Advanced Poker
Strategy – How Reading Your Opponents’ Hand
Range Can Benefit
A crucial aspect to
develop when playing poker is, how to read an
opponents’ hand range effectively. This will
help you make
effective decisions at the table. So, as an
experienced player, you should be able to
establish your opponent’s tendencies and
interpret his actions. Doing this will help you
establish the opponent’s hand range relatively
accurately.
One aspect that can
help you determine this is his betting pattern.
Each time you witness a showdown, it is
essential to look back through the bets that
your opponent has placed through the various
rounds in the game. Here are other aspects that
you should take into consideration when
establishing your opponents’ hand range.
Determining the
starting hands
The first step in
reading the hand range that your opponent holds
is to determine the criteria for his starting
hands. His hands can range from being tight to
having 2 cards (almost all). Most often, players
have the tendency to play more hands when they
are in position than if they were at the big
blind. However, others may not change their
starting hands in relation to their position.
So, assess the number of hands played by your
opponent and compare it with starting hand
charts. This will provide you with sufficient
information on the possible holding that the
range points towards.
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Tendency to raise and
call
The second step that
can help you determine the range of hands your
opponent has is to analyze his tendency to raise
and call. Assess the type of starting hands that
he opts to raise with and the ones that he has a
tendency to call. Some players may even check
the blind with their hands. A type of hand that
you should pay attention to, is that which an
opponent may be likely to re-raise at the
pre-flop. Ensure that you note the hand types
that you make observations on, as it can help
enhance your game.
Behavior post-flop
The next aspect to be
taken into consideration is your opponent’s
behaviour post flop. Some players may establish
a predictable pattern during the game. For
instance, the player may bet when he hits the
flop or calls or checks when he misses the flop.
Other players may bet irrespective of whether
they have hit or missed the flop. This behaviour
however, may be shown only when the player is in
position. By assessing the player’s over all
tendencies post-flop will help you bring down
the hand range possibilities. Ideally, you
should bet when you are checked by a tight
opponent. This is because, such players have the
tendency to raise a strong hand. However, an
aggressive opponent’s behaviour should be
assessed more carefully, especially when you
determine that he has a strong hand. For
instance, such a player may unexpectedly check
to you at a flop if he has a strong hand.
Bet sizes
Another crucial aspect
to be considered when analyzing your opponents’
betting tendencies, is the size of the bet. When
players have a draw, strong or weak hand, they
may be likely to bet a specific amount. This
amount is typically related to the pot size. So,
it is important that after a showdown, you work
backwards through the opponents’ hand. Another
aspect in relation to this that can be used to
determine an opponent’s hand range is the
frequency with which he bets.
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