totallyirreverent.com

Quoted from SimplyHoldem.com:

The formula below was developed by Bill Chen, winner of 2 WSOP bracelets. He basically developed a mathematical formula to determine if a hand is playable based on giving the cards certain values.

Determine your highest card and score as follows: (only use your lower card for gap and suited analysis)

• Ace = 10 points
• King = 8 points
• Queen = 7 points
• Jack = 6 points
• 10 through 2 = half of face value (i.e. 10 = 5, 9 = 4.5)
• Pairs, multiply score by 2 (i.e. KK = 16), minimum score for a pair is 5 (so pairs of 2 through 4 get a 5 score)
• Suited cards, add two points to highest card score
• Connectors add 1 point (i.e. KQ)
• One gap, subtract 1 point (i.e. T8)
• Two gap, subtract 2 points (i.e. AJ)
• Three gap, subtract 4 points (i.e. J7)
• Four or more gap, subtract 5 points (i.e. A4)

Sample scores
AA = 20 points
98s = 7.5 points
K9s = 6 points

The information below is not strictly from the Chen formula as he believed the system only told you what to play, not when to come in for a raise. There are too many factors in determining when to raise, call or fold. The scores below can be used as a general rule of thumb.

Early Position

• Raise = Score is 9 or higher
• Call = Score is 8 or higher
• Fold = Score is lower than 8

Middle Position

• Raise = Score is 9 or higher
• Call = Score is 7 or higher
• Fold = Score is lower than 7

Late Position

• Raise = Score is 9 or higher
• Call = Score is 6 or higher
• Fold = Score is lower than 6

I need to slow my game down and get rid of the jam-itch.  Everyone knows the itch.  It makes a RAM JAM shooter out of you and makes you broke too.  Variance is a term that gives balance to your game whether you want it or not.

I’m reading a book that basically says your Win/Loss ratio on bluffs should be break even.  Bill Chen is a math wiz that helped put Matt Harilenko in the winners circle of the WSOP $5000 limit event this year.  He believes that if your ratio of bluffs shows you a winner you should back off bluffing .  The inverse is if you are losing your bluffs you should bluff more until you break even. 

Finding balance in any endeavor is important.  Math geeks call it the MEAN.  I do not propose to understand THE MATHEMATICS OF POKER completly, but I can say if you get around the numbers and see the essence, its a good book that urges the gamble in you and gets you thinking that being a MANIAC (till you break even) sometimes has its rewards.  It also justifies all you tightass players out there to be patient and fleece all of Mr. Chen’s disciples by watching for your opportunities.

Or you can become well rounded(balance your BLUFFS) and do BOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok I started playing the really low limits of poker so I could tune my hold’em game up.  The idea was I wanted to practice counting outs and calculating pot odds in LIMIT poker.  I have also been following Bill Chen, Matt Harilenko, and Jerrod Ankeman.  Harilenko plays at Fulltilt on the limit side of hold’em when he can get a game up.  He likes the nosebleed stakes. 

All of these guys have or are working for an options trading firm called Susquahanna Partners.  They teach poker there as a skill needed to do well buying puts and calls.

These boys have racked up some impressive numbers using a formula Bill Chen invented to assess starting hands.  Im impressed with it and have purchased Chen’s book “The mathmatics of Poker” from ye ol Amazon and am now waiting for my used copy to arrive. Tonite I played for a total of three Hours for a total income of $5.08 on both PS and FT which I consider great due to my variance during the games. I will keep ya posted.  I’m also reading another book by another Susquahanna member, King Yao entitled “Weighing the Odds in Poker”.  He is into baseball betting and can be found on 2+2 magazine.

All of these guys are math nerds who play well in the game theroy area.  They are aggressive players whose Mommies, Im quite sure, dont like the games they play.

Comments are welcome here.