Most poker players, even complete novices, will be aware of the concept of pot odds. To become a long term winner at poker, it is essential to put your chips into the pot only when receiving the correct price (or better). As luck evens itself out over time, if you only ever contest pots that offer better than your true odds of winning, you will make a long term profit at poker.
To calculate the odds being offered by the pot, we need to look at the number of cards left in the deck, in relation to the number of those cards that will actually improve our hand, what poker players refer to as “outs”.
Many players fall into the trap of over-simplifying matters, however. If a player holds Ace-King of clubs and the flop comes 7 8 8, with two clubs, it would be very easy for a novice to assume that he or she has nine cards to hit to virtually guarantee winning the pot (the remaining nine clubs in the deck, to make the nut flush).
But this is wrong. The six or nine of clubs would create the possibility of a straight flush and so might not actually help to win the hand. Furthermore, if someone has entered the pot with a pocket pair of sevens, the Ace-King is already drawing as good as dead.
So as you can see, it is crucial to actually put your opponent on a hand before you attempt to count your outs. In the above example, you might only have seven outs, but you might actually have none at all! If you put your opponent on a low pocket pair, then you have extra outs in the form of the remaining Aces and Kings, to make a better two pair.
As poker is a game of incomplete information, you can never be certain what your opponents are holding, so it may be wise at times to count some of your outs as half outs. Imagine you have flopped an open-ended straight draw, but there are two diamonds on board. Some of your outs to complete your straight will also put a flush on board, which would have you beaten. Counting outs as half may help to eliminate those plays which yield a long term loss.
The more poker you play, the better you will become at counting your outs and therefore calculating pot odds. Make sure to practice as much as possible. It will eventually become second nature and your bankroll will grow because of it.
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