Hand Reading: How do you Narrow Down an Opponent’s Range?

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Das991992

Das991992

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You may encounter a situation where an opponent raises pre-flop, make a bet on the flop, and then slows down on the turn. In these situations, it is usually more profitable to remove hands that do not have a plausible story than to assume that the opponent has a particular hand

His position, bet sizes, and the texture of the board can give us hints about the possible range of hands

Street by street, we must narrow down the range of hands based on the available information. So, if an opponent suddenly checks the turn, what do you think about his range? Weak hands, draws that have missed, or a trap?
 
Good point. When he checks turn after betting flop, I think his range is mostly weak hands or missed draws. Sometimes a trap, but rarely. I would bet to put pressure.
 
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@koalapanda I see that. What kind of sizing would you use to put pressure on them there?
 
I think it's both, and it's very much about the texture. A turn check after betting the flop could certainly suggest a weak made hand or a draw that's on a slow roll, but I wouldn't necessarily discount the possibility of a trap.

For me, it's about the narrative. If their preflop action, combined with the sizing of their flop, don't tell a coherent story about what they believe to be good about the hand on the particular board, I'm going to lean towards the weak part of their range. But I think, against somebody who is capable of checking strong hands, it's often dangerous to attack everything they check on the turn, and position, size and prior tendencies are key factors to this. ♠️
 
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@Nameless14 that makes sense, especially against someone who likes checking strong hands. How much does their usual sizing affect your read?
 
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