Pot odds is a term for mathematically figuring out your chances of winning a hand in a poker game compared to the value of the pot. Players want to know whether or not there is enough money in the pot to justify the calls and bets they’re making.
For those that are not familiar with the relatively simple methodology of pot odds, there are two general reactions: confusion or frustration (and quite often a mixture of both) especially among those players that tend to tune out as soon as mathematics is brought into a discussion. When you add the intensity of real money poker to arithmetic, a task generally viewed as tedious or difficult, many poker players start to think that “feeling the table out” is a more effective method than actually utilizing pot odds.
Considering the short amount of time players are allotted during online play, figuring out pot odds seems to be a daunting task that only highly skilled mathematicians would be able to accomplish; however, with little practice, you too can use pot odds to bolster your poker playing income through a huge advantage you would hold over those who are just playing for fun or just don’t use odds at all. With this technique at your disposal, you can also start to make better educated guesses as to what your opponents are holding if you can see that they are odds players as well.
How to figure your pot odds
What is probably the easiest way to figure out whether or not the pot odds are good enough to call a bet is called the “Rule of 4.”
As soon as the flop is shown, figure out how many outs you have available to you then multiply by 4. The number you come up with will be your percentage of hitting an out by the river. After the turn, multiply your outs by 2.
So, if you have 4 outs after the flop (holding two pair going for full house, or an inside straight draw), your percentage of hitting the hand you want is 16% (4×4=16). With a 16% chance to hit one of your outs, the pot odds are 5.25 to 1 (84/16=5.25). After the turn, the percentage is 8% (4×2=8) with pot odds of 11.5 to 1 (92/8=11.5).
With 9 outs after the flop (flush draw), your percentage is 36% (9×4=36). Pot odds after the flop are about 1.7 to 1 (64/36=1.77). After the turn, the percentage drops to 18% (9×2=18) with pot odds of about 4.5 to 1 (82/18=4.55).
Take a look at our poker odds chart for all the odds of making your hands.
Okay, so what do all these numbers mean?
Simply put, don’t call a bet that is a higher percentage of the pot than the odds of hitting your out. For example, the pot is $100 and you have 9 outs after the flop (36% or 1.7 to 1). The player in big blind bets $20 (20% of pot). Make the call (or raise if feeling frisky). However, if he bets $40 (40% of pot) pot odds imply that you should fold (albeit begrudgingly).
With this technique alone you minimize your losses and, coupled with aggressive play, position yourself for success not only online but at the casinos as well.
