Gus Hansen on the "Hidden" Structure of a Poker Game/Tourney

[maddog2030]

In a recent issue of CardPlayer magazine, Gus Hansen said:

[ QUOTE ]
Everybody can see when somebody gets lucky in a hand, but what is not so readily apparent is that a good understanding of the structure of the game creates its own “luck.” In my forthcoming book, I will reveal and analyze the hidden structure that I believe only a few players are aware of.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on what he's referring to exactly?

[FrankLu99]

maybe he is talking about the metagame
or
the propensity to gamble due to imperfect imformation
or
the propensity to gamble due to +EV for each player (caused by the size of the blinds, antes or pot)

[Cerril]

I think that's a vague enough comment that he could come up with a lot of ways to explain it, and that it'll help sell books.

Doyle comments about how his aggression buys him so many pots that he ends up being a dog when he's finally called but only needs to get 'lucky' rarely to be a big winner because those uncontested pots make the others essentially freerolls. This could easily be what's behind Hansen's comment as well, but he could quite possibly mean something else too.

[TEKEE]

I agree, helps sell books.

[elmitchbo]

it will sell a book to me. i really think that gus has something going for him in the way of strategy that other players don't. it's more than just agression. i hope he actually lays it out in the book.

[That guy]

my guess is that it relates to what Harrington discusses on pg 44-45 of his book... re competitive backgammon tournaments.

basically, that when you are offered the odds but have to take a bad position, you can't make big laydowns as you are giving up too much equity if you do. I think 'structure' refers to the payout structure of tournaments so heavily weighted to #'s 1 & 2...

[gulebjorn]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree, helps sell books.

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i hope he actually lays it out in the book.

[/ QUOTE ]
maybe both, probably just the first

[TStoneMBD]

whether his comment was derived to sell books or not does not make it any less true. his comment is intelligent, profound, and accurate.

[Skeesix]

I have an idea.

I think he perhaps means that if you throw around a little bit of money, people will have to use more of their own money to defend their hands, they'll get pot committed and it will become more in their favor to get into all-in situations.

If you can be deft about this and keep yourself out of those situations, you can make other people knock themselves out of the tournament.

Just a thought