Re: Pot Equity
neverforgetlol gave you an excellent definition. Here is an example of how you might use it. You hold A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 10[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. The board is Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. There is $440 in the pot before the turn betting, you're first to act. One other player remains in the pot.
You don't know what he's got, but with three hearts on the board, you figure he's good enough not to call any significant bet unless he has trips. If he does have trips, he has 10 outs, so 34 of the 44 river cards win for you. Your pot equity before the betting is (34/44)*$440 = $340. His pot equity is (10/44)*$440 = $100. If both of you check now and on the river, your EV is your pot equity, $340.
If you make a very large bet, he should fold, so you'll collect $440. That's clearly better than checking (unless you're trying to trap him). For the same reason, it's clearly better than making any bet less than $183. If he calls $183, the pot will be $806. Your pot equity will be $806*(34/44) = $623, which happens to equal $440 + $183, so you're no better or worse off than if he folds. His pot equity will be $183, so it's break-even for him as well. He's indifferent between calling and folding.
So the standard play is to bet somewhat more than $183 and hope he calls by mistake ($220 might be a good bet against an optimistic player). You could bet more, but you're unlikely to get called by any hand. You could bet less than $183 and hope he'll call without trips, but you lose money if he has trips and calls. "Lose money" here means your expected value after he calls you is less than the $440 minimum you can guarantee by a larger bet, whether you actually make or lose money on the hand depends on the luck of the river card. You could check and hope he'll bet into you, either now or on the river. But betting $220 guarantees you an expectation of at least $440, and offers the opportunity to make a little more.
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