Poker Theorems

As much as playing poker is far from sticking to specific rules and playing according to guidelines, I think that these handy poker theorems deserve a mention. So sink your teeth into these popular poker theorems and enjoy.

What are poker theorems?

Poker theorems are basically useful/interesting statements based around poker strategy to help you play better in certain situations.

To put it another way, poker theorems will usually tell you that “If you are in X situation, then do X”. These theorems should help you win more money at the tables when specific situations arise, as well as saving you from making costly mistakes.

Are poker theorems effective/useful?

Good question. Some theorems are useful whilst others are not so useful. Furthermore, some theorems can become outdated over time and lose points in terms of how effective they can be at the Texas Hold'em poker tables. The theorems below have been given scores out of 10 based on reliability to help you determine which theorems are useful and which theorems are not.

Whilst many theorems can prove to really help you out in certain situations, it is important to not rely on just theorems alone, as a winning poker players uses their complete knowledge of the game to make the most profitable decisions.

Nonetheless, here are some of the most popular poker theorems that you may come across.

The Poker Theorems

Name: Fundamental Theorem of Poker
Reliability: 10/10
Overview: Pretty much the ultimate theorem for poker players, put forward by David Sklansky in the book "The Theory of Poker". Basically, if you can play poker as closely to the way you would play if you could see everyone else's cards, you will win money.

Name: Zeebo's Theorem
Reliability: 10/10
Overview: This theorem states that no player is able to fold a full house, regardless of the size of the bet or the strength of the full house. This is quite possibly the most reliable out of all the popular poker theorems today.

Name: Baluga Theorem (BalugaWhale Theorem)
Reliability: 8/10
Overview: If you are heads up and facing a raise on the turn, you should re-evaluate the strength of your hand if you are holding one-pair. This is a nice theorem that will really help with an all too common (and tricky) situation on the turn in Hold'em.

Name: Clarkmeister Theorem
Reliability: 8/10
Overview: If the river card brings the 4th card of the same suit, you should bet out if you are first to act and heads up against an opponent. The Clarkmeister poker theorem helps you to pick out a prime bluffing opportunity, although it is useful to have an understanding on your opponent's style of play for this theorem.

Name: The Yeti Theorem
Reliability: 4/10
Overview: The Yeti theorem states that a 3-bet on a dry flop (preferably paired) is almost always a bluff. Unfortunately this is an outdated theorem, as players are far more aggressive these days and will 3-bet dry flops with a strong hand.

Name: aejones Theorem
Reliability: 2/10
Overview: Simply put, “Nobody ever has anything”. As you can see this is a pretty wild theorem that is obviously tongue-in-cheek. Nonetheless, it is actually possibly to find a few subtle yet interesting points to this theorem if you look hard enough.

Are there any other poker theorems?

There are probably new poker theorems popping up every now and then in different forums, but very few of them stick. The above poker theorems are the ones that you are most likely to come across and find being discussed in poker forums at the moment. Most of these were put forward in around 2006, and there are not too many new (and actually useful) theorems popping up at the moment. So make the most of these ones.

Go back to the awesome Texas Hold'em Strategy.

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