Hand Distributions And Pot Odds
February 21st, 2009
Lately at the poker table among math oriented players, you may have heard some new talk regarding how to evaluate in-game situations. Perhaps a player said that a particular hand was not in his opponent’s range, or that he had good equity against this or that range of hands. What is this talk all about?
Talking About Pot Odds and Hand Distributions
When players talk about ranges of hands they are talking about hand distributions. What this means is that poker players know that it is very difficult to put an opponent on an exact hand.
When calculating pot odds using Free poker calculator, your decision of whether or not to continue must be mediated by what you think your opponent is likely to hold. Knowing that the pot is offering you 4-to-1 odds only matters if you have a way of figuring out that you have a 20 percent chance or better to win the pot.
Using Pot Odds and Hand Distributions
Making that determination is how hand distributions enter the equation. Rather than just saying, “this hand will make a flush 20 percent of the time” or “this hand is likely to win against a random hand 20 percent of the time,” professional poker players try to figure out a range of hands that an opponent may hold.
Professional poker players consider the equity in their own hands against this entire range. They may decide that they have a 50 percent chance to win against half the hands the opponent is likely to have and a 10 percent chance to win against the other half, giving them 30 percent equity total.
Calculating the odds of your hand to improve is not that hard. Many online players use a texas hold em calculator of some kind - But figuring out the opponents hand range is a whole different story.
Calculating Hand Distributions and Odds
Calculating hand distributions and odds on the fly is something of an art. The more you observe opponents and the way they play, the better you will get at creating hand ranges. A Free pot odds calculator can help with this tremendously. Using those ranges to calculate equity is a little harder, but there are software programs that help with this too. Whether you play live or online, hand distributions are something you must consider in the modern age of poker.
Read More About (Tags): equity > hand distributions > poker calculator > poker odds > pot odds > range
Entry Filed under:Advanced Poker Tips
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12 Comments Add your own
1. Hand Distributions And Po&hellip | February 21st, 2009 at 6:19 am
[...] Seth Edward O’Neal wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptCalculating the odds of your hand to improve is not that hard. Many online players use a texas hold em calculator of some kind - But figuring out the opponents hand range is a whole different story. … [...]
2. Hand Distributions And Po&hellip | February 21st, 2009 at 6:29 am
[...] columbo (at eifco dot org) wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptRather than just saying, “this hand will make a flush 20 percent of the time” or “this hand is likely to win against a random hand 20 percent of the time,” professional poker players try to figure out a range of hands that an opponent … [...]
3. Hand Distributions And Po&hellip | February 21st, 2009 at 8:07 am
[...] admin wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptHand Distribution Pot Odds Poker Calculator Lately at the poker table among math oriented players, you may have heard some new talk regarding how to evaluate in-game situations. Perhaps a player said that a particular hand was not in … [...]
4. Hand Distributions And Po&hellip | February 21st, 2009 at 9:45 am
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5. Hand Distributions And Po&hellip | February 21st, 2009 at 3:39 pm
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6. Rocky | February 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 am
Hey,
Nice , It gives so much knowledge about pot odds and Hand disributions
Rocky:)
7. KC | March 7th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I think this is one of the most misunderstood things in poker. Nice article.
Thanks.
KC
8. Top Casinos Online | March 8th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Pot odds are used to compare the odds of completing a hand to the potential winnings.
You can also use pot odds to your advantage in a different way, by offering good odds to your opponent. Lets assume you’ve hit a full house on a flop.
The flop contains 2 cards of the same suit. Most players will check here to trap their opponents, more experience opponents will realize this and not fall into the trap. So making small bets on the flop and turn could be a good option. Especially if your opponents has made a flush draw.
If the your small bets are called on flop and turn and the river is the third card of the same suit, you may well of trapped your opponent into hitting his flush, by offering him good pot odds with your small bets early on. You could bet out and hope he raises or check-raise at this stage, assuming you’re confident that he has made his flush.
9. Hand Distributions And Po&hellip | March 20th, 2009 at 9:22 am
[...] Hand Distributions And Pot Odds [...]
10. Gratis Poker Geld | March 25th, 2009 at 7:01 am
It’s funny how at low stakes games, whenever you raise pre flop, ppl always tend to put you on AK. They call with Q10 and will not fold whatever you do if the flop is 10 high. Not even if its 8910 all the same suit (and they don’t have any of that suit).
This happened to me last night and it was all spades and I had the ace of spades. Even the fourth spade didnt scare him, they always seem to put you on the 1 single hand they can still beat
11. Online Casinos | September 30th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I agree with KC. Well, you can also visit http://www.online-casinos.com and be well informed.
12. baccarat software | October 26th, 2009 at 1:40 am
The ability to calculate pot odds is a necessary part of any poker players game. Our goal is to play the law of averages as opposed to blind luck, in determining whether or not calling a bet is a profitable decision.
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