Poker Math That Matters

When we sum all the results, we get zero.
-$5 - $5 - $5 + $15 = 0
So, you see we’ve broken even over this scenario. Now, there’s
an even shorter way to approximate this percentage at the table
that requires only a minimal amount of memory. In NLHE, you
come across the same bet sizes very frequently in terms of how
much the opponent bets compared to the pot. So, we can just list
those and memorize how often we need to be good for each one.
We can look at what our opponent bet in relation to the pot and
estimate how often we need to be good.
Table 5. Percent we must win after villain bets.
His Bet We Must Win >
2x the size of the pot 40%
Pot-size 33%
2/3 the size of the pot 28%
1/2 the size of the pot 25%
1/3 the size of the pot 20%
1/4 the size of the pot 16%
Just by memorizing Table 5, you can normally get right on or
very close to how often you need to win in order not to lose
money on your call. You may even want to put this little chart
by your monitor until you find you no longer need it.
Let’s tie this together with everything we’ve learned so far with
an example.
Hero: 5♠6♠
Villain: A♦A♣
Board: K♠T♠2♥
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