Most beginning poker players concentrate heavily on the concept of pot odds when they first start playing. After all, being able to calculate pot odds is very useful in helping you to determine whether or not to make a call. However, using pot odds will only get you so far on the poker table so it is also important to know what your equity is too.
Like pot odds, equity is a rather easy concept to grasp since it’s just the chances that you have to make your hand by the river. Here is a look at how to calculate equity.
Count Outs
The first thing you need to do to find your equity is calculate your outs. This is very easy since outs are merely the cards left in the deck that will make your hand. For instance, on an open-ended straight draw, you would have 8 outs; an example would be if you held 4-5-6-7, and there are four 3’s in the deck and four 8’s.
Calculate your Equity
To calculate equity, you just multiply your outs on the flop by 4, and your outs on the turn by 2. In the open-ended straight draw, you’d calculate equity on the flop like this:
8 outs X 4 = 32% equity.
On the flop, you have a 32% chance of making your hand by the river.
Using Equity
The next step is using equity along with pot odds to see if you will be making money in the long run with a call. And you’ll know to make a call if your equity is higher than your pot odds. For instance, if you have 9 outs on the turn with a flush draw, your equity would be 18% (9 outs X 2). With pot odds of 16%, you’d definitely want to call with an 18% equity.
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If you’re down to the short-handed portion (5 or less players) of a sit and go then you’ve done pretty well up to that point. After all, most sit and go’s involve 9 or 10 players so you have to play solid to avoid an early elimination. However, playing well early on isn’t going to make you any money since the top 3 cash so it’s very important to know how to handle the short-handed part. Here are a couple of suggestions for how you can outplay your competition, and make money in the early going.
Two Options: Push or Fold
If you make it to the short-handed part of a sit and go, you’re most likely sitting on a short-stack. Since this is the case, you’ll need to be pushing all of your chips in or folding; there’s little room for anything in between. If you try limping in and calling everything, you run the risk of eventually being blinded out which is way worse then busting out on one hand at this point. Plus, when you frequently go all-in, it helps you take advantage of the other short-stacked players. It will also help you steal small pots and blinds which is crucial at this point.
When to Call
While you’ll want to push or fold the majority of the time, sometimes it is useful to call. For instance, if you’re the biggest stack then there are a lot of times when you’ll want to call since it’s a bad idea to risk lots of chips at this point. Plus you have the advantage at this point as the bigger stack so you definitely want to avoid being to risky.
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Back in the early to mid-2000’s, you didn’t have to put much thought into selecting an online poker table since the competition was soft pretty much everywhere you went. Obviously though, things have changed greatly since the game of poker has become more competitive than ever. Players from all over the globe have come calling in an effort to make the millions that are available, and strategy is more present than ever.
With this being the case, you really have to be choosy when picking an online table. Here are some things you need to look at in order to pick the right tables to play at.
Flop-Viewed Percentage
The most important thing to look at in order to find soft competition is the flop-viewed percentage. You can find this number in the lobby along with a number of other statistics. When looking at this number, you want to focus on the tables that have a high percentage because this is where the fish are. Non-skilled players are more likely to limp into pots which creates a large number of multi-way pots.
Stack Size
Another good way to find fish is by checking stack sizes. On average, the best players will play with big stacks so that they can maximize their advantage at the table. Less skilled players will play with whatever they have and don’t care about maximizing their edges on the table. So make sure to look for tables with players who are carrying less than the maximum allowed stack size.
Start a Table
Starting your own table is one more way to find lesser competition in online poker. By starting your own table, you will let other players filter in which gives you an opportunity to check their stack sizes and even play heads-up or short-handed if that’s what you are good at.
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While most of the poker world is highly anticipating the rumored Leonardo DiCaprio movie where he stars as an online poker junkie, Juan Riedinger and Andrew Halliwell have given the rest of us something to check out until this movie is done.
Their film is called Shark Out of Water, and it takes a deep look at the world of poker as well as the highs and lows of the game. Shark Out of Water examines just how tough being a rounder can be, and it shows how emotional things are for a professional player.
Besides taking a closer look at a fascinating subject, Shark Out of Water also has a pretty star-studded cast which includes Phil Helmuth and Brad Booth. In addition to these two players, the film also includes Artine Brown and Matty Finochio who provide much of the acting.
One of the most memorable scenes in this movie comes when Phil Hellmuth is talking to Brown about his little shark trinket just before he gets sucked out on a hand. After the hand, Hellmuth gives one of his typical rants that he is so famously known for.
According to the film’s directors, Hellmuth commanded an undisclosed fee for being a part of Shark Out of Water which is understandable considering the fact that he has already appeared in several movies and TV shows in addition to being known as one of the great poker players of all-time.
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In most cases, a flush will win you the pot in the game of poker. That’s why many players light up when they receive a flush draw because it gives them the potential to grab some major money. However, people lose major money with flush draws too because they don’t know how to play them in different situations. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the right way to play a flush draw in Omaha.
Two Suited Cards on the Flop
If you’re looking at a two-suited flop and you’re holding two cards of the same suit then you will almost always want to draw for the flush. The reason being is that you’ll be getting 2-1 pot odds and these odds only improve when you factor in additional draws like a straight. However, you’ve also got to be careful when drawing in certain situations too.
For instance, if you are heads-up and only have a flush draw then you will probably want to fold since the other players will have better odds. Another time when you will want to be careful with is if you’re only holding a small flush draw and there is lots of betting action on the board. There is a good chance here that you’re beat by a bigger flush and should just fold.
Three Suited Cards on the Flop
If there are 3 cards of the same suit on the board then you will definitely need to be cautious. If you don’t have an ace then it becomes a tricky situation since others will have a flush draw too. Make sure to have a hand with additional value before you start betting heavily on 3-suited flops.
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