Spot: UTG vs BB Full Ring (100bb deep, early tournament level)
Hero: Big Blind with 9♥ T♥
Villain: Under the Gun (UTG) open raises
🎯 Step 1: Understanding Ranges – Not Hands
The first mental shift you have to make when getting better at poker is this:
Don’t try to guess exactly what hand your opponent has.
Instead, think in ranges – all the possible hands they could have.
When someone raises preflop, especially from an early position like UTG, they’re representing a strong group of hands. These are often tight, high-value combos.
📸 Villain’s UTG Range (GTO Based)
Based on GTO preflop charts, UTG is opening around 10.1% of hands. That equals 134 combinations out of the 1326 total possible starting hands.
Pairs:
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66
Suited Broadways:
AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs
KQs, KJs, KTs
QJs, QTs
JTs
Offsuit Broadways:
AKo, AQo, KQo
Suited Aces:
A9s, A5s
Suited Connectors:
T9s, 98s
It’s a tight, disciplined range. Now let’s think about Hero’s hand.
👀 Step 2: Hero’s Hand – 9♥ T♥
Hero holds 9♥ T♥, a solid speculative hand:
- Can make straights and flushes
- Plays well postflop, especially 100bb deep
- Not strong enough to 3-bet vs UTG
- Good candidate to call and see a flop
🧙♂️ Step 3: Blockers – What Can Villain Not Have?
Since Hero holds T♥ and 9♥, we can eliminate some combos from Villain’s range. Let’s break this down hand-by-hand.
❌ Blocked Hands (And Combos Removed)
T9s (Ten-Nine suited)
- Total: 4 combos (T♥9♥, T♠9♠, T♦9♦, T♣9♣)
- We hold T♥9♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
TT (Pocket Tens)
- Total: 6 combos
- We hold T♥, so block T♥T♠, T♥T♦, T♥T♣
- Blocked: 3
- Remaining: 3
99 (Pocket Nines)
- Total: 6 combos
- We hold 9♥, so block 9♥9♠, 9♥9♦, 9♥9♣
- Blocked: 3
- Remaining: 3
98s (Nine-Eight suited)
- Total: 4 combos
- We block 9♥8♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
JTs (Jack-Ten suited)
- Total: 4 combos
- We block J♥T♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
QTs (Queen-Ten suited)
- Total: 4 combos
- We block Q♥T♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
ATs (Ace-Ten suited)
- Total: 4 combos
- We block A♥T♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
A9s (Ace-Nine suited)
- Total: 4 combos
- We block A♥9♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
KTs (King-Ten suited)
- Total: 4 combos
- We block K♥T♥
- Blocked: 1
- Remaining: 3
A5s, AKs, AQs, AJs, KQs, KJs
- No Tens or Nines involved, not blocked
📊 Combo Block Summary
| Hand | Total Combos | Blocked | Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| T9s | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| TT | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 99 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 98s | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| JTs | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| QTs | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| ATs | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| A9s | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| KTs | 4 | 1 | 3 |
💡 Total Blocked Combos: 13
That’s 13 hands from Villain’s tight range that are now less likely, just because Hero holds 9♥T♥.
✅ Step 4: Final Thought Process
“Okay, Villain raised from UTG, which means she probably has a strong hand.
I’m in the Big Blind, already put in 1 BB. I have 9♥T♥.
That’s not strong enough to raise back, but it can make straights and flushes.
Also, I’m holding two cards that she needs to make some of her strong hands — so there’s a slightly lower chance she has them.
I’m going to call and see the flop.”
🔺 Wrap-Up
Understanding ranges isn’t about guessing. It’s about narrowing down the possibilities.
By thinking in ranges, and by paying attention to the cards you hold (your blockers), you can:
- Spot which strong hands your opponent is less likely to have
- Make smarter decisions preflop
- Avoid overthinking specific hands
Poker isn’t “Does she have AK?”
It’s “How often does she have AK given the range and blockers?”
Hero with 9♥T♥ knows he’s behind Villain’s strong range, but he has a playable hand with removal effects. It’s a classic spot to defend smartly, and think deeper than just the cards.
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