How to Put Your Opponent on a Range in Poker

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Arved Klöhn Pokerlistings Author
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: January 16, 2025

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How to Assign a Poker Range

Often you’ll be playing and will hear someone say “I put you on x, so I called” or “I put you on y, so I raised.” This is the wrong way to think about your opponent’s holdings.

You’ll rarely – if ever – be able to determine your opponent’s hand down to the very two cards he holds. 

Instead, what you should be trying to do is assign a range of hands.

But assigning your opponent a range is not as easy as it might sound. At the beginning of the hand you have little information and his hand range is fairly wide.

As the hand plays out, though, you pick up more information and can define his range more accurately.

Example #1:

  • Six-max game online. Effective stacks $200; blinds $1/$2.
  • Your opponent on the button plays your average TAG game; let’s say 18% of hands played, 15% raising pre-flop.
  • You have J  J  and raise to $7 from under the gun.
  • Two players call and your villain on the button calls as well.
  • Because of the limpers his calling range is very large – much larger than normal.

Example #2:
Imagine you’re seated in an online six-max cash game. You hold A K in the cutoff, and your opponent in the big blind has been playing aggressively. Pre-flop, you raise to 2.5x, and he 3-bets. Rather than trying to guess the exact two cards he has, you consider a range including [Aq] [Kq], [99]–[Jj], and suited connectors like 9 8 . Your subsequent decisions will hinge on how that range shifts after each street.

Let’s just take a couple minutes and fully think about it. We can exclude AA, KK, QQ and A-K because those hands are almost always re-raised pre-flop.

They are especially unlikely since your average TAG will not want to play any of those multi-way. So, if you were that TAG on the button, which hands would you call with?

Well, hands that play well multi-way. When assigning a range it’s never going to be completely accurate, but we can come up with approximations. At this stage of the hand we can figure his range as being:

  • A-Q to A-T
  • Axs
  • K-Qs
  • K-Qo
  • K-Js
  • Q-Js to 5-6s
  • J-9s to 9-7s
  • TT-22

Granted, some of those are more likely than others, but that’s the general range we can assign to his pre-flop call. As you can see, it’s huge. So far all you have to go on is his pre-flop call after two limpers.

You’ll have to wait until the flop to further define his range.

How to Assign a Hand Range On the Flop

The flop comes 6  7  2 . You bet $25 and the first two limpers fold; the button smooth-calls. Your opponent called your raise after limping on the button and has now called your flop.

First: You can take a huge number of hands out of his range. You can eliminate the overcards. Our TAG opponent would fold the flop after missing.

Chances are if he had 8-8 or 7-7 or some other overpair to the board he would have raised the flop, so you can also discount those.

What we’re left with is draws, sets, two-pair hands and weak one-pair hands. After the flop his range looks like this:

  • K-Qs to 8-9s in spades (although overcards, flush draws and open-ended straight flush draws are discounted, because most TAGs will raise the flop with those)
  • 6-7s
  • 8-9
  • 7-8
  • 7-9
  • 7-7
  • 6-6
  • 5-5
  • 2-2

All of these hands would at least call the flop. Some of them of course would raise, but when assigning ranges it’s sometimes helpful to use all hands that will continue to this flop bet.

As you can see, you’ve eliminated the bulk of his range. You’re now left with a fairly good idea of what your opponent holds.

Example:
For instance, suppose the flop is 6 7 2 . If you’re out of position with J J , you might suspect your TAG opponent’s range includes suited connectors like 7 8 or sets like 6 6 . But if he would typically raise flush draws, you can narrow that range by focusing on the hands he’s likely to just call with, such as smaller sets or a pair plus a draw.

How to Assign a Hand Range On the Turn

The turn brings the 10 . You bet $50 and your opponent raises all-in. Do you call? Let’s look at his range, which you can define further.

Which hands call before the flop, smooth-call the flop, and now raise the turn?

His range looks like this. (Again, some of these are discounted because he would have raised the flop and not waited till the turn when a flush card came to make a move.)

  • K-Qs to 7-8s (suited in spades)
  • 8-9
  • 6-7
  • 7-7
  • 6-6
  • 2-2

His range obviously has you crushed. Very rarely would he take this line with a hand worse than this range.

Information is the Key to Hand Ranges

What starts out as a hazy vision in the fog eventually becomes clearer the more information you get until you can make an educated guess as to his likely holdings.

Remember the idea is to not put him on one exact hand. The idea is to eliminate what he doesn’t have and come up with a range of hands he likely holds.

Range is the greatest tool you can use to improve your poker game. If you can accurately deduce your opponent’s range, you’re going to be making fewer mistakes.

And as we know, fewer mistakes equals more bucks.

Additional Applications of Range Analysis

Professional poker players continuously refine their approach to assigning ranges. The core principle remains the same—eliminate what your opponent can’t have and focus on the plausible holdings—but at higher levels, incorporating advanced methods can significantly boost your accuracy.

Range Balancing and Exploitative Adjustments

In today’s games, especially at mid to high stakes, players often shift between a balanced strategy and an exploitative one. If you assume your opponent is aware of optimal play, you might attempt to balance your own range to avoid giving away easy reads. Conversely, if you realize a specific leak—like a tendency to fold too often to three-bets—you can tailor your range to exploit that weakness. By analyzing which pockets, suited connectors, and broadway combinations appear most in your opponent’s lines, you’ll be better positioned to set up profitable bluffs or value bets.

You can also plug your observations into solver tools that simulate near-optimal play. While full GTO strategies can be complex, even partial solver-based modeling refines your sense of which hands should remain in a range after each betting round. This combination of theoretical knowledge and practical adjustment keeps your game ahead of typical TAG opponents.

Constructing Ranges with Board Textures

When it comes to complex board textures, having a clear idea of how both you and your opponent connect with certain flops and turns is crucial. Dry boards often narrow a range more sharply, while dynamic boards allow for more semibluff and draw possibilities. By using software or running range vs. range simulations, you can see how certain turn or river cards drastically shift an opponent’s set of plausible hands. Armed with these insights, you can maximize your advantage when deciding whether to barrel multiple streets or to cut your losses and fold.

FAQ

What is a hand range in poker?

A hand range is the set of possible combinations of hole cards that you believe an opponent (or yourself) could hold in a given situation. Rather than guessing the exact two cards, you consider all logical holdings based on pre-flop and post-flop actions.

How do I refine my opponent’s range over different streets?

You use betting patterns, position, board texture, and known tendencies to remove unlikely hands and keep only those that fit the calls or raises you observe, narrowing down the range at each betting round.

Why not just put my opponent on one specific hand?

Putting an opponent on a single hand oversimplifies the game and can lead to incorrect decisions. By considering a range, you account for the variety of ways your opponent might play multiple hands.

How can I incorporate solver tools to improve range reading?

Solver tools model near-optimal play. When you input board textures, stack sizes, and bet sizes, they approximate how a balanced range should look. This helps refine your strategic decisions and trains you to assign more accurate ranges.

Does exploitative play contradict building balanced ranges?

They are different approaches that both rely on range concepts. Balanced play is designed to avoid being easily exploited, while exploitative play adjusts to particular weaknesses in your opponents. Skilled players shift between these strategies seamlessly.

Should I always adjust my ranges when facing aggression?

Yes. Each piece of information—bet sizing, timing, or known tendencies—should prompt reevaluation. Folding certain hands while expanding or contracting your calling and 3-betting ranges helps adapt to different opponent profiles.

How important is board texture for putting someone on a range?

Board texture is critical. Certain flops and turns connect heavily with suited connectors, low pairs, or Broadway cards. Paying attention to how the cards in play fit your opponent’s range helps you predict moves and maximize your equity in the pot.

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