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Calculating Poker Odds

by Thomas Jensen on Friday, June 8th, 2007

Calculating Poker OddsIf poker is a game you play frequently, you have probably considered the importance of calculating poker odds. This can not only help you become a better player due to your understanding of the game, but it can also help you plan your strategy when playing a hand. The more you play poker, the more important it is to know where you might stand in every hand. What sets apart skilled poker players from novices is their ability to calculate the odds of each hand.


The first step to calculating poker odds is to understand the various combinations of hands and how they rank. Once you have accomplished this, you will be able to know your chances of getting a particular hand and what that hand will likely mean for your overall game.


The second step to calculating hand odds is to determine how many cards are left in the deck, and how many will complete your current hand. Doing this quickly will take practice, but the more experience you have, the faster the process will become. Practice calculating poker odds at Sportsbook.com Poker for free. The number of cards left in the deck is very simple. It starts with 52 cards, only the cards for which you know the value are to be considered removed from it. The complicated part is trying to determine what cards your opponents actually hold.


The cards that are not visible to you are called pocket cards. This means their value is only known by the person holding them. Because you will not know the values of the pocket cards of your opponents, you must assume they are all available in order to actually statistically figure the odds.


The cards that will complete your hand are called outs. Figuring this number and their values is actually very simple as well. If you know what cards are included in a deck, and understand the various types of hands and what they include, you will be able to use deductive reasoning to figure this statistic.


By knowing what you have, and then figuring what you would need, you can assess what is left in the deck in order to also figure out what is missing. That way, you will have a clear idea of whether or not you can complete that hand.


As stated above, the more you do this, the quicker the entire process will become. You will also gain a better understanding of the game by calculating poker odds. This will not only make you a better poker player all around, but will also help you to better understand your opponents. You may find that it even increases your chances of winning in the long run so checkout Sportsbook.com Poker. See you at the tables.


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