Pot and implied odds in poker strategy | Sports, Poker and Casino News

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Saturday, 05 September 2009 05:44

One of the moves in Texas Hold'em that I try to stay away from is putting my tournament life on a draw. More often than not I will leave the table on tilt and frustrated that my draw did not hit even though the odds will tell you that the flush will not hit the majority of the time anyway. Yet this can all change if the right odds are available to the player and this is where pot and implied odds come into play. I saw many cases in the past where people fold (either A they are not very good at poker or B they had a terrible hand in which they didn't think they could call and I may even go with option C which is all of the above) when they should be calling with any two cards because of the pot odds they were receiving. I have seen people fold to 35 chips when the pot is 3,000 chips because well....actually I am baffled why they would fold?? Let's discuss pot and implied odds before these memories put me on tilt.

The best way I can explain pot odds and implied odds is as follows:

Pot Odds

Figure out how many outs you have to hit then look at the ratio between of how much actual money is already in the pot with the amount that is required to call which justifies you staying in the pot.

Example: Let's say the bet is $20 which makes the pot go from $80 to $100. You have a flush draw and you're certain your opponent flopped has a straight. In this situation you're receiving 5 to 1 odds on your call. With 9 cards that'll help you and 38 cards that will not (52 minus your two whole cards and the flop) ; your chances of winning are 38:9 which is roughly 4:1 which makes this is a profitable call.

Implied Odds

Implied odds are a bit different from pot odds in which implied odds deal with the odds you're getting with the ‘implied' betting on the streets to come. Pay attention to these factors; the amount that is expected to be in the pot at the end of the round, the amount to call to stay in the pot, and counting in the possible additional players.

Example: Let's say you have a low pocket pair such as 33 and there is plenty of action in front of you. There is a raiser who made it $20 and there are two callers in front of you with three people to act behind you. This is where implied odds come into play. You have about 8.5:1 shot of hitting your set on the flop and with the action that has occurred before you already and the potential action that could happen makes this a valuable call.

Because if 2 players behind you decide to call to try and hit a flop that will put 6 people in the hand. You are already getting 6/1 on your money but with implied odds and future betting on the turn and river, it makes it a valuable call to try and hit a set.

Good luck on the tables and use the odds to own your opponents.

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