Poker odds can seem a bit confusing at first, but knowing how to draw and calculate odds is critical, especially for serious video poker players.
When computing poker odds, Math is important. Even though you don't have to be considered a genius in math to play great poker, you'll be better placed as long as you understand probability well. Also, vast knowledge of poker odds matters a lot if you want to win the game.
There are bad bets and outstanding bets in the poker game. These two options solely depend on your poker odds. The game simply happens to tell apart those who know the difference from those who don't.
This short and practical guide will give you everything you need to know, to gain the upper hand and win in real and video poker games.
In order to figure out the excellent video poker odds and win, players should adequately acquaint themselves with video poker and clearly follow the rules.
Video poker is pretty much based on one of the simplest types of table poker (the common 5-card draw poker). The game is played on;
Video console Virtual gameVideo poker is also played with a deck of 52 cards (more when the joker is included). A player is dealt five cards (initial draw) and can either choose to discard or hold them. If the player forms a winning hand after a second draw, they receive a payout corresponding to the winning hand and the original bet .
Things You Needs to Know When Playing Video PokerAlthough video poker odds may look like a game of chance to gamblers with less experience, keen players and experts know that poker is a game that requires great experience in order to secure a great win.
If you are playing Video Poker, you will have your best chance of winning if you compute your video poker odds for each hand and then use this strategy to guide your play all along.
Counting OutsIt is critical to be aware of your outs( cards that make a hand) even before you start calculating the video poker odds. If you draw a flush with four spades, nine spades (outs) will be required to get you a flush in the deck. Keep in mind; a suit is made up of 13 cards.
Also, if you have a hand of two different numbers say 4 and 7 and hit two pairs on the flop, your hand may be the best, but you can still improve it. You can make a full house and improve your poker odds in four different ways.
The process of counting these outs is very straightforward. All you're required to know is the total number of cards( unknown), which will give you a better hand. This will help you calculate the poker odds for all your video poker games and improve your winning.
Other things that aid in computing poker odds that you should consider when counting outs include;
Whenever you have a flush and a straight draw, there are 15 outs, not the expected 17. If you are wondering why 15 and not the expected 17 outs given that the number of outs for a flush is 9 and for straight 8, so (9+8= 17), the answer is, two of the cards will complete a straight and also make a flush. These outs should not be counted in both the flush and the straight, so the draw's total outs are 15. Knowing this fact will help you accurately compute your poker odds.
Some outs will give you a better hand but will not contribute to your win. Some outs won't help you in computing your poker odds. Some outs won't, and thus should be reduced from the calculations if you want to win your video poker.
Having figured out how many good outs you've got, calculating your poker odds is your next step. There are a lot of ways to find out the actual poker odds required to hit these outs. Each different game comes with specific poker odds.
Odds can either be "against" or "for" For example, the odds against hitting a flush when you have four suited cards with only one card to come is 4: 1. The odds for this event is 5. You should expect to get your flush once for every 5 times you try.
Although nothing is certain in gambling, video poker players can guarantee their investment's return if they choose a good game and apply the proper poker odds.
The three best ways of computing poker odds include;
The Rule of Four and TwoThis is an easy way of doing poker odds calculations. The 4 and 2 method states that you're required to multiply your outs by 4 whenever you have the river and turn to come - and with one card to go, you should multiply your outs by 2 and not 4.
Picture this, if a player chooses to go all-in, and by calling, you're of seeing both the river and turn cards, if you have nine outs, then it's just 9 x 4 = 36. It doesn't match the exact poker odds, but it's accurate enough.
With just one card to come, it's even easier to compute the poker odds. Using the flush example, the nine outs would equal 18% (9 x 2). In the case of a straight draw, count the outs and then multiply the number by two; 16% (8 x 2) - this gives almost 17%. This is close enough and easy to do - you don't have to be a math genius to get the poker odds right.
The Actual MathThe math to get the correct poker odds can be done in several ways with the main two ways being;
Long and complete method (yielding accurate results) A short method that gives a close enough answerBoth odds will grant you a win in your video poker game nonetheless.
Using the flush draw example, The poker odds against hitting a flush from the flop to the river are 1.86: 1. This number is obtained by,
With 9 spades remaining, there will be 36 combos to get 2 spades, and make the flush with 5 spades calculated as follows;
(8 x 9 /1 x 2) = 36
The chance of 2 running spades when you're looking for 1 is given below. Consider the 38 cards, which are among the 47 cards(unknown) to figure it out. The 38 can unite with one of the remaining 9 spades:
38 x 9 = 342
This means that we have 342 combos of non-spade/spade combinations. Adding the two, we obtain a flush:
342 + 36 =380.
The turn and river combinations is totalls to 1081,and the calculation is as follows:
(46 x 47 / 1 x 2) =1081
Divide the 380 possibilities by all the possible outcomes (1081):
380 / 1081 = .35185
Round off to two decimal places to get 0.35 When divided by its reciprocal (0.65) you get:
.65 / .35 = 1.86.
Poker Odds ChartThe chart outlines all the possible poker odds that guarantee you the best wins. Printing the chart is essential as it can be used as a source of reference when playing poker. The chart comes in handy when computing poker odds.
This payback percentage indicates the amount of money that would be given back(returned) to the players in the long run. It is usually calculated as a percentage of what players bet on average.
Casinos determine the amount of money they are willing to give back to their customers by creating games and adjusting their pay-tables in such a manner that the odds always work in their favor.
Every different game comes with specific poker odds, depending on its gameplay and particular rules, among other things. Although there's a lot of gambling uncertainty, video poker players are guaranteed some return on their investment if they choose a great game and use the proper poker odds.
