What does under the gun mean in poker?
Under the gun (UTG) is the seat directly to the left of the big blind. Before the flop it acts first, with every other player still to come. The name is an old idiom for being under pressure, and the seat earns it: whatever you do, five players at a 6-max table get to respond.
The pressure is preflop only. After the flop the small blind acts first, then the big blind, then under the gun, so a UTG player who is called by the blinds acts after them for the rest of the hand. Called by anyone else, UTG is out of position. See our guide to poker positions for how every seat compares.
Where is under the gun at 6-max and at a full-ring table?
At 6-max the seats in order are under the gun, hijack, cutoff, button, small blind and big blind. At a full-ring table of nine the first seat is still under the gun, followed by UTG+1, UTG+2, the lojack, the hijack, the cutoff, the button and the blinds. What decides how tight a seat plays is the number of players left behind it. At nine-handed the lojack has five players behind, the same as a 6-max under the gun, so it plays roughly the 6-max UTG range, and the two seats before it play tighter still.
Why is under the gun the hardest seat to play?
Because the most players can punish your open. In PlusEV’s 6-max solver ranges at 100 big blinds, we simulated 200,000 UTG opens with card removal included: UTG is dealt a hand from its opening range and the other five players act on their own charts.
| After a UTG open | How often |
|---|---|
| Everyone folds, UTG wins the blinds | 48.3% |
| Someone 3-bets first | 27.6% |
| Someone calls first | 24.1% |
More than a quarter of UTG opens run into a 3-bet, and the hijack, cutoff and button each 3-bet first about 6% to 7% of the time. The single most common response is the big blind calling, 13.6% of the time, which is the one opponent UTG gets to act after once the flop comes. Everyone else who calls has position on you.
Which hands should you open under the gun?
About 17.5% of them: 232 of the 1,326 two-card combos, in the 6-max cash ranges PlusEV drills at 100 big blinds. Every hand is a raise to 2.5 big blinds or a fold; the solver never limps from this seat.
| AA | AKs | AQs | AJs | ATs | A9s | A8s | A7s | A6s | A5s | A4s | A3s | A2s |
| AKo | KK | KQs | KJs | KTs | K9s | K8s | K7s | K6s | K5s | K4s | K3s | K2s |
| AQo | KQo | QJs | QTs | Q9s | Q8s | Q7s | Q6s | Q5s | Q4s | Q3s | Q2s | |
| AJo | KJo | QJo | JJ | JTs | J9s | J8s | J7s | J6s | J5s | J4s | J3s | J2s |
| ATo | KTo | QTo | JTo | TT | T9s | T8s | T7s | T6s | T5s | T4s | T3s | T2s |
| A9o | K9o | Q9o | J9o | T9o | 99 | 98s | 97s | 96s | 95s | 94s | 93s | 92s |
| A8o | K8o | Q8o | J8o | T8o | 98o | 88 | 87s | 86s | 85s | 84s | 83s | 82s |
| A7o | K7o | Q7o | J7o | T7o | 97o | 87o | 77 | 76s | 75s | 74s | 73s | 72s |
| A6o | K6o | Q6o | J6o | T6o | 96o | 86o | 76o | 66 | 65s | 64s | 63s | 62s |
| A5o | K5o | Q5o | J5o | T5o | 95o | 85o | 75o | 65o | 55 | 54s | 53s | 52s |
| A4o | K4o | Q4o | J4o | T4o | 94o | 84o | 74o | 64o | 54o | 44 | 43s | 42s |
| A3o | K3o | Q3o | J3o | T3o | 93o | 83o | 73o | 63o | 53o | 43o | 33 | 32s |
| A2o | K2o | Q2o | J2o | T2o | 92o | 82o | 72o | 62o | 52o | 42o | 32o | 22 |
In shorthand the range is 66+, A3s+, ATo+, K8s+, K6s, KQo, Q9s+, JTs and T9s, plus 13 hands raised only part of the time. The last hand opened in each row is the part worth memorizing:
| Row | Last hand UTG opens |
|---|---|
| Pairs | 66 every time; 55 half the time, 22 to 44 now and then |
| Suited aces | A3s (A2s half the time) |
| Offsuit aces | ATo |
| Suited kings | K8s, plus K6s |
| Offsuit kings | KQo every time, KJo half the time, KTo about a third |
| Suited queens, jacks, tens | Q9s, JTs (J9s almost always), T9s |
| Offsuit queens and below | none |
Three hands players often open here are folds every time in these ranges: queen-jack offsuit, ace-nine offsuit and 9-8 suited. The range is 27% pairs, 43% suited hands and only 30% offsuit hands, the most pair-heavy of any seat. Our Texas Hold’em charts show how it widens seat by seat, and how to memorize preflop ranges shows how to learn it.
What should you do when someone 3-bets your UTG open?
Continue with a little under half your range, and less against the blinds. In PlusEV’s solver ranges, counting each hand by how often UTG opens it:
| 3-bet from | Size | Continue | Call | 4-bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hijack | 7.5bb | 48.8% | 28.8% | 20.0% |
| Cutoff | 7.5bb | 52.6% | 32.0% | 20.6% |
| Button | 7.5bb | 57.7% | 37.7% | 20.0% |
| Small blind | 11bb | 44.3% | 33.3% | 11.0% |
| Big blind | 12bb | 40.2% | 31.1% | 9.2% |
The later the 3-bettor sits, the wider their 3-bets, so the more of your range continues. The blinds 3-bet bigger because they will be out of position, and the price shrinks your defence. The hands themselves shift too: aces 4-bet every time against any seat; queens 4-bet about half the time against the hijack, cutoff or button and always call against the blinds; ace-king offsuit mixes calls, 4-bets and the occasional all-in. Against the big blind even pocket tens fold 26% of the time. Every spot is on our facing a 3-bet charts, and the re-raise itself is covered in the 4-bet guide.
How do you play pocket aces under the gun?
Exactly like the rest of your range: a normal raise. That is the top answer in the Reddit thread that ranks for this question, and the solver agrees. Limping aces to trap, or raising them bigger, tells observant players what you hold, and limping from this seat lets everyone behind see a cheap flop. When someone 3-bets, pocket aces 4-bet 100% of the time in PlusEV’s ranges, against every seat.
What are the most common mistakes under the gun?
- Opening too wide. Queen-jack offsuit and ace-nine offsuit look playable and are folds here, and suited connectors below T9s are opened only part of the time, 18% to 50%. Offsuit hands outside ATo+, KQo and the KJo and KTo mixes do not belong in a UTG open.
- Limping. The solver limps 0% of hands from under the gun.
- Changing the raise size by hand strength. One size for every hand.
- Defending too much against the blinds’ 3-bets. They are bigger, so your continue range should be narrower than against a 3-bet from a later seat.
- Straddling from this seat. It puts money in from the worst position without seeing your cards; our straddle guide explains why it is usually a losing habit.
How do you play after the flop from under the gun?
Carefully, because you are usually out of position. This part is standard theory rather than our data. Your range is the strongest at the table, so on high, dry boards like K-8-3 you can bet often and small, and the callers behind you will rarely hold the strongest hands. On low, connected boards like 7-6-5 their calling ranges hit harder, so check more. Against two or more callers, bet mostly for value: a bluff has to get through every player.
Does under the gun change in tournaments and live games?
Mostly through the number of players and the stacks. This is standard theory:
- Full ring. With seven or eight players behind, the first seat opens tighter than the 6-max figures above.
- Tournaments. Antes make the pot bigger before you act, which widens opening ranges a little; short stacks push everyone toward raise-or-fold.
- Live cash. Opens are often 3 to 5 big blinds and calls are looser, so value hands gain and thin bluffs lose.
Under the gun is the first seat to act before the flop, and it plays the tightest range at the table for that reason. Open about one hand in six, raise every hand the same size, expect a 3-bet a quarter of the time, and continue with a little under half your range when it comes. The PlusEV preflop trainer drills these spots until you stop needing the chart.
Quick answers
What does UTG mean in poker?
Under the gun: the player directly to the left of the big blind, who is first to act before the flop. The name comes from the pressure of acting with everyone else still behind you.
Is under the gun the worst position in poker?
It is the hardest seat to open from, because five players act behind you at 6-max and most of them will have position after the flop. The blinds lose more money over time, though, because they post chips before seeing their cards and play every later street out of position.
What percentage of hands should you play under the gun?
About 17.5% in 6-max cash at 100 big blinds, or 232 of the 1,326 possible two-card combos, in the solver ranges PlusEV drills. At a full-ring table the first seat opens fewer still.
How much should you raise under the gun?
2.5 big blinds in the 6-max cash ranges PlusEV uses. The same size for every hand you open, so the size gives nothing away.
Should you ever limp under the gun?
No. The solver limps 0% of hands from under the gun: every hand it plays is a raise. Limping invites the players behind to raise or see a cheap flop in position.
What is UTG+1 in poker?
The seat directly left of under the gun at a full-ring table. With one player fewer behind it, it opens a little wider than UTG. At 6-max that seat is called the hijack.
How do you play pocket aces under the gun?
Raise the same size you open every other hand with. If someone 3-bets, 4-bet: in PlusEV's 6-max ranges, aces 4-bet 100% of the time against a 3-bet from any seat.