Some links to an economic analysis of poker

 

 

New (May 2011) NBER working paper on the role of skill in poker

 

“The Endgame in Poker,” by Chris Ferguson and Tom Ferguson

 

Behavioral Economics, Politics and Poker

 

The cold war, game theory, and poker

 

An introduction to the role of game theory in poker

 

Think like a game theorist

 

The role of utility theory in making a deal at the end of a big tournament

 

Understanding prospect theory in poker

Part 1

Part 2

Is there an example here that is consistent with prospect theory?

 

Opportunity cost and poker

 

Why we often need large sample sizes to do economic analysis (and some figures that show that most poker players overestimate their true ability)

 

Competitive risk-taking behavior, by gender

 

People usually don’t like risks out of their comfort zone

 

Articles on level-k thinking

Mixed strategies and level-k thinking

Anticipating how opponents play

Levels of thinking in Pot-Limit Omaha required

Tactics and level-k thinking

 

What kind of utility function do you think Chip Reese had?  (especially see quotes by Mike Sexton and Nolan Dolla)

 

A poker article that include a cost-benefit analysis of going to a party or studying for an economics exam

 

Why do people play poker?  An invisible hand analysis (Scroll down to “The Invisible Hand of Poker”)

 

Variance and randomness as a poker professional

 

Playing suited aces against random hands and against an opponent’s range

 

Separating luck and skill in poker

 

Can computers beat poker pros at their own game?

 

Cost-benefit analysis of going to college versus being a full-time professional poker player

 

Arguments for staying in school (vs. being a pro poker player)

 

Playing poker professionally: What is the optimal amount of practice time?

 

Should you ever fold aces?  A cost-benefit analysis

 

More on folding aces

 

Causation versus correlation in poker

 

Marginal analysis: What is the optimal number of online tables to play?

 

Cost-benefit analysis of adding more tables to online play

 

High-stakes online poker tournaments: Do we see something close to equilibrium behavior here?

 

A very simplified cost-benefit analysis of limit holdem

 

Collusion versus cooperation: What is the difference? (Good for thinking about applications in game theory) (Also in the October 12, 2010 edition of Card Player magazine)

 

 

 

Former UCSB students who can be linked to poker

 

 

Jeff Madsen, 2006 WSOP Player of the Year

(An SI article about Madsen)

 

Lon McEachren, Commentator on ESPN’s broadcasts of the WSOP

 

Todd Witteles, Card Player magazine’s 2005 WSOP Player of the Year

Brian Townsend

 

Michael Shackleford (a former Math/Econ major at UCSB), also known as the Wizard of Odds… He provides a mathematical approach to casino games, including poker

 

 

 

 

Some poker history

 

 

Jack Binion, the father of the WSOP

 

Billy Baxter, who helped establish poker winnings as earned (vs. unearned) income

 

History of Poker:  How game theory shaped analysis of poker and economics

 

April 15, 2011: A major change in US on-line poker (An economist’s point of view)