Systematically Reading Poker Hands

How exciting is the process of ranging, exclusion, and combination probability in reading poker hands? The play can go something like this.

Most times poker players re-raise before the flop only when the play condition is, say, a JJ and higher, AQ, and an AK. Let's say we have an 88. If a player has strong hands and not round about, the player will likely go all-in, especially with hands like a top pair that is also a kicker—or stronger. The problem here is to know what hands exactly the player uses in going all-in?

If we play at a $1 per $2 no-limit Holdem and manage $6 from UTG (under the gun) using an 88 pair and someone on the button re-raises to $14, we can place the player's hand somewhere along JJ or higher, an AK, or an AQ. And then the flop reveals AQ8. We decide to check and this player bets $20. We decide to raise to $50. Then the player goes all-in, with a sum of $200—his entire stack. That's a pretty strong move he makes there.

So we assess the situation. The player probably has a hand somewhere in the range of an AA, an AK, an AQ, or a QQ. With a daring all-in, these are the possible hands we must be up against. Is it safe to call here? Any way we see these hands, we're beat with a pair of 88. Now, there is a queen and an ace on the board. That's something to reckon with. Remember, for an AK to appear there are 16 possible ways, and there's one ace on the board. So now, we're left with 12 ways. With an AQ we have 9 ways; with an AA we have 6 ways; and with a QQ we have 6 ways.

Of the 33 hands the player can possibly have pre-flop, twenty-two of them are beat against our hand. So there's hope for a call. When there's no potential for a straight or flush to be drawn and the opponent has a strong hand it's unlikely that the player has a set for a holding. Two-pair hands or an over-card top pair is more likely.

Without a systematic analysis of reading poker hands, we may even find ourselves folding with a high set to a lower set, if we misread with an inferior reading system. Hence, if must fold, it's better to do so with a certain amount of accuracy.