Join Date: May 2023
Posts: 1,830
Absent specific reads on a particular V, when someone double flats pre, it usually means their hand looks too good to fold but wasn't strong enough to 3B themselves.
This range is comprised of the less sexy suited aces, from A9s down to A2s, all the also-ran Broadway combos like AJo, KQo, KTs, QJs, all the pairs from 22 up to 88, all the suited connectors from 43s up to QJs, a lot of the middling to upper suited 1 gappers, and the higher 2 & 3 gappers like K9s and Q8s.
On paper, all these hands look playable - small to middling pairs that can flop sets, hands that can make nut flushes, hands that cal make a straight or flop a good combo draw, etc. Their defining characteristic is that they don't have much if any showdown value, yet have potential to improve, often in sneaky ways that can cooler an opponent.
If you look at that range, it's pretty big, but we can think of it as "collapsed" because of what it does NOT include. It doesn't include hands that were clearly strong enough to raise, or hands that are clearly garbage and should be insta-folded.
That said, some players simply don't have a 3B range beyond AA/KK or AK. So you will sometimes see someone double-flat with some pocket pairs or other hands that were strong enough to 3B, like TT-QQ, AQs and KQs.
Some other players simply don't have much of a fold button, so the range can include 32, KTo, J6s, and all sorts of other unplayable trash.