How to use the pot odds calculator
- Enter the pot before the bet, the amount in the middle before your opponent acted.
- Enter the bet you are facing. If you must call less than the full bet, enter your call amount too.
- Read the break-even equity, which is the share of the time your hand must win for calling to break even, and the pot odds as a ratio.
- Optionally enter your own equity estimate to see the expected value of the call.
Formula
Pot after the bet = pot + bet
Final pot if you call = pot after the bet + your call
Break-even equity = call / final pot. Pot odds = pot after the bet : call
Expected value of calling = equity x pot after the bet - (1 - equity) x call
Equity is the chance, as a percent, that your hand wins at showdown. The tool never works out your equity. You enter it.
A $50 bet into a $100 pot
The pot is $100 and your opponent bets $50, so the pot after the bet is $150 and your call is $50. The final pot would be $200, and the equity you need is 50 / 200 = 25%. The pot odds are 150 : 50, or 3 to 1.
If you think you win 30% of the time, calling has an expected value of 0.30 x $150 - 0.70 x $50 = $45 - $35 = $10. At 10% equity the same call has an expected value of $15 - $45 = -$30.
Pot odds and equity
Pot odds compare what you can win to what you must pay. If you are getting 3 to 1, you only have to win more than one time in four, or 25%, for the call to break even over many repeats. The break-even equity is the same idea written as a percent, which makes it easy to compare with your own estimate of how often you will win.
If your estimate is above the break-even equity, calling has a positive expected value on this bet alone. If it is below, the call loses money on this bet alone. The expected value line puts a dollar figure on the same comparison.
What this does not include
Real decisions involve more than the current call. The calculation ignores bets on later streets, chips you may win or lose after the call, whether your opponent folds, bluffs or has a particular hand, and any rake or fees. It also depends on a good equity estimate, which is the hard part and is not computed here. Treat the result as arithmetic for study, not advice about how to play.
If you are all in for less than the bet, enter the smaller call amount, and the tool uses it in the final pot. Related tools include the probability calculator, the binomial probability calculator and the percentage calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Pot odds are pot after the bet to the call, and break-even equity is the call divided by the final pot after calling.
- The call amount equals the bet unless you enter a smaller one.
- Your equity is an estimate you provide. The tool does not calculate hand strengths.
- Later betting rounds, rake, bluffs and opponent behavior are not modeled.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate pot odds?
Divide the pot after your opponent's bet by the amount you must call. A $150 pot to call $50 is 3 to 1.
What equity do I need to call?
Divide the call by the final pot, which is the pot after the bet plus your call. $50 into $200 is 25%.
What if I am facing an all in for less than my stack?
Enter the amount you can actually call in the call field, and the final pot is worked out from that amount.
Does this tell me whether to call?
No. It only compares your estimate with the break-even point for this one bet. Strategy depends on many things this tool leaves out.