I am a winning player but i hear some people talking about knowing very little about the math side of poker and are still winning players just playing off their instincts.
That may be what they claim, but it's never true. Oh sure, they're not there, banging away at a scientific calculator, but they certainly know the math. Draw at 100 flushes, and you have a pretty good idea on how often you'll hit, and whether or not it's worth calling to draw to make a flush.
You can't play without both: math and gut instinct. The former is pretty easy to learn, and the latter comes with experience and observation of the other players, when you're in pots with them
and while you're waiting on the sidelines. Never stop paying attention because attention can pay nice dividends. That means closing all windows while playing on-line, and ignoring the TV sets blaring out the "Big Game" when playing a live venue. Those who don't are putting themselves at a major disadvantage to you.
I will give the flush draw HORRIBLE pot odds on turn and have players calling off 80 percent of their stack with an 18 percent chance to hit and they still hit!
These are fish; doing stuff like that is what makes them the fish they are. Yeah, last night I had pocket cowboys and set a short stacker all-in. He called with a 76-sooted, getting 2 : 1, and he hit it. He was not only taking very bad odds to draw, but he wasn't even drawing to the nuts. SUX losing with pocket kings, but no worry as he proceeded to unload all his winnings and then some. What else would you expect if he's gonna make such massively -EV plays? A yutz like that would be better off at the
roulette tables where the worst he can take is 5.26% the worst of it (unless he bets the 5-line). If they want to gamble, fine by me. That they sometimes win is what keeps 'em comin' back and back and back. You just
know these types are making weekly donations to their on-line accounts.