Pot odds represent the ratio between the size of the total pot and the size of the bet facing you. Keep in mind that the size of the total pot includes the bet (s) made in the current round. For example, if there is $2 in the pot and your opponent bets $1, your pot odds are 3 to 1. Every action you make, hand you play or bet you face has odds, probability and statistics attached to it. For the math-phobes out there though, don't worry. You don't need to become a math expert to be a strong poker player.
With more than 62 million households watching over the first 28 days, The Queen's Gambit is Netflix's biggest scripted limited series to date.
Searches for 'How to play chess' have hit a nine-year peak, and actress Anya Taylor‑Joy has shot to prominence with her portrayal of chess protégé Beth Harmon.
The show's simplistic yet enthralling approach to the game by director Scott Frank has led many to speculate as to what a poker version of the show could achieve.
PokerNews spoke with Woman Grandmaster, two-time United States Women's Champion and poker player Jennifer Shahade who told us what she made of the show.
Related: Explore All 169 Hold'em Hands With Jennifer Shahade on 'The Grid'
So could a poker version of The Queen's Gambit boost poker's popularity?
'Absolutely!' said Shahade. 'I think a well-written show around poker would be an amazing tool to boost the popularity of poker. I hope the success of The Queen's Gambit inspires writers to try to work on more content around games.'
We need to come up with the poker version of Queens Gambit on Netflix #
— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1)In Shahade's eyes, the most important thing for a poker version to get right is to get input from people who know the game inside out, something that she says The Queen's Gambit did extremely well.
'If you were to do a poker version, you would need consulting from great poker players who also understand how to tell a great story.'
'Garry Kasparov, the greatest chessplayer ever, in my opinion, was a consultant on the Queen's Gambit, and even scripted some of the final games of the series.'
'That type of commitment to excellence, and to listen to the people at the top of the game, added authenticity into a show that needed it. I commend Scott Frank, the director, and screenwriter, for that attention to detail.'
Chess, like poker, can be played irrespective of nationality or native language. It is perhaps for this reason that The Queen's Gambit has been ranked #1 on Netflix in 63 countries.
'I think one asset that chess and poker share is our international appeal and the ability for the action and emotions of a game to do a lot of the 'talking'.'
'One asset that chess and poker share is our international appeal.'
'It was quite minimalistic when it came to dialogue. The chess games formed a secondary script, and allows for a second viewing for those who aim to dig deeper into the chess moves.'
Various film depictions of poker often have the legality of poker at their core. Films like Molly's Game and Rounders show poker players evading the police and law enforcement authorities. If a film portrayed poker as legal and regulate, as opposed to underground and illicit, does Shahade think it would be a 'box-office flop'?
'Not necessarily,' said Shahade. 'Maria Konnikova's, 'The Biggest Bluff' is a best selling poker book that centers on intellectual discovery, struggle, and triumph. I think there are lots of ways to create 'stakes' in a poker story that don't center on legality.'
PokerNews Book Review: The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova
The main difference between poker and chess relates to money, something Shahade says isn't at the core of The Queen's Gambit story arc.
'In chess, as the series shows, money is somewhat important, but only up to a point. Having enough money to go to tournaments, study chess, and buy books is what a young person needs to succeed in chess, along with a supportive school, coach and/or family.'
'In poker, having the luxury of a safety net and/or gifted bankroll can be a much more significant boost since money is literally the currency of the game, not just a way to get to tournaments and train.'
In the show, Beth Harmon learns chess from a very early age in the basement of an orphanage. A she grows up, she learns more and more about the game. She plays against others, studies scenarios, reads strategy books, and discusses particular situations with other players - often those who are better than her - in order to learn how to play and advance her skills.
It was Mike Sexton who famously coined the phrase 'Texas Hold ’Em: the game that takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master,' and poker fans will be familiar with all of the methods Harmon uses in order to further her poker career. Could these similarities in the learning process help poker's on-screen portrayal?
'I think it's faster for a new player to reach a competence in poker that allows them to excel in many mixed fields,' said Shahade. 'But to reach a very high level, I think they both require much of the same commitment: play, computer training, rigorous self-analysis, and study of top player games.'
This commitment sees Harmon move from playing in a basement to competing in the US Open and on the international stage. Shahade says that many poker players have similar origin stories, from playing in college dorm rooms to playing for millions of dollars on the European Poker Tour or at the World Series of Poker.
'Of course kids can't play poker at such a young age, so that changes things quite significantly from Beth's path!'
Poker is no stranger to chess, with many poker players having played chess en route to their first tournament win such as Konstantin Maslak, Ivo Donev, Ylon Schwartz, Dominik Panka and Alex Livingston to name but a few. But would these famous faces need to be visible in any poker version of The Queen's Gambit?
'Queen's Gambit left out famous player names for the most part but there were many composite characters. I think some cameos by poker's greatest faces would be amazing.'
Image courtesy of Netflix
Poker hand odds: Any poker player knows the odds of winning the game in most situations.
Poker is a game of percentages and probability and not a game of luck.
Whether you like it or not odds are the very basis of decisions you will make at the poker table.
If you aspire to be a poker player you definitely need to understand and instinctively know how to use poker hand odds to make the winning decisions.
A good poker player is really good at estimating poker hand odds. You might be using poker hand odds when you decide to draw raise a bet or call an opponent.
Probability will tell you how frequent an event will occur – odds will help you by letting you know how often an event will not occur.
Check this out: The Benefits Of A Poker Hand Calculator
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The most misunderstood and misused concept by a beginner player is calculating pot odds.
Learning to calculate pot odds translates the concept of risk and reward to a numerical computation.
It is not very complicated for people with poor mathematical skills and a little bit of practice you will be able to calculate your pot odds successfully.
It is often confusing for any beginning players while calculating pot odds. The beginner often labors under the misleading concept that the money in the pot is his and can be used to compute the pot.
However, the fact of the matter is that it was his before it went into the pot and the only way he will get it back is by winning it.
This is the cardinal rule for not using the money in the pot for calculating the odds.
The second factor to be taken into account is “implied odds.” Implied odds consider the money in the pot, the bet amount and also the chances of extra bets that can be collected when you win your hand.
If you bet with someone “seven to one”, written as 7:1. It denotes that for every bet you win you will get seven times more of what you bet. So if you bet $5 and you win, you’ll be paid $35.
Greater the ratio between betting and winning, the more confident your competitor is that you will lose. So if someone offers you odds of 50:1 it means that they are totally sure that you are not going to win.
You are called as a long shot if the odds are large against you and everyone around is convinced that your chances of winning are absolutely nill.
Irrespective of what poker you are playing it is impossible you will find even one or more than one card to get a winning hand.
As luck would have it, the chances of you finding the cards you require are usually and always will be one in a million.
In Draw Poker a pair of Aces and a pair of Eights would be quite good, and another Ace or Eight, the percentage of you winning would go up infinitely.
To get to that point you will need to get one of the four cards, from the remaining two Aces and two Eights the odds of which will be one out 47, so your chances of winning are 4/47.
Read more here: Poker Odds Calculator – Poker Stats Tracker – Hand Matchup …
A novice player is easy to spot in the crowd or players; because they calculate just how much rewarding a bet is. Blindly betting or not calculating the odds is far worse than just having a rough idea of whether you will get a winning hand.
You need to include the pot odds in your calculations; and to win you must retain a hand instead of improving it. Community poker games pose a lot of problems with poker odds.
A community card can turn your bad hand into a winner.
Despite all the calculating poker hand odds some amount of calculative bets can also be incorporated into your game.
An occasional devil may care attitude can not only liven up the game.
An even hardcore professional poker player takes a risk; that at times might be outrageous; when logic says to fold.
But these are not just wild bets but in reality will be a calculated bet based on the pot.
Related: Poker Odds and Poker Hands Statistics
While playing online poker odds calculators are available; which give you the permutation and combinations; as well as the odds of you making the winning hand.
It shows this in correlation to the cards in your hand; and the number of players in the game at that time.
The calculator gives you with amazing accuracy the probability of you winning; with the hand you have. The software makes the decision on whether to hold, fold, or bet much more easier to make. Even professional players utilize the software for calculating the poker odds; It helps them make decisions.
Using this is as good as having an expert by your side and helping you to make the right decisions, and it will teach you how to recognize the odds of winning at any hand.
As you become experienced, this will improve your overall playing ability. The something to remember is that a poker odds calculator is not a ‘poker bot‘ and will not play on your behalf. It is you who still have make the plays.
Here what you get is just a little extra help. It is a game of luck, psychology, and skill with a little bit of maths involved. You have to make use of bluffing, and look out for signs of weakness in the fellow players; and attempt to mislead your opponents on occasions, coupled with changes in your style.
Following poker hand odds calculator every time will rob you of the chance to change your game; risk missing important tells, and in short , ou will miss out on paying attention to the players.