Chapter 8: Decision Tree

The 3-Second Decision Tree

Go through at least this, every hand

• ① Your position and the effective stack
• ② Which range this board favors
• ③ Where your hand sits in your range: top, middle or bottom
• ④ The default action (bet / check / fold)

When to use it

• Most hands
• Spots where the pot is small
• Spots where the decision is obvious

The purpose

• Not getting stuck
• Sorting out which spots deserve your time
• Not giving off timing tells

90% (est.) of hands end with these four. It is a system for spending your time on the remaining 10%.

The 10-Second Decision Tree

Use it in spots where the pot is big or the decision splits

• ① The four from the 3-second tree
• ② Name three kinds of hands in your opponent’s range, as specific hands
• ③ Is your hand ahead of that range?
• ④ Work out the pot odds and the equity needed
• ⑤ If you bet, state one reason for the size
• ⑥ Picture one thing that will happen on the next street

When you cannot state ②, you are not yet in a position to decide. When in doubt, folding becomes the right answer.

The Deep-Dive Tree (for Review)

Not for real play. Only for analysis after the hand

① Premises	Position, stack, rake, your opponent’s type
② The two ranges	Pin down yours and your opponent’s in the 13×13 form
③ Board analysis	Range advantage, nut advantage, equity distribution
④ Combo calculation	Value and bluffs, in concrete numbers
⑤ Math	Calculate pot odds, MDF and EV
⑥ The GTO baseline	What is standard in theory
⑦ Exploit	Is there an adjustment based on your opponent’s deviation?
⑧ Alternative lines	Compare EV with the other options

It is fine to spend 10 minutes on one hand. Your speed in real play comes from building up this work.