Pot Odds 101: What Every Poker Player Needs to Know

Poker is a beloved game all over the world. And all over the world, beginning players are gaining knowledge faster than every before!

This is thanks especially to the boom of Texas Hold’em, a game whose simplicity is equally appealing to newcomers and experts alike.

To really excel in the game of poker, though, the basics of strategy aren’t enough.

One of the most beautiful elements of the game is that there’s always more to learn. So once the fundamentals are learned, what should new players do to bring their play to the next level?

The answer is clear: pot odds.

Top 4 Online Poker Casinos

1		200% up to $1,000 Sign up	Play Players Accepted
2		100% up to $1,000 Sign up	Play Players Accepted
3		150% up to $1,500 Sign up	Play Players Accepted
4		100% up to $1,000 Sign up	Play Players Accepted

What Are Pot Odds?

Simply put, pot odds are the ratio between the size of the pot and the bet facing you.

Strong poker players use pot odds to determine what kinds of play are and are not profitable.

For a casual player, the choice of whether or not to call bets with, say, the nut flush draw, doesn’t have to be a terribly exact decision: they’re only playing that hand once or twice a month. If their draw hits, they’re likely to win – if not, they’ll lose. It’s simple.

But more serious players are playing more often, and their profits depend on what decisions they make not just once or twice, but hundreds of times. As such, it’s not just a matter of whether that flush draw hits or doesn’t. The big question is…

…if I make this choice a hundred times in a row, will I get the best of it or not?

That’s where pot odds come in. They help players determine how much money will be made when the flush draw hits, and how much will be lost when it doesn’t.

How to Calculate Pot Odds

Though doing math at the poker table may seem daunting at first, pot odds calculation is a simple four-step process.

Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.

Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.

Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get this value as a percentage.

Step 4: Determine if your hand has enough equity to call.

This last step is often where the fun is. Read on for more!

(Pro tip: this neat app over at our sister site, Wizard of Odds, can be useful here. Simply plug in hand values and see who comes out ahead.)

Example 1 – Heads-Up:

To take an ultra-simple example, let’s say you’re playing heads-up with KQ. The board holds K-2-3-8-J with no possible flushes, and there is $50 in the pot. Your opponent, first to act, bets $50. What do you do?

Step 1: There is $50 in the pot, plus your opponent’s bet of $50. If you call, that would mean another $50 in the pot. 50+50+50 = $150.

Step 2: 50 / 150 = .3333

Step 3: .333 x 100 = 33.33%

Step 4: Your pot odds are 33.33%, or 1/3. This means that, if you were to play this exact situation 100 times in a row, you would need to win slightly over 33 hands in order to make a profit.

So the “question” of your opponent’s $50 bet could be re-phrased this way: “Do you think you can beat me 34 times out of a 100?” If so, you should call (answering: “heck yeah, I can!”)! If not, you should fold.

You have top pair and pretty good kicker… this is looking like a smart call, depending on your opponent’s play style.

Example 2 – On the Draw:

This one is a bit more complex. Let’s say you hold the Ace and 10 of diamonds and are seated on the button, with three other players in the hand and $60 in the pot. After the turn, the board holds the J and 2 of diamonds, as well as 7 and 8 off-suit. The small blind player opens with a bet of $15, and both other players call. What do you do?

Step 1: $60 is already in the pot, and three players have just put in $15 each. If you call as well, that’s another $15. 60 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 = $120.

Step 2: 15 / 120 = .125

Step 3: .125 x 100 = 12.5

Step 4: Your pot odds are 12.5%, which means that if you were to play this exact situation 100 times in a row, you would have to win 13 times out of 100 in order to turn a profit. But you are almost certainly going to lose the hand unless you make your diamond flush!

Now comes the fun part. Between the four cards on the board and the two in your hand, you’ve seen six cards total, two of which are diamonds. This means 11 diamonds remain in the deck. How many non-diamonds remain? The deck holds 52, and you’ve seen 6, which leaves 46 remaining. Subtract the 11 diamonds that will make your flush to end up with 35.

11 cards will give you your nut flush, while the other 35 will not.

11 / 35 = .314.

.314 x 100 = 31.4. Which means, if you were to play this exact hand 100 times in a row, you would make your flush about 31 times, and miss it approximately 68 times.

But our pot odds calculation already determined that, in order to make money on this call, you would need to win only 13 times out of 100 to earn a profit. 31 is well above that threshold…

…which means this is a great call!

Against some kinds of opponents, it might even make sense to put in a raise! But that would be getting into Implied Pot Odds…

Wait a Minute… What Are Implied Pot Odds?

The pot odds calculations we’ve done so far only concern themselves with how much money is in the pot… Not with how much might end up there in future betting rounds!

Tune in next week and we’ll explore Implied Odds, taking this strategy to the next level!