Pot Odds and Drawing Dead

Use pot odds to your advantage

Before making any moves at the poker table, you need to be aware of your chances to win the hand and put things into context. If you have just a few outs and need to choose between going all in or folding your hand, the obvious choice would be to lay it down. In most cases this is the right thing to do, but you can't neglect pot odds, because these are the ones that make the difference between profit and bankruptcy on the long run.

Some players don't know when they are pot committed and get out of a hand when they should in fact go all the way despite not being favorites to win. The problem is that they've misjudged their opponents or calculated their chances poorly and invested more than necessary into the pot. Crying over spilt milk doesn't help and if the pot odds indicate that calling with the remaining chips in the stack is the right choice, the decision is as good as done.

For instance if there is $100 in the pot already and you have just $10 in front of you, throwing them in the middle on the turn with 25% chances to win is a good investment. Knowing how to calculate pot odds is essential for making profit on the long term, and those who use this knowledge won't mind if they lose one pot or another because they can put things into perspective.

Know when you are drawing dead

Less experienced poker players tend to be carried away by enthusiasm when they are dealt a good hand and many lose their focus completely if they get a favorable flop. Instead of thinking twice before making a move against an aggressive opponent, they jump to conclusions and overplay their hand. The worst-case scenario is to get involved into a hand that you can't win no matter what the turn or river might bring.

Drawing dead is something that players should avoid at all costs and one of the most common scenarios of is when someone calls an all-in hoping for a flush or straight. If three suited or connected cards appear on the flop, you need to think twice before investing your entire stack because there is a chance for the opponent to already have you beaten. You might still lose the pot if the suited card you expect pops up on the turn if your opponent has the Ace and the same happens when players make a lower straight than their rivals.

It is very difficult to lay down such a promising hand, but if you have good reasons to think that your opponent holds the better hand and is waiting for the same card as yourself, it's mandatory to fold. Players should also reconsider the number of outs they have, by removing the cards that might help the opponent more than themselves. Beginners should start with mastering the rules of poker first before jumping to more advanced strategies, and this is something https://www.pokerinusa.net/ can help with.