Poker Basics - Sklansky Bucks

Today we feature a classic calculation that shows you how much money you win on average when you got a bad beat.

Sklansky Bucks (or Sklansky Dollars) are named after iconic poker author David Sklansky who came up with the formula. They are a calculation to work out how many dollars on average you win from a bet or call based on your equity at the time. 

The formula is as follows:

Sklansky Bucks = [ (total pot size) * (equity) ] - last call amount

Let's say you are playing a $100NL game and you have A K, you call an all-in open shove against your opponent who has A 2. It all goes well until they spike a 2 on the river.

You have lost $100 but you were the favourite, in fact you had 74.99% equity at the point that the money went in the middle of the table. So using the formula:

[($200) * (0.7499)] -$100 = $49.98. 

A way to get through downswings

While you lost money you won $49.98 in Sklansky Bucks. Sadly you cannot redeem these in any stores, but long term they are a sign that you are playing profitable poker. 

Having a calculation to show you made the right play, long term, is a very useful mental game device to help you endure downswings. You have a positive result to be happy with despite a negative money result. 

Be careful though, some people use calculations like this as a crutch and often use them as an excuse to show others how unlucky they are. Don't use a positive bankroll of Sklansky Bucks as an excuse to stop working on your poker game. 

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