How to calculate pot odds?

The concept of pot odds is the most important concept of playing winning poker. Pot odds are the ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of your bet or call. For example, if there is $7 in the pot and you need to call a $2 bet, you are getting 3.5:1 pot odds on your call.

Your pot odds are good enough to make a call, when your chance to win a hand is bettter than the ratio of the current pot size and you call. If you think you have 25% chance to win the hand, you should play that hand only if there is 4 times your bet or more in the pot.

The two simple methods of calculating pot odds:

Method 1 - 4-2 Method

Count the amount of outs you have (outs = cards you need to complete your hand) and multiply that number by 2 and add 1. For example, if you have a flush draw, you have 9 outs to complete your flush. (9 x 2) + 1 = 19%.

If you need to know the chance of completing your draw from flop to river, multiply the number of outs by 4 and add 1.
For example, if you have a flush draw on the flop,  (9 x 4) + 1 = 37% chance to complete your draw on the turn or the river.

Warning: This method is inaccurate when you have 9 or more outs as it gives better results than the correct odds method. But, when you have 9 or more outs, you will almost always have the odds to continue.

Method 2 - The Correct Odds

Number of outs, divided by cards left in the deck, multiplied by 100. Using the same example with flush draw, you have 9 outs: 9 / 47 x 100 = 19.1% (52 cards in the deck minus your 2 hole card and 3 flop cards). This is the same as the method 1 but its slightly more accurate.

Now that you know your percentage of winning the hand, you should work out how much is in the pot and how much the size of the bet is. Using the previous example, if the bet is $2 on the flop and there is $7 in the pot, can you call a bet? Odds of hitting your hand are 19% or ~4:1. Since the pot odds are 3.5:1, you should not call a bet because the money you can win is less than the odds you are given. You should call only if the pot odds are greater than the odds of hitting your hand.

Let’s say you have:


And the flop is:


There is $7 in the pot and your opponent bets $2. Should you call?

Step 1 – count the number of outs you have.
You have 15 outs (9 hearts for a flush and 6 for a straight). Odds of completing your hand: 15 x 2 + 1 = 31%

Step 2 – work out the pot size in relation to the bet.
7 / 2 = 3.5

Step 3 – compare those two numbers.
Chance of completing your hand is 31% or 3.2:1 and the pot is offering you odds of 3.5:1. You should make the call.