Reading Poker Odds Quickly on the Flop, the Turn and the River

Texas Holdem, Poker Odds
June 24 2008

To be a winning poker player online you’ve got to be able to think quickly on your feet and know what’s good and what’s bad as soon the flop, turn and river hit the board. With the timer ticking down, you don’t have time to go through and count your outs one by one, and then figure out your odds.

Here’s a quick test. What would be the nuts if the board showed the following?

The answer is obviously a king-high straight for anyone holding any variation of king-jack. You can also make a straight with any variation of 7-8 or 8-J, but they’re not the best hand.

If you had one of the lower straights or even a hand like trips or two pair, you have to take the better hands into account when making a bet. You also have to see the possible flush draw on the board to make the right bet and keep anyone on a draw from getting a cheap river. If you’re on that flush draw you have to know your own odds to know what amount of wager is worth calling.

Now if the river card is dealt and the board shows the following, what would be the nuts?

The answer is an ace-high flush, but the real unbeatable hand is ace-high flush with a king of clubs. This shows how one card can quickly change what the best hand is, and cost you a lot of money if your hand suddenly goes from being the nuts to being second best at the table.

When settling on the value of your bet, make sure to take into consideration what difference that one card could make when the board changes.

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