What major / subjects in college would help the most?

Ralph Wiggum · #1 07-10-2005, 01:20 AM

in helping you become a better poker player? I always hear about how guys like David, Lederer, and others having a strong mathematical background which helps their poker game. The only math I use is basically arithmetic and freshman-level stat. What math are they using that helps them so much?

pokerjoker · #2 07-10-2005, 01:31 AM

Im a music major and I think that seems to work.

randomstumbl · #3 07-10-2005, 01:42 AM

I studied game theory in a couple different classes. Since the entire subject was started as a way to understand poker, it's pretty applicable.

Other than that, I can't think of anything that's really going to help though. I guess taking a stats class would help if you didn't already understand probability.

Jeff W · #4 07-10-2005, 03:08 AM

Probably Women's Studies. Or Sociology.

Siegmund · #5 07-10-2005, 04:10 AM

[ QUOTE ]
The only math I use is basically arithmetic and freshman-level stat. What math are they using that helps them so much?

[/ QUOTE ]

The only math you often use at the table is simple arithmetic, things like comparing outs and pot odds.

If, however, you want to decide for yourself what an optimal raise size in NL is, or whether calling or raising is a better play against opponents who you put you on certain ranges of hands ... then you are going to be using some third-semester calculus - setting the derivatives of your expectation with respect to several variables equal to zero at the same time, and/or be doing some linear algebra to extract a best mixed strategy from a payoff matrix.

If you are happy to take the textbook recommendations on faith, you can be a winning player and never do math that requires more than your fingers and toes. If you want to work out the best plays for yourself in a non-textbook situation, or play a non-textbook game (there are damn very books about pineapple or triple draw out there, and none at all about some of the crazy dealer's choice variants in home games) then you will have a use for some serious math.

Cerril · #6 07-10-2005, 04:43 AM

It's really a matter of what your current skills are and what you want to do.

To just play better poker, you only need a bunch of GE stuff. Critical thinking, probability/combinatorics, a bit of statistics, maybe a little economics.

If you want to hold a lot of discourse, a bit more in the way of logic, possibly some LPS (Logic and Philosophy of Science) if your school offers it. If you plan to do a lot of theory, then high end math will do it for you. English and various writing disciplines are of a lot of value.
Really the goal is to organize your mind and clarify things. After that, you should get your B* in whatever you think would make a good area of study or help you with side jobs. Barring that, go with something you'd like. There really isn't a course of study that directly relates to poker

Blackdirt12 · #7 07-10-2005, 05:30 AM

Reading.

theblitz · #8 07-10-2005, 06:12 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Probably Women's Studies.

[/ QUOTE ]
So you can explain to you wife/GF why you are playing poker all day instead of giving her any attention.

JKDStudent · #9 07-10-2005, 08:15 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Im a music major and I think that seems to work.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've got to disagree. I was a music major, and not only did I suck at poker, but I never played. Last year, I switched to Mechanical Engineering. Coincidentally enough, I started playing poker and became pretty good at it.

The moral of the story? Small sample size. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

PokerMatt · #10 07-10-2005, 12:59 PM

I majored in Computer Science and I believe it has helped me become a better player than I otherwise would have. The main reason to me would be that the analytical, or problem-solving aspects of computer science seem to apply well to poker.

For example, when I'm working on a new system, I go through a process of gathering all of my requirements from the client, then designing the system (while looking for any possible thing that could go wrong), then finally programming and testing the system. Similarly, when I have a poker decision to make I tend to go through a process where I take in all of the information available to me (my cards, the pot size, looseness/tightness of the game, my opponent, etc) and try to make the best decision based on that. I also try to think about what impact my decision could have on the rest of the hand. It's more of an inexact process than writing a program, obviously, but the problem-solving aspects are pretty similar.