Range
Math Level · Intermediate Aliases: hand range, holding range
A range is every hand an opponent can reasonably hold, given the way the action has gone.
What is Range
Ranges aren’t about pinning someone on exactly two cards. They’re about holding on to every combo that fits the line they’ve taken, then judging the whole set at once. Position, the action in front of them, their sizing, the board texture and their tendencies all widen or narrow that set as the hand plays out. You’re comparing against the full range — not against the one holding you’re most afraid of.
In practice you start with a preflop range and update it street by street as new information lands. A UTG open is tighter than a button open. If they fire a big river sizing, the ratio of value hands to bluffs inside that range shifts again. Thinking in ranges makes your decisions far steadier than trying to guess a single hand.
On the felt
Table6-max cash
PositionBB vs BTN
FlopQ♠8♦3♣ (dry)
ActionReading a c-bet against the BTN opening range
Example
The button raises preflop and c-bets small on Q♠ 8♦ 3♣. That range isn't just Qx — it's pocket pairs, ace-highs, and plenty of hands that missed the flop entirely. You're playing against all of it, not against the one queen you're worried about.
Common mistakes
- Thinking hand reading means naming their exact two cards. The job is to keep every combo that's consistent with the line they took.
- Setting a range once and never touching it again. Every bet, every call, every card that comes down should narrow it or reshape it.
Related terms
Equity
Equity is the share of the pot your hand or range wins on average if the hand runs to showdown.
Exploitative Play
Exploitative play adjusts your own strategy to target the deviations you can observe in an opponent.
Fold Equity
Fold equity is the value a bet gains from the chance your opponent folds and you take the pot uncontested.
Mixed Strategy
A mixed strategy takes two or more legal actions in the same spot, each at a set frequency.
Outs
Outs are the remaining cards that improve your hand to one that can win.
Pot Odds
Pot odds weigh what a call costs against what you stand to win, so you can tell whether the price is right.