Poker Equity & OddsPot odds cheat sheet
Short answer
To call, your equity has to beat call / (pot + bet + call). Against a half-pot bet you need 25.0%, against a pot-size bet 33.3%, and against a third of the pot 20.0%. Even a bet of twice the pot only asks for 40.0%.
Bet size to equity needed
| Bet you face | Bet into 100 | Pot odds | Equity you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 pot | 25 | 5 : 1 | 16.7% |
| 1/3 pot | 33.3 | 4 : 1 | 20.0% |
| 1/2 pot | 50 | 3 : 1 | 25.0% |
| 2/3 pot | 66.7 | 2.5 : 1 | 28.6% |
| 3/4 pot | 75 | 2.3 : 1 | 30.0% |
| Pot | 100 | 2 : 1 | 33.3% |
| 1.5x pot | 150 | 1.7 : 1 | 37.5% |
| 2x pot | 200 | 1.5 : 1 | 40.0% |
A worked example
Needs 25.0%, has 38.9%: CALL
You hold 5♥ 4♥ on K♥ 9♥ 2♣. Villain has K♦ Q♣ and bets 50 into 100. You call 50 to win 200, so you need 25.0%. Your equity, counted over every runout, is 38.9%. Call. On average the call wins about 27.8 chips more than it costs, if the hand goes to showdown with no more betting.
One card at a time
The example above gives you both the turn and the river for one price. If villain will bet the turn again, the turn card has to pay for this call on its own. Here is the biggest bet each draw can call on the next card alone, with no implied odds.
| Draw | Outs | Next card | Biggest bet it can call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush draw + open-ender | 15 | 31.9% | 3/4 pot |
| Flush draw | 9 | 19.1% | 1/4 pot |
| Open-ended straight draw | 8 | 17.0% | 1/4 pot |
| Two overcards | 6 | 12.8% | None, not even a quarter pot |
| Gutshot | 4 | 8.5% | None, not even a quarter pot |
That gap is what implied odds have to cover: the chips you expect to win later when you hit. Decide in the app counts it when you add the effective stack.
Questions
What equity do I need to call a pot-size bet?
33.3%. You call 100 to win a pot of 300.
What equity do I need to call a half-pot bet?
25.0%. You call 50 to win 200.
What are 2 to 1 pot odds as a percentage?
33.3%. A pot-size bet lays you 2 to 1, so you need to win one time in three.
What equity do I need against a third-pot bet?
20.0%. You need to win one time in five.
Where the numbers come from. Every figure on this page comes from the app's own engine, the code that runs on your phone. Outs come from the Outs & Odds tool, hit chances are exact counts, and equities count every runout with no sampling. Engine build 18a5e00d. More worked numbers: flush draw odds and the pot odds cheat sheet.
