Pot Odds Explained and How to Calculate Them

Pot odds are a fundamental part of poker and it’s important to learn how to calculate them. Don’t worry though, they are easy to learn. I hesitate to even call it a formula. We have you covered with a step-by-step process with examples and a reference table.

Whether you are new to pot odds or if you just want a refresher, this article and accompanying video podcast will get you up to speed so you can make more calculated decisions at the poker table.

Original post by Dan B. | Updated by Duncan Smith and Chad Burgess on Feb. 26, 2026

What Are Pot Odds?

Pot odds measure the cost of a call (opponent’s bet size) vs the potential reward of calling (pot size including the opponent’s bet). Pot odds can be represented as a ratio or a percentage. Once you know your pot odds, you can compare them to your chance of winning the hand to make better decisions at the table.

How to Calculate Pot Odds Step-by-Step

1. Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.
2. Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.
3. Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Suppose the pot is $100 and your opponent bets $50, making the total pot $150. This means you are getting 150:50 on a call, which can be simplified to 3:1 as the would be call amount of $50 multiplies by 3 to get to the pot size before the call of $150 ($50×3=$150)

From there, you will want to convert your pot odds into a percentage so you know exactly how much equity your hand needs to profitably call the bet.

Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.

First, you need to figure out what the pot size would be if you called the bet. In this case, the total pot is $150, and it’s $50 to call, so the pot would be $200 ($150 total pot + your $50 call) if you call.

We’ll refer to this number as the final pot.

Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.

In this case, that comes out to 0.25 ($50 call size / $200 final pot size).

Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Now, simply multiply that 0.25 by 100 to convert the decimal into a percentage. That’s 25% (0.25 * 100) in this case.

This means that, when you call, you need to win more than 25% of the time in order to profit.

The next step would be to assess whether your specific hand has at least 25% equity versus your opponent’s range. I’ll show you how to do that in the examples below. Before digging into the examples, save this handy reference for

Pot Odds Shortcuts

If you want to make your life easy at the table, you are better off memorizing this list of pot odds and trying to approximate based on your opponent’s bet size. This way, you will be able to focus on other aspects of the hand and make more profitable decisions.

Here are the following equities required to call against common bet sizes:

Save this to your phone or computer so you always have it handy!

Pot Odds Examples

In the section below, we go through examples for using pot odds preflop, for draws, and bluff catching on the river.

Example 1: Using Pot Odds Preflop

NOTE: Continuing with the 25% pot odds we calculated above, we’re going to do some cash game examples, but this process works for tournaments too. Pot odds are applicable everywhere in poker.

Suppose you’re playing a $0.50/$1.00, 6-handed online cash game. A player raises to $2.25 in the Cutoff, and the action folds to you in the Big Blind. 

Your hand is 7d 5d. Let’s use our step-by-step process to determine if you can profitably call based on your pot odds.

Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.

$2.25 (the size of the raise) + $1 (your Big Blind, already committed to the pot) + $0.50 (the Small Blind, also committed to the pot) + $1.25 (your call size) = $5.

Note that the call size is only $1.25 because you already have $1 invested as the Big Blind.

Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.

$1.25 call size / $5 final pot size = 0.25

Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

0.25 * 100 = 25% equity required to call.

Step 4: Assess whether your hand has enough equity to call.

Now, you have to estimate your opponent’s range and calculate whether your 7d 5d has at least 25% equity against it.

Since your opponent raised from the Cutoff, we will use the Cutoff raising range from the Upswing’s Preflop Prodigy app:

Then, we input this range and your hand into an equity calculator (click here to download a free one) to see if you have enough equity to profitably call (remember, you need at least 25%):

7d 5d has 37% equity against the Cutoff’s range, which means you can call profitably.

There’s are other factors in this calculation that’s beyond the scope of this article, implied odds and the the more advanced concept of equity realization, which you can learn about here.

Example 2: Using Pot Odds with a Draw

Let’s continue with the same hand: the Cutoff raises to $2.25 at $0.50/$1.00 online and you have 7d 5d in the Big Blind. Now you know that you have enough equity to call, so you do.

The flop comes Jd 8c 2d. You check to the preflop raiser and he bets $3 into the $5 pot. Let’s run through our steps to figure out if you can call this bet profitably.

Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.

$5 (the pot size) + $3 (the bet size) + $3 (your call size) = $11

Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.

$3 call size / $11 final pot size = 0.273

Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

0.273 * 100 = 27.3% equity required to call.

Step 4: Assess whether your hand has enough equity to call.

To simplify this calculation, we will focus on your hand and skip estimating your opponent’s range.

Let’s consider your outs:

• You have 9 outs to make a flush, which means you will improve to a flush ~18% of the time on the turn (9 diamonds / 47 remaining cards).
• You have 6 outs to make a pair (~12% chance), which not only may be the best hand, but also allows you to call a bet on the turn should your opponent make one.
• You have 6 outs to turn a straight draw (~12% chance). which allows you to call a bet on the turn should your opponent make one.

To add to all of this, your opponent will not always bet on the turn when you miss one of your outs, which means sometimes you will get to see a free river card and an additional 18% chance of hitting your flush.

You can see how we can clearly reach the required 27.3% equity needed in order to profitably call.

Example 3: Using Pot Odds to Bluff-Catch on the River

Note: Bluff-catching is when you call a bet with a hand that can only beat your opponent’s bluffs.

When deciding whether or not to bluff-catch on the river, you always need to take into account your opponent’s range.

Suppose you defend your Big Blind vs. a Cutoff raise with 9c 7c. The flop comes 9d 8s 3c, and you check-call a bet. The turn is a 2h and you check-call a bet again. Finally, the river is the 2c and your opponent bets $20 into the $40 pot.

Time for our steps!

Step 1: Calculate the final pot size if you were to call.

$20 (the bet size) + $40 (the pot size) + $20 (your call size) = $80

Step 2: Divide the size of the call by the size of the final pot.

$20 call size / $80 final pot size = 0.25

Step 3: Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

0.25 * 100 = 25%

Step 4: Assess whether your hand has enough equity to call.

To do this, we input your opponent’s range and your hand in an equity calculator, but first, we need to estimate the range you’re up against.

Keeping in mind that he raised preflop from the Cutoff and bet three streets on 9d 8s 3c 2h 2c, we’ll estimate that his value range is:

• Sets 88 and 33 (99 may occasionally slow-play on the flop)
• Strong two pair: AA-TT, 98s, A9s

And his bluffing range is all missed straight draws: QJ, QT, JT, 76s, 75s, 65s, A5s, A4s. Since many poker players under-bluff, however, we’ll cut his number of bluffs in half when we run the calculation.

Your 9c 7c has 46.58% equity against your opponent’s range, which means you can definitely call and show a profit in this situation.

Final Thoughts on Pot Odds

Pot odds are your friends at the poker table. You need to always know what pot odds you are getting if you want to make good calls consistently. Make sure you remember the table from above and use it the next time you’re playing.

That’s all for this article! I hope that you enjoyed it and that you’ve found it useful! Please drop any questions or feedback in the comment section below.

If you want to learn about an important concept that’s very related to pot odds, read this article on using implied odds

Till next time, good luck, grinders!

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