 pot odds
Rough and simple:
Each card you need to make your hand has about a 2% change of appearing. (2% = 1 out of 50, and 52 cards in deck so close enough)
Count the cards that help you, multiply by 2 and get a percentage. This is your chance to hit your hand. If you're at the flop you have turn and river to come, double that number since you have 2 chances.
Now you have a percentage chance to hit - flip that into an odds number. you know, 10% is 1 in 10 or 9 to 1. 32% is roughly a third so 1 in 3 or 2 to 1.
Say you need one of 10 cards to make your hand on the river. Thats 20%, 1 in 5 or 4 to 1. If there is 40 chips in the pot and you have to call a 10 chip bet, you are getting 4 to 1 on your bet so you have 'pot odds' to call. In this case you're 4-1 to make your hand and are getting 4-1 on your bet, so your exactly even. Ideally you want to be playing a 4-1 hand and getting more than 4-1 on your bet.
Some easy easy ones to remember: open ended straight draws and 4 flushes on the flop both have roughly a 2-1 chance of completing. So if there are 400 chips in the pot and someone bets 100, then you can call the 100 for a chance to win the 400+100=500 and be getting 5-1 pot odds on your 2-1 call, great! But if someone bets 600, then you would only be getting 2.5-1 so should fold.
Pot odds = the ratio of what you have to call to what is already in the pot. Compare that to your chance of making the hand and away you go.
Hope that helps a little.  |