An essential skill of any poker player, whether you're playing online or offline, tournaments or ring games, is the ability to put your opponents on a range of hands. Your capacity to do this well in your game, will in large part establish your extended success in poker. However, qualifying your opponent's hand is one of the more complicated aspects of the game to master. These are a few tips to help you progress to being a good hand reader.
The most important factor is paying close attention to the game, even when you're not involved in a hand. Betting patterns and certain body language tells tend to be repeated over and over by many players, and learning to recognise these can give you a huge advantage. If an opponent plays out of his normal pattern, then you should stop and ask yourself why. Typically this means his hand is uncommon too, usualy indicating a moderately good, or rather weak hand which requires a decision.
Noticing your opponent's positional play will allow you to assemble solid assumptions about the strength of his hand. If he plays a lot of hands, his positional play won't mean much, but if he is by and large tight, solid hands from early position are rather customary, while opening up the range in later position.
Look at your opponent, not your cards when the deal comes. Glaring at the board is often the result of his hand improving. Looking away, or a quick check often means a potential draw or total miss. However, if he raised preflop and aces or face cards land on the flop, be careful of a trap.
It's important to consider the impact of the pot or betting action is going to have on his stack, or tournament hopes. If he is normally a tight player and is prepared to endanger more on the hand, then you can rationally presume he is strong. If he seems determined to keep the pot small, then the pot is very likely yours to take. Loose players are harder to translate in this case, and it's more vital for you to have a really strong hand than to even bother trying to read what their hole cards are.
Scrutinize how the betting and aggression changes AFTER the flop. Keep an eye on conviction that turns hesitation, or reverse. Practice guessing your opponent's hand before they turn it over. Again, you don't have to be in the hand, but you do have to observe the flop and follow the betting activity. Repeating this frequently will allow your evaluation of hole cards to become rather exact. - 31897
The most important factor is paying close attention to the game, even when you're not involved in a hand. Betting patterns and certain body language tells tend to be repeated over and over by many players, and learning to recognise these can give you a huge advantage. If an opponent plays out of his normal pattern, then you should stop and ask yourself why. Typically this means his hand is uncommon too, usualy indicating a moderately good, or rather weak hand which requires a decision.
Noticing your opponent's positional play will allow you to assemble solid assumptions about the strength of his hand. If he plays a lot of hands, his positional play won't mean much, but if he is by and large tight, solid hands from early position are rather customary, while opening up the range in later position.
Look at your opponent, not your cards when the deal comes. Glaring at the board is often the result of his hand improving. Looking away, or a quick check often means a potential draw or total miss. However, if he raised preflop and aces or face cards land on the flop, be careful of a trap.
It's important to consider the impact of the pot or betting action is going to have on his stack, or tournament hopes. If he is normally a tight player and is prepared to endanger more on the hand, then you can rationally presume he is strong. If he seems determined to keep the pot small, then the pot is very likely yours to take. Loose players are harder to translate in this case, and it's more vital for you to have a really strong hand than to even bother trying to read what their hole cards are.
Scrutinize how the betting and aggression changes AFTER the flop. Keep an eye on conviction that turns hesitation, or reverse. Practice guessing your opponent's hand before they turn it over. Again, you don't have to be in the hand, but you do have to observe the flop and follow the betting activity. Repeating this frequently will allow your evaluation of hole cards to become rather exact. - 31897
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