Anyone who intends to live
poker or at least make money with it, should have a more or less general idea of what the role of mathematics in the theory of
poker and what their specific importance, if it is absolutely essential to master certain techniques mathematics or is something that can fill through knowledge gained by other players or the experience.
Following the article you have translated Bryce Paradis in
Poker News, we can divide the game of
poker in two fundamental and independent: 1) determine the most likely strategy of the opponent. 2) Once we have determined that strategy with the strategy we play more long-term expected value against the opponent's strategy.
It should draw attention to the fact that, only with the simple aid of mathematics, we can solve point 2 to perfection. If an opponent with so many hands up 20bb preflop and leaves so many hands before a re-raise, you can mathematically determine with absolute precision what is the range with which we play against that player. (If the opponent has also 100bb can, but the calculations are extremely complicated even for a bot).
Does this mean that a first-hand knowledge of mathematics is essential to correctly choose our moves against the opponent's strategy? Well, in principle it need not be exactly true. It could be deducted over EV movements were as simple and intuitive than any human in normal physical conditions could clearly see it almost without thinking, is what happens in the rock-paper-scissors, where if we could guess what's going to take our opponent, we should not rack their brains to respond with the best move. Another example is the game of three-in-line, a little more complicated but still can solve any human with a little effort. In contrast, games like go, chess or backgammon are not at all intuitive, and deduce the perfect move, even having to hand all relevant information at stake, is anything but easy or intuitive to the point that at present no computer, however powerful, is able to play perfect to go or chess.
Poker, fortunately for us all, is more like chess than the three-in-line, which makes calculating the best move is not instinctive or obvious.
Still, this does not force us, somehow, to do the calculations on our own to have a decent game. We can always have a good idea of what is the right move by the work of other players, we transmit that knowledge, or through experience.
The experience is of course essential, but not much use to us to determine which move is best if the matter is relatively uncertain. If we are not quite clear whether resubir choose between a flush or do just call, it's almost impossible to play many hands base we will clarify. Another thing is to determine the strategy of opponents, in which case the experience is much more important.
The knowledge gained can replace many own calculations. Any NL100 grinder can get relatively advanced notions of pre-flop, CBET situations, hands with which to call on the flop or resubir ... only based on the views of the most experienced players. Still, the situations are too many to be able to accommodate all without knowing why those movements, that of course rests on the calculation. That is, should reflect the fact that almost nobody is able to perform calculations while playing a hand of
poker, especially online where you play many tables at once most of the calculations are done offline, and give us enough insight as to adjust to many situations. P.E. I do know that this type of opponent bluffs in a river where there is a failed project 33% of the time, tells me that I get to do call a bet with any hand made boat. Knowing that, and having studied similar cases with other frequencies of bluffing, and always bearing in mind that each type of board to help about bluffing or not, I can have a relatively accurate idea of when to call, although not able to perform effectively the calculation in the few seconds that I have to decide. In other words, while having preset strategies (never re-raise the flop with TPTK, always make a continuation bet on the turn with TPTK whether any projects in the board, never to the continuation bet without a hand against two or more opponents on the flop ... and so on. etc.) helps offset the lack of mathematical knowledge, it is almost impossible to become good players if we do not raise our own calculations, at least not from now with difficulty levels of game, as Nl100 or 200.
This, with respect to point 2. Section 1, given its complexity, it will be addressed in another article. No, the order seems reversed how to play a hand, has enough sense to do so, since it is more difficult to put the opponent in a hand to play correctly after we have determined what their rank.
