Limit Poker Implied Odds

If you’re reading this article then I’m assuming that you know enough about pot odds and when it is profitable to call when on a drawing hand. If not, then this theory is going to go over your head as it builds on the basics of pot odds and basic poker mathematics, so it is best to make sure you that you have got them drilled down before you tackle this article. But anyway, if you are familiar with pot odds and want to take your game up a notch, then read on…

Implied Odds In LImit Texas Hold em

When you work out your pot odds in Texas Hold em, you take into account the amount of money in the pot and work out whether it is worth calling X amount to try and win the money that is currently in the pot. Makes sense right? However, there is one important factor that pot odds fails to take into account… what about the money that you might win after you hit your draw?

The money that you could potentially win after hitting your flush or straight will actually have an effect on the pot odds that you will receive for any draw. For instance, if you do not have the correct pot odds to make a call on the flop, but you can almost guarantee that you will win ten times that amount from your opponent after you hit your draw, then it makes perfect sense to neglect the rules of pot odds and work with your implied odds.

In general, if you always have the right pot odds to make the call, then your implied odds should not influence your decision to call or fold because of the fact that a call is going to be profitable regardless of whether or not you win money later on in the hand. Conversely, if you do not have the correct pot odds to make a call, then it is worth considering your implied odds to work out whether or not to call. This is because the reward for hitting your draw may be a lot greater than the amount you may lose through calling and missing your draw.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot that you can do to give yourself an accurate figure on the amount of money that you can expect to win from your opponent after you hit your draw. Therefore to effectively work with implied odds you need to use your own experience at the table and good judgement when it comes to making a decision on whether to call or fold when faced with a drawing hand without the correct pot odds to play on.

As a rule of thumb to help you along with implied odds, hands that are hidden and are not completely obvious to your opponent will carry much greater implied odds. This is because if your opponent does not suspect that you have a strong hand, then there is a very real chance that you will be able to extract a lot of money from the on future betting rounds, especially if they have a strong hand themselves (but one that is weaker than yours of course).

Using Implied Odds In Limit Poker

If you are new to implied odds, you should be careful to not use them as an excuse the chase after draws when you know for a fact that your pot odds are very much against you. Implied odds are going to be very useful from time to time, but be sure to use your experience to best judge when it is a good time to call without good pot odds and when it is best to fold. Self discipline is going to play a big role in the correct use of implied odds throughout your poker career, so control yourself.

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