Why You Should Calculate Pot Odds in Poker
By: LING TONG

If you intend to win money when playing poker, you need to learn how to calculate the pot odds in every hand. This is an essential poker playing strategy, yet it is one that beginning players often fail to do, which leads them to make mistakes. It refers to calculating the ratio of the size of the current pot to the cost of playing the hand. When you disregard the odds, you find that you are losing most of the hands and paying away your chips to the other players at the table with you. The simplest method of calculating the odds is to compare the number of unknown cards left in the deck with the number of outs you have remaining. Then all you have to do is perform simple division to find the odds.

This doesn mean that you need a calculator with you at the table because there are many tips and shortcuts that can help you do this quickly and easily. One easy method is to add up your total outs and multiply this number by 2. Then you add 2 to the total to find the approximate percentage of the chances you have of making the hand.

When playing online, you can have a cheat sheet by your side which makes it much easier to calculate the odds when you are playing multiple tables. You wouldn take such a sheet with you if you are playing at a table in a casino though. The sheet gives you the odds of making a hand with outs from 1 to 21 and is based on two cards left to play and one card left to play. When you reach this stage of the game, you need to know your odds so that you have some idea of whether you should increase your bet or just hold steady.

Although it may seem like a nuisance, as you learn the game, you will need to take the time to make the calculations. As you become more experienced, you will be able to do the calculations in your head more quickly. It will tell you whether or not you should hold on to the cards that are likely to bring you down or whether you should fold.

After the flop in Texas Hold em, you will likely be in one of three positions. The cards you hold in your hand may be worthless in comparison with the three cards on the table and in this case you should fold. The second situation could be that one or more of your cards could well make a winning hand with the community cards, in which case you should bet or raise. If you have a drawing hand after the flop, you don necessarily have a strong hand, but you could make a good hand with the two remaining cards left to be turned over. This is where you would have to calculate the odds to find the chances of these cards being the ones you need. It will help you determine how much you should place as a bet.

For more information on pot odds,the Gutshot and deep stack tournaments visit http://www.PokerTips.org

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