Range Advantage

What is Range Advantage?

Range advantage means your collection of hands has more equity than your opponent's collection. On ace-high boards, the preflop raiser has range advantage because their opening range has more aces.

Why it matters

Range advantage is measured by comparing range-vs-range equity. The player with range advantage can bet more frequently, use merged strategies, and deny equity more efficiently.

The disadvantaged player must check more often to protect their range.

Real examples

• BTN c-bets 85% on A72r — strong range advantage
• BB leads 65% on 654r — BB has range advantage on low boards
• SB checks most of 100% on AK9r — severe range disadvantage

Where it shows up

Range Advantage

One player's range has higher overall equity than the opponent's on this board.

Nuance and caveats

Range advantage manifests differently per board texture. IP has range advantage on most ace-high and king-high boards because the preflop raising range contains more of these high cards.

OOP has range advantage on low connected boards because the defending range contains more suited connectors and small pairs. The player with range advantage can bet higher frequency with smaller sizes (merged strategy); the disadvantaged player should use less frequent but larger bets (polarized strategy).

Key takeaway

Your range has more equity than opponent's on this board.