Pot odds in one formula
What you can win, what you must risk, and the break-even point between them.
6 minute read
Facing a bet, you are being offered a price: risk the call to win what is already in the pot plus the bet. Pot odds express that price as a ratio; break-even equity turns it into the probability you need.
Pot odds
(pot + bet) : call
Break-even equity
call ÷ (pot + bet + call)
$50 into $100: 50 ÷ 200 = 25%.
The spot
Not sure? Count your outs in the draw odds explorer or compute it in the odds calculator.
What the math says
With 35% equity, calling is profitable in expectation.
Expected over many repetitions of this exact spot, assuming the call closes the action. Future streets, implied odds and reverse implied odds are not included.
Break-even equity by bet size
Facing a bet of this size, you need at least this much equity to call.
| Bet | Pot odds | Break-even | Bluff must work |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ pot | 5 : 1 | 16.7% | 20.0% |
| ⅓ pot | 4 : 1 | 20.0% | 25.0% |
| ½ pot | 3 : 1 | 25.0% | 33.3% |
| ⅔ pot | 2.5 : 1 | 28.6% | 40.0% |
| ¾ pot | 2.3 : 1 | 30.0% | 42.9% |
| Pot | 2 : 1 | 33.3% | 50.0% |
| 1½× pot | 1.7 : 1 | 37.5% | 60.0% |
| 2× pot | 1.5 : 1 | 40.0% | 66.7% |
“Bluff must work” is the same formula from the bettor’s side: how often a bet with no equity must win the pot outright to break even.
Compare break-even equity with your actual equity. If you have more, calling makes money over time; if less, folding does. That comparison — probability against price — is the whole of pot odds.
Quick check
Pot $120, opponent bets $60. Required equity?
Show answer
60 ÷ 240 = 25%.