combo
RangeAliases: combos, 组合, 手牌组合
A combo is one specific suit arrangement of a starting hand. Combos are the basic counting unit of range thinking.
A combo is a specific suit arrangement of a starting hand. AA isn't 1 hand — it's 6 combos (AhAd, AhAc, AhAs, AdAc, AdAs, AcAs). Combos are the basic unit for range counting and probability reasoning.
Detailed Explanation
Combo counts per starting hand type:
| Type | Combos | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pocket pair | 6 | AA = 6 combos |
| Suited non-pair | 4 | AKs = 4 combos (one per suit) |
| Offsuit non-pair | 12 | AKo = 12 combos (4 × 3) |
Total: 13 pairs × 6 + 78 suited × 4 + 78 offsuit × 12 = 78 + 312 + 936 = 1326. That's the 1,326 deal combinations underlying the 169 unique starting hands.
Practical meaning of combos:
- Estimating opponent range density: an 8% 3bet ≈ 100 combos
- Value:bluff ratios: expressed in combos. Example: QQ+ AK as value = 6+6+6+4+12 = 34 combos
- Blocker calculations: holding Ah drops the opponent's AK from 16 to 12 combos
- River bluff-catcher decisions: estimate the opponent's value combos vs bluff combos
Skilled players have approximate combo intuitions for common ranges at the table (not exact numbers, but a feel for density).
Common Use Cases
- Building preflop ranges: express each hand's frequency in combos
- Reading opponents on the river: estimate their value:bluff combo ratio
- Reading solver output: solver strategies are expressed in combos
- Training range thinking: combos are the bridge from "guessing hands" to "computing distributions"