Often times, as a hand progresses, you lose sight of all the information you've been collecting and you start playing on momentum and instinct. While that is a good thing, it is important not to abandon the exercise of putting someone on a hand.
This typically happens in a big hand. Instead of narrowing your opponents hand range, you simply classify it into "weak" or "strong" or "he's committed or not". In order to play optimally, I think it is important to not allow these blinders to be placed on. Staying focused on narrowing down your opponents range will allow you to extract the most chips out of a situation instead of just winning a small pot.
Here's an example. A tight opponent raises pre-flop in early position 4x the big blind and you call getting the right odds for a set with 77. The flop is 478 with two hearts. Now there are two reactions that can occur. One is sub-optimal and one is optimal.
Sub-optimal: ZOMG I have a set! But there are two hearts and a possible straight draw out there. I better protect my set.
Optimal: Okay, now what does HE have and what line can I take to extract the most? Does he have a big pair or just overcards. I'm not worried about the straight draw because I know he is a tight player and is likely not raising with T9. Yeah, there are two hearts, but I can't play scared of that unless I'm given information to suggest that he does have a draw.
The actual line to take here is dependant on a lot of factors...leading or checking are both possible choices....whatever will earn you the maximum. But the point of this post is not to react simply based on the texture of a flop or just one or two pieces of information. To play optimally, you have to take the blinders off and allow yourself to take in and process ALL the information at hand in order to put your opponent on a hand. That will help you determine the best line to win the most when you are ahead and lose the least when you are beaten.
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