Pot Odds Explained: The Only Math You Really Need

Pot odds are the price you are getting on a call: the ratio of the current pot to the amount you must call. They tell you how often you need to win to make a call profitable.

The formula

You need to win the hand more often than:

call / (pot after your call)

If the pot is 100 and you must call 50, the pot after your call is 200 (100 + 50 + your 50). Your break-even is 50 / 200 = 25%. If your hand wins more than 25% of the time, calling is profitable; if less, folding is.

A faster version: a pot-sized bet lays you 2-to-1, so you need 33%. A half-pot bet lays you 3-to-1, so you need 25%. A quarter-pot bet lays you 5-to-1, so you need ~17%.

Pot odds vs. your equity

Pot odds give you the threshold. Your equity — your chance of winning — is what you compare against it. Call when equity beats the price; fold when it doesn't. That single comparison is the engine under most correct calls and folds in poker.

Drawing hands

If you hold a flush draw with nine outs, you have roughly 19% to hit on the next card and about 35% by the river. Compare that to the price you're being laid. If the immediate odds fall short, you may still continue on implied odds — the extra money you expect to win on later streets when you hit.

Common mistakes

• Calling "because I might be good" without checking the price.
• Ignoring implied and reverse-implied odds.
• Forgetting that your own bet changes the odds you offer the opponent.