OK - real question. If I EVER want to x/r bluff the third spade on the turn, I HAVE to include the nuts in my x/r range, right? Because what I'm telling him here, if he's paying attention, is that if I x/r OTT, it's not the nuts. I'm x/c'ing to trap, maybe to draw. Or am I including  the nuts in my x/c'ing range to protect the times I'm peeling with a naked As, planning to get value/ bluff with the nut blocker OTR? I think sometimes one, sometimes the other, but the first time I x/r, it should really be with the goods, yeah? 

That's theory. In practice, there's no card I really fear OTR, except maybe board pairing cards. So since I'm confident in winning, I want value. Which means I don't want him to fold. Which means I shouldn't really x/r the turn. When the fourth spade hits the river, my heart sinks, because what in the world will he bluff now? Maybe he has  one the two remaining spade broadways in his hand, maybe not. But even with those, I'd expect everyone in the word to check back without the As in his hand. 

So I bet for him, which I didn't want to do, and I bet small enough for a one spade hand to make a crying call. I think that's good for real world value, and maybe ok for range, as having the nuts here lets me bluff cheaper later on. But that's the real question:

Regardless of how this hand played out, how do I make it fit into an overall strategy?

When people talk about range, and game theory, I get it, but I'm still working on wrapping my head around how it works in real life. I know that having the nuts in my range for one particular action protects the rest of that range and allows me to also put weaker hands/ bluffs there. But how to use the nuts early in a match? Do I use it to protect my turn x/r range? Do I use it to protect my turn peeling range with the nut blocker? Do I use it in my river leading range to protect weaker flushes (I don't think I'd ever actually bluff a 4flush board.) Or should I forget all that and assume his calling ranges are essentially inelastic and just start bombing somewhere for value? (Which is, I know, a completely separate question.) 

(Also a separate question: how I made a hash of my NFD range on the flop. And the passive, loose peel pre.) 

I know that most people say there's no reason to try to play balanced at 25nl, but that doesn't mean I don't want to learn the concept. 

SUMMARY - In what range should I put the nuts, especially early in the match? Should it live in different ranges simultaneously?