Zeebo's Theorem Explained

Before the age of the internet, poker knowledge and theorems were scattered and only available to small groups of people. With the popularity of the world wide web came the development of various poker forums, where professionals and casual players discussed different poker theories, Zeebo’s theorem being one of them.

So, who is Zeebo? What does the theorem suggest, and does it really work in poker? Without further ado, let’s explore this theory in detail.

What Is Zeebo’s Theorem?

Unlike many complex approaches and theories, Zeebo’s idea is relatively straightforward, suggesting that players will never fold a full house, regardless of the betting round or size of the bet.

Because of its simplicity, this theorem is the most effective of all similar theories appearing on poker forums for the past two decades.

The following are a couple of reasons why this strategy works:

• A full house is considered a strong poker hand.
• Full houses are not that common in hold’em.

The theory was coined by an online player nicknamed “captZEEbo,” who also uses the alias Captain Zeebo in online communities. It was later revealed that the professional high-stakes player was actually Greg Lavery. He had a poker blog, which has been down for a while.

Zeebo has been active on the 2 + 2 forum, and there’s even a documentary by DeucesCracked about Lavery’s professional poker career.

How to Use Zeebo’s Theorem?

Now that you understand the rule suggested by the theorem, it’s crucial to know how to use it in practice and start making money.

It all comes down to two essential rules.

Let’s take a look at an example of the second rule.

Imagine you hold K♥ and 10♠ while the board shows K♠, K♣, J♥, and J♣. In this case, you already have a full house with three kings and two jacks. If you assume that the opponent has a jack, it’s time to make them pay for it.

Following Zeebo’s theorem, we can assume that the opponent won’t fold their full house, even though you have a better hand.

Why would they do that? Well, Lavery believes it’s some kind of psychological trick where players always convince themselves they have a winning hand whenever they have a full house, even when common sense suggests that the opponent might have an advantage.

Exceptions to the Rule

The rule might work most of the time with casual or even professional players. However, there’s always a 1% chance that you’ll stumble upon a poker pro who has a highly tight approach. In that case, they’ll likely fold, and that’s a way to tell that the opponent is a true expert in this game.

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Conclusion

Zeebo’s theorem is one of the poker theorems you should learn and apply at the tables. There’s nothing complicated about it, and it’ll help you win more money. This is all there is to it.

The only thing to pay attention to is whether there’s a chance that the opponent has a full house. If you have a good reason to believe that, it’s time to introduce your friend Captain Zeebo into the equation.

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