able dynamics are incredibly important in poker but they are rarely discussed, mainly because it is nearly impossible to quantify. Poker players learn early on the EV of ace king versus two queens all in preflop and when they are getting correct odds to call with a flush draw. This basic math sets up a general template for how to play, as the beginner now knows which hands are valuable and which are not. As players improve and math becomes more complex players dissect hand ranges into specific combinations and determine the probability the opponent is bluffing, value betting a better hand or value betting a worse hand and make a decision based on that information. With no other information it is reasonable to assume the player with a strong math background will be better than one without, but it fails to explain why certain players with seemingly no math background have great sucess, and players who can you tell their equity to the third decimal point struggle.

When I discuss hands with friends or post on two plus two, I do my best to figure out what the most plus ev play is. Often when pre-occupied I will give a simple one word or one number response. If I have time I will give a more detailed analysis because the explanation is far more valuable than the answer. One word answers do not provide much insight, presumably I will only be sent interesting hands so even if I were to guess randomly between fold, raise and call my answer would seem reasonable often. On the river often there are only two options so flipping a coin would provide as much insight as simply typing fold. Although it is hard to do, because ideally I know the answer to every hand, sometimes when I am truly focusing I will think for one or two minutes about a hand and decide "I do not know." There are two reasons why this will happen, the hand is against a highly skilled opponent who simply put us in a difficult spot, or I do not have information about how the table has been playing. In the case of the former there is nothing you can do except sit out preflop, and acknowledge that your decision will never cosr you that much money, because of how close it is.The latter case is different it is a spot where good players will win a lot of money and bad players will lose a lot without even realizing they are making a mistake, this is where table dynamics come into play.

Thus far I have explained why table dynamics are important but I have yet to explain what they are, partially because it is not easily defined. The best definition I came up with is "How the conditions of the table, and emotional state of players in a game, causes their ranges to be significantly unbalanced."

I apolgize for the cliffhanger ending but I am tired and if I write more the content will start to suffer. I could save the draft but I would rather have regular content. I will attempt to finish this when I get a chance.