Poker Theory
A house which is not built upon a solid foundation will crumble to the ground, likewise without the proper foundation in poker theory your game will also collapse. If you are considering becoming a professional poker player you must first ask yourself if you have the proper understanding of poker theory. Ask yourself the following questions. Do you know what the Fundamental Theory of Poker is? Do you know what the term EV means, and how to calculate it? Do you know how to calculate outs and how to calculate the odds of those outs hitting? Do you understand the GAP concept? Do you fully understand pot odds, implied odds and reverse implied odds?
It is beyond the scope of this text to provide a full and complete explanation of all these concepts here. The Fundamental Theory of Poker says that any time you make a mistake your opponents profit - and a mistake is doing something other than what you would do if the cards were face up. EV stands for expected value - and it means what a bet is worth in the long run. These concepts are all part of poker theory and a thorough understanding of poker theory is mandatory for any poker professional. It’s true some professional poker players may not have been taught these theories explicitly, but they understand them none the less. There are no truly successful professionals that do not understand these theories and what these theories mean and if you do not understand these theories you best learn them before you embark upon a career as a professional poker player!
This is of course not a complete and exhaustive list of all the theories that underline poker player. There are many authors that have written at great length about the theories of poker and a great text for understanding these theories in more detail is ‘The Theory of Poker’ by David Skalansky. Success at the poker table depends in no small part on understanding and putting to practice these theories.
Further Reading
