Pot Equity

[BigStack650]

What is pot equity and why is it important to know when involved in a hand? I read about it in SSHE, but I was a little confused with its meaning and significance. Thanks

[neverforgetlol]

pot equity is basically the pct. of time you expect to win at showdown. in other words, if your equity is 80%, your expectation in the hand is 80% of the pot. so if you put in less than 80%, the play has a positive expectation - you are putting in less than you expect to get back.

[BigStack650]

So it is basically using pot odds and the odds of winning to decide whether or not you have +EV?

[AaronBrown]

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.

[LimpyMcGee]

You know when you watch TV and you see a percentage given to each player in the hand. That is pot equity. It's a little more difficult to judge at the table when you don't know your opponents' hole cards, but if you did, you could determine your pot equity exactly. An application of pot equity in play is to raise draws for value that have a better chance to win a showdown than the average hand. For instance, if you have a nut flush draw (four flush on the flop), you'll catch it by the river 35% of the time. You can raise for value if you have 3 or more opponents. The average share of the pot with 4 players in the pot is 25%. Basically, you earn for every extra flop bet that goes in.

[BigStack650]

[ QUOTE ]
You know when you watch TV and you see a percentage given to each player in the hand. That is pot equity. It's a little more difficult to judge at the table when you don't know your opponents' hole cards, but if you did, you could determine your pot equity exactly. An application of pot equity in play is to raise draws for value that have a better chance to win a showdown than the average hand. For instance, if you have a nut flush draw (four flush on the flop), you'll catch it by the river 35% of the time. You can raise for value if you have 3 or more opponents. The average share of the pot with 4 players in the pot is 25%. Basically, you earn for every extra flop bet that goes in.


[/ QUOTE ]

Makes sense...thanks for the example...is this covered by any chance in NLHE: T&P? I have read a few other NL holdem books and I have seemed to miss this concept

[skillzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
You know when you watch TV and you see a percentage given to each player in the hand. That is pot equity. It's a little more difficult to judge at the table when you don't know your opponents' hole cards, but if you did, you could determine your pot equity exactly. An application of pot equity in play is to raise draws for value that have a better chance to win a showdown than the average hand. For instance, if you have a nut flush draw (four flush on the flop), you'll catch it by the river 35% of the time. You can raise for value if you have 3 or more opponents. The average share of the pot with 4 players in the pot is 25%. Basically, you earn for every extra flop bet that goes in.

[/ QUOTE ]

so pot equity is important to know when your drawing to the nuts ( you dont know your opponents hole cards).
you wouldnt raise a draw to bottom two pair on a flop against 6 opponents?

[dtan05]

Aaron hit it on the head.