Equity Formula Poker

Calculating your chances of winning a hand of poker can be complicated at times. But there is an easy way to get a good approximation that can be done in the heat of the moment – even if you do not consider yourself a mathematics genius.

In poker, your equity or expected value can be calculated by taking your chance of winning and multiplying that with the value of the pot. We have in this case two scenario's: You currently have the best hand When you already have the best hand, you can only lose if your opponent (s) hit their out, which means they improve to having the best hand. Almost all introductory poker books feature a section on pot odds, but they don’t go into too much depth. The truth is that pot odds and equity calculations are at the heart of being a successful poker player and if you wanted to, you could write a book on the subject.

We saw in the last lesson how to calculate your outs in a hand, and in this lesson – concerning a trick called the “Rule of Two and Four” – we look at applying that information. The Rule of Two and Four helps you to make a calculation of your odds of winning a hand, which will in turn inform your decision on whether to call, raise or fold.

Calculating your equity in a hand is a key skill in poker. Its imperative that you know your chance of winning the hand at showdown as the action progresses and to be able to compare this to both the pot odds and implied odds on offer, so you can make good, positive expected value decisions on every street in the hand.

After a flop has been dealt, count your outs, then multiply that number by two to determine the percentage of making your hand on the next card. Note: If there are 2 cards to come, and there can be no betting on the turn, as would be the case with an all in situation, you can multiply your outs by 4 to determine the percentage of making your hand when seeing both cards.

To put it another way: multiply by four if two cards are still to come, or two for only one card.

Equity Formula Poker Strategy

Equity Formula Poker Odds

That figure is the approximate percentage chance of hitting your drawing hand.