You may have noticed that when using your poker calculator, it displays the odds of your hand and also uses terminology like “hand range”, “group”, or “group range”, all of which in one way or another refer to to the ranking of group hands by author David Sklansky. for hold’em poker. Originally described in the classic book, “Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players,” Sklansky graded all starting hands and grouped them according to his similar win rate.
By grouping hands based on win rate and strength, it’s easier to keep track of the basic betting strategies associated with each individual hand. For example, in Sklansky Group 3 hands you’ll find 99, AQ, AT, and JT, among others. However, the best group is Sklansky’s Group One, which includes AA, AK, KK, QQ and JJ. They will show very high payout percentages on their poker calculator as well as “raise and re-raise” recommendations.
By adopting the Sklansky Hand Group, your poker calculator could make you a “book player”, because many, especially poker math calculators, don’t take into account other factors at the poker table. However, as a guide, your poker calculator will have the exact odds and correct mathematical indication for you, David Sklansky style.
Poker calculators have embraced this because, well, they’re just software designed by programmers, and not necessarily poker enthusiasts, but Sklansky is a poker icon, educator, and author. I have had several poker calculators running at the same time for testing, and have found very similar results and percentage recommendations, because they generally use the same statistical backbone as the Sklansky Group of Hands.
The difference between them lies in how their other characteristics are taken into account, such as how you monitor your position, how many players are in the pot, how many tight or aggressive players, the stage of a tournament and whether a player’s bet is up or down. significantly.
Although it was published years ago, using The Sklansky Group of Hands, the poker software offers credibility to the ranking system, although it sure didn’t need it. Professional players have known about these rankings and what to do with them for years. Experienced opponents will also know how to use them against you, if you’re an obvious player, so mixing them up is always a good idea.
Some other books published by David Sklansky include The Theory of Poker, Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, and Hold’em Poker.
