Gamblers Anonymous (UK) Website

Pot Odds                                                      

POT ODDS? Not many holdem beginners even know much about or realize the importance of pot odds? There too excited to get on and play the game, an early ignorance blinds them of the fear? The fear that an experienced player knows full well, when he’s drawing to a nut flush on the river, with most of he's chips in the pot.  Hoping he has worked the odds of the heart, that he wants to drop on the turn, or river, against the straight, he knows his opponent definitely has. That novice was me once, just going on instincts. Didn’t know a thing about odds, until other players where talking about it to each other, then I realized and a new fear came upon me?  What was I doing? Taking those risks?  I soon realized it was part good play, and luck had given me a false impression I was getting better. Thank goodness I started on play money games, rather then real money tournaments, and a possible pricey way to learn my holdem apprenticeship. I didn’t know about antes, only blinds.  Once when I got to the stage where the antes came in to effect, they were deducted from my chip stack.   I thought some thing was wrong? Where were my chips going?  Who was stealing them? Neither did I understand the pot odds where against me in the lower blinds? And should've played tighter than usual, rather than play a bit looser when the blinds and antes got higher.  I would be getting better pot odds then and waiting for good hands where costing me more.

Now I know difference and I laugh at myself to think how naive I was. But note no matter how good you know your odds and have luck on your side, you still need the hand and a fair flop to win. The difference between real cards and internet play is “TIME "   you have more time to work out your odds in real cards then the internet. The average is about 30 seconds not much time in a big pot with real money involved when the pressure is on.  A good play is to count to 5 0r 6 seconds before you act each time that steady action will get them guessing even more to what you are holding? If you played like you could see their hands you would be betting differently wouldn’t you?

So as with learning about the flop and what other players may have, you have to understand about pot odds? Which will help you gain some control over luck and the next card to drop in tight situations? You have to bare in mind the outs or cards to come that will help you improve your hand, as well as the amount of increased chips it will cost you with two or one cards to come.  Whatever hand you are trying to complete? To also note the ability of the players /player in the pot with you, as to what hand he/she may be trying to beat you and take the pot.  It was even harder to believe when checking the lobby of a tournament how quick players would be on 8000 chips in the lead, after only 5 mins of play. .

Still gets me even now!!

So we know their are 4 ACES , 4 KINGS etc   that’s 13 x 4 sets of hearts , clubs , spades , diamonds from A to k . If you have k 10 of hearts and a Q J 8 comes on the flop with one queen of hearts with two cards to come you, you need 10 outs to make the flush with 10 hearts available to make your hand. That’s a 5/1 chance of a heart dropping. Say the pot is 60 with a 10 dollar bet that’s 6/1 pot odds against 5/1 chance of hitting your heart ,  never mind the straight draw for the Ace [ 4 outs ] or 9s [4 outs ] 7s [ 4  ] outs  plus your hearts , so you have 22 outs and good pot odds ,  which for making a flush against on the chart is  4.22 to 1 . You have to consider the outs available and odds your getting plus the ability of the other player and the size of future bets. Is he drawing to a better hand? Were he’s /she betting telling you what she/he might have? You’ve got to make up your mind quickly, so learn to read the flop. Learn the charts about pot odds of getting certain hands. And learn how to work them out to help you, just like if a hand is not worth raising don’t call, if the odds are against you no matter the hand? Take in the risks and be careful!!!

But you have to gamble some time and knowing your pot odds during play, what kind of player you’re up against comes with experience learn from it. Even if you get rivered or bad beat, at least if you've played the hand right theirs always NEXT TIME.