Fundamental Poker Theorems for Real Money Games
If you want to improve your poker game for real money games when there is your hard earned money on the line, it would be in your best interest to acknowledge all of the popular poker theorems that make playing online poker a bit easier. These poker theorems are basically pieces of fundamental poker strategy to help you play better in certain situations. But with that being said, poker is a very situational and player dependant game, and it's important that you don't follow the general ideas and concepts purported by these poker theories religiously, since it can lead to misapplying the concept. Here's a list of the best poker theorems on the web.
The Baluga Whale Theorem
Although it's a rather silly sounding name for a poker theorem, however, the idea and concept presented by the theorem is important nonetheless.
The Baluga Theorem basically tells you to strongly re-evaluate the strength of one-pair hands in the face of a raise on the turn. "Baluga Whale" made this one popular on the 2+2 forum, hence the name it was given.
If a player makes a raise on the turn there's a good chance that your one pair hand is beat and you should seriously consider folding. The general concept is that most players reveal the true strength of their hands usually on the turn. Some aggressive poker players might be capable of making moves on the flop, for example, when playing back at habitual cbettors or being aggressive with draws. But a raise on the turn especially at the micro limits is often done with a strong made hand.
One of the great things about The Baluga Theorem is that it forces you to think about your opponent's range, and what hands they're trying to represent when they come in with a raise on the turn. This inevitably makes you a better hand reader, which is a fundamental part of playing a solid poker game.
The Clarkmeister Theorem
The Clarkmeister Theorem helps to get you thinking about a great bluffing opportunity. It states if you are heads up against an opponent and first to act on the river, if a 4th card of the same suit is dealt, you should strongly consider betting. For example, when there are 4 cards of the same suit such as Qs Jh 10h 9h 6h then the board is going to look scary to your opponent, making it difficult for them to call with the majority of their range. Even if they have a hand as strong as two pair or a set, since these hands are basically only bluff catchers on this board. If you come out betting strong you can continue to represent a big hand on the river. If an opponent has a small flush they still can't be that confident about calling a big bet since they would be scared you have the bigger flush.
Zeebo's Theorem
The Zeebo Theorem was created by Greg Lavery (a.k.a. captZEEbo) and rose to fame among the online poker community on the 2+2 forum. The basic concept is fairly straightforward and easy to understand and grasp the concept. It basically suggests that no player is capable of folding a full house, regardless of the size of the bet.
By putting this theorem to work, don't try to bluff an opponent whom you think has a full house. That's basically the whole jist of it. So if your hand can beat an opponent's full house/boat, then you should be looking to build a bigger pot.
A.E. Jones Theorem
The aejones Theorem is an interesting poker theorem that if taken too literally can get you into a lot of trouble. Made popular by Aaron "aejones" Jones at the 2+2 forum the basic idea is that "No one ever has anything."
This general concept can seem a bit far fetched at first but the point it's trying to convey is that poker players can often give their opponents too much credit for having a hand. This paranoid thinking is what gets in the heads of many weak tight players, making them fold too much because they assume their opponents always have a hand when they are betting/raising, etc.
To put this theorem to work, adopt a more aggressive style of poker, by coming out betting, raising, and re-raising. This will more often then not get your opponent to fold as they can't stand the pressure.
Fundamental Theorem Of Poker
Theorized by David Sklansky this theory is another one that is easy to understand and put into practice. The nuts and bolts of it is that every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it had you seen your opponents' cards, they gain an advantage; and on the flip side, you gain every time you play the hand the same way you would have played it if you could see their hole cards.
To put this theorem to work, basically whatever action you select during a hand should be the opposite of what your opponent wants you to do. When this takes place, they're making a mistake, and you gain from their costly errors.