Range construction basics

What "range construction" means

Range construction is the deliberate selection of which specific hands belong in a given strategic category — opening range, calling range, 3-bet range, etc. Each range is the set of hands you take a specific action with from a specific position in a specific game state.

The opposite of range construction is hand-by-hand decision-making. A player who opens K-Q from UTG sometimes and folds it other times has not constructed a range. A player who consistently opens K-Q from UTG (or consistently folds it) has constructed a range that includes (or excludes) K-Q.

Range construction matters because:

1. Solver outputs are range-based. Modern study tools operate on ranges, not on individual hands. To use them, you need ranges to study.

2. Opponent profiling requires ranges. When you observe an opponent's actions, you're really observing range tendencies — the percentage of hands they take various actions with. Building your own ranges allows you to compare against population baselines.

3. Consistency reduces variance. Random decision-making produces high-variance outcomes; consistent range-based play smooths variance and makes win rates trackable.

4. Range vs hand thinking improves decision quality. Strong players ask "what range of hands have I played to this point in this hand?" rather than "what specific hand did I have?" — the range-based question produces better decisions on later streets.

Opening ranges by position

The foundational ranges in any cash-game strategy are the opening ranges from each position. For 6-max NLHE at 100 BB:

UTG (about 22% of hands):

• Pocket pairs: 77+
• Suited: A-Js+, K-Ts+, Q-Ts+, J-Ts, T-9s, 9-8s, 8-7s, 7-6s
• Offsuit: A-Jo+, K-Qo

MP / Lojack (about 25% of hands):

• Adds: A-Ts+, K-9s, Q-9s, J-9s, A-9o, K-Jo, 6-5s, suited gappers
• Pocket pairs: 55+

Cutoff (about 30% of hands):

• Adds: A-9o+, K-Tos+, Q-Tos+, J-To, suited connectors 5-4s+, more suited gappers
• Pocket pairs: 33+

Button (about 45-50% of hands):

• Adds: A-2o+, K-9o+, Q-9o+, J-9o, T-9o, suited connectors 3-2s+, suited gappers
• Pocket pairs: 22+
• Most "open-able" hands enter

Small blind first in (about 25%):

• Tighter than position alone would dictate because of OOP disadvantage post-flop
• Similar to lojack/MP range with positional adjustments

These ranges are for 6-max games. Full-ring (9-max) games tighten earlier-position ranges further; deep-stack (200+ BB) games loosen slightly to capture implied odds.

Defending ranges against opens

When an opponent opens and you're in position (calling or 3-betting), you construct a defense range based on:

• Opponent's likely opening range (which depends on their position).
• Your position (in-position vs out-of-position).
• Stack depth (deeper stacks support wider defense).
• Opener's tendencies (loose opener = more 3-bets, tight opener = more folds).

Calling vs button-cutoff open at 100 BB from BB:

• Wide range: 35-45% of hands.
• Pocket pairs through 22.
• Suited broadway hands.
• Suited connectors 4-3s+.
• Suited gappers J-9s+.
• A-x offsuit hands above A-9o (some smaller A-x as defense; some 3-bets).
• K-T+, Q-T+ broadway hands.

Calling vs UTG open at 100 BB from BB:

• Tighter range: 15-25% of hands.
• Premium hands (TT-AA, A-K, A-Q).
• Suited broadway with playability.
• Some suited connectors with backdoor potential.

The BB-defense range is wider than the small-blind-defense range because BB is closer-to-pot (the half-bet investment discounts the price).

3-bet ranges

3-betting is raising over an opening raise. 3-bet ranges are constructed with two components:

Value range: Premium hands that profit from the 3-bet itself.

• Pocket pairs: TT+, AA most often, JJ-KK in many spots.
• A-K, A-Q.
• Suited broadway hands like K-Qs, Q-Js depending on opener position.

Bluff range: Specific hands selected as 3-bet bluffs based on blocker logic and post-flop playability.

• A-X suited (A-5s through A-2s) — block opponent's premium A-X hands.
• Suited connectors (4-5s, 5-6s, 6-7s) — play well post-flop with implied odds.
• Some hands in the gap between calling and 3-betting (suited gappers, low pocket pairs).

The 3-bet range as a whole is typically 6-10% of your total hands (against late-position opens) and 4-6% (against early-position opens).

A good 3-bet range structure is approximately 50-60% value and 40-50% bluff. Higher bluff frequencies are exploitable against aware opponents who call wider; lower bluff frequencies are exploitable against opponents who 4-bet less.

Building ranges in practice

For a player starting to construct ranges:

Step 1: Use a published reference range. Multiple resources publish reasonable 6-max GTO ranges by position. Start with the published ranges as a baseline.

Step 2: Study solver outputs for specific spots. Tools like GTO Wizard publish solver-derived ranges for typical spots. Use these to refine the baseline ranges.

Step 3: Adjust for player pool tendencies. If the player pool at your stakes deviates from GTO in specific directions (e.g., over-folds to 3-bets), adjust your ranges to exploit. Add 3-bet bluffs against over-folders; reduce 3-bet bluffs against frequent 4-betters.

Step 4: Track and refine. Use database tools (PokerTracker, Hold'em Manager) to track your win rates by position and range. Adjust ranges based on observed performance.

Hand-vs-range vs hand-vs-hand thinking

A foundational hand-reading skill: when facing a bet, think about your hand's equity against the opponent's range, not against the specific hands you'd most expect them to have.

Example. Opponent opens UTG, you call BB. Flop K-7-2 rainbow. Opponent c-bets 1/2 pot. You hold A-7 (pair of sevens).

Hand-vs-hand thinking: "My opponent likely has AK or top pair. I'm beat. Fold."

Hand-vs-range thinking: "My opponent's c-bet range on K-7-2 includes: top pair (K-X), over-pairs (TT-AA), bluffs (A-Q, A-J without a king), backdoor draws (suited connectors with backdoor potential). My A-7 has ~40-50% equity against this range. Pot odds need ~33%. Calling is correct."

The hand-vs-range answer is correct against the average opponent. Hand-vs-hand thinking would lead to a too-tight fold.

Common range-construction mistakes

• Inconsistency. Opening K-Q from UTG sometimes and folding it other times produces a range that's both too wide and too narrow.

• Over-narrowing. Treating "my opening range from UTG" as just the top 5% of hands when GTO calls for 15%.

• Over-widening. Treating "my opening range from the button" as 70% of hands when 45-50% is the GTO baseline.

• Failure to balance. A 3-bet range with 80% value hands and 20% bluffs is exploitable to over-folding; a 3-bet range with 30% value and 70% bluffs is exploitable to calling.

• Position-blind ranges. Using the same opening range from every position. UTG opens look like button opens.

• Failure to adapt. Holding ranges constant across stake levels, against different opponent pool compositions, in different formats (cash vs tournament).

Practical framework

For range construction discipline:

1. Use published ranges as baselines. Start with a recognized GTO-influenced reference; don't invent ranges from scratch.

2. Test ranges against your win rate. If a specific position is producing below-expected win rates, the range may need adjustment.

3. Adapt to player pool tendencies. A range that performs well at NL10 may not perform well at NL200 because the opponent pool composition differs.

4. Keep notes by position. Track which spots you've adjusted from baseline and why.

5. Re-study quarterly. Player pools shift; solver-recommended ranges evolve as the GTO understanding deepens. Periodic refresh keeps your ranges current.

Range construction is the foundation of consistent winning play. Players who build ranges deliberately outperform players who decide hand-by-hand. The study work pays off across every session.