Under the Gun Range Chart: What to Open UTG

Under the gun is the tightest opening seat at the table, so its range is the smallest: roughly the top 14-16% of hands in 6-max and about 10-12% in full ring. That means all pairs, your strong suited aces and broadways, and only the best suited connectors. Everything weaker should hit the muck, because every other player acts after you.

The under the gun opening range

Here’s a dependable “it folds to me” UTG open range. In 6-max you can play the full list; in full ring, trim the italicized borderline hands.

Hand group	Open (6-max)	Notes
Pairs	22-AA	Big pairs raise for value; small pairs set-mine
Suited aces	ATs-AKs	Strong flush and blocker value
Suited broadways	KTs+, QTs+, JTs	Beat later callers’ ranges
Offsuit broadways	AJo+, KQo	Solid, dominating holdings
Suited connectors	98s, T9s	Borderline — fold these in full ring

Rough size: about 15% of hands in 6-max, tightening to ~11% in full ring once you drop the connectors and the loosest broadways. For a full seat-by-seat comparison, see the poker positions chart.

Hands to fold under the gun

The mistakes that leak the most chips from UTG are the tempting-but-weak hands:

• Weak suited aces (A2s-A9s in full ring). Dominated too often when the pot goes multiway.
• Offsuit gappers and weak connectors (T8o, 97s, J9o). No last action to make them worth the risk.
• Small offsuit broadways (KTo, QTo, JTo). They look playable but flop marginal top pairs out of position.

Save these for late position, where acting last makes them profitable. From under the gun, they mostly cost you money in tough spots.

6-max vs full ring, at a glance

Table	Players behind UTG	Rough open range
6-max	5	~15%
Full ring (9)	8	~11%

The logic is simple: full ring puts three more players behind you, so more hands can wake up with a monster and you tighten accordingly. Same seat, snugger range. The reasoning behind why this seat plays so tight is covered in under the gun explained.

Worked example: reading the chart

It folds to you under the gun in a 6-max game.

• You hold A♠ Q♠ — a suited broadway on the chart. Open-raise. It’s strong enough to withstand action from the seats behind and plays well if called.
• Next orbit you hold K♥ T♦ — an offsuit broadway that’s not in the UTG range. Fold. From late position you’d play it happily, but under the gun it’s a dominated, out-of-position trap.
• A hand later you hold 7♣ 6♣. Tempting, but it’s below even the borderline connectors here. Fold and wait for a later seat where its disguised value pays off.

The chart isn’t about the hand alone — it’s about the hand from this seat. Under the gun, only the top slice survives.

How to adjust your UTG range

The chart is a starting point. Tune it to the table:

• Tighten against aggressive tables. If players 3-bet relentlessly, drop your weakest opens (the connectors, KQo) so you’re not raise-folding constantly out of position.
• Loosen slightly against passive tables. If opponents rarely 3-bet and often limp along, you can add a couple of extra suited hands, since you’ll see more flops cheaply in position control.
• Raise a consistent size. A steady open-raise (around 2.5-3x) keeps your range balanced and doesn’t telegraph strength. Refine exact frequencies in preflop ranges.

Put it together

The under the gun range is your tightest of the day: pairs, strong suited aces and broadways, and only the best connectors — trimmed further in full ring. Fold the dominated and out-of-position traps, adjust for how aggressive the table is, and let position dictate the rest of your ranges through the positions hub.