No-Limit Hold'em · Cash Game

Opening Hand Chart

Full ring, ~100bb stacks · raise-first-in ranges · tap any hand
Open any position
Middle position +
Cutoff +
Button / steal only
Fold
↖ Suited above the diagonalOffsuit below ↘
Tap a hand
Every playable hand is an open-raise (2.5–3x) if the pot is unopened. There is no limping tier in no-limit.

Quick Math — Equity vs. Price

No-limit decisions are the same two numbers as limit — your equity vs. the price — but the price now comes from bet sizing, not a bet count.

1
Count outs, same as always.
Flush draw = 9 · Open-ender = 8 · Two overcards = 6 · Gutshot = 4 · Pair to a set = 2 · Flush draw + open-ender = 15
2
Rule of 2 and 4.
One card to come: outs × 2 ≈ your %. All-in on the flop seeing BOTH cards: outs × 4 ≈ your %. (9-out flush draw: ~18% for one card, ~36% all-in on the flop.)
3
Bet size sets the price. Equity needed = call ÷ (pot after your call). Memorize the table — don't compute it live:
Villain betsEquity you needDraws that clear it (1 card)
1/3 pot20%15-out combo only
1/2 pot25%15-out combo only
2/3 pot~29%15-out combo only
Full pot~33%None on raw odds
2x pot40%None on raw odds

So why call draws at all? Implied odds — the money you win later when you hit. A flush draw (~18% one card) can profitably call a half-pot bet (25% needed) when stacks are deep and villain will pay you off. Shallow stacks or an obvious flush card killing action = stick to the raw numbers.

Set-mining rule of 15: call a raise with a small pair only when effective stacks are at least 15x the call. You flop a set ~1 in 8.5, and you won't get paid every time — 15x covers the misses.

All-in matchup (preflop)Rough equity
Overpair vs. underpair (KK vs. 99)80 / 20
Pair vs. two overcards (88 vs. AK)55 / 45 — the classic flip
Dominating ace (AK vs. AQ)70 / 30
Two overcards vs. two live unders (AK vs. 76s)60 / 40

Stack warning: the deeper the money, the bigger the hand you need to stack off. At 100bb, one pair — even an overpair — is rarely worth your whole stack. Big pots want two pair or better.

The Drill — Call or Fold?

Facing a real bet size with a draw. Compare your equity to the price. Raw odds only — assume no extra implied money.

Score 0/0 Streak 0

Top 10 — Solid No-Limit

  1. Raise or fold — never open-limp. If a hand is worth playing, it's worth 2.5–3x. Limping caps your winnings and invites the whole table in behind you.
  2. Position is your biggest edge. The button plays nearly triple the hands of early position for a reason — acting last is worth more than card quality. When in doubt out of position, fold.
  3. Big pots need big hands. At 100bb, top pair is a small-to-medium pot hand. Stack off with two pair or better; when a passive player raises big, one pair goes in the muck.
  4. Set-mine with the rule of 15. Small pairs call raises only when effective stacks are 15x+ the price. Shallow stacks = fold them, no matter how pretty.
  5. Rule of 2 and 4, always running. Outs × 2 for one card, × 4 facing an all-in on the flop. Pair it with the bet-size table above and pricing is automatic.
  6. Bet sizes tell a story at low stakes. Small bets are usually weak or probing; sudden big turn/river bets from passive players are almost never bluffs. Believe them.
  7. No hero calls on the river. Same leak as limit, but here it costs a stack instead of two bets. Low-stakes players under-bluff — save your big calls for real evidence.
  8. 3-bet your premiums, don't trap. QQ+ and AK re-raise ~3x the open (4x out of position). Flat-calling to be tricky just lets junk hands crack you multiway.
  9. C-bet with a plan, not a habit. Continuation-bet boards that favor your range or hands with equity — not automatically. Firing 100% into calling stations just burns money.
  10. Bankroll and tilt run the whole show. Keep 20–30 buy-ins for the level, quit when you're not playing your A-game, and remember: one bad stack-off erases hours of good decisions.