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Poker Math · 1

Pot Odds

The price the pot is offering you to call. The most important math in poker.

Formula

Pot Odds % = Call / (Pot + Call)

Explanation

Pot odds tell you what percentage of equity you need to break even on a call. If the pot is paying you 3-to-1, you need to win at least 25% of the time to make the call profitable. Compare pot odds to your hand equity — if equity > pot odds, calling is correct.

Example

Setup

Pot has 100 chips. Opponent bets 50.

Calculation

  1. Pot becomes 100 + 50 = 150 (after their bet)
  2. You must call 50 to win 150
  3. Pot odds = 50 / (150 + 50) = 50 / 200 = 25%

Conclusion

You need ≥ 25% equity to call profitably.

Practice

Pot has 80 chips. Opponent bets 40. What pot odds are you getting?

Free tool

Pot Odds Calculator

Find out if a call is profitable. Enter the pot and the bet — get pot odds, required equity, and a verdict in seconds.