S O M E S L I G
H T L Y M O R E A D V A N C E D S T R A T E G Y A N D T I P S
Mastery of basic poker skills and strategies
permits one to play the game at an enjoyable, if not very lucrative,
level. But since the object of the game is to win money, one would do
well to avail one's self of those more intricate nuances and
processes inherent in the game that separate the skillful from the
merely lucky. Some of these nuances and processes may include:
The Funadmental Theorum Of Poker
Calculating The Odds
The Fundamental Theorem Of
Poker
Chapter Three of David Sklansky's The Theory Of
Poker defines The Fundamental Theorem Of Poker as
follows:
1) Every time you play a hand differently than how
you would have played it if you could see the cards of all your
opponents, they are winning.
2) Every time you play a hand the same way you
would if you could see the cards of all your opponents, they are
losing.
Conversly,
3) Every time your opponents play a hand
differently than how they would have played it if they could see your
cards, they are losing.
4) Every time your opponents play a hand the same
way they would if they could see your cards, you are
losing.
This simple theorem outlines the basic goal of any
successful poker strategy - to play your hand as closely to how you
would play it if you knew what all of your opponents were holding;
and to compell your opponents to play in a manner different from or
opposite to how they would play if they knew your hand.
Calculating The Odds
Knowing the pot odds vs. the card odds in poker is
vital to making the correct decisions that will maximize the
probability of winning the most pots. Your guideline here should be
to place bets when those bets have a positive expectation,
meaning that the odds are in your favour.
To determine your odds, you need to determine what
your pot odds are and what your card odds are. Pot odds are the
amount of money you are considering putting into the pot vs. the
amount that is in the pot. For example, if there is $6.00 in the pot
and you are considering putting in $1.00 to call, your pot odds are
6-to-1. Card odds are the probability of you getting the card(s) you
need to make your hand should you continue playing your hand. For
example, if you hold two aces before the flop in a game of Texas Hold
'Em, the odds of getting a third ace for trips is roughly 5-to-1 (2
out of 50 possible cards to come are aces, multiplied by the number
of cards still be be seen, five.)
If the odds of you making the hand you need to win
are better than your pot odds, you enjoy a positive expectation and
should probably stay in the game. If the pot odds are higher than the
odds of you making the hand you need to win, you face a negative
expectation and should likely fold.
Two things to consider:
1) The real calculation to make is not pot odds
vs. card odds, but rather pot odds vs. the odds of you winning a
hand. Card odds may be the best way to determine the odds of your
winning a hand, but if you know the other players well enough to
determine the likelihood of being able to force competitors out of
the hand, it may be better to factor that into the equation, even in
lieu of card odds themselves.
2) Just as you should be calculating the odds, so
should any opponent of merit. Therefore, it is possible to raise so
much that it leaves your opponents facing a negative expectation,
where their pot odds now exceed their card odds, making them more
likely to fold. This should be attempted in situations where you wish
to eliminate opponents who may hold a hand superior to yours, or who
are likely to improve their hand enough during the course of the game
to finish with one superior to yours.