A polarized range is a betting range made up of strong value hands and bluffs, with medium-strength hands checked. Big bets and overbets should be polarized so the bluffs are backed by real value.
Polarization is what makes large bets credible. If you only bet big with value, observant opponents fold everything; if you only bluff, they call everything. Mixing the two — value plus a correct fraction of bluffs — makes the opponent indifferent between calling and folding their bluff-catchers.
The opposite is a linear (or merged) range, which bets a band of strong-to-medium hands for a smaller size. Rule of thumb: bet small and linear when you have range advantage but not nut advantage; bet big and polarized when you also hold the nuts more often.
The most common leak is betting medium hands on the river ‘for value’. If only better hands call, it is not a value bet: medium hands are too good to bluff with and too weak to get called by worse, so they check and let the showdown decide. When you are the caller, the same structure turns your medium hands into bluff-catchers: against a polarized pot-sized bet you need 33% and must defend about 50% of your range, keeping the hands that block value. Against an opponent who never bluffs, fold them; against one who bluffs too much, call.
Worked example
FAQ
When should you use a polarized range?
When you use big bets or overbets and hold a nut advantage. Polarize so your bluffs are credible; use a smaller linear range when you only have range advantage.
What is the opposite of a polarized range?
A linear or merged range — betting a continuous band of strong-to-medium hands for a smaller size, typically when you have range advantage but not nut advantage.