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As a subscriber to the newsletter, you’ll have access to our Preflop Trainer that tests your knowledge of starting hand ranges! You can choose the position you want to study, work through a series of hands, and track your progress during the session.

So, if you’re trying to get more comfortable with which hands to play from each position, this is a great way to turn the concepts we discuss here into actual practice!

Poker gets complicated quickly because players are constantly balancing ranges, position, board texture, bet sizing, equity, blockers, and more. The goal of this framework is to simplify that process. Instead of trying to process everything at once, ask yourself five questions before every important decision. This creates a repeatable thought process that works in both cash games and tournaments and helps prevent decisions based on fear, habit, or emotion.

The first four questions help you understand the situation. Think about your range, not just your exact two cards, and consider what strong hands, medium-strength hands, and bluffs you can realistically represent. Then evaluate your opponent’s likely range of hands based on their position and previous actions rather than trying to put them on one exact holding. Position matters because acting last gives you more information and generally allows you to play more hands profitably. Finally, consider who the board favors. Some boards connect better with the preflop raiser, while others strongly favor the caller, so you should not continuation bet automatically just because you raised preflop.

The final question may be the most important: What am I trying to accomplish? Every bet, call, check, or raise should have a purpose. If you are betting for value, identify worse hands that can call. If you are bluffing, identify the better hands that can fold. Avoid betting because you “don’t want to look weak,” calling because you already have money invested, or raising simply to “find out where you are.” Good poker decisions are intentional.

1. What does MY range look like?
What strong hands, medium hands, and bluffs can I credibly represent?

2. What does THEIR range look like?
What groups of hands make sense based on their position and previous action?

3. Who has position?
Acting last gives you more information and should influence close decisions.

4. Who does the board favor?
If the board favors your range, you can generally bet more. If it favors their range, slow down.

5. What am I trying to accomplish?
Are you betting for value, bluffing, protecting your hand, controlling the pot, trying to get called, or trying to generate a fold?

The easiest way to remember the entire framework is:

YOUR RANGE. THEIR RANGE. POSITION. BOARD. PURPOSE.

You won’t make the perfect decision every time, but following this process should help you make fewer random decisions and more deliberate ones.