Money flows from bad players to good players.
The premise of the ante-theory is that without some initial seed money in the pot, you have no game.
The point of view of the bad-player perspective refutes that, however, with the observation that some players play so badly that they’d be willing to play even if the pot had no money to start with at all.
Poker is a contest between a made hand and a drawing hand.
This is a perspective of a simple two-player confrontation where one of them has the best hand and the other has a possibility of becoming the best hand.
It’s a useful perspective to use when analyzing situations where you’re fairly certain that you either have the best hand or are fairly certain what the nest hand is.
This perspective is not useful, and in fact can lead you far astray, once you have more than two or three players competing for the pot
Poker is a game of strategy and deception.
This perspective views poker as a mathematical game.
The focus is on evaluation of information about your hand and the probable hands of your opponents.
The idea of partial information games is derived from game theory.
Poker is a game of money and odds.
This perspective is a view of poker where pot size and drawing odds are the important variables.
It’s a particularly valuable perspective for play in loose games and in some aggressive games.
Poker is a game of manipulation and pressure.
This perspective is similar to the strategy and deception perspective. The difference is primarily more of an emphasis on false image than on tactical uses of position.
Players who view the game primarily through this perspective tend to use a lot of table talk to manipulate and confuse opponents.
Amarillo Slim was a master of this. Others who view the game through this perspective tend to apply pressure by playing in a fast, aggressive style.
The current master of the techniques suggested by this perspective is probably Mike Caro.
Poker is a game of kickers and hand domination
This is an important perspective in tight games or in any games where tight players have entered the pot. The emphasis is on the added value of having two high cards rather than one.
Of course two high cards have value because of the increased probability of flopping the top pair, but the domination perspective focuses on the card that does not have a match on the board-the kicker.
WHAT IT ALL MENS
Which theoretical perspective you use to analyze a situation just depends on the situation and the game-condition context of the situation.
Before you finish this book, you’ll see examples of using all the theoretical perspectives to analyze the game.
That’s the key to developing a dynamic approach to the game.
Developing the ability to quickly shift your point of view is the first step in being able to adjust to changes in game conditions-the key to winning poker.
Pick the Right Table / Picking a Seat / Theories of Poker / Betting Theory: The Odds
A Theory of Starting Hand Value
A Theory of Flop Play: Counting Outs and Evaluating Draws
The Dynamics of Game Conditions / Table Image / Player Stereotypes
Women and Poker / Spread-Limit Games / Double Bet on the End Games / Kill Games
Short-handed Games / Tournaments / No-limit and Pot-Limit Poker
