How far has NL poker come? How far do we have to go? (abstract/long)

[VanVeen]

hrm, i'd say the biggest leaks are related to hand range strength evaluations given preflop ranges, the community cards, and the preceding actions in the hand. not bluffs or snapping off bluffs specifically.

ideally you'd assign an integer to your hand expressing relative strength that's a function of your opponent's preflop range, the community cards (which would incorporate the likelihood of future community cards), and the actions preceding the current decision node. if it exceeds some value you act aggressively; if it exceeds some value but falls beneath another you call, etc.

i don't think many players: a) assign relative value correctly; b) determine the minimum and maximum values needed to call/raise vs. a specific opponent; c) adjust properly over time to variable strategies, i.e. they will change the minimum and maximum values needed to bet/raise/call far more than is rational.

in the not too distant future someone is finally going to do the obvious and create a pokerstove-like program that evaluates preflop ranges with different community cards. you'd plug in a preflop range, select community cards, and see a breakdown of each different hand type given the board. once something like that shows up i think the games may start changing a lot again.