How to use card reading skills

(sorry for making yet another thread)

However, I've recently practiced some hand reading online of course and to be honest, I'm better at it than I thought. The problem is, I often put opponents on big hands like A9+ AA-JJ and if he's loose even 66+ so what happens when i get raised on the flop/turn when the board is like 10QK or something similar I often want to fold since at first I think he has high cards. How do i know when to put someone on lower card ranges? and when to fold or play?

oh and is there any point trying to hand read in lower stakes such as 2NL 5NL etc? if so from which stakes should i start to read opponents hands

I suspect that hand reading involves more than you realize. It's not just about putting someone who opens on a range, and that's that. For example, what seat did he open from? How does his range change depending on his position?

Then, on the flop and subsequent streets, what does he do, and how does that help to narrow his range? What are his tendencies on the flop? How often does he c-bet, and on what kinds of flop textures? Does he tend to bet draws? Are some of his actions position-dependent? If so, are you factoring that parts of his range differ if he's OOP vs IP. And there's more; this is only a sampling.

As for when to start, the sooner the better. Yes, some micro players spaz out, which makes their ranges inconsistent. But knowing that and adjusting your confidence level according to how often is another part of hand reading.

R1ace said:

oh and is there any point trying to hand read in lower stakes such as 2NL 5NL etc? if so from which stakes should i start to read opponents hands

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You should always try to be reading opponents hands no matter what stakes you play at. It's just players at this stakes will be harder to read because most who play at this level are calling and lagtards. However, bad players will be pretty transparent in their play. Example if a calling station starts betting and raising you can always put your money on it and feel pretty safe he has some kind of made hand. Some things to keep in mind when reading opponents is these factors but i wont elaborate to much on them i will leave that for someone else.

VpIP: Is he tight or loose? Tight players will normally play AJ>99+
Board texture: Is the board wet or dry?
Betting patterns: Does this player bet big with his made hands? And small with his weak hands? Or is he tricky and prefers to slow play and check raise.
Your instinct: Do you have a feeling that you weak? Or your opponent is strong? This can be a very good indicator as you subconsciously process the information or something to make a normally logical decision.
Table dynamic: Is the player tilted? What is the stage of the game? Is he opening up his range with more hands or tightening up towards the bubble or whatever maybe. This often influences the hands people play:

Without writing a book i hope this post in some way shape or form. I am sure there are other knowledgeable members who can help you out.

I have obviously looked at his position and if he checked/raised or called and then narrowed his range i wasn't just guessing. I think since im playing 6tables now, ill try and get my br high enough for me to play 50nl or 100nl and then ill play 1-2 tables and try to read opponents a bit more.

Some people telegraph their hand based on strength but good players will bet same with high hand, marginal or bluff. The hardest reads I have are when someone is semi bluffing with many outs.

Arjonius said:

I suspect that hand reading involves more than you realize. It's not just about putting someone who opens on a range, and that's that. For example, what seat did he open from? How does his range change depending on his position?

Then, on the flop and subsequent streets, what does he do, and how does that help to narrow his range? What are his tendencies on the flop? How often does he c-bet, and on what kinds of flop textures? Does he tend to bet draws? Are some of his actions position-dependent? If so, are you factoring that parts of his range differ if he's OOP vs IP. And there's more; this is only a sampling.

Click to expand...

There it is...

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