difference between merging and balancing

rowhousepd

rowhousepd

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I've come across these terms "merging" and "balancing" a bunch lately, and I'm not quite sure I understand the actual difference between the two, though I think they are closely related. Here are two definitions (of many out there) from pokerstrategy.com:

Merging
The term merging refers to the process of adjusting your range in a way that prevents it from appearing polarized. This means that the range of the player has to contain more than only two opposing hand strengths. By merging your range, you make it impossible for your opponents to put you on an accurate range in the long term. This in turn will inevitably force them into mistakes.

Balancing
For advanced poker players, who are often up against other advanced players, it is important to balance their range. Balancing your range is a process where you manipulate the frequency with which different hands occur in the range. The goal here is to stay unpredictable for your opponents. This means that there may not be any hands in the range that occur much more frequently than others.

Arrg. I sort of get this, but I'm not really seeing how having a merged range isn't the same as having a balanced range, and vice-versa. What am I missing? Thanks!
 
LD1977

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Both merged and polarized ranges can be balanced although generally merged ranges are more value-heavy.

Polarized can be balanced while consisting of only value hands + bluffs.
Marged can be balanced while including medium strength hands and proportionally less bluffs (to be the same size as polarized range).

It is easier to make a decent polarized range.
 
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rowhousepd

rowhousepd

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Both merged and polarized ranges can be balanced although generally merged ranges are more value-heavy.

Polarized can be balanced while consisting of only value hands + bluffs.
Marged can be balanced while including medium strength hands and proportionally less bluffs (to be the same size as polarized range).

It is easier to make a decent polarized range.

Ok, so it sounds like polarized and merged are pretty much opposites, correct? So for example, if you 3bet preflop w/ KK+, AK+, and throw in some bluffs too, you're balanced, but still polarized because there's no middle range. And balanced is good because opponents won't be able to put you on a great hand when 3betting and are thus less exploitable.

But a merged range would involve mostly 3betting premium (but possibly just flatting occasionally), sometimes 3betting strong/non-premium hands, and throwing in a couple air hands as well.

Is that more or less the difference?
 
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