General Poker Discussion Poker Forums

Hey guys,

How do we decide what hands we should call preflop versus for example a MP open of 20% (6max)?

How do we know what the best hands we fold are and what the worst hands we call with are?

Do we base that on the equity each individual hand has versus villains overal opening range? (for example: KQ has 45% versus a average 20% open range) Or should we create a calling range that overal has an equity of around 45% versus a 20% open range?

Is the equity we have that important since it's unlikely we will see a showdown very often and we often have position when we flat a MP open?

A lot of questions and I'm not looking for answers on each individual question. Just to explain my thought..

Basicly the question is;

How do we decide if we should call with a hand or fold it versus a 20% open range if villain is unknown? Lets keep 3betting out of this discussion to focus on a calling range

Many thanks and any input much appreciated!

I don't think you can keep 3betting out of the debate.

I don't think you can keep 3betting out of the debate.

Ok feel free to add it into the discussion! I think it will be interesting

We can't keep it out because we often 3bet the best hands from our folding range so I get your point but I'm curious how to decide what to flat with...

Ok feel free to add it into the discussion! I think it will be interesting

We can't keep it out because we often 3bet the best hands from our folding range so I get your point but I'm curious how to decide what to flat with...

Your question has the same level of complexity as "How should I play poker?"

To me, thinking in terms of equity seems a bit silly. I instead think in terms of playability; the main factors I consider is my ability to steal the pot post-flop, and how much I'd gain when that occurs(some guys double barrel and fold to turn barrels frequently), how much value I'd be able to extract from made hands, and how likely I am to be dominated(I have to play a bit more passively on some boards if I'm likely to be dominated, which imo kills the value of the hand a lot)

So there's 50 combos of QQ+, AK/AQ, and 44 combos of KJ, QJ, K9s/KTs and QTs; therefore, KQ would be my benchmark value range(assuming IP) and I'd only widen it to KJ if I feel as if I can easily extract value with made hands, or I can take down the pot. I don't actually count the combos(perhaps I should?) I just estimate it.


When it comes to cold calling 2bets, I tend to be much more aggressive post-flop with my range, and depending upon my opponent, my ranges are typically either much more tighter, or much more looser than the norm. I think a lot of people have leaks in their game that involves auto-pilot call big hands preflop without really having a reason why, they're not thinking streets in advance, not thinking how they will actually profit from the hand. I kinda cringe when I see people calling a UTG 6max open with AJo, or AQo against a UTG 9max open, when all they know is their opponent is tight; how do they expect to gain value from that? Are they going to fit or fold a lot with a hand that's dominated often? Or are they going to try and steal against a guy they know nothing about? And than when they gain information about a huge leak that can be easily exploited, they might increase their ranges by 10 or so percent, but when the leak is so big, one's hole cards aren't all that important.

^ But that only applies when I'm on my A-game, I auto-pilot too much -_-