Did I Just Have A Limit Holdem Epiphany?

[einbert]

Sorry for cluttering your thread with all these posts, but I wanted to add one more thing:

Jennifer Harmon may say she doesn't understand the math but that is bullshit. She wouldn't be a worldclass player if she didn't understand the math, she would be getting crushed every single day.

There is more to math than algebra, calculus and even arithmetic. Math is logic, math is understanding any type of system and math is involved in any form of "adaptation", which you have come to recognize is a key component in poker.

I think her statement is akin to that of a world class composer who might have never taken a music theory class. He may not know the terminology and he may not even know any of the great classics but does that mean he doesn't understand how to write great music? Of course not, he simply came to his understanding through empirical exercise rather than rote memorization. This route takes a great deal more suffering and complex thought, and high intelligence. Most people could spend their entire lives "thinking" about music theory and still never get anywhere near the level he is at. The same goes for Jennifer Harmon--in fact most of the greatest people in the world at -anything- learned what they know through empiricism. It's a much stronger teacher than memorization.

I hope that helps you on your journey [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img].

David Sklansky article on Phil Ivey and "poker math"