What are implied odds, and how do they affect your pre-flop hand selection?

Question: What are implied odds, and how do they affect your pre-flop hand selection?

C. The potential future winnings if you hit a strong hand, encouraging speculative hand play (Correct)

What Are Implied Odds?

Implied odds refer to the potential future winnings you can expect to earn if you hit a strong hand. Unlike pot odds, which are the immediate odds you get from the pot size and current bet, implied odds consider the future betting rounds and how much you can potentially win if your hand improves.

Example to Illustrate Implied Odds

Scenario

• Blinds: 1/2
• Your Hand: 5♠ 5♦
• Position: You are in the big blind.
• Opponent: A tight-aggressive player raises to 6 from early position.
• Your Stack: 200
• Opponent’s Stack: 200
• Pot Size Before Your Decision: 9 (6 from the opponent, 1 small blind, 2 big blind)

Calculating Pot Odds

• Pot Size After Opponent’s Raise: 9
• Amount to Call: 4
• Pot Odds: 9:4, or 2.25:1

With direct pot odds of 2.25:1, calling 4 to win 9 is not very attractive on its own, especially if you believe you are behind against the opponent’s strong opening range. However, this is where implied odds come into play.

Considering Implied Odds

• Potential Future Winnings: If you call and hit a set (three of a kind) on the flop, you stand to win much more than just the current pot. Given both you and your opponent have deep stacks (200 each), the potential future winnings could be significant.

Decision Process

1. Direct Pot Odds: Calling 4 to win 9 is not great (2.25:1), but…
2. Implied Odds: If you hit a set, you could potentially win a large portion of your opponent’s stack, say an additional 100 or more.

How Implied Odds Affect Your Hand Selection

• Small Pairs and Speculative Hands: Hands like small pairs (e.g., 5♠ 5♦) or suited connectors (e.g., 6♠ 7♠) benefit from high implied odds. They are not strong pre-flop but have the potential to make very strong hands (sets, straights, flushes) that can win big pots.
• Decision to Call: Even though the direct pot odds are not favorable, the high implied odds make calling with 5♠ 5♦ profitable. If you hit a set on the flop, you can potentially win a big pot from an opponent with a strong hand like A-A, K-K, or A-K that connects with the board.

Conclusion

Implied odds encourage speculative hand play. When you have the potential to win large pots from strong hands, you are more inclined to call pre-flop with hands that can make big hands post-flop, despite not having favorable direct pot odds. This strategic adjustment allows you to capitalize on the times when you hit strong hands and maximize your winnings from opponents with strong ranges.