Meet Alex and Bobbie, who both like to play poker. Alex is a professional poker player who plays for a living and is a solid long-term winner. Bobbie is a recreational player who plays a decent enough game but mainly wants to have a good time. If you play poker regularly you will meet thousands of players like Bobbie in your games and very few like Alex. Of course one would expect that, in the long run, Alex will perform better than Bobbie. But have you ever wondered EXACTLY what it is that Alex understands better and does differently to Bobbie? This is a rather complex question that does not have a simple answer. In this book, UCLA maths professor Duncan Palamourdas addresses this question via a journey through human psychology, game theory, easy-to-understand mathematics and even philosophy. Topics include: * Understanding the instinctive but unprofitable tendencies of inexperienced players. * How to identify what a mistake actually is in poker – and how to exploit it. * Why poker does not revolve around bluffing. * The great impact of variance in poker and how to account for it. * How to develop a consistent approach that allows you to play like Alex and not Bobbie.

UCLA maths professor Duncan Palamourdas addresses the question of why a professional poker, beats an amateur poker player via a journey through human psychology, game theory, easy-to-understand mathematics and even philosophy. Topics include:* Understanding the instinctive but unprofitable tendencies of inexperienced players.* How to identify what a mistake actually is in poker - and how to exploit it.* Why poker does not revolve around bluffing.* The great impact of variance in poker and how to account for it.* How to develop a consistent approach that allows you to play like Alex and not Bobbie.

This new, expanded, fully updated and revised, edition of 'Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker' is a landmark in poker publishing. Originally published in two volumes in 2011 and 2012 this was both a critical and commercial success. Over the last decade, the understanding of poker has changed dramatically and this new edition fully reflects current thinking on the game. This book will give readers a thorough understanding of everything they need to know about playing tournaments and Jonathan Little is undoubtedly the person best qualified to impart this information. The book is split into seven sections: 1) How Tournaments Work –This explains why tournaments are a highly profitable form of poker and examines the basic concepts that need to be mastered. 2) Playing Deep Stacked –This deals with situations where (most) players have stacks of 50 big blinds or more. All situations are dealt with including pre-flop and all three post-flop streets. There is further information on general topics at this stack depth. 3) Playing Mid Stacked –This deals with situations where the basic stack depth is between 27 and 50 big blinds. These situations are tricky because with the shorter stack, players are often going all-in. This means that very clear adjustments are required compared to the deeper stack strategies. 4) Playing Short Stacked –This section focuses on play below 27 big blinds. Now play is almost exclusively focused on the possiblity of players going all-in. Knowing the correct ranges and plays here is vital to maximise your chances for tournament survival. 5) The Late Stages –As the prospect of serious prize money looms, huge adjustments need to be made. How to play on the bubble and concepts such as risk premium and the Independent Chip Model are fundamental to maximising your chance of landing a major prize and they are all thoroughly explained. 6) Hand Examples –This will test your understanding of everything you have learnt so far. 7) Other Considerations –You can improve your tournament results by also working on your general attitude and approach. This section encompasses all the non-technical aspects of playing, including learning, the mental approach, tells and practical tips. Jonathan Little has dedicated himself to educating players who are keen to improve their poker strategy, and in 2020, he was awarded the prestigious title of Global Poker Index “Poker Personality of the Year” – voted for by the poker-playing public. As well as being an immensely successful professional player with over $7,000,000 in live tournament cashes, Jonathan runs the highly respected coaching site pokercoaching.com. By interacting regularly with his students, he has developed a clear understanding of how to explain important concepts in a language that can be easily understood by players of all skill levels. The result is Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker – the definitive guide to modern tournament play.

Mastering satellite play is a sure-fire way to leverage your bankroll and enables you to make small investments for shots at massive payouts. In this book, poker professional and satellite specialist Bernard Lee explains how. Inspired by Chris Moneymaker’s epic 2003 WSOP Main Event victory (which he qualified for via a satellite), Lee gained entry to the 2005 Main Event via satellite and eventually finished in 13th place. Since this time, Lee, a Harvard University graduate, has competed in hundreds of satellites and main event tournaments across the world. He has over $2.5 million in career tournament earnings including over ten titles. In this must-have book on poker satellite play, Lee provides a detailed strategy for playing poker satellites. * Lee discusses in detail: * Strategy play during different levels of a satellite * A formula for calculating the satellite ending level * Short stack strategy on the satellite bubble * Fascinating and instructive satellite scenarios and stories * Deal situations and discussions For over a decade, Bernard Lee has been an active force in the poker media, contributing to such outlets as ESPN.com, Boston Herald, PokerNews.com, Card Player Magazine, Metrowest Daily News and The Bernard Lee Poker Show.

The Myth of Poker Talent is a unique book and is the culmination of renowned poker trainer Alex Fitzgerald’s work with over 1000 students over a 10 year period. Alex has discovered what makes a winning poker player and here’s the good news… It has nothing to do with poker talent. If you want to excel at the game you’ll need to buy this book, study Alex’s method and work hard – but you don’t need talent. Alex’s method focuses on understanding generic poker situations and not specific hands. As a highly experienced teacher, he expresses his ideas in simple, easy-to-understand language. The Myth of Poker Talent will teach you: A “model of poker” built from scratchAn understanding of every poker toolWhy much of what experienced players think they know is actually wrong. … and much, much more.

Despite the advent and explosion of videogames, boardgames--from fast-paced party games to intensely strategic titles--have in recent years become more numerous and more diverse in terms of genre, ethos and content. The growth of gaming events and conventions such as Essen Spiel, Gen Con and the UK Games EXPO, as well as crowdfunding through sites like Kickstarter, has diversified the evolution of game development, which is increasingly driven by fans, and boardgames provide an important glue to geek culture. In academia, boardgames are used in a practical sense to teach elements of design and game mechanics. Game studies is also recognizing the importance of expanding its focus beyond the digital. As yet, however, no collected work has explored the many different approaches emerging around the critical challenges that boardgaming represents. In this collection, game theorists analyze boardgame play and player behavior, and explore the complex interactions between the sociality, conflict, competition and cooperation that boardgames foster. Game designers discuss the opportunities boardgame system designs offer for narrative and social play. Cultural theorists discuss boardgames' complex history as both beautiful physical artifacts and special places within cultural experiences of play.

Modern Poker Theory is a comprehensive, rigorous guide to the most important aspects of No-Limit Hold’em. It is based around an in-depth examination of what is meant by game theory optimal play (GTO) and how it can be applied at the table. Understanding GTO is fundamental to being able to make accurate poker decisions and being able to exploit players who don’t. Modern Poker Theory uses modern poker tools to develop a systematic approach to the analysis of GTO. It organizes the ideas and concepts in an intuitive manner that is totally focused to practical applications. Next time you are at a table some of the players will have studied Modern Poker Theory and some won’t. The players who have studied Modern Poker Theory will, without doubt, have a better theoretical and practical understanding of No-Limit Hold’em. They will be the favourites in the game. Make sure you are one of them. Michael Acevedo, one of the world’s leading poker theorists, is a game theory expert who is renowned for creating cutting-edge content for the world’s leading players. The production of Modern Poker Theory is the culmination of many thousands of hours of his research work with the most advanced poker software tools available. It is poker theory for the 21st century.