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Poker Strategy by learn-texas-holdem.com
What Range Does Your Opponent Put You On?
At the beginning of your poker career, you probably engaged in first
level thinking: How strong is my hand?
Many
players in the online poker rooms start out worrying only about the objective strength of their hand. If
they have a flush, they will want to bet. If they only have middle
pair, they may want to check and fold. Once players get a little more
sophisticated, they begin to think about relative hand strengths. They
have a flush, but it's a small flush, and the board is
paired, and their opponent is betting strongly.
This may lead them to check and consider folding.
Or they have only middle pair, but it has
been checked around to them twice, which may lead them to believe their
pair is best and worth a bet.
Third Level Thinking
When a player reaches the next level in his poker education,
he begins to engage in third level thinking.
Here is where the player asks, what do I have,
what is my opponent likely to have, and finally, what does my opponent
think I have? Understanding the range of hands your opponent puts you
on and being able to act accordingly is the level of poker
sophistication required to become a successful player, especially at a
game like no limit hold'em.
Why Understanding the Range Your Opponent Puts You On Is Important
Understanding your opponent's range is really the essence of
poker.
In fact, the entire concept of the bluff
is based on this type of third level thinking. If you cannot see your
opponent putting you on a big hand, how can you bluff? Anyone who
bluffs engages in third level thinking, possibly without even realizing
it. However, when you work to hone this skill you can use it for much
more than bluffing. You can use it to sniff out opponent's
bluffs, you can use it to expand the number of successful bluffs you
can make and you can even use it to help you determine when to get out
of a hand that you are likely to lose.
How to Figure Out the Range Your Opponent Puts You On
The best way to figure out the range your opponent is putting you on is
to put yourself in their shoes. That is, pretend
you do not know what you are holding, review the betting action, and
decide what range you would assign to a player who has behaved in the
hand the way you have.
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