How important are odds in poker?

[HPG ADMIN]

How important are odds in poker? Do they become less important as the stakes go up? Is it important to understand the concept of pot/implied odds but not actually calculate them?

If you could point to one thing that all good poker players have in common, it would be a firm grasp on the mathematics involved in poker. No matter the player, no matter the situation, a good player always has an idea of the pot size, the bet relative to the pot, the bet relative to his stack and his opponents, and much, much more. There are a lot of pros who say they aren't good at math, I think Helmuth is one of those. However, they might not have a degree in math like Chris Ferguson, but they still incorporated math heavily into their decision. In my opinion, math is the basis for any type of poker game. Although there is a lot that goes into the game of poker, I think math is the most significant part of that equation....

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Although there is a lot that goes into the game of poker, I think math is the most significant part of that equation....

I didn't quote the entire post, and all of it is true. But in NL games, the actual bet plays, imo, the biggest role. One might argue that the bet is mathmatically based, and they wouldn't be wrong. In fact, all things in the universe are.....oh, never mind.

With that said, plenty of players who have memorized outs and odds tables and can quickly compute pot/implied odds get the snot kicked out of them in games with other good players. As your opponents' skill level improves, your proficiency at "playing the player" becomes very important. Being able to put a player on a hand, recognizing betting patterns, etc. are skills you need to develop to play excellent poker. You can fairly assume that all good players have a grasp on "poker math". Most great players make a living "playing the player".

Just my thoughts.......

....whether you take any notice of odds. Also, online poker doesn't seem to pay any attention to odds or probability (as we know them), so a knowledge of them here is not vital.

If a player flops 2 pair, and another an open str8 draw, it is unlikely at the lower levels of online poker thet the str8 draw will fold whatever the bet size. Many times I have suspected an opponent has it, so have moved all in to irradicate the odds for him/her to call. They call anyway, so a knowledge of odds actually costs me money.

Maybe at higher levels, players will take more notice due to the higher amounts of money involved, but play low level online poker and odds mean absolutley nothing.
Online, I have over 200k in hand history, and AK is evens with Ax (preflop odds are about 70% in favor of AK), and mid pocket pairs are only slightly behind higher pocket pairs in odds (the higher pair should be about 80% favouite). Hence my comment that odds mean nohing online.

My opinion is to learn them, as if you want to improve as a player, it is an added advantage over other players.