HELPFUL STATS I find some poker stats are worth having available on your note pad when you’re playing online and others are like trying to understand nuclear fusion, probably useful, but not going to get read in the time it takes to make a split decision. Here are some useful examples to have at hand:
King-King is only a two-to-one favourite to beat Ace-King.
An Ace will likely hit the flop once every four flops.
If you’re holding a pocket pair you have about one chance in seven of hitting three-of-a-kind with the flop.
If you are holding odd hole cards you only have one chance in forty of making two pair at the flop. Obviously the odd cards are carrying the additional potential to makes flushes and straights but that’s a side issue. The odds on pocket Kings or Aces will vary according to the number of hands being dealt. You are looking at twelve-to-one on a full table of ten players.
Perhaps more significant to remember is the fact that statistically an Ace or a King will flop forty percent of the time.
For new players it is finally worth keeping in mind that your chances of being dealt any specific pair are two hundred and twenty-to-one but of course you divide that by the number of players involved in your game. So if it’s a short handed game and you have five opponents your odds are immediately reduced to a more encouraging forty four-to-one. You are only likely to be facing two hundred and twenty-to-one odds in a heads up situation but that should be well over-shadowed by the fact that you more importantly have a fifty-fifty chance of beating your opponent.
POKER TOURAMENT TACTICS Okay, you’ve made it to the final table of a big poker tournament having slogged your way through a huge field. It’s the night before and you’ve never been in this situation before. What do you do? Well, you probably should sleep, but you almost certainly won’t. If you can’t, here’s the procedure. Gather in your mind and in your notes all you know about those opponents you’ll be facing. Visualise their characteristics. Once you’ve decided what their strengths and weaknesses are, figure out how to exploit them. For example: If they play loose pre-flop, make sure you re-raise them as often as practical. If it’s a player who plays too conservatively to your knowledge, attack their blinds aggressively. If you’re facing a player who tends to play weak after the flop, watch for chances to get into flops with them. Some players play for the cameras at a final. Everyone wants to be a celebrity these days. Look out for these guys. While they are grinning and trying to impress their folks back home you should be betting strong hands into them, luring them into semi-bluff re-raises. Now you can go to sleep.
