One opponent, but no postflop position
You only need the big blind to fold to win the pot immediately. When called, however, you act first on every postflop street. That makes this a different decision from opening the button, even though fewer players remain.
Learn this strategy’s action choices
This cash-game chart contains raises and folds, with no limping branch. Practise those choices together. Adding limps to it would create a different strategy and would also require responses to big-blind raises.
Compare both sides of the blind battle
After studying the small blind’s 3bb open, look at the big-blind-versus-small-blind chart. Seeing the calls and re-raises from the other seat helps explain why a small-blind opening range must consider more than the chance of an immediate fold.
How to read a poker range chart
The 13×13 grid contains all 169 starting-hand classes in No-Limit Texas Hold’em. Pairs run down the diagonal, from AA to 22. Suited hands sit above it (AKs), and offsuit hands below it (AKo). T means ten.
The legend gives the action and total range percentage. A split cell means the hand mixes actions: 75% raise and 25% fold means raising three quarters of the time. It does not describe the hand’s chance of winning. Raise sizes are the total bet in big blinds, not the extra amount added.
Overall percentages count card combinations: each pair has 6, each suited hand 4, and each offsuit hand 12, for 1,326 combinations in total. Simply counting coloured squares would give a different, misleading percentage.
Does this mean I should never limp the small blind?
No. This is a particular raise-or-fold cash strategy, not a claim that all small-blind strategies exclude limping. The 30bb tournament chart uses a different action set, including limps.
Using these charts
Changing stack depth, rake, opening size, or the number of players changes the situation. Study the assumptions alongside the hands.
Put the range into practice
Make decisions, get feedback, and track your accuracy in the preflop drill.
Practise this range