studying players' betting patterns / ranges

[Dr1Gonzo]

How do you guys usually start off doing this in a game.
Study the person 1 to your right and 2 to your left or do you just do it depending on who you might end up with in a showdown?

And how many hands would you wait for before saying you had a pretty good idea of the range they might be playing?

[elmitchbo]

you have to do it quickly, because you spend so little time at a table with the same players.

one solid hand showndown isn't enough to label a player tight. but one really weak hand showndown is enough to label a player loose.

if a guy calls an EP raise in MP, then plays out the hand and show Q3o or some other nonsense you can safely open up his hand range based on that alone. a really solid, tight player just isn't making that call.

[jlocdog]

I like to watch his showdown hand in elation to his position. For example, the other day in this MTT The board read K 5 4 9 2. The CO showed K9s for two pair. The UTG showed 45o and whined about the tough turn. Theres my fish. 45o UTG. His range is so wide that his actual betting pattern doesn't mean as much as me just wanting to get in there with him to mix it up.