KEY TAKEAWAYS
CONTENTS
A pot odds chart shows, for each bet size, the price of a call and the equity needed to break even. In the standard chart, a bet of half the pot gives pot odds of 3 to 1 and needs 25% equity, while a pot-sized bet gives 2 to 1 and needs 33.3%. The bigger the bet compared with the pot, the more equity a call needs, and the chart makes that relationship visible at a glance.
This article explains how to read the chart, shows how each row is calculated, works through an example that compares the chart with a draw, and lists the assumptions that sit behind it. Every number is calculated here from a single formula, and the focus is on reading the chart correctly, not on telling anyone what to do with it.
What a Pot Odds Chart Shows
The chart has one row per bet size and a few columns. The bet is written as a fraction of the pot that existed before the bet, such as one-half or two-thirds. The other columns give the same price in two forms: a ratio, such as 3 to 1, and a percentage, the equity needed to break even.
The two forms say the same thing. The ratio compares the pot after the bet with the cost of the call, and the percentage is the share of that final pot the call has to win. The method behind both is covered in how to calculate pot odds, and the chart is a ready-made table of the results for common bet sizes.
A chart replaces arithmetic during a hand, not understanding. A reader who knows where the numbers come from can rebuild any row, including sizes the chart does not list.
How Each Row Is Built
Step 1: Write the bet as a fraction of the pot
Call the pot before the bet P and the bet f × P, where f is the fraction. A half-pot bet has f = 0.5, a pot-sized bet has f = 1. The cost of a call is the same f × P.
Step 2: Find the pot after the bet
The pot after the bet is P + f × P = P × (1 + f). The ratio of pot odds is (1 + f) to f, so a half-pot bet gives 1.5 to 0.5, which is 3 to 1.
Step 3: Find the equity needed
The call wins a final pot of P × (1 + f) + f × P = P × (1 + 2f) when it is made. The equity needed is the call divided by that total: f ÷ (1 + 2f). For f = 0.5 this is 0.5 ÷ 2 = 25%. The pot size P cancels out, which is why the chart works for any pot.
The Pot Odds Chart, Row by Row
The table applies the formula to eight common bet sizes. The third column shows the call for a pot of 100, so the rows can be checked by hand. Equity needed rises with bet size but at a slowing rate: going from a half-pot bet to a pot-sized bet adds 8.3 points, while going from a pot-sized bet to a bet of twice the pot adds only 6.7.
| Bet (fraction of pot) | Pot odds (pot after bet : call) | Call into a pot of 100 | Equity needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 5 : 1 | 25 | 16.7% |
| 1/3 | 4 : 1 | 33.3 | 20.0% |
| 1/2 | 3 : 1 | 50 | 25.0% |
| 2/3 | 2.5 : 1 | 66.7 | 28.6% |
| 3/4 | 2.33 : 1 | 75 | 30.0% |
| Pot | 2 : 1 | 100 | 33.3% |
| 1.5 × pot | 1.67 : 1 | 150 | 37.5% |
| 2 × pot | 1.5 : 1 | 200 | 40.0% |
To check a row, take two-thirds of the pot. With a pot of 100 the bet is 66.7, the pot after the bet is 166.7 and the ratio is 166.7 ÷ 66.7 = 2.5. The equity needed is 66.7 ÷ (166.7 + 66.7) = 28.6%. The ratio and the percentage always agree, since 1 ÷ (2.5 + 1) = 28.6%.
Worked Example: Comparing the Chart With a Draw
The chart becomes useful when it is set beside equity. Suppose a hypothetical turn card has been dealt and a player has 9 outs for a flush, with 46 cards unseen. The chance of hitting on the river is 9 ÷ 46 = 19.6%. Rows needing 19.6% or less are covered on current chips: a quarter-pot bet needs 16.7%, so it is covered, while a third-pot bet needs 20.0%, so it falls just short.
The largest covered bet can be solved directly by turning the formula around: f = e ÷ (1 − 2e), where e is the equity. For e = 0.1957, f = 0.1957 ÷ 0.6087 = 0.321, or 32.1% of the pot. Into a pot of 100, a bet of 32 needs 32 ÷ 164 = 19.5% and is covered, while a bet of 33 needs 33 ÷ 166 = 19.9% and is not.
The same step works for other draws with one card to come, using outs ÷ 46 for the equity.
| Clean outs | Equity with one card to come | Largest bet covered (fraction of pot) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 8.7% | 10.5% |
| 6 | 13.0% | 17.6% |
| 8 | 17.4% | 26.7% |
| 9 | 19.6% | 32.1% |
Larger draws cover larger bets, and the covered bet grows faster than the equity: doubling the outs from 4 to 8 roughly doubles the equity but multiplies the covered bet by about 2.5.
The Assumptions Behind the Chart
A chart is a reference built on assumptions, and this one has four. It assumes one card to come: the equity it is compared with must be a one-street figure, such as outs ÷ 46 on the turn. On the flop, with two cards to come, the chance of hitting by the river is larger, and the rule of 2 and 4 gives an approximation for it.
Second, it assumes no further money is won after the call, so it ignores implied odds. Third, it assumes the call is made against a single bet and that rake is ignored. Real games differ: a raise, a side pot or rake changes the amounts. Fourth, charts from different sources list different bet sizes or round the figures differently, so conventions vary between charts. A reader should check that the chart states its assumptions before relying on a row.
Common Mistakes When Reading the Chart
The first mistake is comparing the chart with the wrong equity. A flop equity of 35% for a flush draw covers a call on the flop only if there is no further betting, because the chart’s figure applies to the next card. Using the two-card figure for a one-street decision overstates the covered bet.
A second mistake is using the pot before the bet. The ratio counts the bet as part of the pot: a bet of 50 into 100 gives a pot of 150, so the odds are 150 to 50, which is 3 to 1, not 2 to 1.
Third, mixing up the ratio and the percentage. A price of 3 to 1 means 25%, not 33%, because the percentage divides by the whole pot of 4 parts and not by the 3 other parts.
The fourth mistake is reading a covered row as a guarantee. A covered call breaks even or better on average over many repetitions, but any single hand can lose, and the draw still misses most of the time.
What the Chart Can and Cannot Tell You
A pot odds chart gives a price. It does not say whether a call is wise, because that depends on factors outside the chart, such as how much more could be won or lost later. The chart compares two numbers and stops there.
It is also a long-run tool. A 19.6% draw misses about four times in five, and everything on this page describes averages over many repetitions. Poker involves real financial risk, short-term results depend heavily on luck, and the legal age and legality of real-money poker vary by state and venue.
The Next Step After Reading This Chart
The pot odds chart is one of several tables worth knowing how to read. A different grid, with different assumptions, is explained in how to read a preflop hand chart. Every chart answers one question under stated assumptions, and reading it well means knowing both.
