Poker calculation help

[djbruxism]

hi guys, especially maths wizzs.

I'm trying to develop my own strategy, something i can call my own and stick with. so, a few questions.

How many different starting hands are there? like all poker hands, not just playable ones.

and how do i calculate how many different hands i would play if...lets say i only played, pairs, two picture cards, or suited connectors.

If someone could give an example of how to calculate that kind of thing it would be great, as i'd love to be able to work that stuff out myself and work out an optimal % of hands played for a particular style of play.

Thanks everyone

[djbruxism]

ok, so i got my brain into gear, and i worked out that there are 169 different starting hands. (i think)

so if you just played Pairs and Broadway combo's, that's 25 hands

so... 25/169 = 14.79% of hands played

add some suited connectors....(4 to J) 7 hands

32/169 = 18.93% of hands

mayb AXs and KXs that's 18 more hands

50/169 = 29.59%

what else can i throw in....

suited one gappers? 4-Q that's 6 more

56 hands/169 = 33.14%

I'm just thinking out loud, and i'm not any kind of super poker player or anything. thoughts anyone?

[jyms]

If you play 33% of starting hands, come play on my tables please. Also, don't try to come up with a strategy on your own when new to poker, (i'm assuming new, because you didn't know there were 169 starting hands) There are so many proven strats that work, you just need to learn them. Start here, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...oker-36037.htm and read them all, twice.

secondly, as you read these your going to find alot of starting hand requirements will not be as simple as your thinking as of now.

P.S. wait till Dec/07 when you go back and read your first couple posts on your anniversary at FTR your going to laugh...

Good luck.

[djbruxism]

i'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm just trying to understand the maths of the game a little better, and working things out from the bottom up seemed the best way to go for me. was just trying to generate some convo...

sorry?

[flyingPenguin]

Poker is a fairly complex game, and people have been playing a long time to work out good strategies. You could probably work one out over time as well, but you'll lose a lot of money. There are a lot of different strategies that work for different people, but there are also a few strategies and styles which are guarunteed money losers.

The hands you mentioned in your list of playable hands are indeed all playable, but not all the time. Eg. some of those hands you'd be mad to play from anywhere but late position, and only then in certain situations. Others you should only play if there's no raise ahead of you and only one caller, etc. You'll find most of them you won't play that often.

I'm not sure where you are in your poker knowledge, but if you're a real beginner and want to learn, my advice:
- Learn about pot odds. There are good links on this site.
- Start playing a tight aggressive style. Somewhere between say 12% and 18% starting hands, and raising approximately half of those preflop.
- Read Renton's strategy guide that Trainer_jyms linked to, and as much other material as you can.

You will find you will eventually develop your own style, unique to you. It's much more fun if you start with a style that's already winning though.

Welcome to FTR btw.