Calculating pot odds and payoff risk, as described in this Texas Hold em Poker tips way, allows you to make the best decisions in poker.

Calculating pot odds simply means that you add up all the money in the pot, then calculate whether your odds of getting the outs, which is the cards you need to make your best hand, are worth actually calling the pot. This essentially is your payoff risk. So you add up all the money in the pot, find out your chance of getting your best hand (and presumable winning) then determine whether your hand is getting the proper odds to justify calling. If it is you call. If its not you fold. That simple. Its just basic maths. Let me explain further.

Say you've lined yourself up an open ended straight draw with one card to go. So you have 4 cards of a straight and you are punting for the card below or above. So say for example you have a 10-9 and on the board is a 8-7-3. So you can get a Jack or a 6 for a straight. You are at the turn. If you get your straight on the river you will probably win. If you don't, you'll most definitely lose. Say for example your opponent has a high pocket pair. So, assuming that there are still eight cards in the deck that will help you, the four Jacks and the four sixes you can calculate that you are about a 5-to-1 underdog to win the pot. This means for every five times this happens, you will lose four times and win once. So these are your pot odds.

Now to calculate the payoff risk. In this example, whatever you opponent bets there needs to be at least five times this amount already in the pot for you to justify calling. So if he bets $10 there needs to be $50 already in the pot. If he bets $100 there needs to be $500 already in the pot, that is, for it to be worth it for you to call. Based on mathematics. So if there was more then five times the amount bet already in the pot, then you would call.

Now for the fun part. Say that there is $100 in the pot and your opponent only bets $10. That means you are getting a 10-to-1 payout on a 5-to-1 draw. So, in all probability, if you did this over the long term you would win only once in five, but when you won you would get ten times you bet, and overall you would actually gain money. This is exactly what everyone is talking about when they talk about 'The right odds to call'. So, as you can see, calculating pots odds and payoff risk is one of the more helpful Texas hold em poker tips, one which can help you know if your going to win in the long run. Stick to your odds and surely you'll come out on top.