% of hands in a 6-max cash game — every pair, every suited ace and king, suited gappers down to 54s, and offsuit hands from A2o, K9o, Q9o, J8o, T8o and 98o. The chart and its notation are at the top of this page.
Two reasons multiply. Only the blinds are left, so a raise wins uncontested a large share of the time; and when it is called you act last on every street afterwards. Position turns hands that could not be opened anywhere else into profitable ones.
Not in this baseline. Limping surrenders the chance to win the blinds without a fight, invites both blinds in cheaply, and gives up the initiative that makes position valuable. Raise the hands worth playing and fold the rest.