Poker odds: calculating your chances of winning

There is a lot of talk about poker odds all over the television, between players and especially on the internet. It can be said that by being able to calculate these odds is an element in winning at poker – but it's not as easy as that. There are many players that hold the belief that playing poker is not gambling for it requires skill and not luck. Being able to determine poker odds during a game depends on what kind of game you are playing and the players you are playing against.

Generally, if you are going to play the house you can be sure that the over all poker odds will always be in favor of the house. However if you are playing people, for example in a game of Texas Hold'em the odds for each player are generally the same. You are going to need to calculate the odds for each hand when you play these kinds of games. Winning at poker can be easy; if you start with an Ace and a King of the same suit you know that you have a good chance of getting the cards that you are going to need so it is worth seeing at least a three card flop. On the other hand if your first hole cards are a seven and a deuce you should fold because your odds of winning with those cards are probably the worst that you can get.

Knowing you poker odds of winning will have a direct link to how you bet. Clearly, if your odds are in your favor then you will want to bet big and to get your opponents to do the same so that you can win a bigger pot. However, if your calculations are correct and you have no chance of winning poker then you should rather fold, save your money and see what happens in the next round.