Foundations · Poker strategy
Poker Pot Odds: Formula, Chart and Calling Examples
By Pokerscope · Updated · 4 min read
When you call a bet, you pay money for a chance to win the pot. Required equity is the amount of equity you need for that call to break even. A more expensive call needs more equity.
In this guide
Calculating required equity
The pot is $100. Your opponent moves all in for $50, and you must call $50 to continue.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pot before the bet | $100 |
| Opponent’s all-in | $50 |
| Your call | $50 |
| Pot after calling | $200 |
Required equity = $50 ÷ $200 = 25%
Think of playing this situation many times. At 25% equity, you receive the equivalent of one $200 pot for every four $50 calls on average. Your average winnings cover the calls, so you break even. More than 25% makes the call profitable before rake.
This price is also described as 3:1 pot odds: you risk $50 to win the $150 already in the middle. The percentage calculation includes your call in the final pot.
Same price, different hands: call or fold?
The board is T♥ 9♥ 9♠, and your opponent holds A♠ A♣. They shove $50 into $100, so you need 25% equity.
7♥ 6♥: enough equity to call
The hearts give you a flush draw, and an eight completes a straight. Across the remaining cards, this hand has about 40% equity against aces.
That is above the 25% required equity, so calling is profitable in this all-in example.
7♦ 6♦: too little equity to call
The ranks are the same, but the diamond hand has no flush draw on this board. Its equity is about 16%.
That is below the 25% threshold, so folding is better. The price has not changed; the hand’s chances have. The EV guide puts a dollar value on both calls.
Required equity for common bet sizes
Memorizing a few prices lets you spend more time estimating the hand’s equity. These are rounded thresholds for a heads-up bet, before rake:
| Bet size | Required equity |
|---|---|
| 10% pot | 8% |
| 20% pot | 14% |
| 25% pot | 17% |
| 33% pot | 20% |
| 50% pot | 25% |
| 67% pot | 29% |
| 75% pot | 30% |
| 100% pot | 33% |
| 150% pot | 38% |
| 200% pot | 40% |
The formula gives the exact threshold when the decision is close. These examples assume calling gets you to showdown; future betting changes that calculation.
Required equity when facing a raise
There is $100 in the pot, you bet $50, and the opponent raises to $150. You already put in $50, so the additional call costs $100.
The final pot is $100 + $50 + $150 + $100 = $400.
Required equity = $100 ÷ $400 = 25%
Another way to see it: the opponent first matches your $50, making a $200 pot, then raises another $100. That raise portion is half the pot, giving the familiar 25% price.
Track the pot in a live hand
In a $1/$2 game, the cutoff raises to $6, the button calls, the small blind folds, and the big blind calls. The preflop pot is $6 × 3 + $1 = $19.
On the flop, the cutoff bets $10, the button folds, and the big blind calls. Add $10 × 2 = $20, making the pot $39 before rake.
Count each player’s total contribution once. The big blind’s original $2 is already included in their $6 contribution.