Learn How to Calculate Pot Odds with GTO Wizard
Pot odds are a fundamental concept in poker that help players assess the value of a call by weighing risk against reward.
Essentially, pot odds tell you what percentage of the pot you need to win to make a call worthwhile over the long term.
Calculating pot odds is straightforward, yet mastering this skill can significantly improve your decision-making at the table. In this article, GTO Wizard tells you how you can get to grips with the basics.
Go From Muggle to Wizard with a GTO Wizard Training Plan
Pot Odds Simplified
Simply put, pot odds relate to the amount of money in the pot compared to the amount you must put in the pot to continue playing.
Example:
Let’s say you’re in a hand where there is $300 in the pot and your opponent bets $100, meaning now there is $400 in the middle. As you need to call $100 to see the next card, your pot odds are 4:1 as 100 goes into 400 four times.
Pot odds also apply to draws. For instance, suppose you have a draw to the nut flush with one card left to come. In this case, you are about a 4:1 underdog to make your flush. If it costs you $100 to call the bet, then there must be at least $400 in the pot (including the most recent bet) to make your call correct.
If you’re someone who prefers to calculate using percentages rather than odds, you can determine the equity required for a call with the below formula:
Required Equity to Call = (Call Amount) / (Total Pot After Calling) For instance, if we need to call $10 and the total pot after calling would be $40 (our $10 call plus the existing $20 pot and an opponents $10), we get:
Required Equity = $10 / $40 = 25% This means we need to win at least 25% of the time after making this call to break even on our investment. Ideally, wed aim to win more frequently, but if our chances fall below 25%, thecall becomes unprofitable.
Should You Straddle? According to GTO Wizard, The Short Answer is No
Pot Odds Cheat Sheet
For players who arent comfortable with math, using a cheat sheet can simplify things. GTO Wizard has created one for easy reference: just find your opponents bet size in the first column, and the second column will show you how often you need to win to make a profitable call.
Calculating Pot Odds and Outs
Learning how to calculate pot odds rather than relying on an odds calculator is an important skill to have, especially when playing live poker as you can’t exactly whip out a calculator at the table during a hand.
So, if there’s $100 in the pot and you are facing a bet of $20, the pot is now $120. To calculate your pot odds, divide the 120 (pot size) by 20 (bet to call) and you get six. Therefore, your pot odds are 6:1.
By calculating the pot odds, you can figure out whether you’re getting the right price to call
Example:
You have J10 on a flop of K63 and now have hopes of hitting your flush. To work out the odds of hitting your flush, figure out how many outs to the flush you have, in this case, it would be nine as there are 13 hearts in the deck, and four are already accounted for.
To roughly figure out the probability of you hitting your flush on the turn or river, multiply the number of outs that you have (nine) by four and you’ll come up with an approximate percentage. In this case, it would be 36%, and when using the pot size example above, you would be getting a favorable price to call.
Watch the Full Video
While the above covers the basics of pot odds, the GTO Wizard video goes into greater detail on the topic.
Other scenarios covered include:
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
FAQ
How do I land the Big Bass Bonanza maximum win?
How do I land the Big Bass Bonanza maximum win? To reach the maximum win, you need to trigger the free spins feature and retrigger the 10 extra spins three times, adding a 10x multiplier to your wild and winnings.
How much is the WPT diamond membership?
Who owns the WPT? In 2021 the World Poker Tour was sold to Element Partners for $105 million.
Is Chinese poker the same as poker?
Is Chinese poker the same as poker? Chinese poker is a card game in the poker family that plays quite differently from traditional game variants that most poker players are familiar with (like Texas Hold’em). Each player gets 13 cards in a game of Chinese poker, and is tasked with making two five-card hands and a three-card hand.
How many decks are used in poker?
how many decks are used in poker? In most popular poker variants, such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. Each deck contains four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) and consists of 13 ranks (Ace, 2 through 10, and the face cards: Jack, Queen, and King). However, it’s important to note that the number of decks used in poker can vary depending on the specific game or variation being played.
Is it safe to play on WPT Global?
Is it safe to play on WPT Global? WPT Global is licenced in Curaçao by Gaming Services Provider N.V. and its RNG (random number generator) is independently certified by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI).
Download & Play WPT Global Application In Shortly
This site only collects related articles. Viewing the original, please copy and open the following link:Learn How to Calculate Pot Odds with GTO Wizard
