Probability can be figured by dividing the total outs by the remaining
cards. For two cards however, it's a bit trickier. There is an easy
shortcut to do this.
To figure an approximate percent to hit your hand
after the flop, just multiply your outs by 4. To figure an approximate
percent to hit your hand after the turn, just multiply your outs
by 2.
Now that you know how to calculate Texas Hold em
poker odds by using outs, you need to know what importance this
has. This is where pot odds come into play.
Pot odds is simply a ratio of the amount of money
in the pot compared with how much money it will take to call. If
there is $50 in the pot and it takes $5 to call, your pot odds are
50:5, or 10:1. If there is $50 in the pot and it takes $10 to call,
then your pot odds are 50:10 or 5:1.
The higher the ratio, the better your Texas Hold
em pot odds are. 50:1 pot odds means that you must win this hand
1 out of 51 times to break even. Pot odds ratios are very useful
to see how often you need to win a hand to break even.
When you compare hand odds and pot odds, you'll
see the importance of them. If you have a flush draw, your hand
odds for making your flush are 19% or 1.9 to 1.
Let's say you're in a hand with a nut flush draw
and you need to bet $10 to call. Should you call? To make that decision,
you need to know your pot odds. If your pot odds are greater than
your hand odds, then you will make a profit. Calculating your hand
odds and figuring your pot odds will help you make more proper decisions.