There are countless things that determine how successful you are as a poker player. Everything from your tilt control and bankroll management to your choice of tracks on your iPod will affect your results; but probably the fundamental difference between players is hand reading ability.
By hand reading I mean being able to put your opponents accurately on a range of possible hands and also to understand their probable view of your hand. The reason it’s so important goes to the heart of poker. If we accept the premise that over time everyone will get equally lucky and unlucky and have an equal distribution of good and bad hands then what makes the difference? The difference is that good players will win more with their good hands and lose less with their bad ones. They do this by being excellent at reading hands and understanding the relative strength of their hand compared to their opponents’ before acting accordingly.
Hand reading is part art and part science. Until a few years ago players relied mostly on the ‘art’ part, commonly known as ‘feel’. This is the idea that using your experience of playing poker and your knowledge of your opponent you’d get a feel for the strength of his hand and whether he was strong or weak – maybe you’d even be able to put him on a precise hand. The problem with this method is it’s not exact and leads to big errors.
The evolution of poker
More recently the ‘science’ of hand reading has come to dominate the game. The idea is that rather than using instincts to guess the strength of someone’s hand you assign them a range of possible holdings and assess your card strength against that range. You assign a hand range based on the player’s bets and actions, but also your knowledge of that player. So for example, when a very tight player raises under the gun you can give him a very predictable range of, say, pairs of Tens or better and A-Q+.
When a loose, creative player makes the same opening raise you’d give them a far wider range – maybe all pairs, A-T+ and suited connectors down to 8-7 suited and even some first position steals with junk.
Hand reading is a skill that will develop the more you play. Remember to put your opponents on a range of hands early in the hand and then adjust that range based on their betting actions and reactions. Keep adjusting your reads based on the type of opponent and your knowledge of their tendencies, not just assigning a general range to them. As the hand changes with the flop, turn and river your read will change based on the board and their actions, but always remember the initial range you put them on preflop and what hands would make sense.
Hand reading on the flop
The flop is a defining moment in a hand of hold’em. As the first three community cards are spread out we know 71% of our cards in the hand and so do our opponents. It’s the first chance we have to develop our reads and start to narrow the hands our villain can hold. It’s important to build your reads at this point in the context of the flop – so you should be assigning hand ranges based on the preflop range you have assigned your opponents while also bearing in mind their tendencies on the flop.
Let’s say you raised before the flop with A-Q and were called behind by a predictable player. Before the flop you were able to give this player a pretty reliable range, as he is the kind of player who always re-raises his big hands so you can rule out big pairs and A-K. You think his flat call means he has a pocket pair of Tens or smaller, or two big cards- maybe Q-T upwards, as well as some suited connecting cards.
Now the flop comes Kd-6s-4s. You make a continuation bet and your opponent calls. If he is predictable you can narrow his range. He would just fold all hands that have missed this flop and often raise his big hands. As such, his calling range is likely to be hands containing a King, pocket pairs below a King and hands with a draw, such as two spades, or 7-5.
Reading aggressive players
If you’re facing an unpredictable opponent you can’t narrow his hand range as much, as he will sometimes call with his entire range looking to take the pot away on the turn if you check or if a scare card such as a spade arrives.
Another thing to look for is how players play their draws. For example, aggressive players will always look to raise and semi-bluff with hands like flush draws on this kind of board. Therefore if they flat-call in this spot you can lower the chances of them having drawing hands and consider either betting again if a spade comes on the turn or check-calling to trap them.
Be very aware of board textures on the flop and beyond. For instance if you are check-raised on a board like K-7-2 rainbow your opponent has a much smaller range than if he makes the same check-raise on a Jh-9s-8h flop where he can have all kinds of draws and/or made hands.
Remember, the best hand readers are able to adjust to each situation to make good decisions, so bear in mind the player you’re playing, his preflop range, and the texture of the board when assigning him a range.
Backing your reads
Poker is a peculiar game in that you often come across players who are great at analysing hands and making reads from the rail but don’t make good decisions in the heat of battle. This is one of the key differences between okay poker players and good winning players – the ability not only to make accurate reads but also to act on them effectively.
It’s amazing how often players don’t back their reads, especially if it involves making a bluff or difficult call. Often at a live table you’ll hear people say things like, ‘I know you don’t have anything, but I can’t call’ – and then they fold. Well here’s a thought: why not raise? You have a read, you know they’re weak and will have to fold most of their range to a raise. In that spot your hand doesn’t mean much as it’s going to be profitable for you to raise whatever you hold.
The best advice is to concentrate on thinking hands through in a logical fashion and then making the best decision. Don’t look at it as making a ‘brave’ bluff or a ‘hero’ call, just view it as either a good decision or not.
Gauging your enemy
It’s important to adjust your actions to your opponent in the hand. For example, let’s say you’ve reached the river and you’re sure your opponent has a strong hand that he liked preflop and beyond, such as an over pair or top pair, top kicker. He bets the river and you’re convinced your hand, maybe top pair, mediocre kicker, is no good. You have two options that make sense now: folding or turning your hand into a bluff. In this situation your read is very strong and specific but your action still needs some thought. Against a calling station or a good player who knows you’re capable of bluffing, a raise may amount to setting money on fire. However, against players who are weak-tight and always fear monsters, raising can be hugely profitable in this spot.
Hand reading is not only about making good reads and understanding how your hand’s relative strength fares against your opponent, it is also about understanding the best way to act on your read in each situation and against different players. Remember, the more you practise and the more you back your reads the stronger a player you’ll become.