Pot Odds and Implied Odds for New Poker Player

Pot odds is the odds equal the ratio of the pot size to the size of the bet youmust call. To determine the pot odds, simply use the formula:

The size of the bet you must call equals the size of the pot

In the above example, the pot odds are 5:1, which means for every 5 big bets you must call, you will win 1 dollar back.

Implied Odds

Implied odds represent how much money the pot will be when yousuccessfully hit a drawing hand. On the other words, implied odds are simplyfuture pot odds. When we calculate the implied odds, we need to consider not only the present pot odds, but also the apotential odds of hitting our hand on the river.

Let's take an example to make this clear. Let's say you are holding J♠ 4♠ and the flop brings a 2♠ 9♣. The turn brings a 3♠ 9, and the river brings a A♠. By our rule, you should bet only half of the pot. In this case you need to call $50 tomake a call, and you will win $75 (£50 + $25(♠))if you hit your hand.

But if you are wrong, there's a way to get even.

Suppose you did hit the hand you were chasing. Let's say you bet $300, and your opponent made the same bet. You now have a pot of $800. Your opponent took $300 in the hope of hitting a nine, and you took $200 to make a call. You now have $900 in the pot, and your opponent has $100.

If you make a flush on the turn, and your opponent took $100 in the hope of hitting a nine, you now have $200 in the pot. Your opponent will have $300 in the hope of hitting a nine, and you have $100 in the hope that he misses his flush. That gives you an equity of about 8 to 1.

But obviously you can't take forever to decide what to do. If a ten comes on the river, you are pretty sure your opponent has a ten. You have $1200 in the pot, and he only has $600 in the pot. In this case you should bluff. But if a 9 comes on the river, you aren't so sure. With the river card still to come, he could have any nine.

If you're playing for a game that isn't marked card, you can't afford to wait to see a ten to come. If your opponent hits aces, you can't afford to call in the hope of hitting another one to give you even more of a lead. If a ten does show up, your biggest mistake would be folding rather than calling - even though your hand conditions allow for a semi-bluff.

When you're holding an Ace, especially the "Dewalive", it's always a good idea to bet or raise to push out the weaker hands. The shorter stacks will call you if they have a decent hand, but if you're betting against significantly shorter stacks, they are going to call you in significantly fewer hands. Betting against significantly smaller stacks isLikewise, if you're betting against very small stacks, they are likely to be playing with a made hand, and not necessarily a strong hand. You will need to be betting at them to make an initial raise significant enough to scare them away, while still giving yourself adequate implied odds to keep folding if you miss.