Math & Poker

[Another previous ChipTalk post that I really like.]

Regardless of how a player characterizes himself, he must make mathematically correct decisions in the long run to be successful in poker.

One way to put this in play:

1. Introduction to poker -- learn the basics of the game.

2. Learn the math of the game, so you can calculate pot odds, etc. at the table (actually running calculations in your head).

3. Practice, practice, practice so the math elements become second-nature in your play on the fly. You should be constantly calculating the price that you are getting on each and every bet. Thousands of on-line hands are excellent for this practice.

4. Learn to read other players in live play. You're already routinely doing the math in your head, so you can focus more on your reads of players.

5. Become an expert, where the math and the people-reading are second nature, and you're naturally into the flow of the game based on math and reads and making decisions based on instinct.

I'm somewhere at #4. Where are you?

The successful pros that (truthfully) claim they didn't read the books to learn the math were actually doing #2-4 at the same time, and a lot of these same players also admit that they took a pounding until they figured out "how to play the game " (i.e. make correct math decisions).

A lot of internet players are making a successful jump to live tournaments and cash play because they've spent a massive amount of time on #2-3, and also realize that they are good at reading other players in live play.

Some hard-core math wonks fail at #5, and will never make it to the top levels of poker because they will never read other players very well.