Pot odds are certainly very useful in poker since they give players a good idea of whether or not they should call. However, pot odds only get you so far because you also have to know what your chances are of winning a hand; this is where equity comes in. Here is a very simple way to calculate your equity, and avoid lots of detailed math.
Count Outs First
The first thing you need to know as far as equity goes is how many outs you have. For instance, if you have a flush draw using two hole cards and two cards from the board, you’ll have 9 outs to make the flush since there are 9 more cards of that suit left in the deck. When counting your outs, remember to remove any cards that will help an opponent more than you – e.g. you have an open-ended straight draw (8 outs), but one suit will help opponents hit a flush so you must remove two outs thus giving you 6.
Calculating Equity
A quick shortcut for calculating equity is to multiply outs by 4 on the flop, and multiply outs on the turn by 2. Once you’ve done this, convert the multiplied number into a percentage, and you’ll have your chance of making a hand. For instance, on an open-ended straight draw, you’ll have 8 outs and this is how your equity would look on the flop:
8 outs X 4 = 32% equity (chance of making your hand)
Once more example would be if you have a flush draw (9 outs) on the turn:
9 outs X 2 = 18% equity
Using Equity
With your equity number in hand, it makes the decision to call or not even easier since you also have pot odds to help you. To put equity to use, along with pot odds, you simply need to know if your equity will be higher than your pot odds. For example, if you calculate your pot odds to be 16%, and your equity is 18%, then you would make money in the long run by calling. But always keep in mind that implied odds can change things dramatically when making these calculations.
Tags: Poker Hands, Tips
