Hey Danny.

Anthony said,

“I need help with opening ranges, and calling ranges. I started tightening up a lot over the past few days which has helped a ton. But does anyone have any advice on how to really view opening ranges from position/calling ranges? I think Im struggling to really understand when it’s best to call an open raise and when to 3-bet, what to open with and from where. My open range from early position is really tight, about 5%. I know I wont change that due to the fact that I know I struggle playing post-flop. Any help would be greatly appreciated.”

Your question is too vast in scope, and covers too much of the game. If anyone could answer it fully in a forum post or even 1000 then Hold’em would be already dead.

As a very broad stroke, your relative hand strength increases as your position moves toward late position. Therefore, you can and should open a wider range. Particularly when shoving all-in, looking at a Nash push/ call chart will help you see this set out. Check out Jennifear’s Nash shove chart. Not sure if she has a call chart. I use SnapShove app on my phone if I am uncertain of a Nash call range.

WRT which hands you should be calling with or 3-betting, well that just depends on how you play poker!

Again, a broad attempt to answer you: I don’t have a large flat call %. I do sometimes over-call, particularly in LP when deep, and when I don’t think there is too much chance to get pushed off the hand by an aggressive Blind. It will always be with a speculative hand, such as pocket pairs 22-77, hoping to flop a set or better, or from LP with a hand such as 8/9s or J/10s hoping to flop a draw or better. But more often, even with all these hands, I’m more likely to 3bet them, especially when less deep in a tourney.

WRT how I construct my 3bet ranges…I play online, and run a comprehensive HUD, and I have Villain’s “Call (Hero) 3bet%”, and Villain’s “4bet (vs Hero 3bet) %”.

If Villain is apt to call the vast majority of my 3bets, I will 3bet a less polarized range. More suited connectors, all pocket pairs, and most of my best hands…nothing too rubbish. This way I take the initiative in the hand, can play a favourable board in position, and even if I miss I can rep. a lot of high cards on the flop. 

If Villain seems more likely to 4bet my 3bet, or if this seems like a serious possibility, I will 3bet a polarized range…all my best hands and a % of utter rubbish. With my medium, more speculative hands I will usually flat call IP or fold.

Many of the better, more experienced players I go up against are balanced enough in these %’s that I just don’t know what the hell to do. I don’t often try to out-play them though, even IP. It’s not their $$$ that I’m after, usually. 

Hey MK,

SnapShove is awesome. I get the impression that some people feel like it is cheating using a digital app whilst playing, but if it is then using Nash charts in-game must also be considered a cheat. I think most people who know something about what they are doing at least use them, online in any case.

I don’t use SS for push ranges, if I’m unsure I use my chart, but for calling it has proved invaluable to me…at $10 or whatever you really can’t go wrong.

NP M-kid. But please understand that such is my relevance…indeed dominance…in today’s game that my very mentioning of a product guarantees its success. For every copy of SnapShove I shift, the buyer has to fire me over $250.

Still great value buddy…PM me and I’ll give you my bank details.

Ahhhh…just a joke!