Poker Pot Odds Chart

Pot odds is a fundamental and mathematical concept used in poker. Before you understand what pot odds are, take a look at the options below:

Option A: If you risk 1 cookie, you will get 2 cookies.
Option B: If you risk 1 cookie, you will get 5 cookies.

Which option will you choose? Definitely option B. You get 5 cookies for risking 1 cookie!

What if I replace cookie with 1 million dollars? How will it look like?

Pot Odds: 5:1 ($125:$25) Card Odds: 4.1:1 (Look at the chart) Pot Odds Card Odds. Here, you can call as the pot odds are greater than the card odds. This means that you will be winning more money than losing in the long run. Pot Odds The Rule of 4 and 2: Pot Odds Examples. Learning how to use pot odds puts an incredibly useful weapon in your poker arsenal. Knowledge of this basic concept is fundamental in determining whether or not you will become a winning or losing poker player.

Option A: If you risk $1 million, you will get $2 million.
Option B: If you risk $1 million, you will get $5 million.
Notice any difference? The values have changed, but the ratio between the reward and risk is still the same. If you have noticed this difference, you have already grasped the meaning of pot odds!

Your pot odds as decimals are 0.1. Poker Percentages Pot Odds. If prefer the odds as poker percentages then add the pot value and call value. Divide the smallest number by the total and then multiply by a 100 to convert pot odds to percentage value. 10/100 x 100= 10% OR 10/100 = 0.10 x100 = 10%.

So, without any further ado, let’s delve into the fundamental concept in poker!

No Limit Poker Pot Odds Chart

What are Pot Odds in Poker?

Poker pot odds are a mathematical expression of risk and reward. Pot odds tell you how much do you need to risk in order to win a reward. It is the ratio between the reward and the risk.

Reward = Pot to be Won
The pot can be at any point of the game – preflop, flop, turn or river.

Risk = How much you need to risk in order to win the pot
The risk is the size of someone’s bet/raise/re-raise you are facing. It is the amount you need to call in order to win the pot.

Pot odds = Reward : Risk
It is the ratio of the size of the pot (reward) to the amount you have to call (risk).

For example:

If there is $6 in the pot and your opponent bets $3, the pot becomes $9. In order to win the pot of $9, you need to call $3. So, what are the odds?

Reward = $9 (Size of the Pot)
Risk = $3 (Size of the Call)

Pot Odds = $9(Reward):$3(Risk)
= 9:3, which can be simplified to 3:1

Hence, the pot odds are 3:1. You can look at these odds in two ways.

1. You need to pay 1/3 of the pot for a chance to win the whole pot
2. You will get 3X the reward of your risk

Poker Pot Odds Example

Alert! This can be a bit mathematical but an easy hack to learn the odds quickly is available right after the example.

So, have some patience and continue reading…

In this example, we will not be looking at the hole cards so that you are solely focussed on the concept of poker odds.

Here’s the situation: You are on the Button in a $1/$2 6-max game. The Under the Gun (UTG) calls $2. The Middle Position (MP) raises to $5. Let’s calculate the pot odds.

If you don’t know what positions are, go through this: Poker Positions Explained

Preflop

Total pot (Reward) = $1 (small blind) +$2 (big blind) + $2 (UTG’s call) + $5 (MP’s raise)
= $10
Amount to Call (Risk) = $5
Pot Odds = $10 (Reward):$5 (Risk)
= 2:1

You decide to call, and others fold. The total pot is now $15 ($10 in the pot + $5 your call)

Flop

On the flop, the MP makes a half-size pot bet of $7.5. What are the odds now?

Total Pot = $15 (already in the pot) + $7.5 (MP’s bet)
= $22.5
Amount to Call = $7.5

Pot Odds = $22.5:$7.5
= 3:1

You decide to call, and the total pot is now $30 ($22.5 in the pot +$7.5 your call).

Turn

On the turn, the MP makes a quarter of a pot-size bet of $7.5. What are the odds now?

Total Pot = $30 (already in the pot) + $7.5 (MP’s bet)
= $37.5
Amount to Call = $7.5

Pot Odds = $37.5:$7.5
= 5:1

You decide to call, and the total pot is now $45 ($37.5 in the pot + $7.5 your call).

River

On the river, the MP makes a full pot-size bet of $45. What are the odds now?

Total Pot = $45 (already in the pot) + $45 (MP’s bet)
= $90
Amount to Call = $45

Pot Odds = $90:$45
= 2:1

The pot odds on the river is now 2:1. So, if you call, you will get 2X the reward for your call.

As you can see, the odds increase or decrease on different streets. By using the poker odds, you get a clear picture of the reward you will earn for the risk you take.

A Shortcut to Know Your Pot Odds

An easy way to know the odds is to know how much is in the pot and the percentage of the pot your opponent bets.

• What’s the Pot Size?
• What Percentage of the Pot is Your Opponent Betting?

For example, if the pot is $100 and your opponent bets $25, you can say that he is making a 1/4 pot-size bet or he is betting 25% of the pot.

You can save this chart or print it and paste it on a wall next to your computer.

Why are Pot Odds used in Poker?

Pot odds tell you the ratio between the reward and the risk. It helps you to understand how much you need to risk to win the reward. But the real question is, “Is it worth the risk?” For that, you need to compare your card odds with the pot odds.

What are Card Odds?

It is the ratio of cards in the deck that you don’t want to the cards that you want. In other words, it is the ratio of unwanted cards and outs. If you don’t know what outs are, you can click here: How to Calculate Outs in Poker.

Card Odds = Cards we don’t need : Cards we need

Let’s look at the example below to understand this concept better:

Your Hand: 7♦ 6♦
Flop: 8♦ K♣ 2♦

Pot Odds Formula

Your opponent bets $25 into a pot of $100. The total pot is $125. You need to call $25 for a chance to win $125.
So, the pot odds are $125:$25 or 5:1.

In this scenario, you have 9 outs to complete your flush draw. Let’s calculate the odds now.

• A deck has 52 cards.
• We know 5 cards out of those 52 cards – Our 2 Hole Cards and 3 cards on the Flop.
• 52 – 5 = 47. There are 47 cards in the deck that we don’t know.
• There are 9 outs that will help us to make the flush. We need those 9 cards (outs).
• 47 – 9 = 38. We don’t need those 38 cards.
• Card Odds = Cards we don’t need : Cards we need
• Card Odds = 38:9
• 38:9 can be simplified as 4.2:1 or roughly 4:1

The card odds tell us that the odds of hitting a diamond-suited card is 4:1. This means that there is a possibility that a diamond-suited card is in the deck once every 4 cards. In other words, for every 4 times, you won’t hit a diamond, 1 time you will.

Compare Pot Odds with Card Outs

The golden rule is that thepot odds should be greater than the card outs. When the odds from the pot are bigger than the odds of hitting an out, you will be winning more money than losing in the long run. So, the reward should be bigger than the risk.

Pot Odds > Card Outs

Poker Pot Odds Practice

In the above example, we have the following odds:

Pot Odds = 5:1
Card Odds = 4:1

Pot Odds > Card Outs
We should call here as the pot odds are greater than card odds.

Card Odds Chart

It may be very difficult to do the addition and division to find the card odds while playing poker. You can save this card odds chart or print it to paste it on the wall. The chart has the common draw scenarios with the poker outs that you might face while playing poker. With a bit of practice, you will remember the important card odds.

* The last column All-in on the Flop (2 Cards to Come) is in a situation when you or your opponent go all-in on the flop. In an all-in situation, you don’t have to call bets on the turn or river. So, you will see 2 cards till the river. Seeing 2 cards instead of 1 improves your odds.

Let’s look at the example below for a quick exercise.

Your Hand: 7♦ 6♦
Turn: 8♦ K♣ 2♦ J♠

You have a flush draw with 9 outs.

Bet Size #1

Your opponent makes a quarter of a pot-size bet of $25 into a pot of $100. The total pot is now $125. You need to call $25 for a chance to win $125.

Pot Odds: 5:1 ($125:$25)
Card Odds: 4.1:1 (Look at the chart)

Texas Holdem Pot Odds Chart

Pot Odds > Card Odds

Here, you can call as the pot odds are greater than the card odds. This means that you will be winning more money than losing in the long run.

Bet Size #2

In the same example, if your opponent makes a full pot-size bet of $100 into a pot of $100, the total pot becomes $200. You need to call $100 for a chance to win $200.

Pot Odds: 2:1 ($200:$100)
Card Odds: 4.1:1 (Look at the chart)

Card Odds > Pot Odds

Here, the card odds are greater than the pot odds. Although you might hit a flush on the river, calling here won’t be profitable in the long run. So, it will be wise to fold here.

Calculating Pot Odds Using the Percentage Method

Another way of calculating odds in poker is by using the percentage method. There are three simple steps in calculating the odds using the percentage method.

Step 1: Calculate the Final Pot

This is the major difference between the ratio method and the percentage method. In the percentage method, you need to add your call amount to the total pot to calculate the final pot. For example, if there is $6 in the pot and your opponent bets $3, the total pot becomes $9. Now add your call amount, which is $3, to calculate the final pot.

Total Pot = $6 (Already in the pot) + $3 (Opponent’s Bet)
= $9
Final Pot = $9 (Total Pot) + $3 (Call Amount)
= $12

Step 2: Divide the Call Amount by the Final Pot

Call Amount = $3
Final Pot = $12
3/12 = 0.25

Step 3: Multiply by 100

Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
0.25 X 100 = 25%

So, the pot odds are 25%.

Poker Pot Odds Example Using the Percentage Method

Alert! This can be a bit mathematical but an easy hack to learn the odds quickly is available right after the example.

So, have some patience and continue reading…

Let’s review the example without looking at the hole cards to find the odds percentage.

You are on the Button in a $1/$2 6-max game. The Under the Gun (UTG) calls $2. The Middle Position (MP) raises to $5. Let’s calculate the odds.

Preflop

Total pot = $1 (small blind) +$2 (big blind) + $2 (UTG’s call) + $5 (MP’s raise)
= $10
Amount to Call = $5
Final Pot = $10 (Total Pot) + $5 (Call Amount)
= $15
Pot Odds = $5 (Call Amount) / $15 (Final Pot)
= 0.33
0.33 X 100 = 33%

So, the pot odds are 33%.

You decide to call, and others fold. The total pot is now $15 ($10 in the pot + $5 your call)

Flop

On the flop, the MP makes a half-size pot bet of $7.5. What are the odds now?

Total Pot = $15 (already in the pot) + $7.5 (MP’s bet)
= $22.5
Amount to Call = $7.5
Final Pot = $22.5 (Total Pot) + $7.5 (Call Amount)
= $30
Pot Odds = $7.5 (Call Amount) / $30 (Final Pot)
= 0.25
0.25 X 100 = 25%

So, the pot odds are 25%.

You decide to call, and the total pot is now $30 ($22.5 in the pot +$7.5 your call).

Turn

On the turn, the MP makes a quarter of a pot-size bet of $7.5. What are the odds now?

Total Pot = $30 (already in the pot) + $7.5 (MP’s bet)
= $37.5
Amount to Call = $7.5
Final Pot = $37.5 (Total Pot) + $7.5 (Call Amount)
= $45

Pot Odds = $7.5 (Call Amount) / $45 (Final Pot)
= 0.17
0.17 X 100 = 17%

So, the pot odds are 17%.

You decide to call, and the total pot is now $45 ($37.5 in the pot + $7.5 your call).

River

On the river, the MP makes a full pot-size bet of $45. What are the odds now?

Total Pot = $45 (already in the pot) + $45 (MP’s bet)
= $90
Amount to Call = $45
Final Pot = $90 (Total Pot) + $45 (Call Amount)
= $135

Pot Odds = $45 (Call Amount) / $135 (Final Pot) = 0.33

0.33 X 100 = 33%

So, the pot odds are 33%.

A Shortcut to Know Your Pot Odds Percentage

An easy way to know the odds is to know how much is in the pot and the percentage of the pot your opponent bets.

• What’s the Pot Size?
• What Percentage of the Pot is Your Opponent Betting?

For example, if the pot is $100 and your opponent bets $25, you can say that he is making a 1/4 pot-size bet or he is betting 25% of the pot.

You can save this pot odds chart or print it and paste it on a wall next to your computer.

How is the Percentage used in Poker?

In the percentage method, you need to find the card equity and compare it with odds percentage to make a decision. Card equity is as same as card odds. Instead of using a ratio, it is expressed in percentage.

How to Find Card Equity?

Card equity can be accurate if you know what range of hands your opponents are holding. There are many equity calculators available online. Since this is an introductory chapter on poker pot odds, we will teach you the simplest way to calculate card equity.

On the Flop Waiting for the Turn – Number of Outs X 4

On the Turn Waiting for the River – Number of Outs X 2

Let’s look at the example below to calculate the equity.

Your Hand: 7♦ 6♦
Flop: 8♦ K♣ 9♠

You have an open-ended straight draw with 8 outs.

Equity = 8 outs x 4
= 32%

Turn: 8♦ K♣ 9♠ 2♥

Equity = 8 x 2
= 16%

Compare Pot Odds with Equity

The golden rule is that theequity should be greater than the pot odds. When the equity is greater than the pot odds, you will be winning more money than losing in the long run. Here, the reward is bigger than the risk.

Equity > Pot Odds

Let’s look at the example below to compare the odds and equity.

Your Hand: 7♦ 6♦
Turn: 8♦ K♣ 2♦ J♠

You have a flush draw with 9 outs.

Bet Size #1

Your opponent makes a quarter of a pot-size bet of $25 into a pot of $100. The total pot is now $125. The final pot is $150 (total pot + call amount).

Pot Odds: 17% (25/150 X 100)

Equity: 9 (outs) X 2 (Turn)
= 18%

Equity > Pot Odds

Here, you can call as the equity is greater than the pot odds. This means that you will be winning more money than losing in the long run.

Bet Size #2

In the same example, if your opponent makes a full pot-size bet of $100 into a pot of $100, the total pot becomes $200. The final pot is $300 (total pot + call amount).

Pot Odds: 33% (100/300 X 100)

Equity: 9 (outs) X 2 (Turn)
= 18%

Pot Odds > Equity

Here, the pot odds are greater than the equity. Although you might hit a flush on the river, calling here won’t be profitable in the long run. So, it will be wise to fold here.

An easy way to find out how much equity is required for you to call is to find out the percentage of the pot your opponent bets. Remember these odds against your opponent’s bet sizes.

Conclusion

It might be a little overwhelming for the first time to grasp the concept of pot odds. However, with a bit of practice, you will get used to it. We recommend you to save all the charts or print them and paste it on the wall to take quick decisions. Poker is a mathematical game, and if you get your numbers right, you will always win money in the long run!

In poker there are good bets and bad bets – the game is simply a way of determining who can tell the difference. This is where the concept of pot odds comes into play. Put simply, pot odds means is there enough in the pot to call a bet.

The fundamental principle of playing a drawing hand in poker is that you need a pot big enough to call. When we have a flush draw or a straight draw we will make our hand on the next card almost 20% of the time (19% for flush and 17% for the straight draw). That is, 20% of the time we will make our desired hand and 80% we won’t. The ratio 20 to 80 can be expressed as odds of 4-to-1. Therefore, if the pot is $80 we can almost call a $20 bet to break-even. I say almost because we have to make a profit so, a call of $20 is appropriate when there is more than $80 in the pot.

Know the Odds

You should already know how to calculate odds based upon the number of “outs”. If you don’t know the odds of hitting certain common draws then please go back and study our previous lesson on calculating odds and outs in poker. For the benefit of this lesson we’ll include the handy chart below:

Table: Odds and outs from the flop and the turn to the river:

We have created a printable PDF version of the poker drawing odds chart (opens in a new window). You will need Adobe Acrobat on your computer to view it on screen. We recommend you print the chart and be sure to memorize these odds, particularly the common draws – as your time is better spent analyzing your opponents’ play rather than attempting to perform mathematical calculations in your head.

Track the Pot Size

Part of the concept of pot odds is to focus on the calculation of how to figure the odds of your hand becoming a winner. The other part of the equation is to know how much is actually in the pot in order to know what odds it is offering you.

If you’re playing poker online then the size of the pot should be in clear view at all times – simple! If you’re playing poker live then it’s as easy as paying attention and using basic arithmetic to know the pot size at every step of the way. All one needs to do is multiply the total amount bet on each street by the number of active players and add that sum to the blinds if they are not participating in the hand. Hold that total in your head and add the subsequent total of the next street’s betting and you will always have the pot total available to calculate your pot odds. Here are some critical words of advice: know what is in the pot at all times. How else can you make proper mathematical decisions?

Calculating the Pot Odds

At this stage you should know the odds of hitting your card(s) and the size of the pot. The next step is to know what odds the pot is offering you. The best way to teach you is to use an example hand. Take a look at figure 1, below:

Figure 1

As you can see, we have 9 outs for the nut flush draw, so the odds of hitting our flush on the river are roughly 20% or 4-to-1 odds. There is $450 in the pot, and player 2 bets $150, which now makes the total pot $600. It’s going to cost us $150 to win $600. How do we calculate these figures to give us the pot odds? This is fairly simple as 600/150 = 4, so we have 4-to-1 odds for our money.

If we want to know the percentage then we add the bet (call amount) to the pot, to give us a total pot figure. In this example it would be: 150 + 600 = 750. Once we have this figure then we would have to perform the following formula: call amount / the total pot size. In our example this would be 150 / 750 = 0.2, or 20%.

Now we know the pot odds, should we call or not? In our example we can justify the call as we’re getting 4-to-1 pot odds and our odds of hitting and winning is also 4-to-1. But remember it’s a break-even call over the long term if we’re only counting the flush draw. Ideally we’d want the pot to be a little bigger or their bet to be a little smaller. However, if we believe that hitting either an Ace of King (giving us 6 additional outs) on the river would beat our opponent then we’d have more than enough odds to call the bet.

In poker, whenever the pot odds exceed the odds against making your hand, it pays to keep playing. When the odds against your hand coming in exceed the reward associated with it, it’s usually a bad deal. A simple way to think about this is as follows:

• When the prize exceeds the cost, you should call.
• If the cost is more than the money you figure to win, fold.

…did you know that AK flops a flush draw 11% of the time?

The new book Optimizing Ace King has a complete chapter on playing draws (along with chapters on playing pairs, turn & river play, and even ideal lines when AK totally misses the board).

As a bonus for being a Pokerology reader, use code POKEROLOGY at checkout to save $5 when you pick up your copy.

Let’s look at another example:

Figure 2

Here we have a straight and a flush draw, meaning we have 15 possible outs. The odds of hitting one of our outs on the turn is 31.9% or 2.13-to-1. The pot contains $36 ($24 + $12) and it’ll cost us $12 to call.

Are we getting enough pot odds to call? Let’s do the figures, first in odds…..$36 (total pot) / $12 (cost to call) = 3. Expressed as a ratio this would be 3-to-1 odds, meaning we’ll win once every 4 times. In percentage terms… the pot odds can be expressed as 25%. Our drawing odds are 31.9%. Since the pot is offering us better odds than our draw, we should call the $12 bet.

Let’s continue with this hand example. As you can see in figure 3, we didn’t hit on the turn, we check and our opponent then bets $60 into the existing $48 in the pot.

Figure 3

Are we still getting the correct pot odds to call in the hopes of hitting a straight or flush? The answer is no.

The pot odds are now 1.8-to-1 (108 / 60) or 35.7% in percentage terms. Our drawing odds are 2.07-to-1 or 32.6%. Since the pot odds are less than the odds of hitting, in this instance we should fold. To call a bet here we’d need the pot to be a little bigger or our opponents bet to be a little lower. He has priced us out with his overbet.

So, that old feeling we had, “There is a bunch of money in the pot, I call”, was and is a sound tactic. Now we know more precisely when it is profitable and when it is not profitable to go in on draws. Knowing pot odds does two things; it lets us concentrate on the other players and turns poker into a game of skill.

Make Your Opponents Pay

Let’s take a quick look at a situation when you’re the one with a made hand and you figure one or more of your opponents to be drawing. Understanding the concept of pot odds should help you to determine an appropriate bet size and charge your adversaries for their possible draws.

Imagine raising a bunch of limpers from late position, holding pocket Jacks. The big blind and the three of the original limpers all call your raise and the five of you watch a flop of :

You’ve hit middle set but there are both straight and flush draws staring at you along with four opponents. There is $86 in the pot and everyone checks to you. You are definitely going to make a continuation bet but you need to decide on how much. Allow me to provide a check list of criteria to think about that as you become more experienced will become so automatic as to not even require any conscious thought.

• Know the pot size – in this case $86.
• Acknowledge the texture of the flop and tendencies of your opponents in terms of potential threats to your holding. Limpers and callers are many times on draws.
• Know the odds to the potential draws the flop offers. In this case both flush and straight draws.
• Make a bet that will not offer the potential draws the correct odds.
• You should bet the size of the pot, $86, in order to make the odds being offered by the pot only 2-to-1 which would not be attractive odds for draws.

If it is true, and I believe it is, that the bulk of your poker profit comes from the mistakes of others rather than you own brilliant play, then identifying opponents that overpay to draw to their hands is critical information. Aside from just playing too many hands, one of the biggest and most expensive mistakes less experienced poker players commit is paying too high a price to try to make their draws. Ferret this information out by tracking the pot and watching showdowns and then you can determine how to manipulate the size of the pot against that opponent in a future hand.

Implied Odds

This is an extension of pot odds and represents the ratio of the total amount you expect to win if you complete your hand, to the amount you would need to call to continue. Put simply, you don’t have the correct odds to call, but if you reason that there’s a good chance that your opponent will bet again when you hit your draw, you might be getting the implied odds to call.

While implied odds are an important tool to be aware of, particularly in no limit hold’em, many less disciplined players abuse it by using it as a justification to chase draws that are not getting the proper pot odds. While pot odds can be calculated with total accuracy, calculating implied odds takes some guess work and knowledge of your opponents’ tendencies. It’s more of an art than a science.

Are your opponents mostly fish?

If yes, they tend to offer a lot of implied odds – but most players leave chips on the table by missing aggression AND using incorrect bet/raise sizes when they hit their hand.

To ensure you don’t fall into the same trap, sign up for CORE today and pay special attention to the lessons on:

· Value Betting (Level 1)

· Overbetting (Level 2: Postflop)

· Range Elasticity (Level 2: Ranges)

Enroll today for just $5 and see how pot odds (along with 100+ other concepts) fit into the entirety of your poker playbook!

Tournament Play

Much of what has been offered so far is beneficial for both cash games and poker tournaments. But you should approach opponents in tournaments that are desperate a little differently. In a cash game, being pot committed doesn’t really come into play. The term pot committed simply refers to a player who has half or more of his chips already in the pot so if he loses this pot he is pretty much finished anyway. This player will be calling, not based upon the pot odds, but due to his predicament. Players calling in tournament play without the correct pot odds does not necessarily indicate poor play. Calling may well still represent their best chance mathematically to move forward in the tournament and make some money. Hence the expression, do or die!

The reverse situation relative to pot odds can also occur in tournament play. Imagine being in a situation wherein you have the correct pot odds to call but folding could be the better option to advance. An example of this type of phenomenon would be holding the nut flush draw with one card to come with two other opponents already all-in by a monster stack late in a poker tournament. The pot could be offering you greater than the odds required to make the call mathematically correct but the fact still remains that you will miss your flush 80% of the time. If you were on the bubble with the big stack bully already having two other players all-in and you knew you would only prevail in the hand 20 percent of time – I think a fold would be in order.

Many believe that pot odds aren’t nearly as important in tournament play. This is especially true in the lower stake “fast” events that are typical in both live and internet play. These players focus on the odds of their opponents’ calling based upon the size of chip stacks. While some of this is true, if you begin to ignore pot odds because you are in a poker tournament, you will begin to slide down a slippery slope. If you are planning to make a decision that is not in accordance with good pot odds play, you should have a very significant reason.

Put in the Work

Knowing what and how to use pot odds is essential if you wish to become a winning poker player. Learning how to use these concepts to your advantage can put you well ahead of a vast legion of players that are just too lazy to put in the work. They are playing on feel and their gut instincts and proud of it. I’m happy they’re proud of this approach because I know they can’t be proud of their bankrolls. These “proud” players are the assets you need in both cash games and tournaments. Let them be proud – you should put in the work – you’ll be glad you did as you’ll end up with their bankrolls.

By Tom 'TIME' Leonard

Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.