The ability to calculate odds in online poker is vital for any player.
While a lot of the game is based on strategy and psychology, sometimes decisions have to be made purely on a mathematical basis.
But if you’re not strong at numbers, don’t worry. There are ways to make these calculations much simpler than doing complex equations in your head.
There are charts and rules that can help you memorise the more common situations. When things get more complicated, there are applications available that will actually do the maths for you.
Memorising Odds and Outs
One of the most basic calculations that a poker player has to do is to work out the odds of hitting their 'outs.' Outs are potential community cards that would dramatically improve your hand if they were dealt.
Let's imagine that the flop has gone pretty well for you and you're hoping to get a flush when either the fourth or fifth card are dealt. You can estimate these odds if you know the 'rule of 2 and 4.'
You simply give each out a 2% chance of coming on the next card, or a 4% chance of coming out on either of the next two cards.
There are nine cards that will make your flush, so there's a 36% chance of hitting by the river (9 outs x 4%), or an 18% chance of hitting on the river if you miss the turn (9 outs x 2%).
This is a reliable system for working out your odds, but it can be time consuming at the table, and it’s easy to make mistakes if you’re pressured for time.
Decisions can be made much more quickly if you know these odds without having to do the calculations. A way you can learn this information is to read and memorise charts like this one.
There are plenty of similar charts out there on the web, and a quick search will find you charts that cover every aspect of poker you can think of.
The more information you can memorise this way, the more adept you will be at working out your odds as you play. This in turn leads to better decisions and ultimately more profits for you.
Odds Calculators
Memorising information off charts can only do so much for you. Sometimes more complex calculations are needed and this is where odds calculators come in.
This free online poker odds calculator is a neat little tool which simulates situations which you may find yourself in. It does all the calculations for you and gives all the results you need.
Using the simple graphical interface, you can assign hands for any number of players. You then add the board cards if you wish. The odds calculator will then work out the winning probability of each hand.
PokerStove
For a slightly more advanced application, the free-to-download PokerStove is one of the most popular and most useful tools available. Not only can it calculate odds of one hand vs. another, but you can use it to easily calculate odds for ranges of hands.
Even the best players cannot read another player for one exact hand. They put their opponents on a range of hands. PokerStove allows you to quickly input these ranges, as well as your own hand and any board cards. It will then provide you with the exact odds of each hand or range.
Making Use of the Tools
It’s useful to print out any charts you find. A big advantage of online poker as opposed to live play is that you can refer to these charts while you’re playing and no-one will be any the wiser. The more you study them however, the more the information will become second nature.
It’s going to be tough to use the odds calculators while actually playing as you often won’t have time. They are however extremely useful for analysing your play after your session.
You can go through hands that you played to see if you made the right moves, and learn from your mistakes. They are also useful for playing around with hypothetical situations.
The more you use these tools, the more you get a feel for the odds and the slicker your decisions at the tables will be.
Find out more in the next article in our Poker journey, More online tools.
