Range betting, particularly with small bet sizes, is a common poker strategy. While it can be effective, it also has weaknesses that astute players can exploit. This post will outline how to punish opponents who employ this strategy, focusing on key tactical adjustments.
Understanding the Range Betting Weakness
Small range betting often involves a wide range of hands on the flop, including many weak and medium-strength holdings. Furthermore, after betting small on the flop and checking the turn, the range on the river can be relatively weak. Recognizing these tendencies is the first step to countering this strategy.
Tactics to Counter Range Betting
Here are three main strategies to effectively punish range bettors:
- Stop Folding Too Much to Small Flop Bets
- Since range betting small includes many weak and medium hands, you should respond by calling with a wider range than you would against a larger bet.
- Consider hands with backdoor equity – those that might not be strong on the flop but have the potential to improve on later streets. Examples include hands with backdoor straight draws (like jack-ten on a deuce rainbow) or backdoor flush draws (like 95 or 74 suited).
- By calling with a wider range, you prevent your opponent from successfully pushing you around with weaker hands.
- Implement an Aggressive Check-Raising Strategy on the Flop
- Small range bets often indicate weak to medium strength hands, making them vulnerable to aggressive check-raises. This puts pressure on their range and discourages them from seeing the river cheaply.
- Your check-raising range should be balanced, including both value hands and bluffs.
- Include hands with backdoor draws in your check-raising range, not just made draws. Examples are A6 suited, A9 suited, 89 suited, and sometimes even pairs like deuces or eights, depending on the board.
- Remember that the goal isn’t always to go all-in immediately; it can be to build the pot and take the initiative. For instance, you might check-raise with A6 on the flop and then check the turn, potentially making a small value bet on the river.
- However, be prepared to play the turn effectively if you choose to check-raise.
- Be Aggressive on the River After a Turn Check
- When an opponent bets small on the flop and checks the turn, they often have a weaker range on the river. While optimal play might involve checking back strong hands on the turn, many players bet their strong hands and check back weaker pairs, 8x hands, and king-high hands.
- You can exploit this by betting aggressively on the river with various bet sizes, including pot-sized bets or even overbets, especially if you think your opponent is under-bluffing or not trapping with strong hands.
- Solvers suggest betting most pairs and a significant number of bluffs on the river in these spots to capitalize on the opponent’s weak river range.
Conclusion
Punishing range bettors involves recognizing the weaknesses of their strategy, both on the flop and the river. By widening your calling range on the flop, aggressively check-raising, and betting aggressively on the river, you can effectively counter and exploit their tendencies.
Get 2 Card Confidence Mini-Course: Flop Exploits and crush you opponents !