Poker Pot Odds

March 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

The mathematical game of poker is something that anyone can learn and understand if they take the time to learn the theory and study the numbers.  no matter how much of an instinct-type of player you are, you don’t want to be one of those players who are too lazy to learn how to understand when you have the best of it.
The math of poker is the grinder’s foundation from which he or she builds their game.  The true poker player does not omit it from their game because their ego tells them they need not learn it.
This part of the game should not intimidate you.  The math isn’t hard calculus. It’s just some basic ration and percentages that can become second nature after a while.  Pot odds are simply the ratio of the size of the pot compared to the bet that has to be called.  This has nothing to do with your cards.  It only compares the amount of the bet to the amount of the pot into a ratio.  If the pot has $60 in it and someone bets $10, then the pot odds are 6 to 1.  If the pot is $160 and someone bets $40, the pot odds are 4 to 1.  Learning to calculate the odds for every hand will take a little while to become second nature, but practice will certainly make it so.
Once you understand how to figure out the ratio, you have to convert that number into a percentage.  This doesn’t take genius to understand.  If your ratios is correct, all you have to do is add the two numbers together and divide the second number by the new combined number to get the percentage.  4 to 1 odds would be 4 + 1 = 5.  Then 1 divided by 5 = .20, so your percentage is 20%.
If you’re in a drawing situation and you have to decide whether to stay in the hand for another card, you need to compare the pot odds against the odds that your hand has to win.  Your hand has a winning percentage at every step of the hand.  Your winning percentage for the draw will be determined by the amount of outs you need to hit the winning hand, or what you think will be the winning hand.  You can learn what your winning percentage is by studying an “outs chart”, which displays all the percentages for each number of outs.
This theory must be flexible sometimes.  In some situations, it may be required for a player to use implied odds instead of the actual odds to make the best decision.  Implied odds are an estimate of how much the pot will be at the end of the betting round.  If you have a middle position and there is a bet ahead of you, your decision to call or fold may require that you assume one or more opponents will also call the bet.  This will change the ratio of your pot odds, making some negative chance situations change into positive ones, if in fact those other players remain in the hand.
once you can calculate and compare the two percentages, you can begin to make some of your decisions with this information in mind.  If your pot odds are bigger than your draw odds, you are in a negative drawing situation.  If it’s reversed, then you can call the bet.  Math can make some difficult situations a little easier to decide upon when you find yourself in front of a tough call.

Best 3 Poker Books

March 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Poker books should not be seen as an expense, but rather as an investment - one that’s absolutely critical for improving your game. They enable you to obtain information and knowledge in just hours or days that otherwise could take years to learn on the tables. If you walk away with just one good idea from a book, it will return the cost of its initial purchase many times over.

There are over 500 poker books at present, and the number is growing every day. Of course, no one is capable of reading all of them. Based on advice from the most respected poker book reviewers, we set up a list of books that are must reads for every serious poker player.

The Book of Bluffs: How to Bluff and Win at Poker

The Book of Bluffs
Authors:
Publisher:
Length:
Date:
Price:
Matt Lessinger
Warner Books
256 pages
2005
$11.35

From the publisher:

Twenty years ago, Mike Caro wrote the book on what to look for in a players movements, gestures, and facial expressionstheir tellsto determine if they were bluffing, and it remains one of the bestselling poker books of all time. But what Caro didnt do was teach players how to bluff. Enter Matt Lessinger, a professional poker player and columnist, who in THE BOOK OF BLUFFS shows players how to get their opponents to foldno matter how strong a hand theyve been dealt. Lessinger reveals how, with the correct timing and artistry, bluffing will allow a player to win while holding an inferior handthe very essence of poker.

Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players (Advance Player)

Holdem Poker for Advanced Players
Authors:
Publisher:
Length:
Date:
Price:
David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth
Two Plus Two Publishing
332 pages
2003 (3rd Edition)
$19.77

From the publisher:

Texas Hold ’em is not an easy game to play well. To become an expert you must balance many concepts, some of which occasionally contradict each other. In 1988, the first edition appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of players, were made available to anyone who was striving to become an expert, and the hold ’em explosion had begun. It is now a new century, and the authors have again moved the state of the art forward by adding over 100 pages of new material, including extensive sections on “loose games,” and “short-handed games.” Anyone who studies this text, is well disciplined, and gets the proper experience should become a significant winner. Some of the other ideas discussed include play on the first two cards, semi-bluffing, the free card, inducing bluffs, staying with a draw, playing when a pair flops, playing trash hands, desperation bets, playing in wild games, reading hands, and psychology.

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em

Winning Low Limit Holdem
Authors:
Publisher:
Length:
Date:
Price:
Lee Jones
Conjelco
288 pages
2005 (3rd Edition)
$16.47

From the publisher:

For the last ten years, Winning Low Limit Hold’em has been the reference standard introduction to Texas Hold’em. Experienced hold’em players give this book to their friends who want to learn the game. Recently updated and expanded to include coverage of online poker and no-limit hold’em single-table tournaments, this is the one book that you need to start your hold’em career. “I always thought poker was a game of luck. After reading Lee’s book and applying the techniques recommended, it was as if I were in The Matrix. It all came clear to me. I simply saw the truth at the poker table.” - Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Winner, 2004 L.A. Poker Classic and 2004 World Series of Poker $2000 Pot Limit Hold’em event.