There is no way to truly know what your opponent is holding during a poker game. But with that being said, you can certainly make some very educated guesses as to what your opponents are holding. In fact, the closer you can get with these guesses, the higher your profits will be in the long-run. Seeing as how being able to put an opponent on a range is so important, here is a look at how to accomplish that task.
“Range” means exactly that
The most important thing to keep in mind when putting an opponent on a range is you’re only doing just that: putting an opponent on a range. If an opponent is playing like they have K-K, you must assume that they could also have A-A, Q-Q, J-J, or A-K. If your hand is close to this range, you could be involved in a coin flip. But the key is to figure out if your hand is even close to the opponent’s range.
Example of putting an opponent on a range
Let’s say that there is a board of 8-4-Q-A-10, and there aren’t any realistic flush opportunities on the board. Judging from the way your opponent has been betting, you think your opponent has either A-A or A-K. Assuming your opponent goes all-in, this leaves you with a very tough decision because your trips queens win against top pair, yet lose against trips aces.
Luckily, you can easily assume you’re a winner in this situation because there are three aces left in the deck which means there are only 3 possible A-A combinations. Likewise, there are twelve different A-K combinations left in the deck meaning you’re an 80% favorite to win this hand (12 A-K combinations/ 15 possible combinations). Seeing as how you’re an 80% favorite, this is an easy call to make.
