Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Poker odds chart preflop

A poker odds chart preflop ranks starting hands in No-Limit Hold'em to guide pre-flop decisions such as fold, call, or raise.

Distinct hand combos
1,326 in hold'em; 169 unique types when suits are grouped2
Applies to
No-Limit Hold'em pre-flop decision-making1

Key points

  • The chart groups hole-card combos by pre-flop strength and suggests an action based on position and context.1
  • It is used before any community cards appear, when players must choose among folding, calling, or raising.3
  • Some tools express the advice as compact range tables for opening, calling, 3-betting, or 4-betting.4

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Pai gow poker odds — a different game and odds context, not hold'em pre-flop starting-hand guidance
Poker Preflop poker chart Essentially the same concept, emphasizing the chart used at the pre-flop stage. Poker Poker odds chart A broader term that can include odds calculations at other stages, not only pre-flop starting-hand guidance. Poker Poker hand odds chart Covers hand odds at any stage of the game, including post-flop equity or showdown odds. Poker Poker hands chart preflop Another term for a pre-flop starting-hand chart, ranking hands by strength. Poker Implied odds poker A concept for estimating future betting value, often used alongside pre-flop charts. Poker Poker preflop ranges Detailed sets of hands a player might play from a given position, often derived from a pre-flop chart.

Sources

  1. Are ChatGPT and GPT-4 Good Poker Players? - A Pre-Flop ... arxiv.org Defines the chart as a pre-flop tool for NLH decisions.
  2. Texas hold 'em starting hands - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Provides the number of distinct starting-hand combinations.
  3. Texas hold 'em en.wikipedia.org Confirms the pre-flop stage and available actions.
  4. PokerSkill: LLMs Can Play Expert-Level Poker without ... arxiv.org Describes compact range tables for actions like 3-betting and 4-betting.

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.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.