How to Calculate Pot Odds in Poker
If you aren’t familiar with pot odds in poker or if you just want a refresher, you’re reading the right article. You are about to learn what pot odds are and how to calculate them step-by-step. After that, we will go over 3 examples of using pot odds in different situations (preflop and postflop). Finally, you will get a handy infographic with pot odds “shortcuts” that will help you make winning decisions at the table.
What Are Pot Odds?
Pot odds represent the ratio between the size of the total pot and the size of the bet facing you. Keep in mind that the size of the total pot includes the bet(s) made in the current round nhà cái N666.
For example, if there is $2 in the pot and your opponent bets $1, your pot odds are 3 to 1. In other words, you have to pay 1/3rd of the pot in order to have a chance to win the whole pot.
Pot odds are the mathematical foundation for calling situations in poker. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to figure out which calls are profitable and which are not.
Note: You can also use a ‘:’ to separate the values, such as 3:1.
How to Calculate Pot Odds 2024
Suppose the pot is $100 and your opponent bets $50, making the total pot $150. This means you are getting 150:50 on a call, which can be simplified to 3:1
From there, you will want to convert your pot odds into a percentage so you know exactly how much equity your hand needs to profitably call the bet.
Let’s go over the quick 3-step process for converting your pot odds into a percentage.
Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.
First, you need to figure out what the pot size would be if you called the bet. In this case, the total pot is $150 and it’s $50 to call, so the pot would be $200 ($150 total pot + your $50 call) if you call.
We’ll refer to this number as the final pot.
Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.
In this case, that comes out to 0.25 ($50 call size / $200 final pot size).
Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
Now, simply multiply that 0.25 by 100 to convert the decimal into a percentage. That’s 25% (0.25 * 100) in this case.
This means that, when you call, you need to win more than 25% of the time in order to profit.
The next step would be to assess whether your specific hand has at least 25% equity versus your opponent’s range. I’ll show you how to do that in the examples below.
Example 1: Using Pot Odds Preflop
NOTE: We’ll be going over cash game examples, but this same process works for tournament hands as well.
Suppose you’re playing a $0.50/$1.00, 6-handed online cash game. A player raises to $3 in the cutoff and the action folds to you in the big blind.
Your hand is 7♦ 5♦. Let’s use our step-by-step process to figure out if you can profitably call based on your pot odds.
Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.
$3 (the size of the raise) + $1 (your big blind) + $0.50 (the small blind) + $2 (your call size) = $6.5
Note that the call size is only $2 because you already have $1 invested as the big blind.
Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.
$2 call size / $6.5 final pot size = 0.307
Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
0.307 * 100 = 30.7% equity required to call.
Step 4: Assess whether your hand has enough equity to call.
Now, you have to estimate your opponent’s range and calculate whether your 7♦ 5♦ has at least 30.7% equity against it.
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