We all know that pot odds are important in poker games. You can’t determine whether it is correct to call a bet if you don’t know what kind of odds you are getting vs. your odds of winning.  

The variable in this equation is always, of course, what your odds are of winning. This can be difficult to figure out, but it will help if you consider hand distributions in your analysis.Having atleast knowledge of Texas holdem odds is  beneficial to become a winning player.   

What Are Hand Distributions?

Hand distributions represent a range of your opponents’ likely holdings. For example, the flop is Ad 3h 9h. Your opponent raised on the flop and you flat called with Jd Js.  

On the flop, he checks, you make a small bet and he minimum raises you. Now you will have to make a decision on whether it is worth it to continue and to do so you will have to put your opponent on a range of hands.  

Since he raised before the flop, you may put him on AT through AK, KQ, KJ, 77 through AA or two big hearts. Against this range, your chances are pretty slim so you would need very high pot odds to call, especially since his check-raise indicates a very strong hand. On the other hand, if he checked pre-flop and check-called on the flop, you may put his distribution something like K9, A2-A9, 22-TT or two hearts, which is a much more favorable range for you. 

Using Hand Distributions 

For practice using hand distributions, you may want to get a hold of a free pot odds calculator. A great poker odds calculator allows you to input various hand distributions and see their chances of winning against each other. Using programs like these will get you more comfortable with the idea of applying pot odds to hand distributions and help you with this kind of analysis in the game. 

Notes About Pot Odds and Hand Distributions 

Clearly, hand distribution is not an exact science. In fact, much of it depends on how well you can read a particular opponent. The important thing to remember is that pot odds do not exist in a vacuum and you must use every tool at your disposal to determine if you are indeed getting the correct odds in a hand.