The purpose of this course is to teach students poker fundamentals, both to help them improve at the game and learn wider applications of the game theory found in poker. While we believe students of all skill levels will benefit from the course, it is primarily targeted at beginners and those with an advanced understanding of the game may already be familiar with most material.
The course will focus on 6-max No Limit Texas Hold’em, the most popular variant of Poker played today. We will begin by covering the rules of the game, basic strategic principles, before diving into the mathematics and heuristics used by strong players. While not the focus of the course, we will additionally briefly touch on the psychological aspects of poker, including some common tells and
reads found in live play. Specific topics will include (but are not limited to): Position, Preflop Ranges, Pot Odds, Equity, Bankroll Management, Blocker Effects, Polarization, Exploitative Adjustments, Tells.
Learning poker theory is beneficial for reasons outside of improving at the game. Thinking about decisions in terms of their expected value while minimizing variance is a valuable skill with many applications in statistics, mathematics, game theory, economics, investing and finance. While we will focus solely on poker itself, a strong understanding of poker remains very useful off the table.

Prerequisites:
For success in this course it is recommended that you have completed a lower division probability course (STAT 20/STAT 21/STAT 88/UGBA 88) as there will be many fundamental statistical concepts covered. If you have not taken any of these classes before, you are still welcome to take the course, but be aware you may find some of the material more difficult.

Assignments & Grades:
Lecture Attendance (45%)
This class will be impossible to succeed in without active participation in class and attendance to learn the material. It will be a very laid-back and open atmosphere so students should be encouraged to discuss topics.
Attending over 75% of lectures: 45%
Attending over 62.5% of lectures: 40%
Attending over 50% of lectures: 35%
Attendance below 50%: proportional to attendance. For example, 25% attendance earns 25% * 45% = 11.25%.

Playing Session Attendance (30%)
We will have short sessions after lecture where we will practice using play money.
Attending over 75% of sessions: 30%
Attending over 62.5% of lectures: 26%
Attending over 50% of lectures: 23%
Attendance below 50%: proportional to attendance. For example, 25% attendance earns 25% * 30% = 7.5%.

Homework (20%)
Throughout the semester, there will be weekly assignments that should take at most an hour. Homework assignments will be graded entirely based on effort and completion, with examples given of what constitutes a reasonable effort.

Final Project (5%)
The course will have a final assignment requiring you to analyze some of the hands that you played during sessions over the course of the semester. Similarly to the Homework, it will be graded based on effort and completion, with examples of hand analysis provided.

In other words, if you attend a majority of lectures and playing sessions and complete a majority of assignments, you will pass the course. While not for a grade, we will also have short weekly reading assignments. Please contact us regarding time conflicts or needed accommodations for absences. We
promise to be reasonable and do not want grades to be a concern for any student engaging with the course.

Lecture is currently planned to be 7PM-8PM Monday, Wednesday and Playing Sessions currently planned to be 8PM-9PM Monday, Wednesday. This is subject to change (but likely will not).

Disclaimer:
At no point during this course will you wager real money. We understand that betting is a sensitive topic for some and you might have issues with the ethical implications, please let us know. We will be focusing on the probability and statistics behind betting.