Friday, 29th March 2024 09:45
Home / News / Hand reading for beginners: Defining ranges

The British TV quiz show The Chase frequently asks its contestants poker questions, from “which card falls between the flop and turn?” to “In which game might you have a double belly buster?”

It’s only a matter of time before they ask: “In poker, capped, uncapped, polarised and merged are all types of what?”

The answer, of course, is that they’re all types of hand ranges. But do you know the differences between them? And more importantly, how you can assign one to your opponent?

If not, fear not. You will do after this week’s update from PokerStars School.

THIS WEEK:

  • Hand reading for beginners: Capped vs uncapped ranges, and polarised vs merged ranges
  • Big Hands from the ZOOM Stream – Pouncing on Weakness
  • New PokerStars School training schedule on PokerStars Twitch

Hand reading for beginners: Defining ranges

PokerStars School’s Pete Clarke has put together the perfect revision material for anyone considering applying for The Chase.

First, he has broken down Polarised Ranges vs. Merged Ranges, how to identify these ranges, and how you can play against them.

Read ‘Hand Reading for Beginners – Polarised Ranges vs. Merged Ranges’ here.

Then Clarke looks at Capped vs. Uncapped Ranges, how to spot them, and how to exploit them.

Check out ‘Hand Reading for Beginners – Capped vs. Uncapped Ranges’ here.


Big Hands from the ZOOM Stream – Pouncing on Weakness

As Clarke’s Twitch stream moves to a new time slot (more on that below), he’s also taken the time to break down some of his biggest hands from a recent ZOOM session.

“Playing winning poker is all about knowing when you can step out of the theoretical box,” Clarke writes. “One of the primary means of achieving sound exploitative play is pattern recognition, and more specifically anticipating spots where ranges are likely to be underdefended in the face of aggression.”

Watch the videos and read Clarke’s analysis here.


New PokerStars School training schedule on PokerStars Twitch

Twitch.tv/pokerstars

There have been some changes to the streaming times for PokerStars School training, so make a note!

Nick “OP-Poker” Walsh will now be live on the PokerStars Twitch channel on Thursdays from 5am-9am ET (10am-2pm GMT).

Pete Clarke will now be live on the PokerStars Twitch channel on Fridays from 3am-7am ET (8am-12pm GMT).


More from PokerStars School:


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