The Poker Odds are quite similar to the betting odds used in other sports as well which focus on how a particular team is slated to be a favorite to win. If someone offers you the odds of ‘nine to one’ that is 9:1 in a bet, it means that if you win the outcome, an amount nine times more will be paid. So if you have won a $10 bet , an amount of $90 will be paid to you.
A greater ratio between betting and winning indicates your opponent’s conviction in your impending loss in the game. An odd of 100:1 is a sure sign of a person’s belief that they are set to win something for sure and by a huge margin. A person with the odds set particularly large against them winning the pot are referred to as the “long shot” which also indicates the likelihood of a bad loss.
‘Odds’ and ‘outs’
Pot Odds is a major concept to master in Poker as it helps a player calculate his chances of winning a good bet by staying in a hand or opting out. The best way to figure out the pot odds a player is getting is by calculating the ratio of the size of the pot to that of the size of the bet. For example a $10 bet into a $60 pot is 60:10 or 6:1.
The next step after getting the pot odds is to decide if the pot is offering you the right odds to stay in it. This is done by calculating your outs to check the odds of hitting the right hand and winning the pot. Poker Outs are the cards that help a player improve their hand, helping them make it better than their opponent’s hand.
The more the frequency of your outs, the better are the chances of improving the hand by hitting on one of those needed cards that make for the winning combination. For example a hand of 5, 6, 7 and 8 requires a 4 or a 9 to complete a straight combination that better of your opponent’s pair of aces. So you will be waiting in anticipation for a 4 or 9 when the cards are dealt, these cards are termed as the ‘outs’ that improve your hand.
The concept of implied odds has the power to change an unprofitable play in situations when a drawing hand gets paid off with extra bets when it hits a drawing hand. It helps you make the right call even if the math behind the pot odds suggests that the best option is fold.While the pot odds focus on the probability of hitting a hand, an implied odd is focused on the probability of getting paid off when a hand hits.
Making the call
Every active player on the table has to match a bet or a raise with a call that bets an equal amount. The only other option is to fold to a player’s bet or raise. In case a player’s bet or raise is not called on by any other opponent, the player is declared the winner of the pot.
The second and successive calls for a particular bet amount that has already been put into the pot is called an overcall while calling a raise even befor putting the money in the pot is termed as cold-calling. The act of calling with a strong hand instead of raising with it is called flat calling or slow play.
The act of calling in the final betting round when the player does not have a strong hand is called a crying call while a player with a weak hand who suspects his opponent to be bluffing is termed as the hero call. A call made before the betting round with the intention of bluffing in the later betting stages is termed as float.
A call is a verbal declaration in a public cardroom or a casino tournament. The act of placing any chip in response to a bet is deemed to be a call even if it is not declared loudly. It is important to follow the casino etiquettes while making a call by waiting for your turn. It is considered improper to jump the queue by making an out of turn call before the player on your right makes his or her decision. The act of an out of turn call compromises the position of the player who makes it by granting information that could help the player before them fold or check to their advantage.
Poker math
While psychology plays a major role in keeping a player in the game, the knowledge of poker math ensures the long run in a cash game or tournament. It helps a player focus on decisions and not results while maintaining composure as the decisions are based on the understanding of poker maths not some hunches.
Flipping a coin results in two outcomes that is either it is a head or a tail. Meanwhile a 52 card poker deck offers many more outcomes when dealt at a poker table. Every card dealt has the potential of changing the make up of the hand. The odds of getting an ace as your first card are three in 51 hence the pre-flop probability of getting an ace is 5.9 percent while a pair of aces is estimated at 0.45 percent. Receiving any pocket pair out of the thirteen possible pairs is estimated at 5.9 percent which means that a pocket pair is dealt out every 35 minutes.
The probability of winning a hand with an opening high pair as compared to an opponent’s low pair is estimated at 83 percent. A middle pair pitched against one high and one low card has 71 percent winning chances while two high cards pitched against two low cards has 63 percent chances of winning the hand.
A bad beat is the consequence of a highly unlikely event of a bad hand with a very low probability of success winning the game for an inferior player. Even though the move is unintentional, it helps a bad player to sustain his or her short run. A post flop pair of four of a kind has 0.25 percent probability of occurrence with the odds pitched at 400:1.
The understanding of the functional aspects of probability in a poker game is a good way to make great decisions during a hand.and to strategise effectively.