Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Poker hands chart preflop

A poker hands chart preflop is a 13×13 grid that maps the 169 non-equivalent two-card starting hands in Texas hold'em and suggests whether to fold, limp or raise based on table position.

Matrix size
13 × 13
Starting hand types
169 non-equivalent
Possible combos
1,326 from a 52-card deck

Key points

  • The chart groups suited hands on one diagonal and unsuited hands on the other.1
  • Players use it before the flop to choose an action based on hand strength and position.1
  • In a raise-first-in setting, the available actions are Limp, Raise or Fold.1

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Poker hands — the made five-card hands used to determine a winner, not the preflop starting-hand guide
  • Poker hand rankings preflop — the hierarchy of made poker hands, not the chart for preflop starting hands

Sources

  1. Are ChatGPT and GPT-4 Good Poker Players? - A Pre-Flop ... arxiv.org Defines the 13×13 matrix and the 169 hand types, and describes the RFI setting.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.