Putting an Opponent on a Range...

Out of all the strategy concepts we hear discussed in poker, putting an opponent on a range has to rank right up there at the top.  After all, being able to determine a specific range of cards your opponent could have is crucial to understanding what cards they hold.  With that in mind, here is a look at how to put your opponents on a range and figure out how your hand stacks up.

Define “Range”

The first step in being able to put your opponents on a range is to clarify the whole meaning of range to yourself.  When you put an opponent within a specific range of cards, you’re merely identifying certain card values that they could have.  For instance, if your opponent is betting heavily pre-flop, you can probably assume that their range is A-A to J-J, A-K.  With this being the case, you’ll need to have cards in this range to even consider calling.

Range Example

Let’s assume that you’re holding pocket jacks on a board of A-2-J-7-5 with no flush possibilities on the board.  In this case, you’d be sitting pretty good since you are holding pocket jacks.  However, an opponent is betting heavily which indicates that they either have top pair or A-A.  Your trips jacks will no doubt hold up against top pair, but they will most certainly lose to trips aces. 

In either case, you should definitely make the call.  There are 3 possible combinations which could make A-A left in the deck while there are 12 possible combinations that could make A-K in the deck.  With 15 possible combinations and 12 combos that will leave you a winner, simply divide 12 by 15 to find your answer.  You are an 80% favorite in this instance after doing the math.

Playing Draws Aggressively...

It’s easy to push your advantage when you’re holding a big pocket pair before the flop.  And there’s a very good chance you could have the advantage after the flop hits the board.  However, it is much tougher deciding what to do when you’ve only got a drawing hand.  It is so tough that many players decide to limp in before the flop and on the flop, then fold as soon as their draw doesn’t hit.  But the key to playing draws correctly is to play them as aggressively as possible.  Here is a look at how to do so.

Advantages of being Aggressive

When you limp in with a draw, the only way you’re going to win is by hitting your hand.  You’re unlikely to bluff an opponent if you merely call everything that comes your way.  However, if you raise with a drawing hand on the flop, you can either win by making your opponent fold to the raise, or by hitting your hand if the opponent calls.  In either case, you have one more chance to win the pot by playing your draw aggressively.

An Example

Just knowing the advantages of playing a draw isn’t enough so here’s an example of how to properly handle one.  Assume you are in a $3/$6 game of No-Limit Hold’em and you’ve got a $200 stack while holding 7c-8c in late position.  The flop is 2c-Qd-4c and your opponent bets $14 into a $9 pot.  Everyone else folds leaving you with the decision of whether or not to call. 

In this situation, you’ve got to consider that your opponent has a set of queens at best which will be a winner if your draw doesn’t hit.  If your opponent doesn’t have a set of queens, and you raise, then they may think you have a set of queens.  Even if you don’t, you could still force them to fold.

The Gap Concept...

If you’re sitting in late position with pocket queens then it’s pretty much a sure call or raise.  After all, you’re not only holding one of the best hands in all of poker, but you’ve also got position over other players at the table.  Even still, there are times when you may not even want to call with a hand like pocket queens.  This especially comes into play when you’re up against the gap concept.

For those who are unfamiliar with the gap concept, it involves someone making a raise and somebody else re-raising in pre-flop play.  The gap concept also takes into account that a much stronger hand is needed before the flop to re-raise rather than just call.  So if you’re facing a raise and a re-raise before your turn to act, it’s likely that you’re up against one or two tough hands.  In fact, you could be facing pocket aces or kings, which are better pre-flop hands than what you’re holding.

Assuming you are in this situation, it would be risky to make the call with both raises out in front of you.  It’s likely that you’re up against at least one of the aforementioned hands so you won’t want to risk too many chips in this situation. 

You could make the call and assume that the 3-bettor is being overly aggressive while trying to steal the pot.  However, the person who made the initial raise could have a stronger hand than you as well, which makes a call even tougher in this situation. The best move in this instance might be to muck your cards since there are likely one or two hands that have you beat pre-flop.

Why Casual Players need to manage their ...

Anytime a poker article or strategy book talks about bankroll management, the advice is aimed at professional and semi-professional players.  That’s because the poker world seems to think that casual players don’t need to know anything about managing their bankrolls since they’re not playing for a living.  However, bankroll management skills are just as important for the less serious rounders too. 

After all, casual players have the same dreams as professional players in that they want to hit it big one day…..they just don’t have the money and/or aren’t in the right situation to play professionally yet.  This alludes to the first tip of bankroll management for casual players in that they should never use their everyday money on poker.  Professional players already know this, but many casual players use money that should be set aside for bills in order to try to play like a pro.  This is a huge mistake as average players need to worry about bills first and poker second.

In order to avoid over spending on poker, casual players also need to stick to limits they’re comfortable with.  In fact, it’s a good idea to play at a limit below what you normally would as a casual player until you’ve developed the skills to move up; this ensures that you’ll never be playing above your head.

One more tip to keep in mind when managing a non-professional player bankroll is that you should learn all the strategy you can.  By constantly learning, you will be sure to improve and help your game grow.  In turn, this will help you make money instead of lose it which always helps in the bankroll department.

Straight Draws in Texas Hold’em...

Of all the draws you can have in Texas Hold’em, straight draws are possibly the most difficult to play.  That’s because you have two different types of them in inside and open-ended straight draws.  Open-ended straight draws are obviously the most favorable to play since they give a person 8 outs while inside draws only offer 4 outs.  Since these two draws differ greatly from each other, it can be very difficult to decide what to do in each instance.  Here is a look at what to do when you have each draw.

Open-Ended Straight Draw

As mentioned before, open-ended straight draws definitely give you the better shot at hitting your hand by the river.  So you should almost always be drawing for a straight when you have this kind of hand since your pot odds will be correct.  However, you should watch out for a couple of things before you fully commit to your open-ended draw.

One of these things is when there is a pair on the board and other players are betting heavily; this means there is the potential for a full house on the board.  Another thing to beware of is when you’re only using one of your hole cards to make the straight because it’s likely someone else will be drawing for a higher straight.

Inside Straight Draw  

With an inside straight, your odds are cut in half so you will rarely call just based on this hand.  However, it makes sense to draw for the inside straight if you’ve got additional value in your hand such as overcards, a flush, etc.  You can also draw in this instance if there were several limpers before you since your pot odds will increase significantly.