Professional No-Limit Hold 'em Volume 1 Review Thread

[jeffnc]

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One other question, there are a few references that basically say that hitting your target spr and then pulling the trigger (assuming you make your hand) will get you the money in the long run because the math guarentees it...can ou elaborate a little on the math? Where I keep getting stuck is understanding what math defines an spr of 6 being better then an spr of 7 for top pair hands...am I too literal? I understand pragmatically why 6 is better then 7 (because the lower the number the weaker villain's hand can be to make the call down) but is there really math that proves it?

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The way I think of that is how much money goes in the pot with the best hand, relative to how much goes in when you're no longer sure. Of course you're almost never sure....

The simplest example is when you hold AA, because then you know for sure preflop. The more money that goes in when you have the best hand, the better (this is generally true in poker). Once you pass a certain threshold, then you can be confident that even though you are no longer sure you have the best hand (after the flop), you can afford to pay off because of the amount that went in when you did have the best hand. If enough goes in early, then it can reach a point where even if you promise to stack off every time your opponent wants you to, you still come out ahead.

In practice, it's much more complicated. You might still have the best hand, some opponents are tighter or trickier than others, and require more or less money going in early if you're going to pay them off. But that's the general concept as I see it.

An example of the basic principle of getting in money early when you're ahead but not late: you flop a set in position, and your donkish opponent flops a flush or straight draw against you. He checks, you bet the pot, he calls. He misses the turn, he checks, you bet the pot, he calls. The river completes his draw, he cheekishly checks, and you check. You played the hand perfectly because a ton of money went in early when you were ahead, and none went in when you were behind. But even if you paid off on the river, this can still be a very profitable situation. It's a game you'd enthusiastically play even if you grudgingly paid off your opponent when he shows you his cards before you call the river - as long as the payoff amount was less than your overall profit.

You usually can't have that much control, but the math of SPR goes somewhere along those lines.