Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Posts: 21 Location: Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas
Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:54 pm Post subject: Matthew Please Elaborate
Hey Matthew:
I got your book last week and am enjoying it and picking up on new things to think about. I have a question on The Protecting Your Hand section. On page 129 Step 2, You say "With 880K in chips and 150K in the pot, you need to protect $1030." I am curious where that $1030 came from. If you could expand on that a little I would appreciate it.
Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 5005 Location: Round Rock, TX and Las Vegas
Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:37 pm Post subject:
Matthew is probably scrambling around getting ready to head to Vegas. I'm already there. Well here. Let me give it a shot.
With top set (you have 3 jacks, nice hand!) the pot is yours right now.
Let me set up the hand for others. You started with JJ and the flop is J73 rainbow.
Unless villain draws out on you. If he does then you will probably not only lose the pot, but lose your whole stack also.
So you need to "protect" the sum of the pot and your stack....
150K=pot
880 K=your stack
1030K sum of pot and your stack=150K+880K
The word "protect" has a specific meaning here. It means that you want to bet an amount large enough so that the villain doesn't have the proper odds to call.
In this case if villain has a gut shot straight draw, and that is the hand that most likely can beat you in this situation with its four outs, then you need to make a bet that will give him bad odds to call.
That bet, as Matthew illustrates, is more than $98,000. If you bet more than $98K then your opponent makes a mistake by calling. He still might call and beat you, but you have "protected" your hand. Make sense?
If not please say so and someone else can jump in and elaborate. This is a very important concept and took me a while to get the hang of.
chrisjjp, I think what Catus is referring to is in the book it says you need to protect $1030 not $1030K. When I was first reading the book I had a problem with this example as well until I found my answer under Step 3, where the actual math is performed.
Internet Texas Hold'em offers the Best Poker Bonus Codes & most in-depth Poker Rooms Reviews. Click on the Internet Poker Room of your choice for a full review.
"The information and opinions in this site are for informational and entertainment purposes only and are provided solely as the author's opinion. The site is not intended for use in areas where this information and/or advertisements may be considered illegal. Check your federal, state, and local laws concerning the legality of gambling and online gambling in your area."
Let me give it a shot.
