Follow math or follow your heart?

yonosemanana

yonosemanana

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What do you guys think? Use the math or use your heart when playing poker?
 
P

PotluckXXI

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Use the knowledge you gained from playing against the opponents, your "heart" is meaningless, it's your experience against the player that should determine your course of action. Math would be the "correct" answer over what you "feel" vs. your acquired knowledge of the opponent.

"I never fold equity"
 
Bob23bk

Bob23bk

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"I never fold equity"

Exactly, all plays should be based on EV and you should adjust your cards EV appropriately to reflect the rest of your current circumstances (position, stack size, table activity, etc)
 
M

MPaz_87

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I think you should use your knowledge, your heart not always knows what's best.
 
A

alexis8888

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Never use math. Maybe that's why I am not very successful player.
 
fubarcdn

fubarcdn

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I always go with my heart or gut or whatever you want to call it but I play poker for fun and as a hobby to get away from what I do for a living which involves a lot of math.
I neither win money or lose money but the last thing I need with poker is another job.
 
almanik

almanik

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Both can help you to win or to lose. Nobody don't now where you luck are. Use your mind and don't forget about feeligs and instincts.
 
F

freestocks

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I eat numbers and use my gut.
 
steveiam

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Poker is not black & white.. Every hand is different so you have to be able to adapt so sometimes it's the maths and sometimes your read on the game..
 
R

Ram1024

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Math always Poker is a Heartless game mwhahaha see ya at the tables
 
Z

Zin

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Figuring out the other players before they figure you out is the best play imo. The math helps make the correct play but knowing your opponent helps make the most roi.
 
S

satirist

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In every case you should use your heart and your brain. There can be cases where outplaying someone requires as much heart as math. If your heart isn't behind your brain, though, you may need to adjust accordingly away from the table to find a more stable balance of brainpower and bravery.
 
V

Vas Deferens

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I started playing by playing on gut instinct i guess.When i started to play HEM it was online. I had no idea about there being software,HUDs i also was not aware existed,and places like CardRunners.com training sites,oh man what was i doing in there,playing with these guys (and gals) who were miles ahead of me (even if they were donks). One day by chance i happened upon CardRunners and decided to check it out. That was the thing that got me going and a subscription quickly followed. Came across Collin Moshman there and left a comment or two after watching his work and i was really stoked when he answered back,anyways watching his vids awoke me to all the software type stuff that is out there and as Collin is a math genius,naturally a lot of his vids are math based but watching his vids has affirmed to me that Hold Em is mostly about math with gut feeling and etc being a part of it too but learning Nash (which is math to the max) and SNG Wizard, Poker Stove has got to be done, if only because that is what the average reg is doing so you gotta be doing it to to be up with the play as it were. I have found Collin Moshman, and his top card playing wife Katie Dozier, to be very approachable online,and only too happy to answer a question,or help you in general when it comes to Poker,i would love to see them made Red Star pros,they even do free vids at Drag the Bar,free,they would be great ambassadors for whoever was smart enough to grab them but as they play on Stars and there is talk about in future recruiting people who are at least 'known' in Pokersville as opposed to....who on earth is that person/s that just became a Stars online pro.
 
A

Arslan_1993

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I think you should use your knowledge, your heart not always knows what's best. Listen more, talk less.
 
X

Xmaster

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Although you don’t need to be a math genius to play poker, a solid understanding of probability will serve you well and knowing the odds is what it’s all about in poker.
If you follow your heart, it's possible that you take the wrong decision.
 
Syltan

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In 90% of cases in mathematics 10% heart)
 
BobGrayling

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Math. When I do follow my heart (or gut?) it's more about player reads than it is about "I know I'm going to fill my gutshot, even though I'm not getting the right price." So, I will sometimes follow feelings/reads about what THEY may have, but seldom if ever follow "heart" regarding draws.

And, no, I don't have a "lucky hand."

I will widen my range considerably at a passive table, in position. On the button in an unraised pot... I will often go with my heart and call with weak/speculative hands. But, is that really "heart"? Or is it pot odds, position, having a good read and trusting your ability to out play your opponents after the flop?
 
solargarlic

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I think this as many things in the game depends on the situation. Although math is probably the right play you also have to follow your gut(heart). As always if you are paying attention you can use both to your advantage. Practice and research are the best way to hone those skills.
 
EvertonGirl

EvertonGirl

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Use your head not your heart... 100% head and maths vs 0% heart.
 
intents09

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The math is great... Until it isn't. I often say I hate math at the tables.
 
alfiyka

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the tactics of the game of poker school to remember. To add intuition!
 
M

Marginal

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It's all the brain anyway
 
H

hffjd2000

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I would use my instinct, head and heart first. Math would be my last resort.
 
enolan

enolan

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If you use 'maths' and lose a hand you can review your play and conclude that it was the right play and in the longer term would prove profitable, or that your maths was flawed and you can then refine it to improve your longer term ROI.

If you use your 'heart' and lose a hand you're just a loser. (where do you go from there?)

Maybe that's too hash. If by 'Heart' or 'Gut' we mean 'Experience' rather than just feeling lucky then it does have a complimentary roll to play along side the cold calculations of maths. But it does seem to me that, in Poker, the maths guys are dominating.
 
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