← Tables
Poker room · 1/5Pot Odds
Desk · call or fold 0/0 correctChips +0
Opponent
You
Briefing · Poker room

Pot Odds

Facing a bet, calling is +EV when your chance of winning (equity) is higher than the share of the final pot you must put in.

required equity = call ÷ (pot after the call) = B ÷ (P + 2B)

Outs are the unseen cards that turn your hand into the winner. With one card to come, equity ≈ outs × 2%. With two cards to come (you're all-in on the flop), equity ≈ outs × 4%. Exact one-card equity on the turn is outs ÷ 46.

DrawOuts1 card2 cards
Gutshot straight4~9%~17%
Two overcards6~13%~24%
Open-ended straight8~17%~32%
Flush draw9~20%~35%
Flush + open-ended15~33%~54%
Under the hood: reading B ÷ (P + 2B)
PThe pot before the opponent bets.
BThe opponent's bet, which is also what you must put in to call.
P + 2BThe final pot if you call: the old pot, their bet, and your matching call.
B ÷ (P + 2B)The share of the final pot that is your money. You need to win at least that often to break even.
equityYour probability of winning the pot from here.

Why. Calling has EV = equity × (P + B) − (1 − equity) × B. You win what is already in the middle (P + B), or you lose your call (B). Set that to zero and solve: equity = B ÷ (P + 2B). Example: a pot of 100 and a bet of 50 → 50 ÷ 200 = 25%.

Shorthand
  • Half-pot bet → need 25%. Pot-size bet → 33%. Two-thirds pot → 28.6%.
  • Flush draw on the flop vs a half-pot bet: ~20% to hit next card, so pure pot odds say fold; implied odds (money you win later when you hit) can make it a call.
  • Rule of 4 only applies if you see both cards, i.e. when all-in.
Reopen any time with How to play.