What is a Range in Poker?
1 minute
Last Updated: February 1, 2024
A range in poker is a group of starting hand combinations a player might have. Thinking in terms of ranges instead of specific cards makes it easier for poker players to make smart decisions quickly. As the hand progresses, they can define the range more precisely.
Range Poker Example:
Let’s say you’ve been playing against an opponent who rarely calls and sits out most hands. At one moment, they raise preflop. As they appeared to be a tight player, they probably have a good hand, but you can’t tell which hand they have, so you assign them a range, probably something like TT+.
As the flop brings Q 8 5 on the board, they raise again. You can narrow down their range even further since they likely have a pair of queens or better.
