Although, many players just "guess" when it comes to poker, many others still use the math and apply it to every decision they make. And they should, as every aspect of poker has a mathematical approach. It is very crucial for a player to calculate numbers such as outs, expected value, pot odds, and implied odds. What are implied odds? Well, before we get into what implied odds are, we will first get into what they are not. They are not an excuse to play poorly or recklessly and gamble while making poor calls. Implied odds are one of the most abused ideas in poker, especially by those who play poorly. So is there a correct way to use implied odds? There sure is, and we will go over what implied odds are and how you would use them correctly in a game.

What are implied odds?

Quite simply, implied odds are a way of figuring a "calculated risk." Meaning, nothing is exact when you figure implied odds; you are just simply using the most detailed data possible to make an assumption and based on that assumption, you make a call. Provided below are some important factors to keep in mind when using implied odds.

• What is the current average stack?
• How big is your chip stack?
• Is your current image aggressive, reckless, or tight?
• What does your opponent's chip stack look like?
• How is the flop texture?
• Did you just start, near the bubble, or final table?

You need to integrate the factors above into your overall decision. By using these facts, you are justifying making a call when you currently do not have the correct odds to do so and "implying" that you can make a certain amount of your opponent if you make your hand. As you can hopefully see, if used incorrectly you will cause yourself to have a negative equity in the end. Let's look at an exaggerated, but correct use of implied odds.

You are playing in a big 6 handed tournament where all the players started with $10k in chips. The blinds started at $100/$200 and the cards you have been dealt while on the button are Ks-Qs. After all the cards have been dealt, the player UTG decided to start the action by raising the pot up to $600. The next two players fold and you decide to call. The small blind folds while the Big Blinds throws in another $400 to call. There are 3 of you seeing the flop with about $1900 in the pot.

The dealer flips over the community cards which are Ad, 6s, and 2s. While thinking about the flop you think about the other players hand ranges and remember that the Big Blind over values Aces while the player UTG will only set mine from early position. Neither player will be the first in the pot if they do not have anything.

The Big Blind leads out with a $1000 bet which just tells you that he has top pair and is trying to prevent the flush. The player UTG thinks for a minute and gets out of the way. Since the odds to hit your flush are about 5:1 and you are getting 3:1 on your money if you call, this should be an immediate fold. But if you hit your hand, you know that you can make some money off this player. So how much would you have to make, to make this call "ok?"

What the object is is to make the odds even if not better to hit your hand. So this means that you need to make enough money to make your odds at least 5:1 to break even, and more to make a profit on later streets to justify the call.

So for example, let's say that you know you could make an extra $4,500 on later streets by making this call. Would you have implied odds? Well, if you add the $4,500 that you expect to make to the $2,900 that is already in the pot, you would have a total of $7,400. You would call $1,000 to try to make $7,400 so you would have odds of 7.4:1. When compared to your card odds of 5:1, this shows that you will be hitting your hand often enough to make this call. By attempting this call, you will be risking $1,000 five times (5:1) for a loss of $5,000 and winning once for a total of $7,400. By doing the math, you will have made $2,400 in the end. This proves to be a profitable call.

When would you not have implied odds? If the money you thought you could make on later streets would total less than 5:1 pot odds then you would be making a poor call. So anything less than $2,000 would be not enough to make the call.

Did you make the call? Well, that is for another article but hopefully the point has been made. Although slightly exaggerated, this example simply shows that there is plenty of math involved when figuring out situations where you are unsure of the play you should make. If used correctly, implied odds can be a positive equity in your poker career.