Tuesday, March 10, 2009

How Pot Odds work!

By Zdravko Curt

Always pay attention to the size of the pot when you are involved in a hand. This is a way in which you will be able to beat the pot odds. Another important reason is that it will give you precise estimate of the dangers and rewards that every hand offers. Supposing, you are involved in a hand where many players have put money into the pot, the hand probably has great "pot odds".

I remember clearly as I was dealt pocket 10's, that resulted me playing aggressively. My opponent checked to me each turn and then called every bet. After that, the river came, as I was holding a pair of tens and eights with a flush draw on the table. This happen many months ago, when I was playing a hand at the final table of a no-limit tournament.

A bet of $50 was lead out by my opponent. This got me thinking about the probable flush, although it just needs an extra $50 to win over the $500. If this guy had a flush, he would certainly call any raise I was going to make. Using the rules of pot odds, I decided to call and was able to bring in a pot of $625. This happened when my opponent turned over his awful pocket 7's.

Not awhile ago, I was playing in an online poker tournament when a player moved all-in before the flop. Sadly, there was nothing but few blinds for the player to win. I couldn't see any reason for this player to move all-in, when there was basically nothing that you would consider to be a win for having to move all-in. Continuing on, I was dealt with a monster hand and as a result, this has lead me successful.

Don't risk your chips to win over small pot. Just a reminder as this might be tempting to some people. How other people play their hand will depend on the size of the pot. Your opponent will not fold, unless you make a big bet, when he has allocated lots of his money to the pot. By catching a monster hand, you can try to get your opponents pot committed then turn them into calling stations and make away with every single one of their chips.

I notice that players are way looser compared if they weren't pot committed. The key to this is by detaching the ending moves from the rest of the hand.

Here is something that you should try out, since it's practically simple and it's very effective. By forcing a break in the action you can separate the plays you make from the rest of the hand. For example, before making a move, try to get your opponent to count their chips. What you are actually doing is distracting them, so remember that it is very important to take note that you must do this casually.

Bear in mind that by putting money into a pot, it is already considered to belong to whoever wins the pot. Only if you are confident enough that you have a better hand or can pull a bluff. You must never call any bets, unless you are playing with great pot odds. On the other hand, you must keep in mind that with your own hands, you don't have to worry about the money that you've placed in the pot. Remember, that the answer to having over power the game is having knowledge about the size of the pot and the betters who are placing money into it.

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