Pot Odds
Math Level · Beginner Aliases: calling price, the price
Pot odds weigh what a call costs against what you stand to win, so you can tell whether the price is right.
What is Pot Odds
Pot odds are the ratio between what you have to put in to keep playing and the total pot you’d be playing for once you’ve called. Smaller bets give you a better price; bigger bets demand more equity before a call makes any sense. The piece people leave out is their own call — that money lands in the final pot too, so it belongs in the maths.
With 10BB in the middle and a 5BB bet in front of you, calling makes it 20BB, so you need 25% equity to break even. Then you check whether your hand actually has that much against their range. Pot odds answer the price question and nothing else — they don’t promise you’ll get to realise all of that equity by the river.
On the felt
TableHeads-up pot
PositionBB
FlopJ♠8♠3♦
Action10BB pot, facing a 5BB bet
Example
10BB in the pot, 5BB to call, and you're playing for 20BB — that's 25% equity needed to break even. Work out the price first, then ask whether your draw actually clears it against their range.
Common mistakes
- Dividing the 5BB call by the 15BB already out there. The denominator has to include the call you're about to make — 20BB in this spot.
- Assuming a draw always gets the right price. Your outs, the streets left to come, and their sizing all move the answer.
Related terms
Equity
Equity is the share of the pot your hand or range wins on average if the hand runs to showdown.
Exploitative Play
Exploitative play adjusts your own strategy to target the deviations you can observe in an opponent.
Fold Equity
Fold equity is the value a bet gains from the chance your opponent folds and you take the pot uncontested.
Mixed Strategy
A mixed strategy takes two or more legal actions in the same spot, each at a set frequency.
Outs
Outs are the remaining cards that improve your hand to one that can win.
Range
A range is every hand an opponent can reasonably hold, given the way the action has gone.