This is part 1 from 2 articles on Texas Holdem Odds.
One of the hugest factors when playing texas hold’em poker is probability. To determine their actions players will use odds. The chances of finishing a flush or a straight, the probability of getting an overcard, the percentage of times you’re going to flop a set to match your pocket pair are all important factors in poker. When you know these statistics you will have a bigger change in winning the game. Especially when you’re playing online (when you don’t have the interaction with the other players), the statistical knowledge is the main factor when you choose to bet, call or fold.
Before we go any further, let’s explain some terms you’ll probably hear or read when looking for information on poker odds:
Outs: This is the number of cards left in the deck that will improve your hand. “I had four hearts on the turn, so I had only 9 outs left to finish that flush.”
Pot Odds: The odds you get when analyzing the current size of the pot vs. your next call. “There’s $200 already in the pot, and only another $10 bet coming at me, so my pot odds are good if I hit that flush.”
Bet Odds: The odds you get as a result of evaluating the number of callers to a raise. “With a 1 in 5 chance of hitting it, and knowing all six of these guys are gonna call my bet, my bet odds are good too.”
Implied Odds: The odds you are getting after the assumed result of betting for the remainder of the hand. “Since I think these guys are going to call on the turn and river, my implied odds are excellent.”
When you’re playing texas hold’em poker, the most commonly used are outs and pot odds. And if you want to start learning about poker odds, those two are the starting point. If you aren’t good in counting, you better get good, because that’s a skill you’re going to need. At this point it’s only simple division The numerator will be the number of outs you have. The denominator is the number of cards left that we haven’t seen. The result will be the percentage chance of making one of those outs. Therefore, the most math you’ll be doing will be dividing small numbers by 50 (pre-flop), 47 (after the flop), or 46 (after the turn). Go to our odds examples page for some examples about this.
Read more on texas hold’em poker odds in our next article.
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Sat, Mar 21, 2009
texas hold em strategy