In poker, a range begins preflop when players are dealt any one of the 78 different off suit hands, one of the 78 different suited hands or one of the 13 possible pocket pairs that are dished out at the start of the game. That makes 169 starting hands with a further 1,326 unique combinations.
When a player is facing a raise during the preflop betting round in a game of poker, they each have three options. These are to call, which will match the bet, to raise, betting more than the raising player or to simply fold and forfeit the hand.
As soon as a player opts to put some of their own money into the pot they are effectively revealing something about their range.
A range is regularly employed to refer to a group of starting hands, usually when speaking of an opponent’s likely holdings. So, for example, when a known tight player chooses to reraise a pre flop bet, then that action will likely narrow their range of potential hands.
If, on later streets, they keep on betting then that further reduces their possible hands depending on how the community cards fall.
When poker players discuss strategies, it is very often the case that they are talking about an opponent having a range of possible hands rather than a particular hand. This means that it often makes more sense to conclude from an opponent’s betting pattern that they have a range that likely includes big pairs along with high cards rather than to pin down exactly one particular hand that they might be holding.
In case you are unsure exactly what a range is in preflop poker, it is simply the combination of hands that a player might have at a given time.
Using Range Against Your Opponents
It is valuable for us to think about what our opposing players might have in their range as it allows us to think about all of the possible outcomes of a hand.
Poker players use hand grids as a way to physically visualise ranges and there are plenty of online poker tools out there that can help formulate and tailor a range specifically for your poker game.
After all, different players value certain hands differently so you will want to make the range to fit the way we actually think someone is playing.
Being able to identify and read poker ranges is one of the most critically important parts of a poker players’ skill set.
Incomplete Information
Poker is a game of incomplete information, meaning that players can never quite be certain which two hole cards their opponents are holding. However, with some clever deduction players can build their opponent’s range and then use that information to work against them.
Ranges are in play both preflop and postflop. Since tight players have less hands in their range than looser players, who will have a greater amount of starting hands in their range, these can vary quite a bit.
Begin by building your opponent’s range preflop and then continue to refine the formula as they take action throughout the hand.
If you believe that, as a percentage, your opponent open raises pre flop 15% of the time, then you could make an estimate of their range building the top 15% of hands.
Post-Flop Strategy
Hand analysis tools can come in handy here as they will allow to revisit hands that you have played in the past. This way you can recognise what hands the weaker opponents you have come up against plays from each position.
Identifying weak players should be your ultimate target as these will ultimately pay you off with weak hands. You can squeeze the value out of weak players by playing your good hands and folding in those situations where you can only win a small pot or possibly lose a big one.
Once you have recognised these weaker players you can estimate the range of future hands for them. They are also likely to be unaware of their positional disadvantage.
Spotting a decent opponent in online poker works the same way. Anyone who folds a weak hand can be considered to be a decent player. That isn’t to say that they are great players but is does mean that they have a better understating of what is a good hand and what is a bad hand.
In all, only get involved in big pots when you have a big hand and if this isn’t possible then be sure to play more straightforward or feed upon the weak players.