Questions tagged [poker-theory]
Poker theory is generally based on mathematical principals to define the theory.
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Simplest Way to Explain EV to Beginners
I've recently been teaching a few of my friends to play poker, and I've explained various facets of poker play to them, now I want to explain Expected Value.
It's not a simple concept and I don't ...
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A TAG LAG paradox?
In every reference book of poker, I have found that the more exploitive strategy against a loose player is to play tight. Conversely, the more exploitive strategy against a tight player is to play ...
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Positions in Poker
I'm somewhat perplexed on the positions in poker. As I browse, some websites give different/contradicting versions on the description of the positions.
For example, some sources say the early ...
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What's the best book to read to understand this site?
I've always been a decent poker player. I typically win and understand probabilities and money management from life experience and trading. I'm an engineer, so I naturally approach things with a ...
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Balanced Continuation Bet range
Assume a 100bb NL game 6max game. Hero is on the Button on Open raises 3BB with a 55% range
The BB calls (25% range). On a Board Axx a lot of players cbet a large portion of their range (60% - 90%) ...
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Can the optimal strategy for low stakes holdem be considered simpler as a general rule?
It appears that some of the subtleties of the game of poker are actually counterproductive against weak players. For example, raising is better than calling in many situations because it provides you ...
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Simplified poker games
Is there a list of simplified poker games - preferably ones for which there is either a complete solution (ie the optimal strategy for all players is known) or at least some extensive analysis, either ...
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What topical resources do you often use to learn more about poker?
To get information that's usually considered cutting edge, it's often good to discuss topics more candidly with experts forging new thoughts on well established theories.
Books of course mostly deal ...
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Position advantage on the table and odds
Is it possible define position advantage on table on terms of correction to odds? Namely, is it possible to quantify the effect of position on a players equity?
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Calculating Nash Equilibrium for HU NLHE push fold game
This question has been asked before here and here. But what i am looking for is the specific calculation methodology or pseudocode.
Additionally my understanding itself of Nash equilibrium is this ...
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Do you have any "in-hand" thinking procedures?
i'm kinda new to poker and i have problem with making too fast decisions. Do you guys have any standard "in-hand thinking procedures"?
For example, when you're in hand, do you always think in the ...
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How is Poker a game of skill?
First of all, I'm a newbie so excuse my stupid question but I have to know :(
I notice a lot of people say this, especially those who play a lot of poker.
I'm not really a poker player, but I know ...
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Why is it easier to make a flush than a straight with four cards already matching?
In draw poker with five cards, if I have four cards with an open-ended straight draw, why is it a lower probability to get the fifth card for the straight than if you have four cards in a flush and ...
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Giving a short stacked opponent a perfect all-in vs forcing them to over-commit
I just finished Every Hand Revealed by Gus Hansen and in it he is talking about a short-stacked opponent and says:
I should probably watch out so I don't give him too many perfect
all-in moves ...
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Can a bettor concede his hand without showing it?
Let's say someone bluffs on the flop, turn, and river with "nothing", (maybe he has AK), and is called all three times, by someone who probably has a small pair.
In theory, he is supposed to show his ...
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Add-on value and "bubble factor"
Bubble factor represents the value ratio of winning X chips versus losing X chips in a given tournament - and is named so because the ratio grows steeply as the money bubble approaches. An exaggerated ...
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What do you study for poker? What do you focus on?
As the title says I would like to know what do you most focus when studying poker. Math? Human behavior? MTT strategy? Poker theory? Analyse session errors? Cash games strategy? Videos of live/online ...
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Defending a made hand, is it good to make a high bet?
Cash table with 7 opponents.
In early position Q♥6♥ and I opened for 3BB pre-flop. Three opponents called.
The flop was 7♠Q⋄8♣ giving me top pair. I opened for ...
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What are the most important elements of poker to model in a Monte Carlo simulation?
A few years back, I built a MC simulation with the following parameters:
Betting wasn't simulated
Fixed number of players
Cards were dealt, and then flop/turn/river
The best hand was recorded
After ...
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Can you call when the pot odds don't favour you?
Say you're drawing to a made hand in a $10-$20 limit hold'em game and you have N outs.
On the turn, one line of thought is that you should only call if the pot odds are in your favour, i.e. if there ...
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The right bluff frequency
In the book of Bill Chen, "The mathematics of poker", there is a formula to calculate the right frequency of a bluff action.
The formula has been calculated in a simplified version of poker.
Even ...
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Are Poker books like "Book on Tournament Texas Hold'em" trust worthy?
I have recently began reading Dan Harrington's Book on Tournament Texas Hold'em Volume 1. Dan wrote this book, while still participating in professional poker, and won the WPT in 2005, the same year ...
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Who has advantage if one player is known to have an Ace?
Suppose that in a Texas hold'em heads up both player 1 and 2 know from the beginning that player 1 has an Ace.
(This cannot happen in a normal game, of course.)
Who has an advantage, player 1, since ...
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Pre-flop charts 6-max cash games
I am planning on building a poker bot. The first and easiest part is the pre-flop strategy. Do you guys have any links for a good pre-flop strategy in NLH 6-max cash games, 100BB deep? This includes:
...
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Distribution of Badugi Hands
I'd like to know when you're dealt a badugi in Badugi, where does that hand stand in relation to another random badugi hand? i.e. both hands have four different suits and ranks.
Example 1: I'm dealt ...
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Why would a player ask how many chips another player has during a hand?
Have seen this multiple times, in both cash games and tournaments. Just wondering when is this an important factor? How does it affect strategy?
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What is the nature of Omaha starting hands?
When I first started to play Omaha coming from a Hold em back ground it seemed to me that the nature of a four card hand was different then the nature of two a card hand. It seemed that at a very ...
Jon♦
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Gap concept and pot odds
In his book "The Theory Of Poker", David Sklansky states that in order to call an early open/raise you should hold at least the same or a tighter range than the open/raiser opponent.
Sklansky called ...
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What data should you keep track of to improve your game?
If you wanted to improve your poker game, what statistics should you track? Do players that keep a track of how much they have won/lost and where do better than players who don't?
I play online (for ...
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Studying poker math - is it worth it?
I've done some studying, learned about ranges for stealing, raising, calling, positional play etc. but I get bored with all that theory. I don't really care about my odds and outs and I probably make ...
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Outs counting correction
When we counts outs, we are making the assumption that the outs are not already dealt. This can be correct in the heads up, but I guess that in the full game this will not be correct (due to the ...
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What I did was right?
I'm a newbie in Poker and so I would like you to judge the rightness of my actions on the following hand:
Yesterday I was playing NL Hold'em and my cards were a premium hand, K♣ K♦. We were playing 9-...
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General strategy shortstacked PLO cash games
I heard that playing shortstacked PLO in cash games can have a big advantage. Say ~50BB deep. I have a couple of question about this.
How can this be a big advantage?
What would be a good general ...
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How to Decide Whether to Buy the Add On or Not in Rebuys
Sometimes rebuy tournaments go very well at the beginning and I accumulate a lot of chips, when I've already got lots of chips it seems silly to pay more money for the add on - usually costing the ...
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The groups of Sklansky starting hands
Which criterion did Sklansky use when dividing starting hands in groups? Computer generated starting hands seems to show a subjective grouping by Sklansky, doesn't it?
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Fictitious play for multiway hand in push or fold regime
I know the theory behind the push or fold in heads up (Is well explained in The mathematics of poker of Chen & Ankenman). I know that exists software (e.g. ICM trainer) that computes the push or ...
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In what situations will you lose the low-pot in Omaha Hi/Lo while holding Ace-Deuce?
In Omaha hi low, will holding an Ace and a Deuce card automatically give you the "nut low" hand in the event of a qualifying low hand?
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How to behave in crowded pots
I noticed that in small stakes tournments and freerolls, the early stages of pots are very crowded.
What is the best strategy in this kind of situation? Limp in the hope to flop somthing? or what?
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Complex split pot semantics for multiple All-In winners with differing amounts
I'm writing a Poker Server piece of software and well, I want it to be accurate...
Basically I want to know what the correct way to deal with this following situation is:
[ second round of betting. ...
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Nash's ICM calculation
I would like to understand the Nash' ICM model and how to use it. I have found this calculators here and here, and I have tried to play with them. But I don't understand the output. Who can help me ...
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Doubt in expected value calculation of Bill Chen book
I am studing The mathematics of poker of Bill Chen, and I am at the chapter of pot odds and implied odds. I have this doubt: Everyone who have a little background on probability knows that the ...
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Preflop range for representing the nuts on every board?
What is the minimum preflop range I have to play to have on every 5 Card board the nuts in my range?
E.g. On a: A♠4♠5♠K♣Q♠ Board I would need 2♠3♠
But ...
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Expected Value for SB und BB in NL HU (GTO)
Lets consider a NL HU Match 100BB deep (no rake). Both players are playing GTO (game theoretical optimum).
Lets assume in the GTO Strategy the SB open limps or open raises r times and open folds f ...
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Pot odds for chasing a flush against unknown opponent
Consider 2 scenarios, in which a flop has given you an approx. 33% chance of making an Ace high flush by the river. The pot size is currently 600 and there is 1 player remaining. It costs 200 to ...
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Equity calculation at brick and mortar poker
Pokerstove is very usefull tool for online players, but when you play live you simply can't use it. Does exist (even aproximate) an algorithm in order to estimate your equity against the range of your ...
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combinations from 2 hole card and 7 communal cards
If we have 5 communal cards and 2 hole cards, and its our turn to deal, Can we just select all the 5 communal cards for hand? or do we need to keep our 2 hole cards and only choose 3 communal cards ...
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What does "volatility on hand" mean and how do players use it?
Towards the end of part 1 of "Harrington on Hold'em" in the section titled "A Sample Hand," Harrington writes the following:
I thought I was one of the better players remaining at ...
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Can a King be beaten in one card poker?
This question is about the following theoretical model of poker, which is a greatly simplified version of my earlier question.
Suppose that from one deck of cards, we remove all the Kings, and give ...
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Fundamental Theorem of Poker vs Morton's Theorem
According to the Fundamental Theorem of Poker, our expectation is increased every time the opponents make a wrong decision.
On the other hand, Morton's Theorem states that a player's expectation may ...
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Calculating the Probability of Reaching a Certain Amount of BB vs Hero
I'm looking for help to build a statistic in excel or just mathematically. What I want to figure is the chance of another player (villain) increase his stack with X BBs when I estimate his BB/100 to ...
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