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How to put your opponents on range

• 30.06.2025 7:43 pm
• Helen
• 0 Comments

In the theoretical part of poker, a book by David Sklansky on playing a hand properly states that you should play it just the same way you would if you had the idea of your opponent's hole cards.

That is true if your opponent has no clue.

On the other hand, you should try to keep your challenger on a hand or more correctly on hands range.

Allocate a range

In most cases when you are playing, you will most probably hear some chap say 'I put you on an x so I called'

This is not the right way to ponder over your opponents holdings.

You will not often be able to find out the hand of your opponent down to the two cards he has.

Here's what you are supposed to do, allocate a range of hands.

Allocating the range of your opponent is not an easy task.

When the hand starts, you have a little clue, and his hand range is wide.

As the hand continues to play, you get more clues and can identify the range of your opponent more accurately.

Eli Elezra's SPF range is a very low range.

The six-max game online. Useful stacks $200; blinds $1or $2

Your opponent who happens to be on the button plays your average TAG game; let us say for example 18% of hands played and 15% raised pre-flop.

You have gained and raise to $7from under the gun.

Two players call and your opponent who is on the button call too.

His calling range is very big because of the limpers. It is bigger than normal.

Let us think about it.

We can leave out AA,KK,QQ and A-K since such hands are always re-raised pre-flop.

They are not the same because your average TAG will not want to play using some of this ways.

So which hand would you call with if you were the Tag on the button.

When allocating a range it can never be accurate, but we can make approximations.

At this period of the hand, we can refer his hand as:

• A-J
• Axs
• K-QS
• K-Qo
• K-Js
• Q-Js to 5-6s
• J-9s to 9-7s
• TT-22

That is the common range under which we could allocate to his pre-flop call.

The range is very big. So you just have to continue on his pre-flop call after two limpers.

You must wait until the flop to identify his range.

On the flop

The flop comes . You bet $25 and the first two limpers fold; the button-smooth-calls.

After limping on the button, your challenger called your raise and he has now called your flop. You can get several hands out of his range.

You can first get rid of the overcards. Our opponent, who happens to be the TAG, will fold the flop after missing.

If your opponent had 8-8 or 7-7 or even other overpair to the board, he would have raised the flop.

Sets, draws, weak one- pair hands and two-pair hands is what we are left with.

After the flop this is how his range looks like:

• K-Qs to 8-9s in spades
• 6-7s
• 8-9
• 7-8
• 7-9
• 7-7
• 6-6
• 5-5
• 2-2

At least all the hands would call the flop. Some of the course would raise. When allocating ranges it is very important to use hands that will carry on this flop bet.

You have removed the main part of his range.

The turn

The turn normally brings the . You bet $50 and your opponent raise all-in. You are not sure whether to call or not.

Let us have a look at his range which you can identify more .

The question is: which hands call before the smooth-call flop, the flop and now raise the turn?

The range of your opponent looks like this:

• K-Qs to 7-8s(suited in spades)
• 8-9
• 6-7
• 7-7
• 6-6
• 2-2

His range clearly has you crushed. He most likely will not take this line with a hand that is worse than his range.

Just like magic, the fog clear with information.

The fog clears with the information 

What begins out as an unclear vision in the fog definitely becomes clearer if you continue to get more information until you can be able to guess how many holdings he has.

The plan is to not make him remain on the same hand. The plan is to get rid of what he does not have and create a range of hands that he can probably hold

Range is one of the best tools you can use to better your poker game.

If you can figure out the range of your opponent, then you can make fewer mistakes.

When you have fewer mistakes you will have more bucks.