| Posted by: Beriac at July 19, 2006, 12:58 pm | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
One thing I'll say about the Elements of a Hand from HoH1, it really helped to crystallize things for me. He's right when he says that you ask a weak player about a hand and all they'll remember is their hole cards, the board, and how much they won or lost.
Gradually, as I played more and more hands, and read helpful books like this one, I started to see a hand differently -- especially position, chip stacks, and the tendencies of my opponents.
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| Posted by: ChuckTs at July 17, 2006, 7:27 pm | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
Here's what I got from the book, with my opinions/whatever:
The Game of Hold'em:
Introduction: What is poker? What factors and by what means does one measure the strength of their hand?
Poker is a game of imperfect information (if it was 'perfect' info, we'd have a way of finding out what our opponents held all the time = no fun). Players make bets based on the strength of their hand ie how likely it will be the winning hand by the time showdown comes.
The four factors HoH mentions are:
- The likelyhood of your hand improving (straight math and odds),
- Estimating the strength of your opponents hand,
- The likelyhood that your opponents hand will improve - made much more difficult due to both having to estimate his holding, and then making calculations on that estimation
- The pot odds; I hugely underestimated pot odds' effect on the game and didn't realize how essential a caculation they are. This book will definitely help me out here.
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| Posted by: t1riel at July 17, 2006, 6:20 pm | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
Introduction:
Pretty simple standard stuff. I like how he points out that no limit hold em is more of a "mathematical exercise" than a card game. He also said that under the right circumstances, any hand can be a winner. That's pretty obvious. I don't have much to add on this. Sorry for the quotes.
The Cadillac of Poker:
I know that this term was taken from Super System Volume 1 but the footnote is kind enough to point that out. I agree that poker is a game of incomplete information. It's probably the best way to look at it. So, playing poker is figuring out what the players have but also trying to hide what you REALLY have. I think this is one of my problems. I spend so much time figuring out what the other players have that I don't stop to think how to conceal what I REALLY have. Figuring out what other opponents have is half the battle.
Now, pot odds I always have trouble with. The point of pot odds is calling a bet when there are good pot odds. Although... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Effexor at July 17, 2006, 3:53 am | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
The Hidden Luck Factor:
This is one of my favorite parts, and here's my interpretation:
We all know there's luck in poker, what cards you are dealt and what comes on the board. The hidden luck is that you also rely on the "luck" of the other people at the table. If you are dealt pocket aces 10 times in a row, that would be ery lucky obviously, BUT if everyone else was dealt 72 offsuit, 83 offsuit etc. and always folded to your PF raises you'd never win more than the blinds for those ten hands. Now, if at least one person was dealt pocket Kings each of those ten hands, you'd expect to win rather large pots 8 of those 10 times.
The "hidden" luck you want, is the kind that deals someone else at the table a strong hand, but not quite as strong as the one you are dealt.
It's like when you flop the absolute nuts. You are hoping that someone else either hit the flop, or makes a good hand on the turn or river, otherwise you can't expect to get paid off.
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| Posted by: Sammyv1 at July 17, 2006, 12:55 am | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
The Cadillac of Poker: What are the two main factors that make texas hold'emto be considered the most profitable ersion of poker, and what is it about those factors that makes it so?
One of the factors is the information available.
Some games show all but 1 card and some games show no cards. NLHE shows 5 cards but has 2 hidden cards. So what is meant by information available is there is:
1. Just the right amount of "hidden" information to allow for good bluffing.
2. Just the right amount of "shown" information to try and figure out what an opponent has.
The other factor is Controlling pot odds.
Controlling pot odds is a huge factor in NLHE. Odds are offered in all sorts of gambling. For example, many professional gamblers play blackjack because it is one of the best "ODDS" game in the Casino. They still do not have an advantage against the casino, but they play knowing that there odds are much better than, lets say roulette.
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| Posted by: MrSticker at July 16, 2006, 6:40 pm | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
Quote: Originally Posted by ChuckTs
alright sounds like we have fewer people with the book than i thought; I'm just gonna leave this one open and wait for you guys to get the book or reread the book.
(The thread's only been up for 10 hours. I bet you'll get more responses as time goes by.)
The Cadillac of Poker: Information availability and controlling pot odds.
"Controlling pot odds" is something I am confident in and am learning to apply gradually. "Information availablity" is what I am a having slight trouble with. Knowing when to "bet for info" or "use your position", etc. are things that I need to really work on. I guess slowing down between turns & thinking more would help, but the speed of online poker hands doesn't allow me enough time to do this as thoroughly as I'd like. I'm finding that I am, at times, more comfortable playing live for this reason. I feel like I miss too much information when I'm rushed. A... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: ChuckTs at July 16, 2006, 6:25 pm | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
aright sounds like we have fewer people with the book than i thought; I'm just gonna leave this one open and wait for you guys to get the book or reread the book.
^^^it's a gem, freak - best poker book I've read so far
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| Posted by: Sammyv1 at July 16, 2006, 10:53 am | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
Alright!!
Great topic Chuck, I have HOH and I will start Re-reading it now! It's been a while since I read it so I'm over due to pick it up again!
I'll comment on to the first part later today. Uh, if I remember how to read.
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| Posted by: ChuckTs at July 16, 2006, 8:10 am | | Topic: Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1 discussion: Part 1 Forum: Card Chat |
I'll just format this the same way that FPaulsson does with his ToP discussions.
So!
The Game of Hold'em:
Introduction: What is poker? What factors and by what means does one measure the strength of their hand?
The Cadillac of Poker: What are the two main factors that make texas hold'emto be considered the most profitable ersion of poker, and what is it about those factors that makes it so?
Elements of a Hand: What are the eleven elements of a hand? How do these elements effect your decisions?
The Hidden Luck Factor: What does the author mean by this?
Simple enough stuff, but essential nonetheless. Discuss!
NOTE: Please do not quote the book. This thread is to help broaden the understanding of the book, not rip off the copyright of it. Feel free to discuss, but try doing so without infringing on Dan Harrington's, Bill Robertie's or 2+2 publishing's intellectual property rights. Thank you.
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