Balance is a buzzword in poker but what does it actually mean?
Balance means having a range of hands that has equal measures of bluffs and value bets. The benefit of maintaining a balanced range means it is difficult for your opponent to try to figure out whether or not you are bluffing or have a value hand. A good balanced range makes good quality players play the guessing game when you are playing online poker games.
But what if your opponent doesn't care?
There are players in the game that are so bad at playing poker that they wouldn't notice a balanced range if you walked up to them with a ten foot sign over your head saying "balanced range" while you wailed "balanced range" into their ear through a megaphone.
If your bad player is bad because he calls too much then there is no reason to have a balanced range. Don't ever try to make him fold and make all of your value bets huge. You wouldn't be able to get away with this against good opponents because they are just going to fold when they are behind. Playing against good players means you need to introduce some bluffs into your range and when you do this you need to be balanced. Those using paypal poker sites should remember this.
So when deciding if you need to balance your hand ranges first have a look around the table. Establish the type of players you are facing and whether or not balance is required.
