On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 22:00:34 -0500, you wrote: >Sunny Han wrote: > >>I love to watch poker on TV. But like, at the table, do players have a >>just a feel of what chances they have, and just like uhm a mental note >>of what to do or do they really calculate those odds and compare? >> >>-S >> >> >> >I'm not sure about whether they know that they might ave a chance or if >they just guess. But then again I've never caught onto poker in the >first place. Depends on the player. Most good players know the odds for many things, but they don't bother calculating them out, they just "know," without having to do the math in their heads, given the cards on the table, the placement of the players, the bets already played, the amount already in the pot, whether, statistically, that queen is worth the $200 raise they're thinking of making. If you buy a book on Texas Hold'em, you'll find lots of chapters about how to calculate pot odds, etc. And it's nice to know, I guess. But I never heard the guys who won at Viejas (the casino I frequented when I was playing a lot) ever mention pot odds or statistics. The numbers were just things they knew. So it was just a feel, but it was based on countless hours at the table. And, quite likely, a lot of them have studied the game, so they don't have to think about it all the much.