Question on calculating odds

[bigsexy]

Question about Hold Em Odds

I have a question regarding calculating your odds after the flop. When you are making your decision to call a bet after the flop, do you calculate your odds for making your hand on the next card or do you use the odds of making your hand in both your turn and river cards.

For example if I am drawing to an outside nut straight after the flop my odds of catching my straight on the turn are 4.8 to 1 where my odds of catching my straight by the river are 2.18 to 1. So if I am using my odds for making my hand by the river I would call most any bet or raise in a multiway pot, this is not the case if I am only looking at my odds of making my card on the turn.

Thanks for your help.

bs

[Mangatang]

The quick answer is, go by the next card only. There are times when you can use both cards (all-in situations, etc.) and times when you can count on implied odds (more advanced way of thinking). But if you're still learning using odds, you only need to concern yourself with the next card and the current pot odds.

The reason you only use the next card, is because the situation can change on the turn card, so that you may no longer have the odds to draw. If you were getting 6:1 on the flop, and decided to call with your gutshot straight draw (because it's about 5.5:1 to hit by the river), then everyone folds when someone bets the turn, then you are only getting about 5:1 to see the river card. You now have nowhere near the 11:1 you need to hit the last card, so you correctly fold. But folding means you never got to see the two cards you were counting on seeing when you made your flop decision. So, consider the next card only.

Here's the main odds you need to know:

11:1 for gutshot straight draw
5:1 for open-ender
4:1 for 4-flush

Again, this is a simplistic way of thinking, but it is "close enough" for most plays. It's also a bit on the conservative side, which is good for beginning players.