Chapters Ch2

Poker logic is not tricks and ploys. In weaker games tricks and ploys may sometimes work for example, gesturing as though to fold your hand and then raising after the third man in the pot has called. However, a super hustler with an arsenal of tricks and ploys who is not also a good player will not get the money against tough competition. Some poker writers make tricks and ploys the essence of poker; the best that can be said of them is they are misguided.

In the world of professional Las Vegas poker, such players never rise to the bigger games, and eventually, their tricks and ploys played out, they fade into the Las Vegas night like so many failed gamblers, earning a living driving a cab. Nor is poker logic purely mathematical. Knowing the mathematics of poker can certainly help you play a better game.

It is important to understand that poker is a much more difficult game than most people realize, that it can be more complex than bridge or backgammon. The concepts in this book are intended to make you understand the depth of the game and to make you a good player against tough competition. Properly adjusted, they also relate to pot-limit and no-limit games.