$29.95 A PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER TEACHES YOU HOW TO THINK LIKE ONE Bluffing & Semi-Bluffing Value of Deception The Free Card Slowplaying Position Reading Hands Much More David SklanskyThe Theory of Poker By David Sklansky A product of Two Plus Two Publishing f we + = Hl a ay FOURTH EDITION SIXTH PRINTING October 2004 Printing and Binding Cree! Printing Co. Las Vegas, Nevada Printed in the United States of AmericaTable of Contents About David Sklansky .... 0.2.00... 0.000005. cee IX PRICE: pccasesaesceueens sa 5% Be BEE ENE RE EY co RE Chapter One: Beyond ponent Poker .. The Forms of Poker -. Poker Logic ...... The Object of Poker .. Chapter Two: Expectation and Hourly Rate ........--- 9 Mathematical Expectation ...... oe bee Mathematical Expectation in Poker . Ee 7 Hourly Rate -.-..---.-......, eee eee .-. 4 Chapter Three: The Fundamental Theorem of Poker ... 17 Examples of The Fundamental Theorem of Poker .... 18 Example |... -.-.-.- Ce Example 2 Example 3 .. Example 4 .. Example 5 Example 6 . Gas eee “Mistakes” According to The Fundamental Theorem of POK GP ssa rcsaronrecrcnomevaeiasgee Multi-Way Pots . . an SUMUIMATY: asi. ceccereaweasics ow a Chapter Four: The Ante Structure . Large Antes 2 Small Antes .......- Summary ...Chapter Five: Pot Odds ..................- Calling on the Basis of Pot Odds When All the Cards APO se ope ai ase ase ses ere oe ta oe te oe oe cs oe een Calling on the Basis of Pot Odds With More Cards to COUT i ace ove oie oie ceo wie tt eae te OE Re ck HR Ow BYE RE OH Exposed Cards - Position - ee Ex Quit. oe. oe. se wea ats nie oe oe ae Drawing to the Second-Best Hand Summary .... 2.06.00. eee eee Chapter Six: Effective Odds ........................ Reducing Your Pot Odds With More than One Card to Come Situations When Effective Odds Need Not Apply sas Calculating Effective Odds .....-..-.... Chapter Seven: Implied Odds and Reverse Implied Odds Implied Odds ....... 2-22-00 ee eee eee Implied Odds in Pot-Limit and No-Limit Games ..... Factors in Determining Implied Odds ...-.......-.- Reverse Implied Odds Suimifiary’ . sc on. oc oe os oe 2 tie es a os wis ons Chapter Eight: The Value of Deception The Cost of Giving Your Hand Away - Deception and the Ability of Your Opponents Deception and the Size of the Pot .... Deception and Bet Size a Deception and the Number of Opponents in the Pot a Summary .-- 2-2-2 cee eee eee eee Chapter Nine: Win the Big Pots Right Away .......... Betting When Your Opponent is Correct to Call Betting (or Raising) to Drive Opponents Out ....-..- Betting (or Raising) With the Second-Best Hand .... .Table of Contents iii Delaying One Round to Drive Opponents Out -. 76 Summary ..... 2.2.20. ..6 6... e eee eee cee FT Chapter Ten: The Free Card .. 79 Giving a Free Card - 5 wes HO Giving or Not Giving: a Free Card in Practice. veeeeees BI Getting a Free Card. Position and the Free Card . . Giving or Not Giving a Free Card With a Marginal Hand ik Summary Chapter Eleven: The Semi-Bluff .. . 91 Types of Semi-Bluffs . - 92 Advantages of the Semi-Bluff . . Semi-Bluffs and Pure Bluffs ... When Not to Semi-Bluff iat i Summary ......-....-...... Chapter Twelve: Defense Against the Semi-Bluff.. .. . . 105 The Power of the Semi-Bluff .................... 105 The Difficulty of Defending Against the Semi-Bluff . 106 The Semi-Bluff Raise as a Defense Against the Semi- Bluff When to Fold and When to Raise . . seceeees 112 Exceptions When Calling is Correct. .............- 113 Calling a Possible Semi-Bluff When the Pot is Large ... Calling a Possible Bet On the Come . 114 The Delayed Semi-Bluff Raise . . 15s Sunimary ccccsswtcecwecnewue seat oe me ma ie a 116iy Table of Contents Chapter Thirteen: Raising ....... Raising to Get More Money in the Pot Getting More Money In the Pot By Not Raising . . Raising to Drive Out Opponents Raising as a Means of Cutting Down Opponents’ Odds » 121 125 Raising to Bluff or Semi-Bluff Raising to Get a Free Card Raising to Gain Information .........-........... Raising to Drive Out Worse Hands When Your Own May Be Second-Best ........-....0 ces eves 132 Raising to Drive Out Better Hands When a Come Hand BBG US. os ce cis oe ore ese ota wre wre ase as 133 Raising Versus Folding or Calling . 133 Summary 136 Chapter Fourteen; Check-Raising .. . 137 The Ethics of Check-Raising .-. : ‘ 137 Necessary Conditions for Check-Raising .......... 138 Check-Raising and Position .........00. 0.00 cues 139 Check-Raising With a Second-Best Hand . SUMMARY! oe cs sic es we oes 1a soe ork os au mt Bo mG OE Chapter Fifteen: Slowplaying .................... . 143 Slowplaying Versus Check-Raising ..............5 143 Requirements for Slowplaying . . Summary Chapter Sixteen: Loose and Tight Play ............ . 149 Loose Games .......- Semi-Bluffs in Loose Games ....... Legitimate Hands in Loose Games .......... . 180 Come Hands in Loose Games .. Tight Games .... SummaryTable of Contents v Chapter Seventeen: Position .... Advantages of Last Position Advantages of First Position ... rer vi Adjusting Play to Position oo... 0.0... scene eee Strong Hand, Bettor to the Left . 159: Strong Hand, Bettor to the Right . vies 160 How Position Affects Play... 66.0... cece eee 160 is-A-Vis Other Players in the Game - 161 Se ee eee 161 Chapter Eighteen: Bluffing ..... M0 Hen te ane 163 The Myth of Bluffing . . 164 The Reality of Bluffing ... » 165 Optimum Bluffing Frequency .... tava « 166 Bluffs When There are More Cards to Come veveese 167 Bluffs When All the Cards are Out ..... - 169 Bluffing and Position ................ 170 Bluffing Against Come Hands ......... . 171 Bluffing Against Two or More Opponents . sae ML Bluffing and Betting for Value................ .. 172 Bluffing According to Your Opponent ............ 175 Bluffing as Advertising ReTENE wey wi ae om » 176 Summary 2.2.0... eee ee 177 Chapter Nineteen: Game Theory and Bluffing 179 Using Game Theory to Bluff ...0 0... 0. cc eee eee 180 Optimum Bluffing Strategy oo... 0... cece eee 184 Game Theory and Bluffing Frequency According to Your Opponents .. Summary of Game Theory as a Tool for Bluffing .... 187 Using Game Theory to Call Possible Bluffs ........ 188 Summary ..vi Table of Contents Chapter Twenty: Inducing and Stopnine 3 Bluffs .....,. 191 Artificial Techniques .........-.---2- 000000000 192 Strategic Techniques 193 Stopping Bluffs .... . 193 Inducing Bluffs ..............-- 196 Summary ...............--.--20 22222202000 197 Chapter Twenty-one: Heads-Up On The End......... 199 Bluffing on the End -......-. a 199 Last Position Play Last Position Play After Your Opponent Has WOES. oe aos axe one ae ee ss on we eo .. 201 Last Position Play After ‘Your Opponent Has Bet 204 First Position Play .. . . 206 Check-Raising in First Position - 206 Playing Fair-to-Good Hands in First Position as a Fayorite . Playing Fair-to-Good Hands in First Position as an Wn rg ss aes are ase aa ere ae ots a a oe we Be we 211 First Position Play in Practice ..............-. 214 First Position Play in Terms of the Strength of Your Hand. «es se ea os oe oe oe os ee wee ee 218 SUMMALY eee eee eee eee 219 Chapter Twenty-two: Reading Hands ..............-. 221 Reading Hands on the Basis of Your Opponents’ me and Exposed Cards ...... 223 Using Mathematics to Read Hands . 228 Reading Hands in Multi-Way Pots . . - 231 Summary - 232 Chapter Twenty-three: The Psychology of Poker ..... 235 Psychological Ploys .......... 00005 . 235 The Thought Processes of Poker . vs 236 Calling on the Basis of What Your Opponent Thinks 239 Betting on the Basis of What Your Opponent Thinks 241Table of Contents vii Psychology and Future Impressions ceceeeee 241 Summary ....... : 242 Chapter Twenty-four: Analysis at the Table . Analysis in Theory . . Analysis in Practice .... Analyzing the Cost of a Mistake ............ Summary .............-...2.-.0-2055 Chapter Twenty-five: Evaluating the Game . Evaluating the Structure and Adjusting to It The Ante and Other Forced Bets The Betting Limits ... The Betting Rules .... . Adjusting Properly to the Structure . . Evaluating the Players and Adjusting to Them 266 Players Who Play Too Loose 266 Players Who Play Too Tight................- 267 Other Mistakes to Look For ..........00005 » 268 Appendix A; Rules of Play ... . 273 Five-Card Draw .... 9 23 Seven-Card Stud .... seeeeeee- 273 Fold tots ies ise isa ca we iat ieee 08 de a we Oe Bw 274 Five-Card Stud . Draw Lowball.... High-Low Split... vies eess 276 Appendix B: Glossary of Poker Terms .............. 277 Index ................