Practical Poker Math

After the Flop
Odds of Improvement
Once the Flop has hit the board, you have 5 of the 7 cards
that will make your best and final hand. After the Flop and
with 2 cards to come, regardless of the hand, any player still
involved will want to know:
♦ The odds of improvement on the next card (the
Turn)
♦ The odds of improvement over the next two cards
(the Turn and the River)
♦ The odds of hitting certain Runner-Runner hands.
The tables and calculations below demonstrate these odds.
Money Odds, Overlays & Expectation
After the betting on the Flop in limit games, the stakes usually
double and the cost to continue in the hand increases. As
each card is placed on the board, the likelihood of improvement
decreases. As each bet or raise is made or called, the
money odds get better.
The odds of improvement make it easy for any player to
know his chances for a stronger hand. But to be most useful
as decision support information, the odds of improvement
must be considered in conjunction with the
♦ Money odds and the risk odds offered if a bluff or
semi-bluff were to immediately win the pot
♦ Likely total money odds at the end
93
After the Flop