Poker News

Oklahoma Johnny Hale

Carol, I know that you like it when I tell you that the math of poker is easy, and that anyone who can count to four can be a good poker player.

Of course, four is… The number of suits in a deck of cards-Hearts, Spades, Clubs, & Diamonds. And yes, Dear-I understand that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend! Then if the poker player can continue to count on all the way up to 13, they can become an expert at the math of poker. (13 is just the number of cards in each suit). Then if the poker player can multiply 4 times 13 equals 52 they can become a winner at the poker table. (52 is the total number of cards in a standard deck of cards)!

If a poker player can do those simple 4th grade arithmetic problems, then they can become a poker mathematician! Most all of the math of poker is inside those numbers. Yes, poker math is very simple!

But the game of poker does have one other little mathematical consideration that many other games of chance do not have… This one little mathematical consideration often separates the winners from the losers.

If you cannot wait until the next column to learn just what that one little math consideration is that is so powerful, then Email me at Oklajohnny@aol.com and I will tell you about that powerful secret of winning when you are playing poker! But I promise to tell you and all of you folks in the next issue of “Back in the Saddle Again” here on the pages of Poker Player-just what that one little thing is that often makes the difference in winning and losingwhen you play poker.

But first: Sure we have the computer whiz kids now-with their theories of standard deviation, permutations, combinations, laws of probability, and all that high-falutin’ stuff. Yes, I will admit that the young guns are showing signs of greatness in the art of poker. But us old guys-we can still get it done with fourth grade arithmetic, plus what I call the use of OK Johnny poker odds. The simple 4th grade math still works.

I will admit that way back there in my college days at the University of Oklahoma that on my side I wore (in a holster like a six shooter) my slide rule-which was in fact a tool that permitted quick approximation of the answers to very difficult mathematical problems.

But when I played poker with the rich kids on the campus at OU 60-odd years ago-I did not use my slide rule-I just used the 4th grade arithmetic and I got the money!

Carol, I know that you understand all about Einstein’s theory of relativity (E=mc2), and I also know that you were the founder and CEO of CytoAnalytical Procedures, and that you are a master Geneticist and that you can compute the possibility and probability by means of the Amniocentesis test as to the future health of an unborn child, and in truth by the use of information relating to the 46 chromosomes of the human body that you can accurately predict if the baby will be a boy or girl and that you can compute all of the odds relating to the child that is to be born and if that child will have blue eyes or blond hair and all other kinds of other useful things about an unborn child by the use of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium law of (p+q)2 = 2pq + q2 and other formula that you use when you are making a report to a doctor about the results of the test that were performed to give a lot of information about the future health and future characteristics of the child that is to be born.

Now Carol-I know that you know all of that wonderful mathematics- But honey, when you sit down to play a little poker- FORGET ABOUT HIGHER MATHEMATICS-Carol, all the math that you will need to win in any poker game will be your simple fourth grade arithmetic!

Until next time, remember to STAY LUCKY!!!

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