TOP #24 - Analysis at the Table

[wallenborn]

Poker tends to be a game for quick-thinking people. In general, you have to make decisions in a few seconds. Accurately and quickly analyzing risk-reward decisions at the poker table in the heat of a hand comes only with experience.


Analysis in Theory

When analyzing a poker situation, you go through four steps in deciding on your best play.

[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Determine the possible hands your opponent might have.
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Assess the chances of his having each of his possible hands.
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Determine your best play against each of his possible hands.
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] In most cases, pick the play that will most often be correct.


Analyzing the Cost of a Mistake

Unfortunately, the play that is likely to be right most of the time is not always the correct play. You also have to decide how bad it will be if you make a mistake. when one alternative will have slightly bad consequences if it's wrong and another second alternative will have terrible consequences if it's wrong, you may be right to choose the first alternative even when the second is slightly favored to be the correct play.







Older threads:

TOP #1 - Beyond Beginning Poker
TOP #2 - Mathematical Expectation and Hourly Rate
TOP #3 - The Fundamental Theorem of Poker
TOP #4 - The Ante Structure
TOP #5 - Pot Odds
TOP #6 - Effective Odds
TOP #7 - Implied Odds and Reverse Implied Odds
TOP #8 - The Value of Deception
TOP #9 - Win the Big Pots Right Away
TOP #10 - The Free Card
TOP #11 - The Semi-Bluff
TOP #12 - Defense Against the Semi-Bluff
TOP #13 - Raising
TOP #14 - Check-Raising
TOP #15 - Slowplaying
TOP #16 - Loose and Tight Play
TOP #17 - Position
TOP #18 - Bluffing
TOP #19 - Game Theory And Bluffing
TOP #20 - Inducing and Stopping Bluffs
TOP #21 - Heads-Up On The End
TOP #22 - Reading Hands
TOP #23 - The Psychology of Poker