Ranges and Combos

Overview

Poker is best understood as a game of ranges. At any given moment in a poker hand there is a distribution of possible hands we could have and distributions of hands our opponents could have. This page introduces basic concepts when starting to think about ranges.

Reading a Range Chart

Ranges are just probability distributions of hands. They are commonly represented as a 13 × 13 grid. Standard range grids split by hand type:

• Pocket Pairs run diagonally from the top left to the bottom right of the chart. Each cell represents 6 suit combinations (combos). For AA we have A♠A♥, A♠A♦, A♠A♣, A♥A♦, A♥A♣, A♦A♣
• Offsuit Hands are located on the bottom left of the pocket pair diagonal and are denoted by an ‘o’ at the end. Each cell represents 12 suit combinations. For AKo we have A♠K♥, A♠K♦, A♠K♣, A♥K♠, A♥K♦, A♥K♣, A♦K♠, A♦K♥, A♦K♣, A♣K♠, A♣K♥, A♣K♦
• Suited Hands are located on the top left of the pocket pair diagonal and are denoted by a ‘s’ at the end. Each cell represents 4 suit combinations. For AKs we have A♠K♠, A♥K♥, A♦K♦, A♣K♣

Range Notation

According to the chart above, BTN should open the following hands:

• 22+ meaning all pocket pairs from pocket twos and up
• A2s+ meaning all suited aces from A2s and up
• K2s+, Q2s+, J4s+, T6s+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s
• A3o+ meaning all offsuit aces from A3o and up
• K8o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o+

Combo Mathematics

Any given combo – regardless of hand type – can be dealt in exactly two ways and therefore have the same probability of getting dealt. Take AsKs as an example: either we get the Ks first or we get the As first. The reason AKo is more common than AA is because there are 12 combos of AKo and only 6 combos of AA.

In total there are 1326 different combos:

78 suited hands × 4 combos = 312 suited combos

78 offsuit hands × 12 combos = 936 offsuit combos

13 pocket pairs × 6 combos = 78 pocket pair combos

312 + 936 + 78 = 1326 combos

This is why we are more likely to start with an offsuit hand than a suited hand or pocket pair.

Card Removal/Blockers

Now that we know that all combos are equally weighted, we can start thinking about the impact of cards in our own hand or on the board. AA has 6 combos, but if we are holding A♠ then the only combos of AA our opponent could have are A♥A♦, A♥A♣, A♦A♣ which is exactly half of the combos they could otherwise have. 4-bet bluffs prefer to have an Ace because they block pocket aces, making it more likely that the opponent has a hand they will fold.

Thinking in Ranges

Blockers, playing styles, preflop betting, postflop betting, and many more factors influence ranges. The next time you find yourself in a poker hand, think to yourself: given all of the information so far, what does my opponent’s range look like?

Getting familiar with ranging – inferring what ranges look like in real time – is a major advantage that will help you make better decisions at the poker table.

Examples

Try some examples to test your understanding of Ranges and Combos: