Poker Hand Odds Have A Lot Of Variations

Learning to count cards and calculate odds isn't always a welcomed skill at the poker table, but still, having a basic grasp of poker hand odds can separate the good players from the bad. Learning how to master the skill of calculating poker hand odds on the fly can be a little tricky though.

Calculating poker hand odds will depend on certain variables in a game. These can include:

· Number of cards being used. Calculating poker hand odds will obviously depend on what cards are being dealt. Some games call for a full deck, jokers and all. Others only rely on the basic cards, leaving the wild ones for other games. Having an idea of the number of cards can help a person calculate poker hand odds.

· Number of cards dealt. Figuring out the poker hand odds for a game of five-card stud will be different than in Black Jack or even seven-card stud. It's important to understand how many need to be dealt or calculating the poker hand odds will be impossible.

· Number of cards already played. Figuring out poker hand odds will also depend on how many cards have been placed on the table between a full shuffle.

· Number of players. This will impact the number of cards left to deal. Whether it's two, four or six, the number of players can impact the poker hand odds greatly.

Beyond learning to watch what's been played and count how many cards have been used, there are some other things to take into account when learning to figure poker hand odds. The reality is actually counting cards is against house rules in many locations, but there are other cues that can be used to figure poker hand odds. These include:

· Bets. The bets that come across the table can help a player calculate poker hand odds. The more confident other players are about their hands, the more likely it is the poker hand odds are in their favor and not yours. This is, of course, unless you have a very good hand.

· Poker faces. Figuring poker hand odds this way can be very important. This is especially so if some of the players are natural bluffers. They might poker hand odds and decide to go for it, tricking you into folding when in reality they have nothing.

Learning poker hand odds to the letter might not be possible, but doing a rough estimate when it's time to decide on betting or folding is a good idea. The odds of pulling off a royal flush are slim, but pulling out a good hand might not be. The more a player learns about poker hand odds the more likely that player is to pull out a win or 20.

Milos Pesic is a professional poker player who runs a highly popular and comprehensive Poker web site. For more articles and resources on Poker related topics, Poker tips and tricks, Texas Holdem, Poker strategies and much more visit his site at:

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