Poker is a game of cards where players bet on the strength of their hand in order to win the pot at the end of each betting round. There are many different poker strategies and most players spend a large part of their time studying hands to improve their game. Some players study a range of topics in their poker studies like watching cbet videos on Monday, reading a 3bet article on Tuesday and listening to a podcast about tilt management on Wednesday.
However, the best poker players spend almost as much time thinking about what their opponent may be holding as they do about their own hand. This is called range theory and it involves looking beyond your own cards and thinking about what your opponent could have in their hand. This allows you to make moves that based on what other people might have, which is a much more effective way of improving your poker game.
To make range theory work for you it is important to be able to read your opponents and their tells. This includes analyzing your opponent’s bluffing techniques and making notes on their idiosyncrasies, betting patterns, body language etc. When you’re a good reader of your opponents, you can start to predict what they will have in their hand before they even act. This is a huge advantage and a key skill in improving your poker game.