S
scubed
Visionary
Silver Level
I read The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky several years ago. Other than the fundamental theorem of poker (simplified: playing the hand as perfectly as if you could see all cards), I -vaguely- remember other lessons from it. My opinion is that, though the techniques of playing poker have changed, this book is still relevant in terms of foundation knowledge.
I am going to re-read the book, get back to the basics that helped me love and be somewhat successful at poker in the first place. Grab a copy and re-read The Theory of Poker with me OR instead of book-clubbing everyone I'll post the main take-a-ways from my perspective. I would love to get discussion/review/learning (re-learning) going with the CardsChat community!
Chapter 01: Beyond Beginning Poker
Poker has many variations (i.e limit/pot limit/no limit & high/low/high-low split) but there is an inner poker logic (not tricks) that runs through all of them and there are precepts, concepts and theories that apply to all of them.
Whether playing poker for fun/living and regardless of the environment (friends/casino) or frequency (once a week/month) our objective in playing poker is to MAKE MONEY! Making money means saving it on bad nights (leaving a game that is not profitable, where we are the underdog) and earning it on good nights (drinking caffeine to stay awake at a game that is profitable, where we are a favorite).
Long Term Thinking is Important! It is important for a player to be disciplined enough to play every hand correctly, EVERY TIME.
I am going to re-read the book, get back to the basics that helped me love and be somewhat successful at poker in the first place. Grab a copy and re-read The Theory of Poker with me OR instead of book-clubbing everyone I'll post the main take-a-ways from my perspective. I would love to get discussion/review/learning (re-learning) going with the CardsChat community!
Chapter 01: Beyond Beginning Poker
Poker has many variations (i.e limit/pot limit/no limit & high/low/high-low split) but there is an inner poker logic (not tricks) that runs through all of them and there are precepts, concepts and theories that apply to all of them.
Whether playing poker for fun/living and regardless of the environment (friends/casino) or frequency (once a week/month) our objective in playing poker is to MAKE MONEY! Making money means saving it on bad nights (leaving a game that is not profitable, where we are the underdog) and earning it on good nights (drinking caffeine to stay awake at a game that is profitable, where we are a favorite).
Long Term Thinking is Important! It is important for a player to be disciplined enough to play every hand correctly, EVERY TIME.
- Do NOT think in terms of individual pots; do not chase money contributed to an individual pot.
- Do NOT think in terms of individual games; an individual game is part of one BIGGER poker game.
- A good player develops the patience to wait for the right situations to play a pot.
- A good player develops the discipline to release a hand judged to be second-best.
- Never quit a GOOD game as a small winner just to ensure a winning session.
- Do NOT continue playing in a BAD game in an attempt to get even.