[Jim C]

As others have said, the thought process is more important than understanding the details of the math.

I feel that one of the most valuable contributions of MoP is a good discussion of exactly how to mix up your play, and an idea of how frequently it may be required (assuming very tough opposition). The whole idea of having overlapping ranges of actions so that you are a favorite to be making the "correct" play while making yourself unreadable is very important. Other literature discusses "sometimes" doing another thing, or "varying your play", but I am not aware of detailed discussions of exactly how much variation is required in different circumstances. Against tough opposition, this stuff is pure gold, IMHO. Again, I am not saying that MoP gives the *answer* to every situation, but it does a very good job of explaining the different factors to consider.

I have a pretty strong math background, so that might be influencing my opinion. That said, I think the book contains *the* best discussion of making yourself difficult to read, complete with mathematical derivations.

The detailed derivation of optimal heads-up shove/fold in NL Holdem is worth the price of the book, assuming one even occasionally plays NL tournaments.

Thinking in terms of "toy games" is a very valuable skill, that has value in many other areas besides poker. Others have called this technique using "orienting generalizations". Clearly, one needs to be able to identify the important factors in a problem so the correct toy-game model is used, but this does not diminish the utility of solving problems this way. Though it might seem "academic" or "theoretical", I think that working through the toy game sections of the book definitely improved my thinking processes when at the table. Working through even one toy game until you totally understand it can't be done just by reading the words, you've got to go over it again and again. In my experience, it has been worth the effort. It might not tell you how to play a particular hand, but really "grokking" these sections will help you. Being able to develop a simple model and use it to test one's ideas is something that many people are not familiar with.

Finally, I think its worth mentioning that this book assumes that you are familiar with all the outs & odds stuff that the other responder mentioned. It is true that this is covered, but extremely quickly; if you don't have your basic poker theory down, then this book isn't going to be helpful. I think MoP needs to be seen as "Theory of Poker 2", for an audience that already thoroughly understands the seminal "Theory of Poker". In that context, its a master work.

After re-reading all this, I realize this comes across pretty MoP-centric, which isn't really what you asked. To answer your question in a more general way: the more you learn about the game, the higher quality your decisions will be. In my opinion, in poker and in *any* other endeavor, once you change your mindset to seek ever higher understanding rather than seeking particular results, the whole world opens up for you. With this view of the world, a process of ever-better understanding and constant self-improvement *is* the use of this material, application is secondary and happens naturally and holistically. That probably sounds pretty fuzzy and non-pragmatic -- I know it would have to me when I was younger -- but I strongly believe that knowledge and understanding is its own reward. If you simply want to make money at the game, you don't need the stuff in this book (though it will help).

Jim