SPOT PRINCIPLE
Suited hands extend, weak offsuit aces retire. Out of position, depth is a tax – pay it with hands that can make the nuts.
Implied odds arrive. Every pocket pair and connected suited hand gains; weak offsuit broadways start bleeding reverse implied odds and get trimmed first.
Folded to you in the small blind: raise or fold. Completing invites the big blind to realize equity for free with position – a habit that gets expensive as stacks deepen.
Assumes a live-standard open to ~4bb, raise-or-fold. In straddled games, halve your effective big blinds and read the chart at that depth.
Baseline assumptions: 9-handed · no ante · no straddle · 4bb opens · low-rake live structure · cold-calling allowed. Charts reduce low-frequency mixes to a single default action; adjust live for opponents and rake. Baseline v1 · updated 2026-08.