Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities: Limit, No-Limit, and Tournament Strategies (Paperback)

~ (Author) "For most of us, our last math class was back in high school or, perhaps, our freshman year in college..." (more)
Key Phrases: implied pot odds, early player calls, middle player calls, Probability of Win, No-Limit Cash Game, No-Limit Sit-n-Go (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

It is true, hone-your-skills stuff...to help you save money, make money and sharpen your game at every level. -- Howard Schwartz - Gambler's Book Club

Product Description

- How often does each starting hand win against a specific hand or random hand? - What are the odds of your opponent holding a pocket pair when he raises? - What is the probability that an over-card will flop when you hold JJ? - How do you determine if drawing is profitable or not? Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities answers all of these questions and more. Every single decision you make at the poker table is in some way related to odds and probabilities. Whether you are deciding to bet, call, fold, raise, or even bluff, odds and probabilities are an integral part of the decision-making process. Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities covers all forms of the game, including limit, no-limit, and tournament situations. This book does more than just show you how to calculate the odds - more importantly, the focus is on how to apply odds to make better decisions. Hilger's approach shows that you do not need to be a math wiz to be successful in poker. Simple concepts and strategies that anyone can learn will have you matching wits with the top players in no time. Some of the topics include: raising draws for value, backdoor draws, facing all-in decisions before the flop, protecting your hand, the impact of stack sizes, and much more. In addition, the most comprehensive collection of Texas Hold'em charts and statistics ever put in print is provided as reference. Poker is a fun game, but it is even more fun when you win. Expert players understand the simple math behind every decision they make - now you can too. Matthew Hilger is also the author of the best-selling Internet poker book, Internet Texas Hold'em and is coauthor, with Ian Taylor, of The Poker Mindset.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dimat Enterprises, Inc. (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974150223
• ISBN-13: 978-0974150222
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #49 in	Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > Poker
  #77 in	Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Gambling

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody Respects Matthew., August 15, 2006

By	Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

At least all the players I know do. Matthew Hilger, as both a player and author, has been greatly admired since his very clear and excellently organized, Internet Texas Hold'em, came out in 2003. He also has a website that's very popular with a forum discussing all kinds of issues which arise in poker, gaming, and life. With this book on Odds and Probabilities, he has added to his stature as an advisor because he expands his focus by addressing limit hold'em, no limit hold'em cash games, and no limit hold'em tournaments. He actually fills in nicely for the (very few) areas King Yao does not cover in his book. Hilger's approach is ideal for beginners because he not only explains pot odds, implied pot odds, and effective implied pot odds, but also rudimentary concepts such as adding and multiplying fractions along with probability. These are the types of questions that many newbies swept into games by the poker popularity explosion may be too embarrassed to ask on their own. Hilger made a good decision by sticking with the same type of organization he had in his first book. Every idea is followed up with sections called Test Your Skills and Chapter Review. Most players, I have found, really improve by studying expert hand analysis which is something Hilger performs many times throughout these pages. Although for me, my favorite section was the one concerning probability of winning with particular hands. Overall, Odds and Probabilities was invaluable.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally I understand the math side of the game, July 15, 2006

By	John S. "Boilermaker's rule" (Attica, IN) - See all my reviews

I have been playing for a couple of years, managing small profits in NL cash games and sit-n-gos. I've read several books and understand the basics of pot odds and implied pot odds - but this book takes my understanding to a new level. In sit-n-gos, I found that i was folding way too often when short stacks went all-in. This book explains the process in analyzing these types of situations in detail. It also explains how to go about determining how much to bet to protect your hand - a concept which I really only applied by feel before reading this book. The title of the book makes it sound like you are in for a calculus class, but that is the opposite of what the book is about. Yes, you math guys will get plenty of explanations for how the calculations are done, but the real emphasis is on how odds affect strategy which is really all I was wanting. Finally, the charts rock! One chart showed the probability of a raiser holding a pocket pair which i didn't even know could be calculated. I see the light! excellent book!

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fills in Gaps In Nearly Every Game, June 24, 2006

By	Chris G. (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

Hilger's first book, Internet Texas Hold'em, was a good book because it laid out poker strategy in an easy to read and complete volume. The new book has the same readability but focuses primarily on a largely misunderstood facet of poker, the math. This is not to say Hilger's book is a math textbook, it is not. He simply does an excellent job of explaining how to use the math of poker to get an edge.

Probably the most helpful portion of the book (after having read the text thoroughly and multiple times) is the charts section. In this section there are pages and pages of charts that are easily referenced to see what the chances of certain things are.

The math of poker is a hole in most people's game and many are intimidated by it. Hilger makes it accessible to all poker players with his easy to read and understand style.