Practical Poker Math

Starting Hands
Your first chance to gain an edge over your opponents is with
your starting hands. Some hands, like suited connectors,
have longer odds of improving and thus do better when you
have more money/players in the pot. Other hands, like big
Pocket Pairs such as AA or KK, are already “made” hands
and do better with fewer players drawing against them.
Just knowing what hands to play from what position and
how to play them will give a player a big edge.
An even bigger edge comes from knowing your opponents
and their likely actions and reactions.
This section will give you a good idea of what to expect from
starting hands and how often to expect them.
Your Odds = Your Opponent’s Odds
Your odds of getting any of the hands shown below are
exactly the same as for any one of your opponents.
While it is true that you will find rags in the hole four out of
five times — it is also true that four out of five of your opponents
will also find rags in the hole.
The tables, calculations and methods below demonstrate the
characteristics of a normal distribution of starting hands.
From this, a player can always have an idea of what to expect
and how often to expect it, plus a good idea of both the individual
and collective expectations of his opponents.
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Starting Hands