Reading Board Texture
The flop determines everything. Learn to read it instantly.
WHAT IS BOARD TEXTURE?
Board texture describes how coordinated the community cards are. It tells you how likely someone has a strong hand or is drawing to one.
DRY (Safe)
SEMI-WET
WET (Dangerous)
Dry boards = Few draws, hard to connect. Your c-bets work more often.
Wet boards = Many draws, easy to connect. Be more careful with bluffs.
DRY BOARD EXAMPLES
These boards are disconnected - few draws possible, hard for opponents to have hit:
VERY DRY (RAINBOW)
K-7-2 rainbow: No flush draws, no straight draws. Only way to have a strong hand is to have hit a king or have an overpair. Most hands miss this board completely.
STRATEGY
C-bet frequently (65%+), use small sizes (25-33%), bluffs are very effective
DRY PAIRED
8-8-3: Trips are rare. Most hands have nothing. The only "scary" hand is pocket 3s for a full house. Very hard to continue without an 8 or an overpair.
STRATEGY
Small c-bets take it down often. Check your medium pairs - they have showdown value.
WET BOARD EXAMPLES
These boards are coordinated - lots of draws and made hands possible:
TWO-TONE CONNECTED
J-T-8 two hearts: Flush draw (9 outs), open-ended straights (Q9, 97), gut shots galore. Many hands have 8+ outs - that's 30%+ equity.
STRATEGY
Bet larger (66-75%) to deny draw equity. Don't bluff air - too many hands continue.
MONOTONE (VERY WET)
Q-9-4 all spades: Any single spade has a flush draw (35% equity). Anyone with two spades has a flush. Very hard to continue without spade equity.
STRATEGY
Only bet strong hands or nut flush draws. Give up with naked non-spade holdings.
DYNAMIC BOARD EXAMPLES
Middle ground - some draws but not overwhelming:
HIGH CARD + SOME DRAWS
A-9-5 two clubs: Ace-high board favors the preflop raiser. Flush draw exists but straight draws are limited. Dynamic - adjust based on opponent.
STRATEGY
Standard c-bet size (50-66%). Your Ax hands are value, your missed broadway is a reasonable bluff.
BROADWAY BOARD
K-Q-7 rainbow: High cards favor your raising range but also hit calling ranges (KJ, QJ, etc). Straight draws exist with JT.
STRATEGY
C-bet your pairs, check your air. Opponent has too many hands that connect.
PRACTICE: RANDOM BOARD ANALYZER
Generate random boards and see the texture breakdown:
QUICK REFERENCE
Flush Draws
Two-tone = 1 flush draw possible. Monotone = flush already possible + many draws.
Straight Draws
Connected cards (JT9, 876) = many straights. Gapped cards (K72) = few draws.
High Cards
A/K high boards favor preflop raiser. Low boards (764) favor caller's range.
Paired Boards
Hard to have trips. Small c-bets work well. Check medium-strength hands.