Situational Poker - The free poker ebook about playing cards and people
by Anonymous
Copyright 2008, All rights reserved
Introduction: You can be a winner
Poker is not a new thing. Although its exact origins are murky, poker appears to owe its birth to games from Persia, Germany, France, and England. Poker, in its present and recognized forms, appears to have been developed mostly in the United States between the Civil War and the first decades of the 20th century. People from all walks of life play poker. Some people occasionally indulge in a poker game for recreation and other people engage in it as a regular pastime. Although poker definitely is gambling and includes elements of risk and luck, it is – unlike most other gambling games – a game that rewards skill. A person can become a professional poker player and actually make a living. A person can become a semi-professional poker player and make extra money. Becoming a poker player who wins is absolutely possible. It is not easy, but it is possible.
Most forms of gambling have built within their systems what is known as a negative expectation. This means that the game by design has the advantage over the player. Casino games such as roulette, craps, slot machines, and so forth are mathematically structured to take a greater portion of money than they pay. It is mathematically impossible to play and consistently profit from such games. Poker, however, is not designed to collect money. A casino or cardroom that hosts poker games simply collects fees in one manner or another from the players. The money on the poker table comes from the players and is won by the players. This is where skill comes in. If you are the person with the better poker skills, you will prevail against your opponents more often than not and thereby profit.
The textbook for casino managers titled Practical Casino Math by Robert C. Hannum and Anthony N. Cabot stated that, for skilled players, poker becomes a positive expectation game and that the better players will beat the weaker players in the long run. I heartily agree. This is why I am a poker player. In this book, I’ll share with you what I have learned about poker over the last 18 years of playing, with an emphasis on no-limit Texas hold’em.
I started playing poker when I was a teenager and started taking it seriously when I was about 18. However, reckless youth does not a winner make. But, by the time I was about 22, I was transforming myself into a winner, and I’ve worked to improve my game ever since. I have become a consistent semi-professional winner for many years now, which leads me to a couple important points. Anyone can improve his or her poker game. And even if you are already good, you can always get better.
In this book, I will emphasize the technique of playing situational poker because this is how I play. Yes, there are numbers to know when you are playing poker, but it is not all about the numbers. Estimating your odds of winning is only half the battle, or sometimes only a third of the battle. What ultimately matters in poker is people. Poker is about people. You need to figure out who you are playing against and understand what they are doing and why. Then maybe you can manipulate them when opportunities arise and fatten your bankroll.
Let me deal you into my insights on no-limit Texas hold’em. I’ll start with the basics and work into more advanced topics.
