Top 10 Poker Rooms

Player		Location
	Doyle Brunson	Las Vegas, NV, United States
	Gus Hansen	Copenhagen, Denmark
	Johnny Chan	Cerritos, CA, United States
	Annie Duke	Los Angeles, CA, United States
	Andy Bloch	Las Vegas, NV, United States
	Phil Hellmuth	Palo Alto, CA, United States
	Phil Ivey	Las Vegas, NV, United States
	Ted Forrest	Las Vegas, NV, United States
	Kathy Liebert	Las Vegas, NV, United States
	John Juanda	Marina Del Rey, CA, United States

Article

David Sklansky’s Theory of Poker has yet again exhibited the ingenuity of the author. The book, which was written in 1987, is considered by many as the best single poker book that outlines several basic ideas behind the game in a clear language. The author, David Sklansky, used games like Seven Card Stud, Low Ball Draw, Texas Hold’em Low Ball Draw, and Five Card Draw to drive home his point.

The theory of Poker is a proven book with unique techniques that may not be completely discussed due to this article’s scope. However, an extract of some basic priciples will be identified. The author first centered on the concept of mathematical expectation after which he went on to state the general laws that influence the game, and this he calls The Fundamental Theorem of Poker.

This theory is described in crisp language with a brief underlying mathematical explanation. Sklansky illustrated the relationship between the value of decision making in a game and its expectant result, though depending on the kind of information. The wrong moves made during a game determine a player’s subsequent results. In simple words, the fewer mistakes a player makes than an opponent while playing, the higher such a player’s chances of winning the game.

Other learning ideas used in the book are the position of a player, the ills of free card, the semi-bluff, the importance of deception, and the value of odds: implied odds, pot odds, reverse implied odds & effective odds. When used together in a game, these fundamental ideas will certainly enable a player to read the game.

In as much as this book does not outline the steps needed to play a game, it nevertheless underlines the importance of thoughts, expectations of the odds a player is likely to face.

Players are also needed to put in an effort in thinking, which is no big deal once the fundamental principles are understood. Included in David’s book is a chapter that explains bluffing and calling, which is necessary to make his work complete. Later in the chapter, he outlines the limitations of bluffing and calling. The chapter that follows contains some justifications of the system’s practical and sensible approach.