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Like any variation of poker,
draw poker (or classical poker) is also predisposed to probability-based
decisions.
The author presents the mathematics involved in this card game,
with respect to the usage of the numerical results in players’
strategies.
The whole presentation is
focused on the practical aspect of the application of probability theory
in draw poker and all the sections are such structured to allow the direct
usage of the numerical results. This is why every section
is packed with tables, some of them filling dozens of pages.
This is not a math book,
even if the supporting mathematics is present thorough, but a guide
addressed to poker players, who can skip the math parts at any time and
pick the needed results from tables.
For those interested, the complete methodology, the way
probability theory is applied and a part of the calculations are shown, so
it teaches the player how to calculate odds for any situation for every
stage of the game, even the numerical results are already listed in the
book.
Want to evaluate the probability of one opponent bluffing?
Want to know the probability of at least one opponent holding a card
formation higher than yours, at any moment of the game? Want to know the
probability of hitting the desired formation if discarding in a certain
way? All this information is in the book and is fully mathematically
grounded.
All probability results
from this guide are obtained through compact mathematical formulas and not
partial simulations on computer. These formulas are
the outcome of one year of study, math work and tests. The author found
the right probability model in which to apply the theory and conveniently
quantify the card distributions in order to work out the draw poker
probability formulas. They were built with an enough large range of
variables to cover all possible situations and were never worked out
before.
Their numerical returns were gathered in three main categories of odds
presented in the book:
– Initial probabilities of the first card distribution for your own
hand;
– Prediction probabilities after first card distribution and before the
second for your
own hand;
– Prediction probabilities for opponents’ hands.
Every section ends with suggestive examples and there is also a special
chapter with a lot of relevant gaming situations presented along with the
odds of their associated events.
Among author’s
previously published books on mathematics of gambling, Draw Poker Odds
seems to be the most practical one and that is because the author presents
the results of applied probability in a gambling-behavioral manner that
can influence the balance between the subjective strategies and the real
odds in player’s favor.
About the Author
Catalin Barboianu (born in 1968, in Craiova, Romania) is a mathematician
and author. He graduated Faculty of Mathematics, at University of
Bucharest, in 1992, with a master of science in Probability and Mathematical
Statistics. He studied under great scientific names like Solomon Marcus,
Constantin Craciun and Ion Cuculescu. He worked early in his career on
topology, mathematical analysis, probability theory, mathematical modeling
and also on philosophy of mathematics. However, his most important
contribution was on decision theory, placing the concept of
probability-based strategy onto a firm mathematical foundation. From 2001,
his fields of expertise moved to applied mathematics, especially on
applications of probability theory in daily life. Since 2003, his work
focused on application of probability theory in gaming. His books have a
guide style and primly address to non-mathematicians. He also published
several articles on leading academic and gaming industry as well and
became a recognized authority on mathematics of games and gambling. He is
also an active member of MAA (Mathematical Association of America) and SIAM
(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics).
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