Pot Odds

Pot Odds Made Easy

Texas Hold'em Download Presents, Pot Odds "Made Easy" Using the 4/2 System

If you want to be successful at Texas Hold'em in the long run, you will eventually need to calculate pot odds. By calculating pot odds, you will know how much could be won compared with the chances of hitting your cards. What we mean by this is: betting chips into long shot draws without a big enough return on your investment will lose you money in the long run, even if you win the odd one in the short term. Assuming you’re not a mathematics genius, one of the easier strategy’s that you can use in order to calculate the pot odds is called the 4/2 rule. The 4/2 rule will calculate your odds to within a couple of percentage points. Because of this variance we suggest that you add 1% for a more accurate calculation as you will see in the examples below.

The very first thing you need to do is count your “outs” when in a hand. Basically what this means is out of the 52 cards in the deck, how many are left in the deck that would complete your hand? For example: let’s say you have a 10, J, Q, K straight draw after the flop. There are 4 9’s and 4 A’s for a total of 8 cards in the deck to finish your straight, you now know that you have 8 “outs” to make your hand. Calculating the chances to complete your hand on the turn and/ or the river with the 4/2 system works like this: multiply the “outs” by either 4 or 2 (hence the name 4/2 system) depending if you are going to see the turn only or the turn AND the river. In this example the chances of hitting your straight on the turn is 8 outs times 2 = 16% + 1% = 17%. The chances of hitting your straight on the turn and river is 8 outs times 4 = 32% + 1% = 33%.

Based on the previous example and knowing now that you have about a 33% chance of hitting your straight on the river, let’s put this into a betting example. We are at the flop and the pot is at $100, someone bets $50, you are now armed with mathematics to make a calculated bet or fold. In this case are you willing to pay another $50 based on your card coming in on a 17% chance on the turn or 33% chance on the turn and river?

We will show you another example based on a pair of 10’s as your hole cards and a flop of 2, 9, K. You think that your opponent may have paired his K as he has raised the pot. In this scenario you have a total of 2 outs. Based on the 4/2 system you would have a 5% chance of another 10 coming up on the turn and a 9% chance of it coming up on the turn and river. Pretty slim odds and this is now a basis for your decision on whether or not to stay in the hand.

Using the 4/2 system to calculate your maximum call in a hand works like this: when it’s your turn to act, calculate the pot size plus any bets on the table times the percentage of your pot odds and you will get the maximum call you would make. For example: you are on the turn and you have a flush draw to the river. There are 9 cards that would complete your hand, based on the 4/2 system you have 9 outs times 2 = 18% + 1% for a total of 19% chance to draw your flush on the river. The size of the pot is $1000 plus a bet on the table for $500 for a total of $1500. What should your maximum call be based on the information you are now armed with? Should you call this bet? Multiply the $1500 by your pot odds: 19% or .19 = $285. This figure should be the maximum amount called on this hand in this situation. The correct call to make here for success in the long run is to fold the hand.

Now you know how to calculate pot odds using a simple mathematical formula. Stick with the numbers and play accordingly and you will be a winning player over the long run.