Pot odds are the odds equal the ratio of the pot size to the size of the bet youmust call. To determine the pot odds, simply take the amount of money thatis already in the pot and divide it by how much you need to put in to call.Understand the pot odds helps you to determine whether or not you shouldcall when you are on a draw. Let’s say you are in a game that six people seethe flop for $5; there is $30 in the pot. On the flop, there is a $15 bet and nowit’s your turn to call. The pot odds are $45:$15 or about 3 to 1.
Implied Odds
Implied odds represent how much money you might be able to make if yousuccessfully hit a drawing hand. On the other words, implied odds are simplyfuture pot odds. If you are pretty sure that your opponent will bet anotheramount of money into the pot in the future, you should use the implied oddsbefore deciding whether to call a bet or not. Before you use the implied odds,make sure you have a good understanding of your opponent’s action. Will hebet out and then call a raise if the card you need hits? If you fail to read youropponent, it may cost you a lot especially in the no limit game. I will coverthe four different of players in the later chapter.
Call or Fold
Let’s say you are holding J♣T♣, and the flop brings a Q♥8♣2♥. There is $30in the pot, your opponent bets $10, and there are three callers when it gets toyou. Currently your pot odd is $70:$10, and you have a gutshot straight draw,any nine will make your hand. You are 11:1 against completing your handon the turn while getting only 7:1 on a call. From what we have learned, youshould only call if you believe there is another $40 bet when theturn show. You must have good understanding of your opponent when youtry to use the implied odds. Therefore, if you are new to poker, don’t over usethat until you are comfortable with it.
Here are some examples, make sure you understand it all if you are new dewapoker.
There is $100 in the pot on the pot, and one of the players bets $500 to you. What is the pot odds?
The pot odds are $600:$500, or about 1.2 to 1
You have AK and the flop brings a Q♥8♣3♠. You believe youropponent has AK. There is $20 in the pot, and your opponent bet $50. What now?
The pot odds are $300:$50, or about 13 to 1
You have J♣Q♣ and the flop brings a Q♥7♣2♠. Your opponent has AK. There is $30 in the pot, and your opponent bet $50. What now?
The pot odds are $600:$50, or about 28 to 1
A similar example is where you are holding a flushdraw. Let’s say you have 9 hearts in the flop. The flop brings a heart, a flush and a flush draw.
There is $60 in the pot on the pot, and one player bets $10. There must be $20 in the pot, because you have a flush draw. You are 3:1 against completing your flush while getting the straight, while the odds are only about 6:1 against hitting your straight. While it is a close call, you should call. You probably have the best hand, and while your opponent may have a better hand, a call is probably your best play.
Your pot odds are only about 8:1 while you believe you have the best hand, and your hand odds are only about 4:1, because of the number of outs you believe you need to have the best hand.
Bluffing
Bluffing, or pretending to have a better hand than you really have, is a big part of successful poker play. It is an essential ability that all successful poker players have, and can learn to hone and activating it little by little. But to summarize, there are three factors to consider when bluffing: your image of your opponents, how much to bet, and your position.
Your image of your opponents is another thing to consider. If you are in a loose lowbetting position, making a bluff can work to your advantage if you can trick the players into thinking you have a better hand than you really do. If you are in a high stakes game with tight players, a bluff will most likely fail.
