Pot odds are the ratio of the current pot size to the cost of a call, expressed as a percentage of equity you need to make calling mathematically correct. When the pot offers 3:1 and you have 30% equity, the call is profitable. When it offers 2:1, and you have 20% equity, it is not.
I have reviewed hundreds of student hands where the player made the correct decision for the wrong reason, or the wrong decision entirely, because they skipped the pot odds calculation.
The formula is as simple as the most basic poker rules. What is complicated is the discipline to run it every time before you act. This guide gives you the formula, the shortcut cheat sheet, and three detailed examples showing exactly how pot odds determine the right play.
If you are new to the concept, make sure to try our FREE poker odds calculator to see the equities of different hands.
But, before we can get into any calculations or examples, let us first consider what pot odds are in the first place.
What Are Pot Odds in Poker?
Pot odds are the ratio of the pot size to the bet you are being asked to call. This ratio is the most important number to calculate before deciding to call or fold. In my experience, most players have a rough intuitive feel for whether a bet seems large or small relative to the pot, but they never put an exact number on it.
The moment you start calculating the actual percentage, you will find that calls you thought were obvious folds are profitable, and calls that felt like good prices are actually losing plays.
For instance, imagine playing in a low-stakes cash game in your local casino. With $30 in the pot, one of the other players shoots a $15 bet into the pot, a standard “half-pot” bet.
Many players now fail to ask themselves what this bet means for them and whether they should call it or not, in mathematical terms.
The first thing you must determine is the pot odds, which in this case are 3/1. With $30 in the pot and another $15 your opponent bet, there is now a total of $45 in the pot.
You will need to call $15 to win a total pot of $60, which means you will need to win it once out of four times to break even. Compare this number to your outs, and you will have a clear picture of where you stand in the hand.
Now, let’s talk a bit more about how we calculate pot odds for other bet sizes as well.
The Most Common Odds You Need To Know
This table explains the probabilities of hitting your hand on the turn or till the river, depending on how many outs you have to improve.
| Outs | Flop to Turn (one card) | Flop till River (two cards) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| 2 | 4.3% | 8.4% |
| 3 | 6.4% | 12.5% |
| 4 | 8.5% | 16.5% |
| 5 | 10.6% | 20.3% |
| 6 | 12.8% | 24.1% |
| 7 | 14.9% | 27.8% |
| 8 | 17% | 31.5% |
| 9 | 19.2% | 35% |
| 10 | 21.3% | 38.4% |
| 11 | 23.4% | 41.7% |
| 12 | 25.5% | 45% |
| 13 | 27.7% | 48.1% |
| 14 | 29.8% | 51.1% |
| 15 | 31.9% | 54.1% |
How to Calculate Pot Odds for Any Bet Size
Calculating pot odds at the table is simpler than most players expect. What I find when I teach this to students is that the formula clicks immediately once you see it applied to a real hand.
Walk through each step below with the example hand, and by the third time you do it, you will not need to think about the steps at all.
Step #1 – Calculating Pot Size
The first step in calculating pot odds is determining the pot size. This may seem simple, but players often forget to include their call in the final pot size.
The pot calculation should look like this:
Current Pot + Bet Size + Your Call = Pot Size
Once you add these three up, you will get the final pot size. In our earlier example, the calculation would look like this:
$30 + $15 + $15 = $60
Step #2 – Find the Bet to Pot Ratio
The next step in our process of calculating pot odds is also quite simple. You will need to divide the size of your bet by the total pot size.
In our example, this would be:
$15 (bet size) / $60 (total pot) = 0.25
Step #3 – Calculate the Percentage
The next step is even simpler. Multiply the ratio you got by 100, and you will get your percentage.
In our example, it would be:
0.25 x 100 = 25%
This number tells us the equity we need to have to make the call. In our example, we need to have 25% equity with our hand against our opponent’s range to make the call break even or better.
Step #4 – Estimate Your Equity
This is the hardest part of working with pot odds, and it has to do with actually putting them to use and making your decision based on them.
Once you know how much equity you need in a hand, you will need to figure out if you actually have this much equity against your opponent’s range of hands.
In our example, you would easily be able to make a call with a naked flush draw, which has approximately 35% equity against a made hand, such as an overpair. The call would be even easier with a hand like a flush draw with two overcards, etc.
Things get a bit trickier with made hands, such as the second pair or bottom pair, as the exact equity calculation is more complex.
Quick Way to Know Your Pot Odds
As you can see, calculating pot odds is not the hardest thing in the world. It will only require some simple math to understand.
However, having to actually do the calculations while playing can be a bit of a nuisance and time-waster, which is why it’s good to know some basic pot odds by heart.
Since most players make bets that fall into an approximate percentage of the pot size, here is a quick cheat sheet that tells you your pot odds for the most common bet sizes you might encounter:
| BET SIZE | EQUITY TO CALL |
|---|---|
| 25% Pot | 16% |
| 50% Pot | 25% |
| 75% Pot | 30% |
| Full Pot | 33% |
| 1.5x Pot | 37.50% |
| 2x Pot | 40% |
As you can see, the equity required to call even a 2x pot bet is just 40%, which means you may be folding too much to bets that are much smaller than this in your games.
However, keep in mind that you might also face further bets on later betting streets, which is why you should not always be counting on realizing your full equity in these situations.
On the other hand, you should also note that implied odds can play a part in your decision, as you could also end up making more money if you hit one of the cards that improve your hand.
The next table explains how often your opponent needs to fold to make your bluff profitable when you have no equity in the hand.
| BET SIZE | HOW OFTEN YOUR OPPONENT NEED TO FOLD |
|---|---|
| 25% Pot | 20% |
| 50% Pot | 33% |
| 75% Pot | 42% |
| Full Pot | 50% |
| 1.5x Pot | 60% |
| 2x Pot | 67% |
Using Pot Odds in Play
Especially when playing live poker, calculating pot odds can be difficult, which is why consistent study of ratios is key!
Pot odds apply every time you face a bet, from the preflop call to the river decision. What I want you to develop is the habit of running the number before you act in any significant pot, not just in obvious draw situations.
The three examples below cover preflop defense, a drawing hand on the flop, and a turn decision where pot odds clearly call for a fold. Work through each one.
Example #1 – Preflop
You are playing a $55 online tournament. With blinds at 500/1k/1k, you are sitting on a 40k stack in the big blind, holding Qh4h. The player in the cutoff opens to 2k, and the other players fold.
Our hand is certainly not a monster, but if you have been paying attention to pro tournament players playing on TV, you have probably noticed that they call raises like this almost every time.
Why? Well, let’s do the math. First, we need to calculate the pot size:
1k (big blind) + 500 (small blind) + 1k (ante) + 2k (raise) = 4.5k
There is currently 4.5k in the pot, and we need to call 1k, making the full pot 5.5k. Now, let’s calculate the ratio and the pot odds:
1k/5.5k = 0.18
0.18 * 100 = 18%
You need 18% equity to make your call profitable. Considering the fact that Qh4h has over 16% equity even against AA and 36.45% equity against AK, our equity against any CO opening range is certainly over 18%.
In fact, you should be making this call even against an early position opener with this hand and many other, especially suited holdings.
It is worth noting that defending the big blind puts you out of position for the entire hand, which prevents you from realizing some of your equity.
That said, the price you are getting is way too good to miss out on, and you should always proceed with a call in a situation like this.
Example #2 – On the Flop
You are playing in a $1/2 cash game in a live casino. You call a $6 raise on the button holding 9s8s, and other players fold.
The flop comes 2c6s7d, giving you an open-ended straight draw.
Your opponent bets the full pot for $15, and it’s your turn to act. Let’s go through the motions and first calculate the pot size:
Preflop: $1 (sb) + $2 (bb) + $6 (raise) + $6 (call) = $15
Flop: $15 + $15 = $30
With $30 in the pot, we need to call $15, which will make the total pot $45.
Now, we can use the simple formula we learned to calculate pot odds:
$15 / $45 = 0.33
0.33 * 100 = 33%
Given the pot odds, we need 33% equity to make this call. With an open-ended straight draw and two overcards, we have many cards that can improve our hand, but only eight that guarantee we make the best hand.
Using the rules of 2 and 4, we can quickly calculate that we have at least a 16% chance of hitting our straight on the turn and a 32% chance of hitting it by the river.
Furthermore, our overcards and backdoor flush draws give us extra equity, and we also have many implied odds to consider if we make our hand.
Given all of this, the hand we have here is a candidate for both a call and a raise, but certainly never for a fold, despite the big bet size that our opponent used.
Example #3 – On the Turn
Playing in a $2/5 live cash game, you are sitting on a $1,000 stack in the big blind, and you look down at 7c6c. The cutoff raises to $12, the small blind calls, and you make the call as well, given the great pot odds you are getting.
The flop comes 2s4d8h, giving you a gutshot straight draw. SB and you check, and the CU leads out for $10 into the $36 pot. The SB folds, and given the pot odds you are getting, you make the call.
The turn is the Kd. You check, and your opponent leads for $80 into the $56 pot.
Should you make the call, the total pot would be:
$56 (pot) + $80 (bet) + $80 (call) = $216
You need to call $80 to win a pot of $216, so you need the following equity to make the call:
$80 / $216 = 0.37
0.37 * 100 = 37%
You need 37% equity to make the call. With your gutshot straight draw, you have about 8% equity to improve into a straight, and all your pair outs are unlikely to make your hand good.
This is a great example of when pot odds tell you to make the laydown, and you should listen to them. In fact, even if your opponent’s bet were quite a bit smaller, this would be a good spot to fold your cards and wait for a better situation.
Things get even simpler on the river with no more cards to come since you only need to compare your pot odds against the equity versus your opponent’s range. This way, you will always know whether to call or fold in any given situation.
Using Pot Odds to Call River Bets
Drawing hands are the most obvious spot to use pot odds, but the river is where pot odds become even more decisive. On the river, no more cards are coming. Your hand will not improve. You have exactly one thing to calculate: does the pot offer enough equity to justify calling?
When facing a river bet with a made hand, your equity is not based on outs. It is based on how often you beat your opponent’s betting range. If your opponent bets the full pot on the river, you need 33% equity. That means you need to have the best hand at least one in three times when you call to break even.
Here is how I apply this in practice. Suppose you hold K♣J♦ on a board of K♠9♣5♦2♥8♣. You have top pair, top kicker. Your opponent fires a half-pot bet on the river after a passive line.
You need 25% equity to call. The question is: does your opponent bet a half-pot on this board with hands worse than top pair, top kicker, more than 25% of the time? If the answer is yes, you have a profitable call, regardless of how uncomfortable it feels.
In my experience coaching students on river decisions, the mistake is almost never the pot odds calculation. The mistake is not trusting it.
Players know the call is correct at 25% equity; they can identify several hands in their opponent’s betting range that they beat, and they fold anyway because the board looks scary or the opponent seems confident. Pot odds do not lie. The player’s instincts often do.
River bluff-catching summary:
- Full pot bet: need 33% equity to call
- Half-pot bet: need 25% equity
- Quarter-pot bet: need 17% equity
- These numbers come directly from the quick reference table above. Memorize them, and you will never have to calculate from scratch on the river.
Final Words on Pot Odds
Pot odds are one of the most important calculations in poker, and the good news is that the math is not difficult once you have practiced it a few times.
What I want you to take away from this poker strategy guide is not just the formula but the habit: run the number before you act. Calculate the percentage of equity you need, estimate the equity you have, and make the call or the fold based on that comparison rather than on feel.
However, keep in mind that simply knowing the pot odds won’t always be enough, as you will also need to learn how to estimate your equity against your opponent’s range, but that’s a lesson for another day.
For now, move forward by calculating some simple pot odds and reviewing some of your old hands. Identify some instances where you should have made the call or folded according to pot odds but chose to go the other way.
