Aleksei
Legend
Silver Level
I wish THEY wouldn't explain it; it makes donks play better. :hmpf:
Basically, what they're talking about is pot odds. When you call a bet you need to have the expectation that you'll win more money from the pot than you're putting in, so for instance if your money accounts for 1/3 of the pot total after you call you need to win the whole pot over 1/3 of the time (that is to say more than 1 time for every 2 you lose), so your odds are 2:1.
Keep in mind though, that to be profitable you have to keep within your odds AT ALL TIMES, and if you make a call with incorrect odds and then later in the hand call with correct odds you're just reducing your previous mistake not eliminating it -- you'll fundamentally still lose money from the play. A good rule of thumb is that you should only play a hand from the beginning with the expectation that you will win more money than you put in from the get-go, which is why playing tight is nearly always best.
Basically, what they're talking about is pot odds. When you call a bet you need to have the expectation that you'll win more money from the pot than you're putting in, so for instance if your money accounts for 1/3 of the pot total after you call you need to win the whole pot over 1/3 of the time (that is to say more than 1 time for every 2 you lose), so your odds are 2:1.
Keep in mind though, that to be profitable you have to keep within your odds AT ALL TIMES, and if you make a call with incorrect odds and then later in the hand call with correct odds you're just reducing your previous mistake not eliminating it -- you'll fundamentally still lose money from the play. A good rule of thumb is that you should only play a hand from the beginning with the expectation that you will win more money than you put in from the get-go, which is why playing tight is nearly always best.
Aleksei
Legend
Silver Level
Pretty much. You CAN make up your pot odds with implied odds though -- like for instance, if you need 4.5:1 to call but are only getting 2.5:1, but you expect to get the rest of the money when you hit, you can call. Also you can supplement pot odds with fold equity (the odds Villain will fold and forfeit his equity) when you bet.
DrazaFFT
public static void
Bronze Level
Thanks for the answer Alexei, so if i get it right, if i follow the rules with pot odds and poker odds, whenever i hit my hand i will make more money than i lost folding a hands with worse pot odds, right...
It takes to much time for me to calculate both outs and pot odds and i often make unjustified calls, is there a easier way to to it or i need practice to do it faster?
It takes to much time for me to calculate both outs and pot odds and i often make unjustified calls, is there a easier way to to it or i need practice to do it faster?
Aleksei
Legend
Silver Level
Multiplying your outs by 4 gives you your improvement equity over turn + river, by 2 gives you your equity over the next street.
If your hand is made already, it's ahead of naked draws automatically, and sets/trips are ahead of ALL draws (and about a 30% dog vs completed hands)
If your hand is made already, it's ahead of naked draws automatically, and sets/trips are ahead of ALL draws (and about a 30% dog vs completed hands)
Arjonius
Legend
Silver Level
This is over-simplified. The factor of implied odds has been mentioned, but there's more to consider than just whether the opponent has more in his stack that you can win by making your hand. It's key to gauge how much you're likely to win on any specific hand. Since opponents can and do fold when you hit your hand, you can't count on getting the max every time.
Also, when you consider pot odds, there's the matter of how many cards you're counting on seeing and how many bets you'll have to call. For instance, the rule of four only fully applies if you're going to see both the turn and the river.