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Clarkmeister Theorem

Posted on Apr 10, 2009 by Gugel in Hand Reading and Tells, Poker Theorems

This is the 3rd post of Theorem Week. If you haven’t done so already, check out Zeebo Theorem and Baluga Theory. In this post, we’re going to dive right into the Clarkmeister Theorem.

Simply put, the Clarkmeister Theorem states that if you are heads up against an opponent and are first to act when there are four cards of the same suit on the board, you should almost always bet no matter what you have. A 2/3 pot sized bet is generally correct.

Let’s look at an example.

Hero (Button) ($100.00)
SB ($100.00)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 7♠, 5♣
Hero bets $3, SB calls $2

Flop: ($6) T♣, 3♥, 8♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5, SB calls $5

Turn: ($16) 2♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($16) Q♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $14, SB folds

Your opponent is probably laying down everything up but a low-medium flush. It’s just really hard for him to call the river with a hand like T♠, 9♣.

Counter-Strategy
The Clarkmeister Theorem exploits an opponent’s tendency to fold on a 4-suit board. You should counter this strategy by calling more and making small bluff raises. The chances he has a weaker hand that will fold to your bluff raise are much greater than the chances he has a strong enough hand to call.

Reliability
Medium-High

In the next installment, we’ll talk about Aejones Theorem.