Pot Odds Calculator

What pot odds are

Pot odds compare what you must call with what you stand to win. They tell you the share of the time your hand has to win for a call to break even, which is the first number in any calling decision. If the pot is $100 and your opponent bets $50, you call $50 to win $150: the pot is laying you 3 to 1, and you need to win more than 1 time in 4, or 25%, for the call to show a profit.

The formula, both ways

As a ratio: pot odds = (pot + bet) : bet. With a $100 pot and a $50 bet, that is 150 : 50, or 3 : 1.

As the equity you need: required equity = bet ÷ (pot + bet + bet), that is the call divided by the total pot after your call goes in. For the same spot, 50 ÷ 200 = 25%.

The two say the same thing. Odds of 3 : 1 mean you lose three times for every one you win, so you win one time in four. Players who think in ratios convert with "1 divided by (odds + 1)"; players who think in percentages skip the ratio altogether. The calculator shows both.

Note the easy mistake: dividing the bet by the pot plus the bet (50 ÷ 150 = 33%) answers a different question, the bet as a share of the pot you are competing for before your own call. The figure that matters includes your call in the denominator.

Required equity by bet size

Because the formula only depends on the bet as a fraction of the pot, every bet size maps to one break-even number. These are the ones to know by heart.

Two anchors cover most of what you face: a half-pot bet needs 25% equity, a pot-sized bet needs 33%. Even a huge overbet of twice the pot only needs 40%, which is why overbets are bluffed as often as they are.

Worked examples

Calling a flop bet with a flush draw

The pot is $60 and your opponent bets $40, two-thirds of the pot. You call $40 to win $100, so you need 40 ÷ 140 = 28.6%. A flush draw on the flop has nine outs and about 35% equity to hit by the river, so on equity alone the call is fine, though against a player who will bet the turn again the comparison should really be made one street at a time: nine outs on a single card is about 19%, under the 28.6% required, and the call then rests on the money you expect to win when you hit.

Facing a river shove

The pot is $200, your opponent moves all in for $150. You need 150 ÷ 500 = 30%. The question becomes whether your hand beats at least 30% of the hands they would do this with. If they are bluffing with a third of their range, a call with a bluff-catcher is profitable; if they bluff a fifth of the time, it is not. This is where pot odds hand over to range reading.

Facing a raise

You bet $50 into $100 and are raised to $150. The pot now holds $100 + $50 + $150 = $300 and you must call $100 more: 100 ÷ 400 = 25%. The money you already put in is part of the pot, not part of your call.

Pot odds and the other side of the bet

The same arithmetic, seen from the bettor's side, gives the minimum defense frequency: the share of their range the caller must continue with so that a bluff does not profit automatically. A pot-sized bet needs 33% equity to call and must be defended 50% of the time; a half-pot bet needs 25% to call and must be defended 67%. The MDF calculator covers that side, and the minimum defense frequency article explains when to use it.

Pot odds versus implied odds

Pot odds count only the money already in the pot. When a call has a draw behind it, the money you will win on later streets after you hit also counts, and a call that is slightly short on pot odds can still be right. The reverse also holds: a hand that will lose more money after it improves, such as a weak flush draw against a possible better flush, has reverse implied odds and needs better pot odds than the formula says. The implied odds article works through both.

Where the equity comes from

Pot odds give the equity a call needs. The equity your hand actually has is the other half. For draws, count your outs and use the outs calculator or the rule of 2 and 4. Against a specific hand or a whole range, use the equity calculator, and the most common preflop matchups are tabulated on the hand-vs-hand equity pages.

Questions

How do you calculate pot odds? Divide the amount you must call by the total pot after your call. With a $100 pot and a $50 bet, that is 50 ÷ 200 = 25%: your hand must win at least 25% of the time to call. As a ratio, the pot is offering (100 + 50) : 50, or 3 : 1.

What pot odds does a half-pot bet give? 3 : 1, so you need 25% equity to call. A pot-sized bet gives 2 : 1 and needs 33%; a two-thirds pot bet gives 2.5 : 1 and needs 28.6%.

What is the difference between pot odds and implied odds? Pot odds use only the money already in the pot. Implied odds add the money you expect to win on later streets if your draw hits, so a drawing hand can call with less immediate equity than the pot odds require.

Do pot odds include my own previous bets? Yes. Money you have already put in belongs to the pot and is not part of your call. If you bet $50 and are raised to $150, you call $100 into a pot of $300 plus your $100, and need 25%.

How much equity does a flush draw have? About 35% to hit by the river from the flop with two cards to come, and about 19% on the next card alone. Compare the single-card figure to the pot odds when your opponent is likely to bet again on the turn.

Are pot odds the same as minimum defense frequency? They are the same arithmetic seen from opposite seats. Pot odds say how much equity a caller needs; minimum defense frequency says how often the caller must continue so that the bettor's bluffs do not profit. A pot-sized bet needs 33% equity to call and a 50% defence rate.