The last article here was about playing the psychology of poker, but what about the statistics? This is a hotly debated term in the world of poker because a lot of people think that psychology matters more than the mathematics of poker, but who is actually right?
The truth is that a balanced player will have the skill to calculate the odds of each and every hand while still being a predator on the table. A proper predator will identify weaker players after a few hands and neutralize them by always changing up behavior. Even in the online world there are certain tells that happen, and these are tells that should be avoided.
You just need to make sure that you are always thinking about your actions on the table, because people will definitely be thinking about your actions. Now, this is something that isn’t said to scare you — you just need to always be looking at where you stand on the table at any time.
Some people prefer playing the math of poker because it’s very reliable. Do you really want to stake all of your bankroll on the table for that “sure thing” when mathematically there are too many “outs” to make your play work? You might think that you actually have the best hand, only to find that you really don’t have as good of a hand as you think you do once it’s time for the final showdown.
You have to always think about your hand in respect to the other players on the table. The more players in the game, the more calculations that you will need to do. There are so many variations to poker, but the mathematical side is something that crosses all borders easily.
If you really want to play the math side of poker, then practice is definitely a must. The last thing that you want to do is play a few hands and think that you have mastered the world of poker math. It will take you some time to be able to do all of your calculations on the fly the way other players do. You don’t want to try to rush into heavy poker math in tournaments unless you’ve actually spent hours and hours of practice without risking your bankroll. It might seem strange to play in practice mode, but who wants to risk their bankroll when they don’t have to?
Keep in mind that you also have technology on your side, since you can always look up software that will teach you how to make the calculations yourself. While it’s true that you won’t be able to use helper software when you’re in the middle of a tournament, anything that you can use to help you get the mathematics down is a good thing. There are even free solutions that can help you get started, as a lot of college students create these programs to help new players as well.
Overall, if you’re really serious about making a good run in the world of online poker, you definitely owe it to yourself to play poker by the numbers at least part of the time. Over time, you shouldn’t be surprised if this actually helps you make more money over time — why not get started today?