With the enormous popularity of Texas Hold’em, people around the world are thirsty for new information about this exciting game. They want to win and they want to know how to win. Read on to find out some interesting ways of understanding the odds of Texas Hold’em.



Probability is one of the most important things to understand when you are playing hold’em. If you know the odds, you can make more informed decisions when it comes time to put the chips on the table. Players use odds to determine such things as the chances of getting a straight or a flush and the number of times a flop will match the pocket pair. This understanding becomes increasingly important for players who play Online, when “tells” are virtually non-existent. These players require some kind of basis for forming decisions when choosing when to bet, call or fold.









If you’re new to poker, here are some terms you may want to know:



Outs: The cards left in the deck that can improve your hand.



Pot odds: The odds resulting from comparing the current size of the pot to the next call.



Bet odds: The odds you get as a result of evaluating the number of callers to a raise.



Implied odds: The odds you are getting after the assumed result of betting for the remainder of the hand.



With Texas Hold’em, you are most likely to use outs and pot odds.



To determine the outs, simply divide the number of outs by the number of cards left unseen and the result will be the percentage chance of making one of those outs.



To determine pot odds, compare your outs to the size of the pot. If your chance of winning is better than the ratio of the pot size to a bet, then you have good pot odds. If it’s lower, then you have bad pot odds.



One area of odds people have difficulty accepting is the stake they have already made in the pot on the table. That money is no longer theirs. It’s a pool of money to be given to the winner. You have no stake in that pot and therefore it has no statistical bearing.



Understanding bet odds and implied odds is more difficult because you must predict the reactions of other players, an essential skill to playing good Texas Hold’em. With bet odds, try and factor in how many people are going to call a raise. With implied odds, try and think about reactions for the rest of the game.



While these concepts seem complex and mathematical, if you think about them when you play, the concept will come to you. And, the best part is, that this little bit of effort will have a big effect on your win rate when playing poker of all kinds. When you play the odds, odds are you’ll win and have fun doing it, too.

By: Cyman Harrison -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Cyman Harrison writes for several Texas Holdem websites that offers resources to help poker players improve their skills. Do you want to WIN more at Texas Holdem? Get your FREE Poker Guide at: www.holdemadvancedstrategy.com/texas-holdem.html