Welcome to Easy Poker Math

Everyone knows that poker is a numbers game. If you want to win consistently you must determine what cards your opponents are holding, how they will play those cards, and then figure out what your winning percentages are. Do you think that this type of analysis is beyond your abilities? Well, it will not be after studying this site. Easy Poker Math will teach you the steps required to perform this analysis and apply your results to the situations you will find in the most common form of poker, no-limit Texas hold‘em.

Easy Poker Math is the only site that will break down the math used to make winning decisions and teach you how to make the needed analysis. We provide vital mathematical poker concepts in an easily understandable format and teach you how to decide on the smartest move in any situation you may come across at the poker table. At Easy Poker Math, you will learn:

• How to make profitable decisions at every stage of the hand, from pre-flop through the river.
• How the size of the blinds and number of players affects your play.
• How to determine the best strategy for any given table.
• To understand probability, expected value, pot odds, variance and so much more.

If you are ready to take your game to the next level and increase your profitability, you need to review all the articles contained here at Easy Poker Math.

Poker Math- Calling on a Draw

Many times when you're playing poker you find yourself in a position where you know that you can't be winning the hand, but have a chance if the right card comes. Sometimes calling is the right move, sometimes it's not. Here's an example of a hand I played recently:

One of the games I frequent is a $2/$5 no-limit hold'em game with lots of loose action and zero rake. Maximum buy-in is $500 and several players had rebought a few times. With 8 people at the table the average stack was about $750. In this game I try to see a lot of cheap flops with position and play "hit-to-win" poker. I try to win large pots when I hit and run away cheaply when I don't.

I am in the big blind with 6-8 suited (spades), under the gun raises to $10 and gets 4 callers, including the small blind. There is $45 in the pot (4 callers, plus my big blind) so I add my $5 making the pot $50.

The flop comes 2S, 7S, 9H. I've got nothing but I do have an outside straight draw for the nuts and a draw to a medium flush.

The small blind and I check and the original preflop bettor bets $10 into the $50 pot. He gets 4 callers bringing the pot to $90 and I add my $10 to make it an even $100. At this point I have nothing, but 6 cards (non-spade 5 or 10) give me the nuts and 9 cards (any remaining spade) give me a flush. Since I know what 5 cards are (2 in my hand, 3 on the board) there are 47 left to choose from. I hit the nuts 13% of the time and a flush 19% of the time. I figure either of these hands will likely win so about a third of the time I'm good.

The turn comes King of Diamonds. The original bettors eyes light up and I think he has AK or KK. I still have nothing but a draw. The small blind and I check. The preflop bettor decides to slow play and checks, the other two players check. I've gotten a free ride to the river.

The river is a beautiful 5 of hearts giving me the nut straight. The small blind and I check and the preflop bettor throws in $20. He gets one caller and it comes to me with $140 in the pot. I know the preflop bettor has a good hand and will call so I make raise to $160. The preflop raiser smuggly declares "all-in" and adds a little over $500. The other player folds and I call.

My straight beats his set of kings and he tells me how much of an idiot I am for calling his $10 bet on the flop, calls me a donkey and a chaser and spends 10 minutes berating me and whining. I announce that I "felt" I'd get lucky to add to my donkey persona. The extra $760 in front of me helps soothe my hurt feelings.

Now, let's look at my play and decide who the idiot was.

Preflop it cost me $5 to join a $45 pot. Getting 9 to one odds I'd play with nearly any two cards. With suited straight cards I'd probably play even if I knew the other player had aces. It's a very small bet for a potentially big prize.

On the flop 6 of 47 cards gave me the nuts (13%), and 9 cards give me a flush (19%). I know the straight gives me a win and the flush likely gives me a win. 15 of 47 cards are good for me. I'm going to win this pot about half the time if I go to the river, unless someone has a bigger flush draw. I have to play the flush conservatively, but I feel pretty good. when play comes to me I have to pay $10 for a shot at $90. 9 to 1 is a very good payout here.

On the turn there are still 6 of 46 cards that give me the nuts. A little more than 1 out of 8 times I'm a lock. There are 9 cards that give me a flush, but two of those give the preflop bettor a boat or quads. So 7 of 46 give me a better hand than the bettor. Again, a little more than 1 of 8 puts me ahead, I just have to be careful of bigger flushes. I figure I will win 13 or 46 times, or about 3.54 to 1. As long as the pot is 3 1/2 times bigger than the bet I should call. A bet of $50 would give me 3 to 1, causing me to fold, but he bets zero slow playing his set giving me a free look.

The river was fun. All the bettor was looking for was a flush. It didn't hit and ha makes a bet the he figured would get callers giving him a nice pot. When I raised he didn't even think about the possiblity of a straight because there is no way I would have called his bet with a 6-8. My check-raise should have made some bells go off, but there was no way his ego would let him fold a set, or even smooth call. He had to push. Really made me look dumb, didn't he?