Book review: Practical Poker Maths Odds & Probabilities for Hold ‘Em & Omaha by Pat Dittmar

Author: Simon Dexter

Pat Dittmar might not be a household name, but as a journeyman poker pro, he’s seen most things over the twenty years he’s been involved with the game. During the same period, it’s evident that he has absorbed everything you need to know about poker’s mathematics.
In this engaging tome, Dittmar poses (and then answers) a host of maths-related questions without making them sound as though you will get 100 lines if you dare get any of them wrong. He starts at the very beginning, outlining basic calculations for both hold ‘em and Omaha and takes us through to some pretty involved concepts. They’re worth sticking with because this is as good a book on poker maths as you will find.
It might be well arranged and helpfully organised, but this is no dull text book. Dittmar brings the game’s maths alive by using a combination of sample hands and clear, straight forward formulae to help readers understand the odds they’re getting and, just as importantly, their opponents’ chances of improving before and after the flop. One particularly helpful feature is the way in which he uses different coloured text to explain various concepts from either the perspective of the reader/player or his opponent.
Dittmar is at pains to stress that “Game Theory assumes everyone has equal common knowledge, and everyone will act in a rational manner.” However, as he and we all know, even though everyone has access to this common knowledge, not everybody is smart enough to use it. Few readers will fail to apply their accumulated mathematical knowledge to their game after reading this hugely informative book, for as Dittmar points out, understanding the game’s maths is central to longevity - and he‘s one guy who should know.

Tags: Book Review, poker book

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 9:54 am and is filed under News & Promotions Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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