How to Use Poker Pot Odds Charts

In the context of poker, pot odds are a way to compare the size of the bet you're facing with the total amount currently in the pot, guiding you in assessing if calling is a profitable decision over the long run. This is crucial when you're considering drawing hands mid-game or just before the end. showdown with action on the river.

IMPORTANT: Understanding the concept of “pot odds” is vital in poker to fully grasp the insights shared in this article. Don’t forget to visit our resources within the Poker Charts series to brush up on your knowledge if needed. equity Why Is It Important for Me to Grasp Poker Pot Odds? equity charts article Refer to the Poker Pot Odds Chart (Related to Bet Sizes)

Table of Contents

To assess if you are currently receiving a favorable price for making a positive expected value (EV) call.

To assist in estimating the extra amount you'd need to earn on subsequent streets through implied odds if your current position doesn't give you the right price.

1. On the river, it aids in calculating the minimum percentage of the time you must call and win to ensure a profit.
2. As a bettor on the river, the size of your bet and the pot odds you present to your opponent will dictate the most effective bluff-to-value ratio for the hands you possess. Price .
3. It's crucial to recognize that if you're contemplating a call on the river, and your hand's equity against your opponent's likely holdings exceeds the percentage you need to call to maintain profitability (the pot odds), then you should always make that call.
4. IMPORTANT: Both evaluation methods will lead you to the same conclusion. Feel free to choose the one that resonates more with your personal style.

Formula for Determining Pot Odds

The formula for calculating pot odds is as follows:

For instance: Assume your opponent wagers $75 into a $100 pot on the river. What should your pot odds and the win percentage be to ensure you have the best hand?

• This calculation indicates that you need to win at least 30% of the time when you call in order to achieve a long-term profit.
• Bet Size / (New Pot Size + Bet Size)

It also implies that if your opponent is playing optimally, they should theoretically include a range of 70% strong hands and 30% bluffs when making such a bet on the river.

Pot odds = $75 / ($100 + (2 x $75)

Pot odds = $75 / ($100 + $150)

Pot odds = $75 / $250

Pot odds = 0.3

Pot odds = 30%

NOTE: Out of all the available charts, this one stands out as one of the most crucial to memorize. Knowing it by heart can ease your decision-making process during gameplay.

Understanding how to read the chart starts with familiarizing yourself with both the pot size and the size of the bet in relation to that pot. If you begin practicing this, it becomes simpler to recognize these variables, as they are usually presented clearly in front of you.

Pot Odds and Live Poker

After every betting round concludes, take a brief moment to silently reassess the pot size in your mind before the next community card is revealed. This practice will ensure that you're always prepared to compute bet sizes in relation to the pot sizes immediately, rather than backtracking later. playing poker online Additionally, keep a discreet mental note of the pot odds you’re working with. Avoid making it obvious that you’re calculating pot sizes as this could reveal your strategy to your opponents. If you're contemplating a call and overly focus on the pot, it may alert them to your thought process.

This oversight can easily shape how opponents perceive your future actions (for example, whether you’re determining the right pot odds to continue with a drawing hand).

Expressed odds will indicate whether you are getting the right price for an immediate call that could be profitable in the long run.

For instance, if a player makes a half-pot bet on the flop, your hand must hold at least 25% equity to proceed based on the expressed odds.

That said, it’s vital to calculate pot odds for flop bets with caution. For example, consider if you want to call while holding a flush draw (which usually boasts around 36% equity). sizings However, your current equity is influenced by both the turn and the river cards. Often, your opponent might place a bet on the turn, and if you don’t hit your flush by that point, your position shifts into a more precarious situation. At that point, your flush draw will have roughly 18% equity left with only one card remaining. poker chips If your opponent places another half-pot bet afterward, you'll quickly realize that you're not receiving the right immediate odds to justify a call. (Thus, raising sometimes with your flush draws on the flop or turn, provided you have some fold equity, could be a strategic move. But that’s a topic for another discussion.)

Expressed Odds vs Implied Odds

(Remember, your hand’s equity is 18%, the pot stands at $100, and you face a $50 wager.)

Here’s the formula to help us determine how much more money you would need to pocket on the river to validate your call on the turn:

Our equity = (amount to call) / (opponent's bet + pot size + amount to call + what you need to win on the river)

We can figure out the break-even sizing for the turn bet using the pot odds formula and proceed from there:

The figure of $28.13 is the amount that your opponent's turn bet would need to be for you to receive a break-even price for a call. Next, we can weigh this against the actual $50 bet size facing us and deduce the difference.

After conducting the necessary calculations, we see that... implied odds Given that the pot size is $100 in the current scenario, it becomes evident that in order to make a break-even call on a $50 turn bet, the pot would need to grow to $177.78, meaning you'd have to secure an additional $77.78 on the river (when the pot totals $200 with that call).

Now…How Can You Make That Money on the River?

Even after determining how much you need to earn on a forthcoming street, it can still prove challenging depending on your particular situation.

METHOD 1 - Simple:

Therefore, it’s crucial to assess how plausible it is for you to extract further bets from your opponent, considering a couple of factors:

You may need to either (1) place a donk bet (where you bet into the aggressor), but note that they might not call if you do; generally, river donk bets, when draws finish, are often perceived as more value-heavy than bluffs by the average player base; or (2) check to the aggressor, hoping they will place a bet so that you can either call or attempt a check-raise. However, regarding option #2, suppose they bet 25% of the pot ($50) on the river and then fold to a check-raise? You’ll still fall short of the $77.78 needed on the river to justify your earlier call.

0.18 = $50 / ($50 + $100 + $50 + $X)

0.18 = $50 / $200 + $X

(0.18)($200 + $X) = $50

$36 + 0.18X = $50

0.18X = $14

X = $77.78.

METHOD 2 – Another Option:

In a positional advantage, your opponent may check and fold if you bet on a river with three cards of the same suit. There is no certitude that they will follow through with a call. Your only guaranteed opportunity to recover your amount lost is if your opponent at least bets $77.78 into you.

Pot Odds Formula : 18% = ,(X / ($100 + 2X)

Solve for X : ($100 + 2x)(0.18) = X

$18 + 0.36X = X

$18 = X – 0.36X

$18 = 0.64X

$18 / 0.64 = 0.64X / 0.64

$28.13 = X

X = $28.13

Unless you've landed the nut flush, it's possible your opponent has hit a better flush some of the time, diminishing the equity you held going into the turn more than expected. In this scenario, you could end up losing even more on the river.

$28.13 / $100 = $50 / X

$77.78 relative to an existing pot of $200 constitutes a fairly substantial bet, roughly 40% of the pot, thus making it less likely for opponents to commit to a call. If what you require is a quarter-pot bet, opponents might be more inclined to match a bet of that magnitude with marginal holdings (like top pair). However, the larger the required bet to validate your turn call, the more complicated it becomes to collect payment.

Grasping and implementing pot odds in your poker strategy should become second nature. The greater the intentional effort you invest at the start to fully comprehend and cultivate your instincts in this area, the simpler and more automatic it will be as time progresses.

As a result, this will empower you to make consistently profitable decisions at the poker table with relative ease.

Matthew Cluff is a skilled poker player specializing in 6-Max No Limit Hold’em formats. He also provides online poker content for several platforms on a periodic basis.

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Leverage Poker Pot Odds to Significantly Enhance Your Winning Potential!