Let’s look at another example of $10-$20. An early and middle position player call. You call on the button with A♣ 5♣. The small blind calls and five players see the flop of K♣ 9♣ 4♦. The small blind bets and the big blind folds. A strong player in early position raises. The middle position player folds. What should you do?

• Determine the number of discounted outs. The early position player most likely has a pair of kings and might have 99. The small blind most likely has a pair of kings, K9, 99, 44, or possibly a flush draw. You have nine outs to the nut flush and three ours to the ace. If one of your opponents has a set or two pair, you could hit your flush and possibly lose to a full house; therefore, a small discount I needed. An estimate might be to discount your flush draw from nine outs to eight outs. Your three outs to the ace need to be discounted since you would lose to AA,
KK, 99, 44, AK, A9, A4, K9, K4, 94, and for the possibility that someone hits a better hand on the river. Again, (his is a matter of judgment, but you might estimate that a pair of aces would win about 33% of the time; therefore, you could discount your three outs to one out. As a result, I would play the hand as if J had nine discounted outs.

• Calculate the pot odds. The total pot at this point is $80 (five players paid $10 to see the flop + $10 bet on flop by the small blind + $20 raise by the early position player). You face a bet of $20, so your pot odds are 4 to 1.

• Calculate the implied pot odds. If you hit the flush on the turn or river, you can expect to gain some extra bets, especially if one of the players has a set. Since there are two opponents in this hand, you might expect to gain at least one big bet on the turn and one big bet on the river for a total of $120 ($80+$20 + $20). Your implied odds are 6 to 1 faced with a $20 bet. Note: A big bet is the amount of a bet on the turn and river, compared to small bets on the first two rounds of betting.

• Compare the implied pot odds to the odds against improving your hand. Nine outs are 4 to 1 against improving, which are equal to the pot odds of 4 to 1; however, your odds compare favorably to the implied pot odds of 6 to 1.

• Determine your best strategy. Calling is profitable. Raising is a consideration to try to buy a free card.

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Let’s look at one more example of $10-$20. You raise in early position with J♥ J♠. Two middle players, the button, small blind, and big blind all call for a total of six players. The flop is T♣ 8♦ 8♥. It is checked to you, and you bet. One middle player, the button, and small blind call. Four players see the turn card of Q♦. The small blind checks and you bet. The middle position player raises and everybody folds to you. There is $220 in the pot. What do you do?

• Determine the number of discounted outs. Assuming the middle player is not a tricky opponent, your opponent has at least a pair of queens with a band like AQ or KQ. He might also have TT, 88, or A8. QQ is unlikely since he probably would have reraised preflop. Q8, J9, and T8 are unlikely since he probably would have folded to a raise before the flop. You have four outs 10 a straight and two outs to a full house. Your two outs to the full house are strong since the only two hands that would beat you are QQ and 88. Your four outs to the straight are relatively strong unless your opponent has QQ, TT, 88, or 98, QQ and 88 are unlikely, but TT is a decent possibility. Only a weak player would call a raise preflop with 98s. One other small possibility is that your opponent has QJ, in which case you would split the pot if a 9 comes. Therefore, I would only discount your six outs by one out to account for QQ, TT, 88, and QJ, and play the hand as if you had five outs.

• Calculate the pot odds. The total pot is $220 and the bet is $20, so your pot odds are 11 to 1.

• Calculate the implied pot odds. You should expect to earn another bet on the river if you improve. You might lose two bets on the river if you come out betting with the straight and lose to a full house. You might estimate that you would win $15 on average when improving; therefore, the implied odds are $235/20, which are 11.75 to 1.

• Compare the implied pot odds to the odds against improving your hand. 11.75 to 1 implied pot odds compares favorably to the 8 to 1 odds against improving with five outs.

• Determine your best strategy. Given the large pot, calling is correct.

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Here are some common odds that can be helpful or just interesting to know:
Dealt a pocket pair 16 to 1
AA 220 to 1
Any AK {suited or unsuited) 82 to 1
Three-suited flops 18 to 1 or 5%
Two-suited flops 55%
An A will flop (and no K) when you hold KK 3.3 to 1 or 23%
An A or K flops (and no Q) when you hold QQ 1.3 to 1 or 43%
An A, K, or Q flops (and no J) when you hold JJ 7 to 1 or 59%
Flopping at least a pair with any two cards 2.2 to 1 or 32%
Flopping at least a set when you hold a pair 7.5 to 1
Flopping a flush when holding two suits 118 to 1
Completing a flush when starting with two suited cards 15 to 1 or 6%
Flopping a flush draw when holding two suits 8 to 1
Completing the flush draw by the river 1.8 to 1
Backdoor flush 23 to 1 or 4.2%
KK loses to QQ if played to river 4.4 to 1
Set on flop completing to full house 2 to 1 or 33%
2♥ 2♦ beats A♠ K♣ 53%

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Probability tells you how many times an event will happen while odds tell you howmany times an event will not happen. For example, the odds are 3 to 1 againstimproving your hand while the probability of improving your hand is 25% or 1 in 4. Pot odds is the relationship between the current pot and the current bet Implied pot odds is the relationship between the current pot and the bets you expect to win, tthe current bet.

An out is a card that improves your hand. An out is counterfeited when a card that improves your hand improves your opponent’s hand to an even better hand. Outs that are potentially counterfeited should be discounted when calculating odds, and disregarded if you are probably drawing dead.

On the Internet, you can simply post a chart next to your computer showing you the odds against improving your hand for each number of outs. One of the most common mistakes made by many players is assuming that they will win when a particular card improves their hand. When determining your outs, you must look at those outs that will improve your hand to the winning hand. Whenever the flop is two-suited, you should discount a suited out against a lone opponent and probably disregard the out against several opponents for the risk that
one of them holds a flush draw. When drawing on the flop, you should discount your outs a little, and maybe a lot, for the probability that your opponents could draw to an even better hand on the river.

The basic steps in applying odds at the poker table are as follows:
1. Determine the number of discounted outs.
2. Calculate the pot odds.
3. Calculate the implied pot odds.
4. Compare the implied pot odds to the odds against improving your hand.
5. Determine your best strategy.

In many cases, it is the size of the pot that determines if drawing to a particular hand is profitable. Given the same exact hand and scenario, your hand could either be folded or played depending on me size of the pot.

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• Generally only raise with premium hands from the blinds since you are
decreasing your pot odds while having to act first on every betting round.
Consider an occasional raise with a borderline hand given the right
conditions to add some deception to your game.

• Consider reraising against a lone late raiser to defend your blinds.

• The small blind should generally either reraise or fold against a lone raiser
from any position.

• Consider slowplaying your premium hands from the big blind against an
aggressive lone raiser,

• Starting hand guidelines for small blind versus big blind situations are very
dependent on your opponent. Generally you should play aggressively,
especially if your opponent plays too tight.

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• Number of opponents: Bluffs are generally only successful against one or
two opponents and sometimes against three. Bluffs are rarely successful
against four or more opponents.

• Type of opponent: It is easier to bluff against strong players than maniacs or
weak players. Strong players are capable of folding mediocre hands.
Maniacs and poor players call too often with weak hands, so it is more
difficult to get them to fold.

• Size of pot: The larger the pot, the harder it is to bluff successfully. Your
opponents are getting better pot odds, so they are more likely to cull even
with weak hands. On the other hand, you get a larger reward when you are
able to bluff successfully at a large pot.

• Table image: Loose players play a lot of hands and tend to bluff a lot, while
tight players play few hands and generally only bet when they have a strong
hand. Bluffs have a higher chance of success when you have a tight table
image since your opponents will tend to back off when you bet. If you have a
loose table image, more opponents will tend to call you with weak hands. If
you recently were “caught” trying to bluff, this may also make it more difficult
to bluff successfully.

• Betting sequences: Your ability to read your opponents’ possible hands
based on their betting sequences will allow you to better identify
opportunities to bluff.

• Representation of a particular hand: Bluffs are more successful when you
are able to represent a particular hand based on the board and your betting
sequences. This is especially true when a scare can comes. A scare card is
a card that could be threatening to your opponents. For example, an ace
comes on the turn and you bet or raise representing a pair of aces. This kind
of play works especially well if you raised preflop, since your opponents will
be even more worries that you hold the ace.

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• Position: You can sometimes use your position to identify good bluffing
opportunities. For example, a common bluffing opportunity is to bet in last
position when everyone has checked. Another bluffing opportunity is to bet
out from the blinds when all rags, cards lower than a 9, or a small pair flops.

• Early versus late betting rounds: Bluffing is more difficult on the river than it
is on earlier betting rounds, although you get a larger reward when you are
successful. On the river, your opponents only have to call one more bet, and
they usually have some type of had unless they missed a draw.
Bluffs on the flop, especially in tight games, are much more common. First,
many flops do not help your opponents, so a bet can often win the pot.
Second, to call your bluff, your opponents know that there are still two betting
rounds remaining making it expensive to call down to the river. When your
bluffs don’t work on the flop, they still have a chance of working on the turn
since your opponents must still call two big bets to call your bluff.

• Type of Flop/Board: It is more difficult to bluff with some types of boards
since there is a good chance that your opponents either have a good hand or
a good draw. For example, it is difficult to bluff with several high cards on the
flop since it is likely that your opponents hold either a pair or a straight draw.
Two or three cards that are connected or one-gapped also make straight
draws more likely. Two-suited flops add dangers of flush draws.

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A bluff is a bet or raise when you have little chance of winning the pot if called. A.
bluff is profitable when your pot odds are better than the odds that your opponents
will fold.

A semi-bluff is a bet or raise in which, if called, you probably do not have the best
hand, but you could improve to the best hand. A semi-bluff is profitable by the
combination of the probability that your opponents will fold and the probability that
you could improve to the best hand.

Bluffs are generally only successful against one or two opponents and sometimes
against three. Bluffs are rarely successful against four or more opponents.
Bluffs are more successful against strong opponents as they are more apt to fold a
hand, whereas maniacs and poor players call too often with weak hands.

A large pot gives you better pot odds to attempt a bluff but also increases the odds
that your opponents will call.

A tight table image allows you to bluff successfully more often than someone with a
loose table image.

Your ability to read your opponents possible hands based on their bet ting
sequences will allow you to better identify opportunities to bluff.
Bluffs are more successful when you are able to represent a particular hand based
on the board and your betting sequences.

You can sometimes use your position to identify good bluffing opportunities.
Bluffing is more difficult on the river than it is in earlier betting rounds since your
opponents only have to call one more bet, and they usually have some type of hand
unless they missed a draw. Bluffs on the flop have a higher chance of success
since most flops do not help your opponents, and to call your bluff, your opponents
know that there are still two betting rounds remaining.

It is more difficult to bluff with some types of flops since there is a good chance that
your opponents either have a good hand or a good draw. Generally, flops with two
high cards, two-suited flops, or two or three connected cards make it more difficult
to bluff successfully.

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There are some differences between online and live poker in regards to bluffing. As
a general rule, players tend to bluff a little more often on the Interns than they do in
a live game. The virtual environment of the Internet makes many players play a little
more deceptively than they would against a live opponent. The virtual environment
also makes it easier to commit your chips since you only have to click your mouse.
Compare this to a live game where you have to physically move your chips into the
center of the table while your opponents are watching you. Therefore, you may
need to keep your opponents honest a little more online than you would in a live
game.

On the other hand, your opponents will tend to call your bluffs a little more often
than they would in a live game since they also recognize that players tend to bluff
quite often on the Internet. Calling is also easier online since they only have to click
their mouse. For these reasons, you need to choose your bluffing opportunities a
little more carefully online than you would in a live game.

One final note about bluffing. As we discussed before, some of the value in bluffing
comes from the advertising value of bluffs to get your opponents to call more often
in the future when you have a good hand. Bluffs do not have the same advertising
value online as they do in a live game. First, many players may not notice your
bluffs since they might be playing two tables, watching television, or reading email.
In addition, you rarely play with the same opponents as long as you would in a live
game to take advantage of your “loose’ image. These are a couple of other reasons
why you should tend to bluff a little less often on the Internet. Of course, if you are
playing in a game where the players don’t move in and out of the game a lot or you
are against regular opponents, your bluffs can still derive some future value when
used in good situations.

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What do I mean by playing your opponent? Some of the things to consider:

• Play more hands against players with loose starting hand requirements and
fewer hands against tight players.

• Play more hands against players who play poorly after the flop.

• Don’t bluff very often against loose players and play aggressively against
tight players.

• Induce bluffs against loose aggressive players. Induce calls against tight
players.

• After the flop, tend to call, raise, and reraise your borderline hands against
aggressive, tricky opponents and fold against rocks who never bet or raise
without a strong hand.

• Note that the playing style of your opponent preflop is sometimes different
than after the flop.

• Generally try to sit to the left of maniacs and to the right of tight players.

• Mix up your strategies based on the flow of the game to keep your opponents off balance.

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