Poker Strategies – Pot Odds
While figuring the odds of winning a poker hand using outs is often reliable, there is another way to determine your chances of taking the pot. This method involves looking at the pot itself.
For example, assume the pot is £75. You hold pocket spades and there are two more spades on the table at the turn. You guess that your opponent is playing a straight, while you are hoping to hit the flush on the river to win. Your opponent bets £25. This raises the pot to £100; you must call the bet to stay in the game. In other words, you must pay £25 to get £100 – those are four to one odds. With your hand, you have about a 36 per cent chance of drawing another spade on the river or roughly two to one odds. So you are getting paid four to one on two to one odds. This looks good, but only if all betting in the round is completed and the river card is about to be revealed. Consider, for instance, how those odds would change if you are required to bet again.
Betting on pot odds can be complicated, but with practice it can help you become a more effective poker player. Always use pot odds in conjunction with another method of calculating your chances of winning the hand. Before you act on pot odds, be sure to play out as many possible scenarios as you can and only commit if you can justify the risk.