Pot Odds
Pot odds are a mathematical tool used in poker to identify situations where the pot is offering good or bad value in order to continue with your hand. They are calculated by dividing the amount in the pot by the size of the bet for that betting round; this figure provides an indication of whether there is value in continuing with your hand when compared with your percentage chance of holding the best hand at the river; if you are getting better pot odds than the actual odds of making your hand then there is value in continuing, if the pot odds are insufficient the expected value of calling won't make a long term profit and you should fold.
In community card games such as Texas Holdem
and Omaha Poker, pot odds are most useful on the flop, turn and river; before the flop there usually is'nt enough information about your opponents hands to make an informed decision on whether you are getting good or bad pot odds, whereas the texture of the flop provides plenty of information to help you calculate the chances of your hand winning in a showdown.
How To Use Pot Odds
Your hand can be in one of two states when facing an opponent on any betting round, you will either be beating or trailing to your opponents hand; if you are trailing you will need to outdraw your opponent to win the hand at a showdown, in order to profitably continue with the hand you must only accept pot odds that are better than your actual chance of outdrawing your opponents; if you are ahead you must make sure to offer your opponents worse pots odds than their actual chance of outdrawing you in order to profit from this situation long term.
Example: If you have a 33.3% chance of making your hand on the next card your hand odds are 2/1, if your opponent bets $50 into a $100 pot making it a $150 pot with $50 to call, you would be getting 3/1 pots odds. If you get 3/1 pot odds when your hand odds are 2/1 you are getting good value to continue.
Example: If you believe you are beating your opponent at this point in the hand, but you suspect they are drawing to a flush, they have a 19% chance to make their flush on the next card which equates to 4.1:1 odds, you decide to bet $20 into a $100 pot making it a $120 pot with $20 to call; you are offering 6:1 pot odds which means your opponent is getting good odds to outdraw you if they have a flush draw.
|
