There are two mistakes that every player makes when they are starting off with reading hands. The first mistake is that players think that the opposition will make random decisions based on the type of card they are given. This is a misconception. Most poker players, even intermediates, will have a strategy in mind before they receive their cards.
There will be always be a method to what a player is doing. That method may be brilliant or it may be incredibly stupid, but it is still a method. It is important to know that when you are playing poker. When the opposition player makes a certain move three or four times, you need to understand what their strategy could be. Do not make the mistake of thinking their actions are random.
If you can figure out the basics of their method, such as when they fold, check and raise off the initial cards, you will be closer to understanding their game plan. The second misconception occurs when players try to go too deep into the hand reading business. Ultimately, you are not going to be able to know the exact cards a person has.
Your goal in hand reading is to figure out a range of cards that the player may be holding. The key is to understand the player’s behavior. If they are performing a certain action after getting their cards, past behavior should indicate what type of hand they have. For example, if they committed a similar action and won with a pair of Aces five hands previous, they may have two high cards again. When you begin to critically analyze what your opponent is doing each hand, you have a much better chance of “reading their cards” and sussing out their overall strategy.