- While there are a few out there who have achieved that dream, none will admit to it, and those who are Earnie Shavers, believe that it can only be achieved after they have actually employed the method of counting probabilities. In other words, the house edge which is built into the poker games themselves, will have to be Certainjected into the mix.
- While the precise mechanics of probability are still not entirely understood, it is known that there is a fair shot at being able to reduce the edge house hold to zero, or at least to neutralise it to the point where it is virtually absent from the game.
understood in its most basic form however, poker is about money management. In other words, when you’re playing your best poker game you should be thinking about getting your money in the pot because that is where the real profit is.
Despite the fact that may seem obvious, there are a great many players out there who make the rush to the poker table too short a time. They manage to get a bit of cash in, and then they panic and try to get their money out in the same round. This is illustrated in the following example taken from a real poker hand between two friends which happened to me a few years ago.
Mark took his two friends to a pub on payday and as they sat down at the poker table they began to agonize over what they should be betting. Surely, the least they could do is the very obvious – raise! They argued with each other about whose hand it was, and which was the better. In the end they compromised and agreed to bet $20 each on the river.
Mark flipped his hole cards face up, showed his friends the $20 on the table and said “Here, let’s see how the button likes this one. I’ve got another $10 in the pot and I only have $50 here, so I’m risking $10 to win $50. If either one of you has an extra $50 I want them to pay me, that’s fine.”
The flop came 3-4-9 and everyone placed their bets.
- Mark instantly placed a $50 bet and his friends promptly doubled him, eager to get a crack at some real casino poker action.
- He placed the $50 bet, halfway to the pot, and his friends promptly reraised him as well as the first raiser. By the point it got to me I had lost the $50 and my original pot was now quite lifeless. I started to get the idea that this wasn’t going to be a successful flop for me. I needed a better hand.
Using a poker calculator
- Before playing historical poker hands with a calculator I had been playing without one and had been getting awful odds, particularly in heads-up play. Understanding the raw statistics of the game was a major stumbling block, so I had to figure out how to actually evaluate the strength of my hand.
- This meant getting the aid of a poker calculator to tell me the odds of my hand. Now, my poker calculator didn’t need to evaluate the math, it just had to tell me the odds. Amazingly it was actually easier to evaluate than it was to lobby for a hand. After a little research I found a good poker calculator that did exactly what its name said.
- After becoming proficient in using my new poker calculator, I started to really appreciate just what an effectively simple device it is. It’s not mindful of odds and starts playing at the lowest levels appropriate for the amount of antes and blinds you’re allowed to play during one specific game. It is specifically designed for online poker, yet despite the fact that it is coded to speak poker, it is surprisingly good at organizing and maneuvering the game for you.
Room to improve
So, what do you do with a poker calculator? Are you going to ignore it and fail to take advantage of what it can teach you?