Dan Harrington, Phil Gordon, Hellmuth, Sklansky and most others, all use sort of a mind mapping scenario when deciding what hands they may be up against. None of them have a system for it per sey, but each go through the hand history and try to figure by betting pattern (and maybe tells), and other elements, what their opponent has. The idea is to come up with some reasonable scenarios. Once they do that, then they can decipher how much of an advantage they have, if any, and take a course of action.

These players/writers have inherent skills in being able to determine an opponents hand. DDPoker software has a great tool included in their popular tournament software. The calculator tool includes this unique window called hand group simulator or HGS, which will illuminate the user as to the possibilities of hands that they are against him. I have played many tournaments when involved in a showdown and could have kicked myself for not having figured out what my opponent had. It was so obvious!!! If I had been using the DDPoker HGS I would probably still have more hair on head. It simply makes pause for thought before an all in move or call, it will have done an excellent job.

I can't stress this enough, but in tournaments when your MZone is critical, your only move is all in and you are hoping to get heads up with just one other player. Now in that sense, a random hand calculation is only useful in certain scenarios. For instance, if you are in late position and the blind players are reasonably tight and have a medium stack. You are the first to act as everyone else has folded, so your low Mzone forces you to go all in. There are 3 players left to act - the button, sb and bb. Since you were the first one in, their hands are truly random as they have not been able to act yet.

Now lets say in that same scenario I am the bb instead and the short stack from the cut off has gone all in ahead of me. The button and sb fold. I can no longer consider his hand random (although it very well might be), because he saw enough strength in it to make a move. If I call here, I would absolutely have to consider his likely hand, which certainly may have some strength.

Random hands may also be more useful playing heads up as well. For instance when you are holding a K or an A playing heads up you are considered to be stronger than a random hand, so you raise 3 times the blind lets say. Your opponent then decides to reraise you all in. Again, you are no longer up against a random hand.

Random strength is a good indication for a preflop move, but once called or reraised you must consider the other likely scenarios as in the DDPoker tool.