World Famous Comics: Practical Poker Math: Basic Odds & Probabilities for Hold'Em and Omaha (Ecw Press)
Practical Poker Math: Basic Odds & Probabilities for Hold'Em and Omaha (Ecw Press)
By: Pat Dittmar Publisher: Ecw Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Ecw Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: September 01, 2008
A study in probability, strategy, and game theory, this handy companion explores all the mathematical methods of mastering the game of poker. Using an original concept called "Total Odds," the book presents a complete odds work-up for both Texas Hold'Em and the high and low hands of Omaha. These principles are accessible to any poker player at any skill level, and the calculations are color-coded, making them easy to follow. Serving as a convenient primer for the beginner and a reference text for more experienced players, this guide is a safe bet for anyone looking to win.
Great book on Odds & Probabilities - even for a beginner The poker world needs more books like Practical Poker Math. This book made difficult topics like odds, probabilities and game theory easy to understand for a beginner like me.
But I almost didn't buy the book because of the review by Herman Jackson and now I'm glad I ignored his review in favor of all the other unanimously favorable ones. And, after having read Practical Poker Math, I know I made the right decision. In Herman's example of the Nut Low, he says the author is talking about flopping a wheel when plainly the author is talking about flopping the nut low to a random board i.e., to a board of 6,7,8,J,J an A2xx is indeed the nut low hand and it is not a wheel. This obvious distortion of the author's intent caused me to look for other reviews he'd done. It seems suspicious that for another odds book (where he was the only reviewer) he gave it a great review while distorting the presentations in Practical Poker Math. Makes me wonder about Herman's hidden agenda.
Anyway, I for one got great value from Practical Poker math and give it 5 stars. I loved the tables and presentation and already it's helped my game as much or more than any other poker book.
Buyer Beware I got this book about two weeks ago and immediately disliked the presentation so I put it aside until yesterday. Upon reading it I found more to dislike - much more. I've assigned it ONE STAR only because zero stars is impossible.
I'll avoid picking the nits, though there are several, and just focus on the reason I cannot recommend the book to anyone.
A single example will make my point. On pages 186-187 the author presents his analysis of the odds for hitting the nut low in Omaha/8 holding A2XX.
1. To have the nut low the flop MUST be 345, a fact which he ignores. He considers any flop with three low cards not duplicating the A2 in your hand to be the nut low. Though it would be the nut low AT THAT POINT, you may well be counterfeited and not have the nut low when the hand is over.
2. He then calculates (24 x 23)/(1 x 2) = 276 which he declares to be the number of 2-card combinations that will flop the nut low draw. Obviously here he is considering the first two cards on the flop. Of the six ranks (3-8) we want to see on the flop there are indeed 24 cards that satisfy our need on the first card of the flop but only 20 that do so on the second. His use of 23 in the formula allows duplication of the first card rank by the second card. (If both of the first two flop cards are low the second one will duplicate the first about 13% of the time.) This is because the first low card on the flop renders the remaining 3 cards of that rank useless for our purposes. The third flop card comes from a universe of only 16, a fact that he does get correct.
Finally he arrives at odds of 3.5:1 against flopping the "nut low." Translating these odds into percentage probability of flopping a low 3.5:1 is equivalent to 22% (100/4.5). In short this author is saying that if you hold A2xx you will flop a low hand 22% of the time. Ridiculous!!!
About half the cards in the deck that aren't Aces or Deuces are low so a crude calculation of (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) = 0.125 = 12.5% gets closer to the truth though it ignores the decreasing number of acceptable cards, leading to an overestimate. You can do the calculations carefully, deal out a couple of hundred hands and count the results, or write a script using perl, VB, or Dos Batch Language and use simulation to get the correct answer of 7%.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to proof the entire book, but this isn't the only calculation error!
Bottom line - If you're buying a book that'll teach you how to calculate percentages and odds BUY ONE THAT DOES IT CORRECTLY. This one doesn't.
practical poker math This is the second book I have read about poker odds and the first I could understand. It is easy to understand, easy to read and best of all I have been winning more since reading it. Well worth buying.
Worth every dollar I started playing poker with some friends about 1 1/2 years ago. After going through a learning curve I was winning more than I was losing. I then thought I'd try online poker and found that the caliber of players was higher than I was used to and realized I needed to improve my chances. I happened upon Pat Dittmar's book Practical Poker Math and thought I'd take a look at it. I'm a computer professional and the book struck a chord with me because it's very logical. It also doesn't get so complicated that you lose interest and put it aside. After putting some of Dittmar's ideas into play I soon found I was holding my own with the online players. As I get more disciplined about sticking to the math and not letting my adrenaline carry me away I'm winning more and more. This book has paid for itself many times over.
Finally, a Book that Makes Odds Easy to Understand Finally, a book that makes odds, probabilities and expectation easy to understand. The book is well written and the math is easy to follow. Also, it is the only book I know of that deals with the odds in Omaha. Well worth the money!
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