would one need to plug in the math formulas for Hold 'Em?
“What math formulas?” you ask.
I don’t know. I ordered it, but I haven’t gotten the book yet.
But you always hear the TV commentator say “He’s doing the math.” I’m fairly sure it’s basic algebra and maybe some statistical math.
Go ahead and laugh, but you’ll be sorry when you see BarnOwl, fluttering triumphantly over the final table with a WSOP bracelet in his beak and his
millions piled on the table below him.
But please don’t let envy stop you from answering my question.
The math one needs at the table isn’t really formula based, since the structure of each problem is slightly different from the next. For working out poker math problems away from the table (to gain understanding and to practice), any ol’ calculator should do fine. Although, I would recommend a “graphics” calculator that let’s you write a whole expression out before evaluating it, since things can get long and mistakes would be hard to find on a four-function-type calculator. (If you need to calculate 0.55+0.2(-4)+0.3*(-1), it’s handy to see the whole thing on the calculator screen before pressing “enter”.)
If you’re looking to calculate probabilities exactly (here to gain understanding but not so much for practice, since things are approximated at the table), then factorial (!) and combinations (nCr) buttons / menu options couldn’t hurt, although you could do without them.
If you’re thinking that probability is just a matter of plugging numbers into formulas, you’re in for a rude awakening. Figuring out which numbers you should use, and which formulas you should plug them into can be challenging. If you’re limiting yourself to poker it’ll be a little bit easier, but be prepared to have to put some work into it. The first half of Hassett and Stewart’s book is good preparation if you need some background material.
