They say that those who can do…do, and those who can’t…teach. Long time options trader turned professional poker player, King Yao has written a book from the perspective of an engineer and has gone to great lengths to apply the science of quantitative analysis to a game of chance. As a poker player, information is your largest commodity and any piece of poker literature can only improve your game. This book covers the basic principles of gaming theory in its introduction, and as it progresses, so too does its complexity in theory. The more familiar one is with mathematical functions and poker theory, the more one will get out of the book. For beginners, reading this will them on the right path, and for the more advanced players, it won’t take long for them to realize its true value.
One of the book’s strengths is that Yao was able to express his thoughts in such an organized manor and that all of the chapters flow neatly from one idea to the next. Unlike many other poker books on the market, there is no fluff or filler. It is just fact, after theory, after fact, and nothing less than that could be so beneficial to a poker player. There are many books that discuss the science of determining pot odds, but never before was the thought process published so effectively. After reading this book and adopting Yao’s method for calculating and implying pot odds (DIPO), you should really see an overall improvement in your game and a more efficient way of deciding which actions to take. He goes into great detail using a systematic formula for valuating the strength of certain hands in relation to their position. He also brings new light to the importance of position; ideas when to raise and when to call are based on far more components than have been published in the past. All in all, Weighing the Odds in Hold’em Poker is the most complete and up to date manual for determining the relative odds in a poker game.
Weighing the Odds in Hold’em Poker is one of the great mathematical books on the poker market. Never before has a poker book offered its readers such complex theories in a format that is so easy to understand. Whether you wear your inexperience on your sleeve or a championship bracelet on your wrist, Weighing the Odds in Hold’em Poker has something to offer everyone on every level.