Preflop Raising By Position Part 1: Early Position

Under the Gun (UTG)

This is the position where the action starts. With 5 players still to act a raise here is usually given more respect as it represents a strong hand. If we are the first into a pot  preflop, the best preflop strategy dictates  that we should always open for a raise in shorthanded no limit holdem games. This is because it balances the top and bottom of our raising range and because continuation bets work more effectively due to the perceived strength of our hand based on our preflop raising position.

Generally, our raising range should be tighter from under the gun. We will potentially be out of position (OOP) to 3 opponents postflop so we need a stronger hand range to compensate for this.

We should raise all pairs from 22 to AA. Some poker players like to limp with small pocket pairs in order to hit a set. However, this preflop strategy is highly exploitable as they fail to balance their preflop limping range and most competent opponents will adjust accordingly. Raising preflop also starts to build a pot for the times we hit a set on the flop.

The rest of our preflop raising range should be suited aces (A2s+), suited broadways (QJs+), AQo+   and all suited connectors as low as 56s. There are also some grey area hands that we should raise at some tables – AJo and KQo.

As well as this range, we should also open some suited one gappers some % of the time – 68s, J9s, 79s and some suited 2 gappers (47s, 58s) as these are strong implied odds hands that will rarely be dominated by someone's calling range preflop.

One commonly asked question relates to the profitability of opening suited connectors from early position. Players check their tracking software and find they are losing money from raising suited connectors. Is this a mistake? Are suited connectores bad hands to raise preflop? No. We open suited connectors for a number of reasons:

1. They can make very strong hands postlop
2. We can flop big draws that we can play aggressively and thus win more without showdown
3. They increase our VPIP and PFR numbers to create a more aggressive image in the eyes of the other players at the table

The 3rd point above is the most important one. The reason we open suited connectors is to create a looser and more aggressive image. As a result of raising more hands preflop, we are far more likely to get 3-bet and to be played back at lighter. The money lost from raising these hands is more than made up by the amount of extra money we win from our big pairs and sets.

We should almost never be opening ATo or QJo preflop. The reason we raise queen jack suited but not queen jack offsuit is because the extra few % points in hand strength makes a huge difference postflop, as we can flop stronger hands and draws that we can play aggressively to show a higher winrate.

For grey area hands – KQo, AJo – we need to look to our left. We should always be aware of who has position on us. Furthermore, we should know the cold calling and 3betting ranges of the players who have position on us. The blinds are less important as they will be inclined to play more straightforwardly vs an utg open as our range is tighter and they are out of position.

When there is a fish in the blinds we should be opening more grey area hands. ATo/KJo under the gun is almost exclusively a fold, but is almost a ways an open when there is a fish in the blinds who will call with dominated hands preflop. The reason we normally fold these hands preflop is because the cold calling/3betting range of the players to act after us will always be a range that dominates us rather than the opposite way round. At looser tables where players play too many hands we should be open raising more hands that can flop top pair with good kickers. The one exception is if there is a tricky player in position who is squeezing or 3betting a lot.

Overall, we should raise between 15 and 17% of hands preflop from under the gun. This range is illustrated below. We can add some suited one gappers such as J9s/79s to get closer to 17%.

Under The Gun + 1 (UTG+1)

Our utg+1 raising range will be similar to our utg raising range. We should raise all the hands we raise from utg as well as some more suited one gappers. UTG grey area hands become raises UTG+1. This is because there is one less player to act after us and as a result of card elimination, there is a smaller chance someone behind us has a hand that dominates us. Similarly, KJo and ATo become grey area hands for this position.

Most players tend to group utg and utg+1 together as early position. There is an invisible divide in a lot of peoples’ minds between these 2 positions. Raises from these 2 positions are given a lot of respect and players are less likely to play back light. For this reason, we can begin to open up our range more, particularly if the cutoff and button have this thought process.

Overall, we should raise between 18 and 21% of hands. A sample range is shown below.