Crossposting from the theory forum for different points of view.

I tried to put this idea down earlier but I decided to change it completely before posting. I think this is applicable to both our studies and actually playing the game. I'd like to focus on gameplay, but you can talk strict theory if you like.

There are different stages of hand reading that we go through as we progress through the hand. Preflop, we're trying to guess the bottom of our opponent's range based on tendencies and position. Postflop is a bit different though. Once I decide on a preflop range for my opponent and the flop falls, I start thinking about how the flop hits our ranges. There is a crossroads here where we have options both tactically and strategically. I'd like to focus on the strategic options, since this is the theory forum. However I'm not opposed to talking about multiway tactics.

I'll split up the flop crossroads into a few categories:

1) When our opponent has bet and we're in position.

I'm thinking about the top of my opponent's bluffing range and the bottom of his value range. These are the most important hands in the opponent's range. From there it's much easier to imagine how the rest of his range lines up and whether or not my hand fits into a good calling or raising strategy.

2) When our opponent has checked and we're in position.

I'm thinking about the bottom of my opponent's bluffcatching range. From there it's much easier to imagine how the rest of his range lines up and whether or not my hand fits into a good betting strategy.

3) When we have checked and our opponent is in position and he bets.

I'm thinking about the top of his bluffing range and the bottom of his value range. From there it's much easier to imagine how the rest of his range lines up and whether or not my hand fits into a good calling or raising strategy.

These are the most common flop decision points, which I'd like to focus on. However, I'm not opposed to taking it a step further to flop raising, facing a flop raise, and or turn and river action.

Handreading is hard and maybe not suited for the theory forum, but this is more of a question about the theory of handreading, which is applicable to all games.

What can I do to improve this hand reading process?

Thanks

The theory forum thread got quite sidetracked. Here's some more rambling free of charge:

I don't see how this supersedes board texture against a competent opponent.

Example: we're HU and SB/BTN raises, I call in BB

A65tt

Check he bets. Really, we should not be looking to do much raising here at all as we're pretty capped at 9 or so A6o combos.

Against a weak opponent, sure, they three bet the SB and an ace falls off w/ two baby cards on the flop. Maybe we figure out how they'll respond with certain parts of their range (tilt calling down pocket pairs, never committing any more with KQ, 3 betting or turn xr all hands that smoke us) and exploit it.

Hey welcome back.

It doesn't. Board texture reading has become almost automatic for me and this is what I've moved on to.

I'm definitely too tight with my preflop 3 bets because I can have the full complement of two pairs here.

Hmm. Generally for big bet games, how many nut or near-nut combos villain has is crucially important. When they do have capped ranges, that's when hyper aggression and overbets come into play and good players can kill weaker ones.

For LHE, that comes into play on the river when we want to make thin value bets. It's good to know villain can basically never raise us.

Yup. This is why it's so important to slowplay sometimes in no limit.

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Also true.