Repeated Book Criticism by Mason - Need Clarification

[asdtexas]

In his excellent reviews, Mason often criticizes the author is they advocate a "fit or flop" approach to hold'em. This is a common comment that I see in the reviews and intrigues me. Does it mean something like playing middle or bottom pair if your kicker is good and you have sufficient pot odds or implied odds, or is something else discussed in HPFAP or another book that I am missing?

[crockpot]

basically, the criticism is that the author doesn't consider the size of the pot when deciding how to play his hand. this can mean a lot of things: betting when you should attempt a check-raise, slowplaying incorrectly, or simply folding a weak hand like two overcards or middle or bottom pair in a big pot because the flop didn't fit your hand.

the advice in those books will make a beginner into a better player, but it will also stunt their progress to a big winner unless they read more accurate information later on.

[StellarWind]

"In hold'em you should fold if the flop doesn't fit your hand."

Basic advice. What concepts does it not consider?

1. Pot size.

2. Number of opponents.

3. Position.

4. What you know about your opponent's hand.

etc.

Most fold/play decisions involve two factors: your probability of winning and your money odds. A decision can only make sense when both factors are compared. That's what determines whether you have the best of it.

"Fit or fold" violates this in two ways. First it ignores money odds. More accurately you could say that it assumes typical odds and applies them to all cases without regard for the actual odds. Second it evaluates probability of winning based on hand value. Unfortunately, you don't win at poker by having a good hand. You win by having a better hand. This is especially true at hold'em. That's where number of opponents and their likely hands come into consideration.