Hand reading for beginners: Defining ranges
The British TV quiz show The Chase frequently asks its contestants poker questions, from âwhich card falls between the flop and turn?â to âIn which game might you have a double belly buster?â
Itâs only a matter of time before they ask: âIn poker, capped, uncapped, polarised and merged are all types of what?â
The answer, of course, is that theyâre 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 weekâs 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 â Pouncing on Weakness
- New PokerStars School training schedule on PokerStars Twitch
Hand reading for beginners: Defining ranges
PokerStars Schoolâs 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 âHand Reading for Beginners â Polarised Ranges vs. Merged Rangesâ here.
Then Clarke looks at Capped vs. Uncapped Ranges, how to spot them, and how to exploit them.
Check out âHand Reading for Beginners â Capped vs. Uncapped Rangesâ here.
Big Hands from the ZOOM Stream â Pouncing on Weakness
As Clarkeâs Twitch stream moves to a new time slot (more on that below), heâs also taken the time to break down some of his biggest hands from a recent ZOOM session.
âPlaying winning poker is all about knowing when you can step out of the theoretical box,â Clarke writes. âOne 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.â
Watch the videos and read Clarkeâs 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 âOP-Pokerâ 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:
- A river decision: To raise or not to raise?
- When is your hand a bluff catcher?
- 4 bad reasons for playing a poker session
- What to do when the river ruins everything
- 4 bad reasons for checking your hand
- 3 common poker study pitfalls to avoid
- How to apply and avoid pressure when deep stacked
- When should you call for a chop?
- Inside the mind of a pro: How to exploit transparency
- The 3 steps to pulling off a big fold
- 4 online poker reads you can make on your opponents
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