Poker is a card game that challenges a player’s analytical, mathematical and interpersonal skills. It also indirectly teaches life lessons.

While the outcome of any particular hand largely depends on chance, the long-run expectations of players are determined by actions chosen on the basis of probability theory, psychology and game theory. Specifically, players place bets on the table in order to build a pot and to attempt to bluff other players for various strategic reasons.

The game has become popular around the world, fueled in part by television broadcasts of professional tournaments. It is a game of skill, requiring attention to strategy and reading other players’ tells (emotional cues, idiosyncrasies in eye movements, betting behavior etc). It is also a game of deception, as the most successful players conceal the strength of their hands as much as possible.

During a round of poker, each player must first place chips into the pot equal to or greater than the amount placed there by the player before him. After a player has contributed to the pot, he may either call, raise or fold his cards.

Making decisions under uncertainty, as in poker and many other fields of endeavor, requires first considering the different scenarios that could occur and then estimating the probabilities of each. It is important to be able to do this quickly and accurately on the fly, especially when a player has only a limited number of chips. Fortunately, this workbook provides a tool that helps players memorize key poker math formulas and internalize them for fast and accurate decision-making.