Texas Hold’Em

Texas Hold’Em Poker Pot Odds

An important factor for Texas Hold’Em poker players to take into consideration at the table is pot odds. Pot odds are simply a quick mathematical equation that, to put it simply, indicate whether or not a pot is worth betting and playing for at the table.

The amount of chips at the center of the table is an important factor in the overall equation as to whether or not a player will play hands or fold his hands into the muck.

If there are a large amount of chips at the center of the table there are times when semi marginal drawing hands might be worth playing for a player but when the pot is relatively small, it is often not worth paying the price for a player to make bets on hands that have a long shot of winning a small pot.

Let’s take an example of a Texas Hold’Em player on the button with a marginal connector hand such as 9-8. A player in early position at the poker table raises and three other players call that raise. All of a sudden there is a large pot at the center of the poker table and it is worth the button’s effort to make a bet and draw on the flop for a potential straight.

After the flop, if the button drew a 10,7 he has an open ended straight draw and has an important decision to make at the table. If the early players raise and call again building up the amount of chips in the pot, it is worth calling and drawing on Fourth Street for the straight. If just one player, however, raises and all of the other poker players toss their hands into the muck, the pot isn’t worth nearly as much as the first scenario and the player with the open ended straight draw should not call the raise but fold.

The best way for you to look at pot odds is to simply ask yourself if the pot is large enough and the potential bet price good enough to make it worth staying with his hands at the time of decision. If the price is right and the pot so large as to make it worth paying with a bet, then you should not hesitate in making his bet and drawing for nut poker hands.