Statistical Approach to Online Poker
10th September, 2007
There are many players, experienced or non-experienced who struggle to learn the strategy to play. That is why so many of us say that poker is a game based purely on the luck. This is not correct, as there are many ways of learning how to calculate the odds and outs, which will determine the winner.
One of the learning tactics is called “The Rule of Four”. You have to play with an awareness of pot odds or your chances to win become extremely slim and unlikely. “The Rule of Four” is one of the easiest calculating tactics out there that lets you calculate the number of outs you have at any particular stage in the poker game. It will also help you to bet draw hands wisely, which will most likely pay off in a long ran. It is not always perfectly accurate though, but the difference never exceeds one to two percents. This in itself will mean that you can bravely base your decision on the statistical probability.
The rule is also very easy to apply. After the flop, with two in the hole and two on the table, you will be able to multiply the number of outs you need to make your hand at the river by four. This will give you an idea of your statistical probability of making the hand.
When there is only one card left to flop over and reveal its face, you have to multiply the number of outs by two instead of four this time. This will give you the probability that would also help suggest your opponents’ cards and help you play a little smarter. If you ever sat and watched poker games on TV, you would probably notice that they put probability percentage over each player’s cards. If you want to improve your game or learn how to play in the first place, a good idea could be to watch couple of shows, like Late Night Poker, which is sponsored by PartyPoker.com, the biggest name in online poker.
