Capped Range

Also known as: capped range, cap, range cap, capped

A range that contains no nutted hands, because the strongest holdings were taken out by earlier passive actions.

A range is capped when it contains no (or almost no) nutted hands — the top of its equity distribution is missing because earlier passive actions would have grown the pot with the monsters. If you flat-call preflop instead of 3-betting, or check back the flop, or just call a turn instead of raising, you typically cap your range: the best hands would have taken the aggressive line.

Why it matters: a capped range is vulnerable to large bets and overbets. Because you can't hold the nuts, the opponent can apply maximum polarization pressure — bet huge with value and bluffs, knowing your ceiling is a bluff-catcher you must defend at MDF without ever being able to raise for value. The reverse is the uncapped range, which can credibly threaten any sizing.

The practical lesson cuts both ways. Recognise when you're capped and defend cautiously, lean on blockers, and don't bluff-catch wider than MDF demands. Recognise when the opponent is capped — flat-called the flop, checked a scary turn — and unload overbets as your most profitable line.