Hand by Hand (A foundational poker strategy column)

When I moved to Las Vegas in 2010 to pursue my dream of becoming a professional poker player, my family was hesitant to sign off. At best, I got a “be careful!” followed by a hesitant “good luck.” “It’s not all about luck,” I would retort, “but it sure helps!” Sixteen years later, and I am still playing poker for a living. 

Whenever I tell people that I am a professional poker player, I immediately get asked the same few questions: “Do you wear sunglasses?” “What is the most money you have ever won?” or my favorite, “Do you count cards?” Sometimes I correct them and explain that they are thinking of blackjack, but often it is easier to just nod and smile. There is a big gambling element to poker, and I fear that it often gets lumped into games of pure chance. Luck is a part of poker, but that is not what attracted me to the game.

Why poker? 

I have always been fascinated with strategic games, and poker is one of the most strategically deep card games. Poker has the power to bring people together from all walks of life. And it happens to be a lot of fun! It is a game that, even after playing thousands of hours, I never get bored. I would argue that poker has the perfect balance of luck and strategy to keep you engaged; it keeps you guessing as to whether you are about to win big or lose it all. Any more luck-based and it would become a game of chance. Any more skill-based and it would become too hard for a recreational player to win. 

With strategic games comes the mathematical study of strategic decision-making called game theory. We use game theory to understand the complicated nature of things like politics, business, economics, biology, computer science, and even animal behaviors. Recent technologies have advanced and enabled game theorists to dive deeper into strategic games like checkers, chess, and poker by using computers that run billions of simulations modeling optimal strategies. 

With game theorists' interest in poker, professional poker players have benefited from the research and advancements in strategy that theorists have unlocked. What once was a game associated with cowboys of the west is now dominated by studious intellectuals. With the use of game theory and my experience as a professional player, I will be covering the fundamentals of how to play poker competitively.

Hand by Hand 

This series is for anyone who has been interested in becoming more competitive at poker. Starting with the fundamentals and then covering more advanced concepts, I will address how to approach poker with an emphasis on a decision framework derived from the fundamentals of game theory. You will be able to use this approach in your local home game or at the World Series of Poker against the toughest players! Though before we dive into strategy, it is important to understand what poker is at its core.

What makes poker, poker?

Variance

The beauty of poker, as I mentioned earlier, is that it is the perfect combination of luck and skill. Even if you do everything ‘correct’ strategically, there is an element of luck that will play a factor. The variance within the game is what enables anyone, no matter their skill level, to win any given hand of poker. The skill is what enables the best players to consistently win over hundreds of thousands of hands. The variance is the exciting part; you never know what hands you will be dealt, or whether you will hit that draw-completing card and win the tournament, or even if you will bust the tournament and head home. 

Hidden Information

The skill part of poker is a product of the structure of the game. Poker typically has some form of hidden information. You know what cards you have, and you know what the community cards are, but you don’t know what your opponents are holding. Deducing what your opponents are holding is where the skill of the game comes into play. Professional players have studied thousands of hours to better deduce what their opponents are likely holding.

What Skills Do You Need?

You may think that to become a great poker player you will need to have some sort of sixth sense reading your opponents' every body twitch and snarl of their lip, but the reality is much different. 

Adaptability

There is a lot of uncertainty within poker because of the hidden information. The best you can do is to make an educated guess as to what your opponent is holding, and how to best play your hand given that guess. It is important to understand that you may not always get it right, which is part of the game, and why poker can be such a challenging yet rewarding game. 

Dealing with the game’s uncertainty and variance is a skill that takes years to fully develop. If you’re able to approach poker with the mentality of a) knowing that you will make mistakes, b) understanding that there are a lot of things you can’t control, and c) realizing that the best thing you can do is make good decisions despite the outcome, you’ll have a much easier time improving and enjoying the game!

Focus

As I’ve mentioned, poker is a game with hidden information, but there is also a lot of visible information! What cards are you holding? What are the community cards? What is your opponent's body language? How long is your opponent taking to make a decision? There is plenty of information if you’re looking for it, and if you are not paying attention, you will miss out on a valuable advantage. When you first sit down at a physical table or the virtual felt, focus on how other players are playing and what the overall atmosphere is like. Are the other players laughing, having a good time, and gambling a lot? Or are they looking more serious? What kinds of hands are they playing? This information will help contribute to sound decision-making. 

Logic

Good strategic thinking in poker can be boiled down to using good logic. There are a lot of "If-then” logic statements. “If my opponent has a flush here, then I should fold my top pair.” or “If my opponent has a weak hand, then I should consider bluffing!” As you learn and begin to understand the complexities of figuring out the hidden information element, you will also find that having good logic will make it much easier to make good decisions. Poker logic is something that, over time, will naturally improve as you play. Intentionally practicing playing poker or studying strategy will also help you to improve.

Next Steps

Poker is a strategically rich and fun game that, for me, never gets boring. The game always has something to challenge your adaptability, focus, and logic while still being fun enough to play with friends or family for fun. Check back soon as I continue to cover how the different formats and structures of poker make for an even more interesting game!