UTG Preflop Chart: 6-Max Opening Range
Updated 12 September 2026Under the gun (UTG) is the first seat to act before the flop, with five players still to come. That is why this is the tightest chart at the table. Every hand you open has to get past five chances for someone behind you to wake up with something better — and when they call, you play the rest of the hand first to act.
Quick version: when everyone folds to you in the under the gun, open 15.1% of hands as a standard raise and a further 3.2% some of the time — about 18.3% in total, which is 242 of the 1,326 possible two-card combinations, across 42 of the 169 hand types. Fold the rest.
The UTG opening chart
- Raise
- Mixed (sometimes)
- Fold
- 18.3% of hands · 242 combos
Green = raise every time. Gold = raise some of the time. Grey = fold. Assumes nobody has entered the pot before you.
What to raise, mix and fold
The shape is simple to remember: pairs, suited aces, and the top of everything else. Every suited ace is in, from AKs all the way down to A2s, because being suited is worth enough to make a hand like A4s playable from any seat — while the same hand offsuit, A4o, is an easy fold.
Offsuit hands are where UTG is brutal. Only four offsuit aces and one offsuit king make the cut. KJo is a coin-flip hand, and QJo, JTo and KTo — which feel strong when you see them — are folds from this seat.
| Hand family | Always raise | Sometimes | Fold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pairs | 55 and up | 44, 33, 22 | — |
| Suited aces | all of them (A2s–AKs) | — | — |
| Suited kings | KTs, KJs, KQs | K9s | K8s and below |
| Suited queens | QTs, QJs | Q9s | Q8s and below |
| Suited connectors | JTs, T9s, 98s | 87s | 76s and below |
| Offsuit aces | ATo, AJo, AQo, AKo | — | A9o and below |
| Offsuit kings | KQo | KJo | KTo and below |
| Everything else offsuit | — | — | all of it |
3 common UTG mistakes
1. Opening offsuit broadway hands
KJo, QJo, KTo and JTo look like real hands and play like traps from UTG. They flop top pair with a weak kicker, they are dominated by the exact hands that call you (AK, AQ, AJ, KQ), and you have to play those pots out of position. The cost is not one big pot — it is a slow drip of second-best hands.
2. Playing small suited connectors because they are suited
76s and 65s are good hands when you have position and a chance to win a big pot cheaply. From UTG you get neither: you will be 3-bet often, you will be first to act on every street, and you rarely get paid when you do hit. The chart stops at 98s for a reason, with 87s as a sometimes.
3. Folding your whole range to a 3-bet
Plenty of players open correctly from UTG and then fold everything except aces and kings when a button 3-bets. That turns a tight, strong range into free money for the 3-bettor. You should continue with roughly half of what you opened — see the section below.
Facing a raise from UTG
UTG acts first, so you can never be facing an earlier open — the raise you face is a 3-bet: you opened, and someone behind you raised again. With a 2.5bb open and a 7.5–8bb 3-bet, you need to continue with enough hands that the 3-bettor cannot print money by raising you automatically.
- 4-bet
- Sometimes 4-bet
- Call the 3-bet
- Fold
- 9.4% of hands · 124 combos
Green = 4-bet. Gold = 4-bet some of the time. Blue = call the 3-bet and play the flop out of position.
That is roughly half the hands you opened, which is the right ballpark. The logic behind the three colours:
- 4-bet with KK and AA. You want the money in now, against a range that still contains AK and QQ.
- Mix AK and QQ. Strong enough to 4-bet, strong enough to call. Against a tight 3-bettor lean toward calling; against someone 3-betting far too much, 4-bet them.
- Bluff 4-bet a little with A5s. A suited wheel ace blocks their aces and makes a good hand if they call. One or two such hands is enough.
- Call with pairs JJ–77 and your good suited hands. These flop well and keep your calling range from being only strong aces.
- AQo is the first hand to drop. Against a tight player it is dominated too often — fold it and you will rarely be wrong.
If you are unsure how much of your range to defend, work the price out rather than guessing: the poker equity calculator will show you how a hand like JJ or KQs actually fares against the range that is 3-betting you. And if you want the other side of this spot — what a good 3-betting range looks like and why — read when to 3-bet.
Adjusting the UTG chart
- Tight table, nobody 3-bets: add the gold hands and open a touch wider. The small pairs get better when you see cheap flops.
- Aggressive players in the cutoff and on the button: fold the gold. KJo and 44 are not worth opening into two people who 3-bet you 12% of the time.
- Heavy rake at micro stakes: the marginal hands (small pairs, K9s, Q9s) lose a chunk of their value. When in doubt from UTG, fold.
The other five positions
- HJ preflop chart — Hijack, opens 21.9% of hands
- CO preflop chart — Cutoff, opens 29.7% of hands
- BTN preflop chart — Button, opens 48.4% of hands
- SB preflop chart — Small blind, opens 44.8% of hands
- BB preflop chart — Big blind (defence, not opening)
- All preflop charts — the hub, with how the grid works.
- How to use preflop charts — read, memorise and drill a range.
Frequently asked questions
How many hands should you open from UTG in 6-max?
Around 15% of hands as a standard raise, rising to about 18% if you also open the borderline hands (small pairs, K9s, Q9s, 87s, KJo). That is roughly one hand in six. Anything much above 20% from under the gun is too wide for a 100bb cash game.
Should you ever limp from UTG?
No. Open-limping from UTG caps your range at weak hands, invites everyone behind you to play cheaply, and gives up the chance to win the blinds without a flop. Raise or fold. The only common exception is a very loose live game where a limp behind several other limpers is reasonable — and even then raising is usually better.
Is AJo a raise from UTG?
Yes. ATo, AJo, AQo and AKo are all standard UTG opens. They are strong enough to be ahead of the hands that call you, and they block your opponents from holding aces. A9o and below should be folded — those are the offsuit aces that get dominated.
Why is the UTG range so much tighter than the button range?
Two reasons. First, five players can still wake up with a better hand, so the chance that your hand is best drops sharply. Second, you will be first to act on every street after the flop, which costs you information on every single decision. A hand like K7s is a clear button raise and a clear UTG fold for exactly those two reasons.