The Percentages of Hold'em

Hold'em may be the most analyzed poker game. There have been numerous books on the subject, along with several software packages designed to analyze the various nuances of the game. This month we'll look at some of these products in more or less chronological order--not to review them (as they are all worthwhile), but rather to call your attention to what might become valuable tools as you study the game of poker.

The granddaddy of all analysis software is Mike Caro's Poker Probe. I do not recall the date of publication, but I believe it predates everything else. It is a DOS program with a fairly primitive user interface. It retails for $69.95. This software lets you compare hands in a whole slew of poker games including Hold'em, Razz, 7 Card Stud, and even high-low split games. It simulates a hands with the given cards, and gives the serious researcher lots of statistics to ponder.

Percentage Hold'em by Steven R. Jacobs. This DOS program was published by ConJelCo in 1994 and currently retails for $30.00. I believe that this software came out after Poker Probe. This was the software used to create the massive tables in the book, Percentage Hold'em by Justin Case (now out of print). It has a command line DOS interface. It can simulate the performance of specific pocket cards against from one to 10 other players who never fold. Unlike other available software it also can compare specific pockets against each other via exact analysis...not simulation. Again, it provides lots of statistics for the student.

PokerWiz by David A. Daniel and Ricardo Pessanha. This is a Windows program published by Barricade Books and retailing for $49.95. As with Poker Probe, you can set up a myriad of poker situations, over a myriad of games. It also works via high speed simulation.

Now we come to the first of the books (other than Percentage Hold'em). Mike Petriv's Hold'em's Odd(s) Book is a good primer on calculating Hold'em probability for the layman. It is 207 pages and retails for $24.95. The book covers every situation for every stage of the game and every type of starting hand in a logical, consistent, and comprehensive manner. Mike shows the complete methodology for all calculations.

A new book which has been on the market for only a short time is Texas Hold'em Flop Types by Mort Badiza-degan and published by Goldstar Books for $24.95. While not technically a percentages book, I include it because it seems relevant to the topic at hand. All stages of a hold'em hand are important, and the decisions that the player makes at each of them may have a large effect on the outcome. The author contends that the flop is the most important stage of the game because a decision to fold or go on makes has a big effect. (A proper early fold will save a lot of money for instance.) Bodiza-degan divides the flops into 17 sets and analyzes how each of them play in various situations. 149p (spiral).

Some or all of these books and software packages belong in the library of any serious student of the game.