Texas Hold’em Odds and Probabilities: Limit, No-Limit and Tournament Strategies by Matthew Hilger
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Matthew Hilger has written one other poker book, “Internet Texas Hold’em”, published in 2003. He also has a poker website and publishing business. His most noted tournament success is perhaps winning the 2002 New Zealand Poker Championship. He has also played extensively online. His background and work experience is in the field of finance.
Overview:
The focus of this book is the application of odds and probabilities to the most common forms of Texas Hold’em poker, for players that currently have limited understanding of odds and probabilities or how to calculate them. This should probably be considered a beginner’s text; although some experienced players need to learn the material. These applications are for fixed limit Hold’em cash games, no limit Hold’em cash games and no limit Hold’em tournaments. The reader is assumed to know how to play Hold’em and to be familiar with basic poker strategies. A partial quote from the book (page 127) sums it up fairly well. To wit, “This book focuses specifically on how odds and probabilities can be used to make good poker decisions. The first step is learning the mathematical foundation of poker including how much you ought to bet. Once you master the foundation, you can then learn the more advanced plays in terms of the psychology to use against each individual opponent.”
Book Structure:
Hilger organized his chapters in what is becoming a very popular style. Each chapter starts with a specific lesson to be covered including examples for that lesson. He then builds on that lesson with other related lessons in the same fashion. The chapter concludes with a review page that highlights the most important points covered in that chapter. Finally, each chapter has a “Test Your Skills” section following it, which contains a number of problems and answers related to the chapter material.
Plusses:
There are several good things about this book. Hilger takes an uncomplicated approach to the math, recognizing that his audience is not math oriented. He uses a descriptor he calls “douts” (discounted outs) to describe how many “outs” to use in your calculations after discounting for the possibility that you might hit an “out” and still lose or split the pot. This simple designator reduces possible confusion. The examples are well chosen to illustrate the point at hand. The problems from the test sections are culled from actual hands that have been played on the Internet, which thus have the ‘real feel’ about them and represent more typical opponent play. A few of the problems are looked at on continuing streets of play or from the perspective of another player in the hand. These perspectives flesh out the point(s) made in the original problem. Also, the actual results from the table are mentioned. This can be both a plus and a minus, it is considered a plus here mainly for the entertainment factor as hands can be culled to get the desired results. The writing is straightforward and does not deviate into storytelling or personal bragging. Graphics throughout the book are large, straightforward and easy to read. There are extensive charts included at the back of the book. These charts can be used for learning or comparative purposes. They can also be used as a reference. Perhaps the greatest reference value would be for playing No Limit tournaments on the internet, where they have the most potential value and the most ease of use.
Minuses:
It is probably impossible to write a book about probability for poker that is interesting for anyone who does not already have an interest of the subject and is likely to already understand the concepts written about, which are not that advanced. Since this book is aimed at people who are either not inherently interested in or able to understand odds and probabilities, the straightforward writing style combined with the subject matter could make the book seem boring to some of those people. A fairly minor issue is the placement of the answers directly below the problems in the test section. The language/editing was quite good in general, although in one instance was troublesome enough to be significant.
Conclusion:
There have been other books published solely on this subject. Other strategy books contain most or all of the material needed for the game they address in a more condensed form. A serious student should be able to learn this material from a book they already own or can borrow, although the concept of discounted outs was not widely available in print until recent years. On the other hand, someone who has inherent difficulty with the subject matter may find this to be a more gentle and effective course for learning.
If you don’t understand basic odds calculations (pot odds, implied odds, outs and discounted outs) and need a resource that explains them slowly and carefully, this may be your book. If you can check it out from the library that may be the best option. Those that find the reference portions invaluable will still be able to order their own copy after having read it.
Focus: 9/10
Quality of Advice: 8/10
The advice was solid to the extent of the strategy application used.
Examples: 8/10
The examples were sound but some of the test problems left room for disagreement.
Readability: 7/10
The writing flowed reasonably well if somewhat drab at times.
Appropriateness: 8/10
Overall (not an average): 8/10
Visit Hilger’s website: www.internettexasholdem.com
