Pot odds are one of the most powerful tools you will find when it comes to improving your poker game. They rely on math and help you to make better decisions when it comes to playing a hand or staying out of it altogether. The ability to use this mathematical tool in the middle of the game, and to be able to use them effectively, will allow you to play smart, more successful poker.
Let’s take a look at what they are, how they’re used, and go over the math behind them so that you can start using them.
What are Pot Odds?
Your pot odds are a ratio that reflects the amount of money you stand to win versus the amount of money that you have invested in a hand. If there is $100 in the pot and it will cost you $20 to stay in the hand, your pot odds are 5:1. $100 is five times as big as $20. Pretty simple.
This information is then compared to the number of cards left unseen that can improve your hand and the amount of money that you will have to invest to stay in the hand. The cards left need to improve your hand are usually referred to as “outs.” So, let’s say that after the flop, the board reads K, 6, 4. In your hand you hold a 5 and a 7, giving you a four-straight. Now, you know that there are 52 cards in the deck, and you now know what 5 of them are. That leaves 47 cards that could potentially be played. To complete your straight you need an 8 or a 3 to fall on the turn or the river. There are four of each of those left in the deck, leaving you with 8 outs. We will assume for the sake of simplicity that there is no flush possibility, but if there is, then don’t forget to include remaining suit cards to the mix.
How Do You Use Pot Odds?
Calculating poker pot odds is a way to determine if you should stay in a hand. When the odds of hitting an out are more favorable than the pot odds you are receiving, you stay in the hand. When they’re not, the smart move is to fold. Above, we saw that there were 8 outs, giving you a ratio of 8:47 of hitting your hand. This reduces to about a one in six chance of making your hand (8 x 6 = 48). If your pot odds stand at 7:1 or higher, you’re making more money than you are losing over the long haul, giving you positive pot odds. If the pot odds are lower than 6:1, no matter how many times you will play that hand over the course of your life, you’re going to end up losing money. You’ll win some here and there, but pot odds reflect the long game. Over time, it is a bad decision to stay in the hand on a draw when the pot odds are against you.
Calculating the Pot Odds of Others
The hand that you are playing will change based on the cards that come out on the table. What if an 8 had hit on the turn, but then a King fell on the river? In our K, 6, 4 example above, how could we have been confident that any remaining players in the hand didn’t have pocket Kings? To hit the last K on the river would have left them with one out, giving them pot odds of 1 out of 46. With a probable straight on the table, there would have needed to have been a lot more money in the pot in order to make this the correct play for them. Bad beats happen, and you can be assured that they will happen to you often. However, it was actually a bad play for them to stay in this hand, assuming that they were not the lead bettor. If they had hit four Kings, they would have been incredibly lucky, but it also would have been a poor play mathematically because the pot odds were so low and their chances of hitting their sole out were so bad. Over time, you will find that you will come out ahead, even if you are beaten once in a while.
Tags: Best Poker Odds Methods, Poker Odds Calculator, Using Math in Poker
