Poker Strategy Odds Outs
- Poker Strategy Odds Outs College Bowl
- Poker Strategy Odds Outs Win
- Poker Strategy Odds Outs Odds
- Poker Strategy Odds Outs Against
Here are some terms that you'll hear on this site and whenever you're talking about poker odds...
For instance if you are on a straight draw where you have eight poker outs to hit on the river than your poker odds are 38-8, or simplified, 6-1. That means you’ll get there just under 20% of the time. Let’s say the pot has $90 in it and the other person just made a bet of $10. Odds from flop to turn = (47 - outs): outs A standard scenario for the application of odds from the flop to the turn occurs in the shortstack strategy if you are holding a draw in a freeplay position (in the Big Blind where you don't pay any extra to see the flop). This is 24 cards out of the 47 left over, which means I have a 2 to 1 shot of at least getting a straight again. (The card ended up being another 3 for the four of a kind) In these kind of scenarios, you can either go with the strategy guide above or go with your gut. But, you won't see something this unique very often.
| Outs | 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.' |
In Texas Hold 'Em, you commonly use outs and pot odds the most. This isalso the starting point for those who want to learn about poker odds.To those out there who 'ain't good at countin' much', you better getgood because that is how it's done. At this point it's only simpledivision The numerator will be the number of outs you have. Thedenominator is the number of cards left that we haven't seen. Theresult will be the percentage chance of making one of those outs.Therefore, the most math you'll be doing will be dividing small numbersby 50 (pre-flop), 47 (after the flop), or 46 (after the turn).
Pot odds are as easy as computing outs. You compare your outs or yourchance of winning to the size of the pot. If your chance of winning issignificantly better than the ratio of the pot size to a bet, then youhave good pot odds. If it's lower, then you have bad pot odds. Forexample, say you are in a $5/$10 texas hold'em game with Jack-Tenfacing one opponent on the turn. You have an outside straight draw witha board of 2-5-9-Q, and only the river card left to make it. Any 8 orany King will finish this straight for you, so you have 8 outs (four8's and 4 K's left in the deck) and 46 unseen cards left. 8/46 isalmost the same as a 1 in 6 chance of making it. Your sole opponentbets $10. You if you take a $10 bet you could win $200. $200/$10 is 20,so you stand to make 20x more if you call. 1/6 higher than 1/20, so potodds say that calling wouldn't be a bad idea.
We should probably clarify one thing. A lot of players want to somehowfactor in money they wagered on previous rounds. With the last example,you probably had already invested a significant portion of that $200pot. Let's say $50. Does that mean you should play or fold because ofthat money you already have in there? $50/$200? That's a big no. That'snot your money anymore! It's in a pool of money to be given to thewinner. You have no 'stake' in that pot. The only stake you might haveis totally mental and has no bearing on hard statistics.
The next step is to use bet odds and implied odds. That's tougher,because it involves predicting reactions of other players. With betodds, you try to factor in how many people are going to call a raise.With implied odds, you're thinking about reactions for the rest of thegame. One last example on implied odds...
Say it's another $5/$10 texas holdem game and you have a four flush onthe flop. Your neighbor bets, and everyone else folds. The pot is $50at this point. First you figure out your chance of hitting your flushon the turn, and it comes out to about 19.1% (about 1 in 5). You haveto call this $5 bet vs a $50 pot, so that's a 10x payout. 1/5 is higherthan 1/10, so bet odds are okay, but you must consider that this guy'sgoing to bet into you on the turn and river also. That's the $5 plustwo more $10 bets. So now your facing $25 more till the end of thehand. So you have to consider your chances of hitting that flush on theturn or river, which makes it about 35% (better than 1 in 3 now), butyou have to invest $25 for a finishing pot of $100. $100/$25 is 1 in 4.That's pretty close. But there's more!... if you don't make it on theturn, it'll change your outs and odds! You'll have a 19.6% chance ofhitting the flush (little worse than 1 in 5), but a $20 investment fora finishing pot of $100! $100/$20 is 1 in 5. So the chances would takea nasty turn if you didn't hit it! What's makes it more complicated isthat if you did hit it on the turn, you could raise him back, and getan extra $20 or maybe even $40 in the pot.
I'll let it go at that, as once you've mastered simple outs and potodds, bet and implied odds are just a longer extension of theseequations. If you sit and think about these things while you play,it'll come to you eventually without any tutoring. Good luck!
Part #2 Of Our Beginners Poker Tournament Guide
Poker Odds, Outs and Expectation All Clearly And Concisely Explained!
Poker odds are a critical factor in success in online poker tournament strategy. While alone information on odds and outs will not make a player an instant winner, this knowledge will certainly give them an instantly profitable advantage over those players who do not understand these simple poker concepts correctly.
A good way to begin looking at poker odds and outs is in terms of expectation. During any game of poker we will be faced with a number of ‘bets’ at various prices. When you bet with the odds in your favor then you have a positive expectation. That is to say that regardless of the outcome of any particular hand you will show a profit over time. If you bet or call when the odds are against you then your wagers have a negative expectation, that is you will lose money over time.
The most commonly referenced form of poker odds are known as ‘Pot Odds’. This describes the price you are getting when calling a bet from an opponent compared to the current amount of money already in the pot.
For example, if the total pot - including your opponent’s last bet - was $100 and you had to call a $20 bet then your current pot-odds are exactly 5/1. Pot odds are useful when working out whether your call has a positive expectation. In this example, assuming this was the final bet of the hand, then you simply need to work out whether you have a greater than 20% (1 in 5) chance of winning the hand. If you think this is the case then calling will show a profit over time if you think your chances are lower then calling will lose money over time and your hand should be folded.
Pot-Odds can also be used before the last card is dealt. Imagine you have King-Jack of spades and by the time the turn card is dealt there are 2 other spades showing. With 1 card to come you are sure that hitting a spade will win the hand for you. In this situation you need to compare the pot-odds being offered to your chances of winning the hand. In this case you are approximately 4.5/1 against hitting that last spade (see ‘outs chart’ below for more information on this).
Thus if you are getting better than 4.5/1 odds from the pot then calling will show a profit over time. If you are getting less than this price then calling will lose money over time and you should not usually call the bet.
Poker Strategy Odds Outs College Bowl
Looking at the current odds that you are getting by calling a bet leaves out one very important factor. You may be able to win one or more additional bets after the last card has been dealt. This is especially significant in No-Limit Holdem Tournaments where you can bet any amount you like. The additional bets you might win if you make your flush (for example) are known as the Implied-Odds and need to be factored into your expectation.
To return to the King-Jack of spades example, the pot-odds after the turn has been dealt there is $30 in the pot and your opponent bets $10 more. Here you are getting odds of 4/1 with a 4.5/1 of completing your flush, pot-odds alone indicate a negative expectation from this bet. However after the river, if you do make your flush by hitting that last spade then you estimate that your opponent will call an additional $20 bet. Your implied odds are now the $30 in the pot + $10 bet from your opponent + $20 on the river for a total of $60. This means that the real odds of your $10 call on the turn were 6/1. If you take 6/1 odds on a 4.5/1 chance then you will show a profit each time – you will have a positive expectation for the bet.
Planet Mark's Tool Tip! Did you know that poker software tools are available which automatically calculate the math, leaving you to outplay your opponents? I strongly recommend Tournament Indicator, which watches your opponents while you play then uses a unique algo based on Dan Harrington's famous 'M' to recommend the best action. This tool not only stops you from making mathematical mistakes, you can actually start profiting from poker tournaments while you are learning. Find out more and take a free trial at the Tournament Indicator Website now!
What are Poker ‘Outs’ and how are they calculated?
During the play of any hand there are a number of the unseen cards left in play that will improve your hand, and a number that will not. Any card that will improve your current holding is known as an ‘out’. Any hand that is not yet complete, for example 4 cards to a flush or 4 cards to a straight, is known as a ‘drawing hand’ or just ‘draw’. Poker odds can be used to assess whether your play has a positive expectation if you know the basic chart of ‘outs’ that will improve your hand.
A Full Outs Chart is Below - Here are the most common poker outs:
Poker Strategy Odds Outs Win
- 4 Cards to a Flush with 2 cards to come: Odds = 1.9/1 (35%)
- 4 Cards to a Flush with 1 card to come: Odds = 4.1/1 (19%)
- 4 Cards to a Straight with 2 cards to come: Odds = 2.2/1 (32%)
- 4 Cards to a Straight with 1 card to come: Odds = 4.7/1 (17%)
- Inside Straight Draw, 2-3-5-6, 2 cards to come: Odds = 4/1 (20%)
- Inside Straight Draw, 2-3-5-6, 1 card to come: Odds = 10/1 (10%)
As you gain experience in using poker odds and outs you will be able to quickly calculate your winning chances using simple math. After the flop in Holdem there are 5 cards which you have seen – and so 47 unseen cards. You calculate the number of cards that will help your hand out of those unseen cards and then divide this number by 47. For example if you calculate that 10 cards will improve your hand then (10/47) = 4.7/1 odds which is approximately 21% winning chance, with 2 cards to come then doubling the winning chances is close enough for most situations. Learning the most common outs from the chart below will help you make good decisions during a hand – remember that if you take positive expectation bets you will show a profit over time!
Number of Outs | 2 cards | ||
% | % | ||
1 | 46/1 | 22.5/1 | You Have Trips, Make Quads |
4,26% | 8,42% | You have a pair, make trips | |
3 | 14.7/1 | 7.01/1 | You hold 1 ace, make a pair of aces |
8,51% | 16,47% | You have 2-3-5-6, hit a 4 for inside straight | |
5 | 8.40/1 | 3.91/1 | |
12,77% | 24,14% | ||
7 | 5.71/1 | 2.59/1 | |
17,02% | 31,45% | You have 3-4-5-6, hit 2 or 7 for straight | |
9 | 4.22/1 | 1.86/1 | You have 4 to a flush, make flush |
21,28% | 38,39% | ||
11 | 3.27/1 | 1.40/1 | |
25,53% | 44,96% | You have 4 to flush + an ace, make either flush or A-A | |
13 | 2.61/1 | 1.08/1 | |
29,79% | 51,16% | ||
15 | 2.13/1 | 0.85/1 | You have 4 to flush and open-ended straight, make either hand |
34,04% | 56,98% | ||
17 | 1.76/1 | 0.67/1 | |
38,30% | 62,44% | ||
19 | 1.47/1 | 0.54/1 | |
42,55% | 67,53% | ||
21 | 1.24/1 | 0.43/1 | You have open ended straight flush + 2 overcards |
Poker Strategy Odds Outs Odds
SNG Planet Tip: A quick way of calculating your chances of making a hand after the flop (with 2 cards to come) is the ‘Rule of 4’ – Simply Multiply the number of cards to make your hand by 4! For example if you have 4 to a flush on the flop then there are 9 unseen cards of your suit that will make your hand… 9*4 = 36% which is very close to the 34.97% shown on the outs chart above! With just one card to come you multiply by 2 instead.
One last thing, tournament pros tend to congregate at the bigger poker sites - you will find significantly easier games at mid-sized sites, especially those linked with sports-books and casino brands (since the 'gamblers' come over into the poker rooms!). I recommend 888 Poker as a fantastic place to profit from tournaments while you are learning. Check out the games for yourself, you will see the difference!