A lot of critical decisions when playing either poker tournaments or hold′em cash games, requires you to put your opponent on a scope of hands. If you′re able to do this with reasonable precision, your decisions at the poker table will invariably become rewarding over a period of time. However, determining your opponent’s hole cards is certainly one of the more difficult aspects of the game to get really good at. Here is how you can start improving on it now.
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.
Keeping track of your opponent’s positional play will allow you to put together solid assumptions about the power of his hand. If he plays a lot of hands, his positional play won’t mean much, but if he is usually tight, solid hands from early position are rather standard, while opening up the range in later position.
Always watch your opponent’s on the flop, not the board cards. Staring at the flop is often the result of his cards improving. Turning away, or a rapid check often means a potential draw or complete 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.
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