Preflop Mastery

intermediate

Complete preflop strategy: RFI ranges by position, 3-betting and 4-betting, blind defense, squeezing, and stack-depth adjustments — built on the site's canonical range charts.

8 modules60 lessons14h

RFI Foundations

What raise-first-in means, why open-raise-or-fold beats limping, and a position-by-position walk through the site's canonical RFI charts from UTG to the small blind.

Open-Raise or Fold: What RFI MeansDefines raise-first-in (RFI) as the first voluntary raise into an unopened pot and builds the case for a strict open-raise-or-fold default: initiative, fold equity against the blinds, and a range that arrives a14m How Range Width Scales with PositionWalks the full width progression of the site's canonical RFI charts — UTG ~17%, HJ ~20%, CO ~26%, BTN ~42%, SB ~36% — and explains the two drivers: fewer players left to act and the value of guaranteed postflop14m Open-Raise Sizing TheoryCovers modern open-sizing theory in the 2.2x-3x window: what a raise size buys (fold equity, pot-building with a range advantage) and what it costs (more lost when the open gets 3-bet or outplayed). Explains wh14m Anatomy of an RFI RangeDissects an opening range into its five building blocks — pocket pairs, suited aces, suited broadways, suited connectors, and offsuit broadways — and explains the job each category does: set value, nut potentia14m UTG and HJ Opening in DetailStudies the site's canonical UTG (~17%) and HJ (~20%) RFI charts hand class by hand class, focusing on the borders: K9s and 54s sit at the very bottom of the UTG chart, while ATo is out at UTG (the chart stops 14m CO Opening in DetailExamines the jump from HJ ~20% to CO ~26% in the site's charts and catalogs the new additions that drive it: weak suited kings and queens, A9o, and QTo, plus the widening of suited-gapper chains. Explains the s14m BTN Opening in DetailCovers the site's canonical BTN RFI chart (~42%) — the widest open in the game tree — and explains why hands as weak as Q2s, 43s, and T9o print: guaranteed position every postflop street, two players left who b14m SB Raise-First-In and the Raise-vs-Limp DebateCovers small-blind open strategy when the action folds to the SB: the site's canonical chart raises first-in ~36% of hands, narrower than the BTN despite facing only one opponent, because the SB plays every pos14m

Facing an Open In Position

The call/3-bet/fold decision framework when you have position on the opener, built around the site's BTN_vs_CO node and its tighter early-position cousins.

The Call, 3-Bet, or Fold Framework In PositionBuilds the in-position decision tree facing an open: fold the bottom, 3-bet a defined value-plus-bluff region, and reserve calls for hands that play well multiway and in position but dislike a re-raised pot. Es14m Cold-Calling Requirements: The BTN_vs_CO Call ListStudies the site's canonical BTN_vs_CO call list in full — 22-88 for set mining, suited aces for nut potential, suited connectors for playability, and AJo/KQo as the only offsuit flats — and derives the general14m

3-Betting

Why, when, and how to 3-bet: range construction, sizing, value and bluff selection, and assembling a complete strategy from the site's vs_rfi nodes.

Why 3-Bet at AllEstablishes the three engines of 3-bet profitability: immediate value with hands that dominate the opener's continuing range, isolation that folds out players behind and buys heads-up position or initiative, an14m Linear vs Polarized 3-Bet ConstructionDefines the two architectures for a 3-bet range: linear (the top X% of hands, merged value into medium strength) and polarized (premium value plus low-equity bluffs, with medium hands flatting in between). Esta14m

Facing 3-Bets & 4-Betting

Defending your open against 3-bets, building 4-bet ranges with the right sizing and bluffs, and navigating 4-bet and 5-bet nodes using the site's vs_threebet charts.

The Fold, Call, or 4-Bet Framework as the OpenerBuilds the opener's decision tree when the 3-bet comes back: fold the hands that opened for steal value, call with hands that retain equity against the 3-bettor's range, and 4-bet a polarized value-plus-blocker14m Defending vs In-Position 3-Bets: The CO_vs_BTN_3bet NodeStudies the site's canonical CO_vs_BTN_3bet chart in full: call JJ-77, AQs-ATs, suited broadways and connectors, and AQo; 4-bet QQ+, AKs, AKo, plus A5s/A4s as bluffs. Explains the structural logic of defending 14m

Blind Defense

Defending the big blind by position and price, the small blind's 3-bet-or-fold game, and adjustments versus sizes, steals, and open-plus-call action — anchored to the site's BB_vs_BTN, BB_vs_UTG, and SB_vs_BTN nodes.

Why the BB Defends Wide: The Pot-Odds MathDerives big-blind defense from first principles: the BB has already posted one blind, so calling a 2.5bb open costs only 1.5bb to win a 4bb pot, and closing the action removes squeeze risk entirely. Computes re14m BB vs BTN: Defending the Steal SeatStudies the site's canonical BB_vs_BTN node in detail: a 3-bet list built from value plus small suited aces and suited connectors, and a very wide call list reaching down to K2s, 43s, and 98o against the BTN's 14m

Squeezing & Multiway Preflop

Attacking open-plus-call nodes, isolating limpers, and navigating multiway preflop pots where equities run closer and ranges get capped.

Squeeze Theory and SizingDefines the squeeze — a 3-bet after an open and at least one cold call — and explains why it is structurally profitable: the caller's range is capped by his failure to 3-bet, the opener faces a raise with a pla14m Squeeze Range Construction: Value Plus Blocker BluffsBuilds the hand selection layer on top of squeeze sizing theory: a value core of QQ+/AK that beats both the opener's and the caller's continuing ranges, an expansion tier of JJ/AQs against looser configurations14m

Stack-Depth Adjustments

How preflop ranges reshape from 200bb deep down to sub-15bb shoves, including the site's push/fold charts as the canonical short-stack blind-vs-blind solution.

Why Stack Depth Reshapes Preflop RangesEstablishes the two mechanisms through which effective stack depth rewrites preflop strategy: implied odds scale with the money behind, so speculative hands (small pairs, suited connectors) gain value as stacks14m 40-60bb: Tighter Flats, More 3-Bet-or-FoldCovers the mid-stack band common in cash games after losses or on short-buy tables: implied odds shrink enough that the site's 100bb call lists over-flat, so flatting ranges tighten and the strategy tilts towar14m

Preflop in Practice

Translating the charts to full-ring, memorizing and drilling ranges, deviating versus real pools, handling weird sizings, and proving mastery with a graded self-test.

Translating the 6-Max Charts to Full-RingShows how to run the site's 6-max charts at a 9-max table by mapping seats rather than relearning ranges: the three added early seats (UTG+1, UTG+2, LJ) interpolate between a tightened 9-max UTG and the existin14m Memorization Systems for RangesTeaches how to actually retain the site's charts instead of re-deriving them at the table: learn border hands rather than full lists (each range is defined by its weakest member per category), learn range shape14m