is poker simple?

I like what Phil Ivey said when interviewed at the Monte Carlo Millions:

"You can read all the books you want, but it all comes down to whether your opponent has the hand he's representing."

i think poker, particularly limit, is a longrun game of odds/probabily and taking your game to the next level when you experience "breakthroughs" or "aha" moments; the more you think about hands and situations it allows you to react quicker and eliminate simple mistakes that you would have made had you not thought about it earlier

i would agree that table selection is key, as you are only as good as your opponents you are playing against, and would add that being well capitalized is just as important - being able to play a specific limit comfortably and confidently without worrying about the actual money that's at risk

[Nomad84]

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(a short 369 page book will do)

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FYP

[obsidian]

Sure poker is easy. All you need to do is understand this.

What makes people think that poker is simple is the fact I could sit down at a table with Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson etc. and only a trained eye would be able to tell the difference.

If I played in a golf foursome with Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson, after one swing, everyone would know the amatuer.

[Fabian]

The first couple responses in this thread are awful.

Stigmata's isn't.

It's as easy as driving a car.

Poker really is that simple and for the players who are playing at the lower limits and learning I will simplify it even more. If you aren't too good at math the simple way to figure your odds is 4x your outs before the turn and 2x your outs before the river. So, if you are holding 4 to a flush after the flush, you have 9 outs or a 36% chance of catching your flush and then an 18% chance to catch it on the river card. These aren't precise, but you can use them as a basis until you really get to know the game. If you are sitting there and the pot is $15.00 and it costs you $12.00 to stay in the hand to go after your flush, you can do the simple math to see you aren't getting the odds necessary to stay in. As you progress, you will be able to bring in other factors and odds such as if you have overcards, back door hands, etc., but to the starting player, it is better to just keep it as simple as you stated until you figure out a system that is right for your type of play.

[Nomad84]

Percentages are much less practical than X:1 odds notation when playing a hand. Or at least that's the way I feel. I'd rather know that my odds are 4:1 against than know that my draw is 20% likely to come in. If I know I'm 4:1 against, it's a simple matter to call 1 bet if the pot is at least 4 bets. Also, if my hand is 2:1 against coming in by the river, I can value bet or raise if more than 2 other people are putting money in the pot. This is a bit off of the orginal topic, but it is related to the previous post.

[I am fish]

I suggest simply memorizing all the odds. It's not that hard to do. Like learning multiplication tables, but easier.