Introduction To Pot Odds

This series of lessons will start with an introduction to pot odds and and its affect on how you play the game of fixed limit hold’em.

What Is Pot Odds In Poker?

Pot Odds, in poker, are most often referred to as the odds you are getting when you are behind in the hand with cards still to come, without considering future bets. (when drawing, chasing, etc…) Mathematically speaking, Pot Odds are the ratio of the pot size to the cost of a contemplated call. The best way to understand this is to look at a simple example.

Example 1a: If a pot is $10 and you must call $1 to stay in the hand, you have 10 to 1 Pot Odds.

The Pot Odds can be compared to the probability of winning a hand with a card to come. When you compare the pot odds to the probability of winning you are estimating the call’s expected value.

A simple mathematical formula would be (Pot size) * (% chance of winning) >= (Bet size).Don’t worry if none of this makes sense right now; these lessons will teach you everything you need to know about Pot Odds.

Why Is Pot Odds Important In Limit Poker Games?

Learning how to use Pot Odds will help you make better decisions. If you know your expected value, you will know the correct decision to make for the situation. Many players don’t realize that one of the most important tools for winning Limit Hold’em players is calculating Pot Odds. In fact, it is impossible to become a great Limit Hold’em poker player without becoming proficient at Pot Odds. Our format of articles and tests are particularly effective at showing how to use Pot Odds like the Pros do.

Learning The Basics Of Pot Odds Is Easy

The basics of Pot Odds are straightforward and easy to learn; anyone can become proficient at calculating the math. It is simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The difficult part is taking the incomplete information available, and applying it correctly. These lessons are designed to explain the math as simply as possible with plenty of examples and tests to make sure you have understood and remembered the important information.

What is covered in these articles?

This series of lessons will teach you everything you need to know about applying Pot Odds to Limit Hold’em situations. Pot Odds are the ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a contemplated call. The most common situation where math is needed in Limit Hold’em is when you are behind in the hand and you need to calculate how likely you are to win the hand. This is where Pot Odds and math comes into play most often, but first you must consider the likelihood that you are going to win the hand.

There are two different ways to express this likelihood; probability or odds. It is very important that you understand how to calculate both, and the differences in the two methods.

Move on to Lesson 2, to learn about Probability and Poker. There is no test associated with Lesson 1.

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