Poker Math

nug82

Evening All.

I am hoping to improve my game more and I believe I should start with the math side of poker.

Can I please ask how important is knowing math of poker?
How can you train yourself to the knowledge?
Do I need books/Software?

I am pretty good at math in general however Poker math is completely different.

How do you know what fold equity you are?

I know how to work out pot odds however I can not work this out in the 15 seconds you get to deside weather to fold or not, does anyone (everyone) have this issue?

Also implied odds????

Look forward to you insights in regards to this.

grantorino

Its important to know the basics but most of the math you need can be learned. You can find most of what you need online

On flop/ turn, multiply outs X2 for 1 street, X4 for 2 streets for a rough idea of % you hit, and hence pot odds you require. This is only a rough estimate and breaks down a little for large number of outs, but its a good basic guide

Learn the basic odds for preflop races, eg pair v 2 overs~55% etc

Play with pokerstove (you can download for free) to get exact odds of certain situations. You cant do this in game, but you can do it as part of reviewing a session

As regards fold equity, what you really need to work out is how often they fold. This is very player dependent, you need to estimate their current range and how estimate how much of it continues to a bet/raise

Implied odds means how much you can get paid after you hit your hand. Again this is very dependent on player tendencies and position

rancid

google "thepokerbank.com"

go to: texas strat -  arcticles

this will help you, nice learning site for all in a clear and easy to read format

beginner - /> expert

unknown_username

Hi nug82

Well that's a good question to ask and im sure others will add more value than myself. However, i've been playing seriously for less than a year and have tried to anlyse how to improve myself. I was a maths teacher for 20 odd years so yes, maths is important, but to my mind only to decide whetheryou are making a good bet which really is the only thing you can control at the table.
Basic pot odds calcs are pretty easy where you consider number of outs to improve and compare it to odds that the pot is offering you to call etc. if the former is greater than the latter it is a good bet. However, there are so money variables to consider too eg tells, image you /opponent presents, stack size and position obviously.
So, in my opinion, the maths is helpful but not essential. There are all kinds of lists detailing percentages of hd v hd and knowing a number of them eg overpair v  pair is around 80%. Mind, i've got quite a number of books now and even got my kids to buy methe mathematics of poker at xmas!! However, i've not got into it really and would not recommend it but would rec Harrington's vol 1 for pot odds calcs etc.
Hope this helps. There's lots more but this post may be too long otherwise. Cheers...
PS I've not got any software myself and don't really know much about it but you can't use a HUD on Sky anyway.