Drawing to incomplete hands, like flushes, tends to be more valuable as draws will often get favorable pot odds and a stronger hand (rather than merely one pair) is often required to win in multi-way pots. Learning and applying a GTO strategy helps players remove doubts and prevents them from being results-oriented. Now while you want to be highly active against the recs and even bluff them a little bit, you don't want to take this too far, because the number one thing these players love to do is call. In fact, there is no bigger thrill in the game for them than putting on their sheriff's hat and catching you in a big bluff! I know math can be terrifying. I know graphs and charts can be daunting. I know this because I myself am not one of the gifted few who are number crunching savants. Fortunately, as I mentioned above, Michael has a talent for simplifying complex concepts such that anyone can understand them. Seriously, he almost had me thinking I could do calculus. Almost! Not even the best players in the world play a perfect GTO strategy and they are still making money.

Modern Poker Theory is great for both MTT and cash game players. The book may lean more toward assisting with tournament play, but the principles can be applied to cash games as well. The book truly is comprehensive. It even covers exploitative play, as Michael points out how to take advantage of your opponents in different scenarios where the villain may not be using a balanced GTO strategy. The gap concept states that a player needs a better hand to play against someone who has already opened (or raised) the betting than he would need to open himself. [5] The gap concept reflects that players prefer to avoid confrontations with other players who have already indicated strength, and that calling only has one way to win (by having the best hand), whereas opening may also win immediately if your opponent(s) fold. To manipulate pot odds: By calling (not raising), a player offers any opponents yet to act behind them more favorable pot odds to also call. For example, if a player has a very strong hand, a smooth call may encourage opponents behind them to overcall or even raise, building the pot. Particularly in limit games, building the pot in an earlier betting round may induce opponents to call future bets in later betting rounds because of the pot odds they will be receiving.

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PioSolver is the most popular GTO solver in the market, learning the basics about its functionality is key to progress in today's poker world I think this is best summed up as "All roads lead to Rome" or "There´s more than one way to skin a cat".

If we take into account that you are probably playing in much weaker games you should be making money even without applying a GTO strategy. While I prefer the KISS method: We win 75% plus (29%)(25%) = 82,25% or alternately, Villain wins (71%)(25%) = 17,75%, it seems that the author comes up with a slightly more complex equation, which nevertheless, arrives at the same answer of 82,28%. Next time you are at a table some of the players will have studied Modern Poker Theory and some won’t. The players who have studied Modern Poker Theory will, without doubt, have a better theoretical and practical understanding of No-Limit Hold’em. They will be the favourites in the game. Make sure you are one of them.To conceal the strength of a player's hand: If a player has a very strong hand, they might smooth call on an early betting round to avoid giving away the strength of their hand on the hope of getting more money into the pot in later betting rounds. Loose players play relatively more hands and tend to continue with weaker hands; hence they do not often fold. Tight players play relatively fewer hands and tend not to continue with weaker hands; hence they often fold. The following concepts are applicable in loose games (and their inverse in tight games): [1]

Implied odds is a more complicated concept, though related to pot odds. The implied odds on a hand are based not on the money currently in the pot, but on the expected size of the pot at the end of the hand. When facing an even money situation (like the one described in the previous paragraph) and holding a strong drawing hand (say a Four flush) a skilled player will consider calling a bet or even opening based on their implied odds. This is particularly true in multi-way pots, where it is likely that one or more opponents will call all the way to showdown.The major problem is the amount of errors in grammar (there is some leniency here given that English isn't the authors first language) and data tables (no leniency here, this is egregious for a book based on theory). I'm sure experienced players and astute readers will notice these when digesting the information, but a newer player might not and can therefore create a fundamentally unsound baseline. Perhaps its not as detrimental as I think it is but regardless, a math book should not have math errors. Period. You can look at it this way: If you don’t know that your opponent is making a mistake you will not try to exploit him because you will think that there is nothing to exploit. Unlike calling, raising has an extra way to win: opponents may fold. An opening bet may be considered a raise from a strategy perspective. David Sklansky gives several reasons for raising, summarized below. [1]