Beginning Hand Reading

So I am starting to read hand more and more instead of just playing tight poker, and I was wondering if you guys have any tips for someone who is alright at hand reading but doesn't get it right 100% of the time. I want to really train my reading ability so any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks

I don't think anyone gets it right 100% of the time. Try not to narrow down to a specific hand, but rather a range of possible hands. Also sometimes people take really risky, and unconventional lines and it's something we have to deal with. It just happens.

Just keep practicing.
I practice non stop and I don't think I'll ever stop learning.

never going to get it right 100% of the time. Take notes on players and keep trying to put them on ranges. Think about what each player is trying to do on each hand, why he is making the action (or inaction) on each play. Over time you will improve accuracy but never will be prefect.

Thanks so much for the realistic advice, appreciate it. Would you say it still benefits me to practice hand readings at low stakes or play money when I'm surrounded by fish?

Lespaul_Lover said:

Thanks so much for the realistic advice, appreciate it. Would you say it still benefits me to practice hand readings at low stakes or play money when I'm surrounded by fish?

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No. Play money is for learning the rules and getting a general feel for the game. After that it's essentially worthless and will most likely make you a worse player. Play freerolls if you can. That's better than play money. As far as hand reading, as people have said, just put people on a range of likely hands. For example seat 6 seems to min raise with small pairs but 3x with a big ace. That would be a good read. Live games obviously you can garner breathing, facial, shakiness, etc. Good luck.

ShoTyme said:

No. Play money is for learning the rules and getting a general feel for the game. After that it's essentially worthless and will most likely make you a worse player. Play freerolls if you can. That's better than play money. As far as hand reading, as people have said, just put people on a range of likely hands. For example seat 6 seems to min raise with small pairs but 3x with a big ace. That would be a good read. Live games obviously you can garner breathing, facial, shakiness, etc. Good luck.

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interesting, I will definitely take that into consideration. Right, that makes a lot of sense in terms of getting a good read. If a player who usually doesn't 3B pre flop does, is that a sign that he has a monster or could be bluffing? I'm sure it depends on position as well.

Lespaul_Lover said:

interesting, I will definitely take that into consideration. Right, that makes a lot of sense in terms of getting a good read. If a player who usually doesn't 3B pre flop does, is that a sign that he has a monster or could be bluffing? I'm sure it depends on position as well.

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There are took many variables to consider to even begin answering that question. Just play and be observant. Take notes on players if your site allows you to do so. The more you play the more you will be confident in your decision making. That's the idea anyway.

Reading hands or ranges is difficult I am trying to improve on this also...

I love having NITS and ROCKS at the table because their range is so tight that the task of reading their hand is less complicated...

But reading FISH ? Well... Where do you begin ? Their range is so wide it is very difficult to put them on anything

I once had a fish to my left who limped into every pot for about 20 hands... eventually he went all in... AA i thought ? Yup... he had rockets... And some other fool paid him

Agreed man, trying to read fish is almost impossible. I like people who have easy betting patterns or have a tight range.

thing about betting patterns is they can be used to create false impressions and a tight range does not mean they can t go off on a tangent

To make a reads you need to know a players (take a notes) even then you can't be 100% sure , but in micro buy MTT you can't make a reads there players play all hands.

Get some software like pokertracker. You'll soon have statistics of VPIP, PFR, and 3bet ranges. Those percentages will give you a basis to start reading. As every betting street comes, you can narrow their range based from their previous actions and board texture.. A good tip for practicing is to put some old hands (from which you don't remember results) in visual replayer and to go over those hands, trying to put your opponent on range and see if it somewhat matches with what you see on showdown.

Being right 100% of the time is something nobody can do, even one of the best in the game dnegs gets it wrong sometimes. Keep playing, actively observe even when your not in hands and make guesses at players hands. Read strategy books and articles, watch videos and learn the different approaches people take to the game. Try to identify this in the people you are playing against and use that to help educate your guessing. Like anything in poker and in life the more you practice it the stronger you will get! Good luck

Thanks for the advice man! I like the idea of going over old hands and guessing what others had. Thanks!!

Hope all is going well and glad to meet you. What was presented to me and what I figured out on my own; what people value and how they value their starting hands; hands that are played on flop and beyond. I studied my starting hand chart to memory for each position I would play; then I observed opponents and how close they were to my information by how they played their hands. Predicting their bets, predicting their play, trying to understand them as individuals and how they play random situations as some examples.

Taking notes, their starting hands when shown down, this will help narrow down their play before I can start saying with any regularity that would simulate putting them on an exact hand. Starting hand ranges are the base, the basics of what is important but to go beyond starting ranges, knowing when to throw out ranges comes from understanding when to trust what is being read at any one time is being built over time.

We are imperfect as poker players especially trying to solve an abstract problem, being right 100% of the time is not going to happen because putting someone on a hand is an abstract problem, but conditioning my brain to understand when it is necessary then I can put someone on hand, without the thought I need to put them on one hand or a range continually, but only when I need too.

Abstract problems, I use narrative theory because of needing the game to be fluid, subtle changes from person to person from narrating my game either out loud or just to myself. This helps to solve abstract situations because of the game being one continuous journey not one random or one specific situation that is surrounding my game by other abstract situations that we do not see what cards are being held. Filtering out what does not need any thought, that leads to focusing on play from first applying range thinking by my opponents that is backed up by what is shown down but without concrete evidence it is still mostly an abstract problem.

Triggers from what I narrate then filling the gaps from my information about what is observed and translated into narrative theory about what I am seeing. When an opponent makes a play, bet for example, they just triggered something concrete in my brain from my narrative theory of this or many random situations over time to come closer to solving an abstract problem in the moment, as it is happening. As the process continues it is specific models from narrative theory because how each person’s abilities are used at the table, meaning, narrative theory is actually what we can do, what we use more often at the table as individuals, our skill at the table, what we know and can perform under pressure. Starting hand ranges, narrowing down play, it takes practice, making mistakes, learning how to be a researcher of information are some of what I have learned to apply in hand reading.

I am a profiler of information, I follow where the information takes me, connect the dots, this helps not to be biased against what I am reading otherwise I would not understand when I am applying my information properly, when I am about to make mistake or to understand why I made my mistake then adjust as some examples. This is part of my process and poker players being individuals any process is not going to be an exact science or a system that can be learned, but an art of reading hands from gathering information that would be different for each person to experience. I am always willing to reshape my model, my blueprint when I observe it is necessary.

The best thing you can do for improving your hand reading, is post ranges of hands to other people's hand history questions. Don't post your own hands. Just focus on their spots, and offer range, and punch those up in some equity calculators. Also, join a study group and talk people w/ people who are playing the same games you are.

Those are the 2 single most important things you can for improving your hand reading imho.