Alternate way to calculate betting the pot
 

I'm aware of the normal way of figuring out a pot sized bet- your raise amount is everything on the table plus the amount you'll have to call in the process of raising.

Here's another way:

3 * (largest bet this round) + (all other money in play, except yours).

Largest bet is in terms of the biggest total wager in front of someone so far on that round, not necessarily the biggest amount bet/raised in one action (in case a bet bet and reraised or some such). This gives the "raise to" amount, the total you'll end up having in play in front of you.

This makes sense, right? In any case I thought it might be helpful to people that have occasion to make the calculation regularly... assuming I haven't fouled up somewhere.

..I also believe raising half the pot works out to 2 x (largest bet on the table) + .5 (all other money in play, except yours).

2nd

Re: Alternate way to calculate betting the pot
 

Your formula is good, just make one small change.

(3 + Callers)(LargestWager) + (AdditionalMoney) = PotSizedBet

Where Callers is the number of callers of the largest wager.

1/2 NLHE, preflop, $10 raise, two callers, you would calculate a potsized bet as:

(3+2)($10) + ($3)=?
$30 + $20 + $3 = $53

For your half-pot formula, you could make the following change.

(3 + (0.5)(Callers))(Largest Wager) + (0.5)(Additional Money) = HalfPotBet

A little more complicated, but still correct.

5/5 NLHE, preflop. Raise to $20, two callers, you would calculate a half-pot bet as:

(2 + (0.5)(2))($20) + (0.5)($10) = ?
$40 + $20 + $5 = $65

RE

Re: Alternate way to calculate betting the pot
 

For the record, I'm stating the to "raise to" amount, total stake you'd end up with in play in front of you. I've edited the original post. I think you picked that up, just clarifying.

Your first formula and my first formula and equivilant, right? It's just that you're specifying "callers of largest wager" in the left figure rather than the right; mine are added in under "everything else." Yours will often require fewer additions; mine requires fewer symbols.

As for half pot, where are you getting your 3 that gets multipled by the largest wager? Looks like it should be 2 to me. I think it might be a typo? You use 2 instead of 3 in your calculation. "Raise to" amount would be-
(amount I have to call) + .5(amount i have to call + biggest bet on table + other stuff on table except mine)

and

amount i have to call = biggest bet on table

so

(biggest bet) + .5(2 biggest bet + other stuff)

then

biggest bet + biggest bet + .5 * other stuff

Re: Alternate way to calculate betting the pot
 

Yes, it was a typo.

I just suggested my formula because I find it quicker. When there's a $20 bet and two calls, I think "multiply 20 by 5 + the original pot and I have a pot-sized bet."

Its all up to preference really.