A complete probability guide of Hold'em Poker, this guide covers all possible gaming situations. The author focuses on the practical side of the presentation and use of the probabilities involved in Hold'em, while taking into account the subjective side of the probability-based criteria of each player's strategy.

- 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 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.

Odds are part of any gambling strategy and Texas Hold'em Poker is highly predisposed to probability-based decisions. This book presents the mathematics involved in card distributions in Texas Hold'em and provides a precise account of the odds associated with all gaming events. The author is a recognized authority on casino mathematics. He is member of applied mathematics societies and has published numerous articles in leading academic, gaming industry and applied mathematics journals. He is also the author of "Probability Guide of Gambling." No formal background in mathematics is necessary for reading this book, although comfort with some probability and set theory notions is helpful. In most cases, you'll need some college math to follow the formulas here, but this is not a requirement, because the numerical results are collected in tables at the end of each section. The work is packed with formulas, algorithms and tables. Its' primary goal is to allow the reader to quickly find the odds for their hand and for their opponent's hand, in order to improve his/her betting decisions. Every type of card distribution is tabulated in a logical, consistent and comprehensive manner. The complete methodology and all the calculations are shown, so it teaches the player how to calculate probability for any situation for every stage of the game, even for other card games. You will find here the real odds, returned by precise mathematical formulas and not by partial simulations that most software uses. The book contains new and original material that has not been done previously and provides a full coverage of Hold'em odds: - Immediate odds (pre-flop odds, flop odds, turn odds, river odds, odds ofimproving specific hands). - Long-shot odds (odds of achieving specific card formations by river) for own hand, in after-flop and after-turn stages. - Long-shot odds for opponent's hand (odds for one and at least one of your opponents to achieve specific card formations by river), in after-flop, after-turn and after-river stages. - Other odds. Concrete examples of calculations and usage of tables are attached to each section. Also, a special chapter of examples is included for a good understanding of how to count and compare the odds for expected card formations and the odds of possible higher formations of opponents. Such information is a must for any Hold'em player - either beginner or advanced - and this book is a trusted and professional source.

An excellent tool for beginning to intermediate players to be successful at limit Texas Hold'em with specific topics focused on Internet play. The book's reputation has superceded its title as many players now recommend it for live play also. A comprehensive overview of Texas Hold'em is presented including general poker concepts such as probability and odds, bluffing, raising and check-raising. Various deceptive tactics are also discussed such as free cards, slowplaying, and inducing bluffs and calls.

Dr. Cătălin Bărboianu, a recognized authority in gaming mathematics, philosopher of science, and problem-gambling researcher, proposes in this practical guide for both problem and non-problem gamblers a new pragmatic, conceptual approach of gambling mathematics. The primary aim of this guide is the adequate understanding of the essence and complexity of gambling through its mathematical dimension. The author starts from the premise that formal gambling mathematics, which is hardly even digestible for the non-math-inclined gamblers, is ineffective alone in correcting the specific cognitive distortions associated with gambling. By applying the latest research results in this field, the author blends the gambling-mathematics concepts with the epistemology of applied mathematics and cognitive psychology for providing gamblers the knowledge required for rational and safe gambling. It is not a standard book of gambling mathematics. The essential mathematical concepts are explained in a conceptual mode for the non-math reader, limited to their context of application and including their precise relationship with the real world of gambling. The entire mathematical dimension of gambling is reduced to seven general principles, explained at large in the seven main chapters, each generating a set of general recommendations applicable in general or in particular situations. These recommendations cover both the technical play, including objective and optimal strategies, and responsible, safe gambling. The guide has entire sections dedicated to roulette, blackjack, slots, poker, and sport betting; however, the principles and the associated advice are applicable in general to all games of chance. A major focus of the work is on explaining, making aware of, demounting, and correcting the classical gambling cognitive distortions (misconceptions, subjective estimations of probabilities, the Monte Carlo fallacy, conjunction and disjunction fallacies, the near-miss effect, illusion of control, and the misunderstanding of gambling language). The guide provides the required cognitive tools for correcting these distortions with the help of the mathematical concepts and addresses not only gamblers, but also gambling experts, including counselors.

Poker star Dusty Schmidt presents his first book [¬" one that stands to shake up poker in the same way Moneyball did for baseball. Schmidt offers an inspiring look at how in just five years, he went from not knowing a thing about poker to netting a seven-figure annual income. Far from a mathematical or technological genius, Schmidt says what guides him through is a fundamental understanding of business. Treat Your Poker Like A Business provides a foundation upon which all poker will be evaluated in the future, and will help an entire generation of poker players evolve their games into empires. A consummate "grinder," Dusty Schmidt has played nearly 7 million hands of online poker over more than 10,000 hours during his five-year career. He's won over $3 million during that period, and has never experienced a losing month. In 2007, he achieved Poker Stars' SuperNova Elite status in just eight months while playing high-stakes cash games exclusively. Schmidt posted the world's highest win rate in both 5/10 NL and 10/20 NL in both 2007 and 2008. In a four-month period between Nov. 2007 and Feb. 2008, Schmidt won in excess of $600,000 in high-stakes cash games. He is now a highly respected instructor at Stoxpoker.com, and plays as high as 25/50 NL. As a young man, Schmidt was a top-ranked golfer. He broke two of Tiger Woods' junior records, and was the leading money winner on the Golden States Tour when, at age 23, he suffered a career-ending heart attack. Schmidt returned to golf in 2009, winning medalist honors in qualifying for the Oregon Amateur Championship. Later that year, Schmidt famously represented himself in federal court in his suit against the United States Golf Association, which controversially stripped him of his amateur status, in part due to his poker profession. Schmidt is now a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Oregon's men's golf team, working under his good friend, Head Coach Casey Martin. Schmidt is also a successful entrepreneur. He is part-owner of Stoxpoker.com and Imagine Media, and the creator of 10thGreen.com, the first social network for golfers. His story has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Card Player, Poker News, Golf Magazine, Fairways and Greens, Golf Week, Golf World and the Portland Oregonian, as well as on ESPN, cnn.com, wallstreetjournal.com, forbes.com, fortune.com, espn.com, golfdigest.com and golf.com, among many others. He recently founded the House of Cards Project, a philanthropic effort to provide food and shelter to disadvantaged families. His life story will be told in the book [¬Raise: The Impossibly True Tale of Dusty Schmidt, [¬? to be released later in 2010. He lives in Portland, Ore., with his wife, Nicole, and daughter, Lennon.

Is must reading for anyone planning to play hold 'em. It was the first definitive work on hold'em poker and was originally published in 1976. Yet it is still one of the best-selling poker books available, and in 1997 it was expanded and updated to account for today's modern double blind structure. The text is designed for someone relatively new to the game, but it still contains much sophisticated material which all players should find beneficial. It is probably best known for the Sklansky Hand Rankings, which made the game much simpler to quantify and understand. Some of the topics include how Texas hold'em is played, the importance of position, the first two cards, the key flops, strategy before the flop, semibluffing, the free card, slowplaying, check raising, heads-up on fifth street, and how to read hands.