Preflop Charts Everywhere

When I learned how to play poker, I found the preflop hand charts.  There was a chart for each position.  Just play these hands in these positions and you are your way to poker greatness.  Not so much.

In my last post I started to touch on the questions these charts can't answer.  Should I raise or call?  He 3 bet me, now what?

The guys at Upswing took the time to create a chart for each of these questions and more.  First in action, what I do if this or that position was first in the pot and now it is my turn, and if I am 3 bet, play these hands.  They go on to 4 bet action but I ran out of room on the page.  I cut and pasted each matrix and sized them so they could fit mostly to one page.  They are even color coded to say sometime re-raise with this hand instead of calling.  So very detailed.  They took the time to review their hand results along with all the equity calculators out there to find optimal and deceptive plays so I didn't have to.  That is what membership fees are for.  lol

My goal isn't to blindly follow these new charts but to understand the theory behind how they made them.  Thinking about why each hand is included and how to play it.  Not just preflop but how it sets up the play on the remaining streets.

All these charts also broadens my thinking when it comes to preflop play.  Play starts preflop not on the flop.  There is no reason you can't semi bluff or out right bluff preflop, by raising.  When you think about the hand ranges a position may play, you can make educated guesses about how your hand strength compares to theirs.  If you think you are ahead, then raise.  Preflop is the most creative part of the hand.  The flop can make any hand great or bust.  It is on the later streets you have to narrow your holdings to win the pot.  Of course you can take these ideas to extremes but I know I have room to loosen up.

Excited to see how this new way of playing works.  It looks like I will be playing more hands and 3 betting frequently.  Will put more pressure on my post flop game so I don't go broke.  Being able to fold will be very important when I miss the flop or am just beat.