Hone On The Range
By: David Williams
"I PUT HIM ON TWO RED JACKS."
When poker first started getting popular, poker shows on TV tried to
paint the picture that guys like Daniel Negreanu and Doyle Brunson could
literally see through your soul and pull out your hole cards.
I have sat at a table with both, and I can tell you that, while both
may do such a good job reading that you almost believe this, it is obviously not
possible.
So when Daniel puts his opponent on a specific hand, while he is
seemingly right most of the time, that deduction is gathered through what he
determined was his opponent’s most likely "range" of holdings.
People often ask me, "How did you put him on that hand?" All hand
reading is based heavily on your opponent’s betting patterns that lead you to
the conclusion of his range, which then leads you to his most likely
holdings.
The problem is that most poker strategy articles don’t break down
specifically what it is they mean when they talk about "ranges" and "betting
patterns." I often follow these patterns in live tournaments by pure habit and
have developed a poker instinct for when a bet or fold means "pattern." But
online, you have the benefit of taking notes on your opponents, so here are some
of the things I look for to note down:
Early Position Raises
If I get to see a showdown, I am always very interested in seeing the
types of hands a player will play in a certain position. In early position, in
particular, you get to learn what hands a player deems strong enough to open
with even with so many people following him, and this tells us usually how
strong or weak he values a trouble hand like K-J, Q-10, K-10, etc.
If I see that an opponent has raised or, worse, limped and then called
a bet, and he shows down one of those marginal hands, then I now can deduce that
he overvalues those holdings in many situations, meaning I can get a better read
on a situation where my top pair, top kicker is good or bad against my
opponent.
Re-Steal-Happy Players
I like to pay attention to the players who basically feel like they
have to defend their blind against every late-position raiser, since if they go
to the well too many times in a row trying to be table officer, they will likely
end up in trouble. I like to overbet my monster hands pre-flop against these
players, maybe something like four to five times the big blind, just to make
them think they are facing a pre-flop bluff. When they push over the top, they
have committed enough of their chips that it forces them to call my re-push if
they haven’t just gone all in outright.
Limp/Fold Short Stacks
A very important pattern to note in a multi-table tournament is when a
player with less than 20 big blinds limps in or min-raises pre-flop, but then
folds to a raise.
These players are important to note during the later stages of a
tournament, right before you hit the money, because these are the types of short
stacks that you can still attack when they are in the blinds. These players are
trying to be active, but for the most part, they are admitting that they don’t
really want any action. They are likely trying to make something happen but
would just as easily try and hold out until the money bubble bursts. Punish them
when they are in the blinds, and don’t be afraid to raise them light in late
position, when you can view them as another blind to steal antes and dead money
from.
Bet Sizes
Note what similar bet sizes mean from your opponents. Does he min-bet
on the flop, only to get it in with a drawing hand? Then he likely min-bets
because he believes that he’s betting to build a big pot. Does he bet huge with
top pair, trying to protect, and then does he call a re-raise with only that one
pair? Then you know you can play a lot of suited connectors in position against
him to try and hit two pair, or play a medium pair to hit a set, knowing that
this opponent will not give up on his top pairs or over-pairs, even when he is
likely beat. It’s important to take notes on these crucial facts, and use them
to your advantage later.
Push/Fold Mode
Which hands are the shorter stacks pushing their stack in with
pre-flop? If you are lucky enough to get to see a showdown or two, you can learn
how marginal a holding they are really willing to put their stack in with, so
you know the range of hands you can safely call with in most spots. Some players
love the suited ace-rag, so maybe your A-8 or A-9 is always a spot you call, or
maybe they are waiting for the nuts and not afraid to bleed off chips, in which
case you likely fold the weak aces and 2-2 against their all-in. All this is
also dependent on just how short their stack really is, but for the purpose of
learning betting patterns, this is a big key.
All and all, a key I used when I first started playing was to pick out
one player at the table and focus on him for the entire first and second level
live, or the first hour online. If you only have yourself and this one opponent
to focus on, chances are, by the end of the first period, you will know a ton
about this opponent. You should be able to note many of the things discussed
above, and now, you can move on to the next guy at the table. After a few
tournaments of doing this training exercise, you will be able to instinctively
keep track of nearly everyone at the table. Now you can make your own
predictions on his or her likely holdings, and it’s all thanks to nothing more
than paying attention.