If you just play free poker games for fun then the technical side of the game might not be of so much interest to you. However, if you are interested in increasing your pot and getting more money from your poker play then learning the technical side is essential.
The first thing I felt I needed to know was how pot odds actually worked in order to make the most money I could!
Pot odds, and what it means: The amount of money in the pot compared to the amount you must put in the pot to continue playing. Suppose there is $60 in the pot. Somebody bets $6, so the pot now contains $66. It costs you $6 to call, so your pot odds are 11:1. If your chance of having the best hand is at least one out of twelve, you should call.
Pot odds also apply to draws. For instance, suppose you have a draw to the nut flush with one card left to come. In this case, you are about a 4:1 underdog to make your flush.
If it costs you $8 to call the bet, then there must be about $32 in the pot (including the most recent bet) to make your call correct.
If you are clued up on how pot odds work then you stand a much better chance of winning a game and increasing your cash.
Now, there is one problem with pot odds, and its implied odds, what exactly does this mean? Implied odds are what the future pot will be, knowing how many players are in the hand, and what the final total of the pot could become.
It takes lots of practice, and thinking, but in the long run if you can calculate both in your head, you will learn more of how most top pro’s think while playing, whether its pay poker or free poker games.
An example of implied odds are as followed: First of all are you talking about the flop or turn? Four outs on the flop is about 17% and on the turn about 9 per cent.
So if you are getting 5/1 or better on the flop you should call if you are getting 10/1 or better on the turn you should also call.
You must remember to consider the implied odds and how big the pot may grow, so you might not need exactly the right odds at the time of calling to justify the call if you know the pot will get bigger.
A good rule of thumb on a draw is to have a least 2 other opponents in (this is for an opened straight or a 4 flush).
Most new players will be clueless on the subject, but there is plenty of good sites and books to learn the more advanced ways of thinking and playing, and its always best to be prepared before getting in over your head against advanced players.
Learning just a few methods of playing, will increase your chances of graduating from free poker games for fun to playing high stakes long into the future.