[bitter&twisted]

mikechops[ QUOTE ]
If you look at the range of hands you could put an UTG raiser who pushes that flop, it is to say the least a very gutsy call to make. I would argue it was huge mistake. However according to the FTOP, the call was correct because the guy was ahead 57:43 (according to ESPN).

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Sklansky makes the distinction between a FTP "mistake" and the kind of mistake you are talking about, where someone makes a correct call by the numbers but considering what the other could have been holding the call is pretty stupid.

So you can have a mistake according the the FTP but good play according to the educated poker player.

mikechops[ QUOTE ]
Poker comes down to putting people on a range of hands and playing optimally from there. You need to make correct estimates of the relative probability of your opponents' holding(s) and their likely reactions to your possible actions. Then you select the action that gives you the highest EV. That's fundamental.

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grimstarr[ QUOTE ]
good post - i like what was just said by above poster about hand ranges. i feel that is more important in holdem than this 'fundamental theorem' because we NEVER know EXACTLY what villian is holding.

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Assigning hand ranges and playing accordingly is a fundamental skill that a player uses to play good poker. But its not a fundamental way of describing what the ideal course of action is.

Guess Sklansky was trying to be all sciency by trying to set out principles of poker. So it doesn't feel to poker players that this is what they are doing when they play poker. But I think that it is a reasonable way of describing what optimal play is.