Top 3 Stats For Winning in Poker

Top 3 Stats For Winning in Poker
In the world of poker there are many things that you have to take into consideration when you are playing. Some of these things may be how other players play, others may have things to do with your own cards. One other key thing though that many people overlook is the statistics and math that come along with playing poker, which can be one of the most important things that you should be sure to know. Today we are going to look at three of the most important stats that you should know and understand in order to be a profitable poker player. It doesn't matter if you are playing free online poker or playing at the $100/$200 limits, knowing these statistics can help you make the right calls and folds at the tables!
Pot Odds
Say for example that you are playing online multiplayer poker, and you get in a situation where you made a raise and a player after you re-raised. From there, another player made the call of the re-raise and the action was on you. You weren't sure what to do with your hand, so what can you look at? Well, right off the bat you should look at the pot odds. Pot odds are a ratio relating to the overall size of the pot, against how much additional that you are going to have to call in order to see the flop. If the pot contains $30.00 and you have to call another $6 in order to see the flop, you are probably going to be calling a pretty good amount of the time because of these pot odds. Also, to break things down a bit more simply, imagine that if someone bets $1 at you, and there is $5 in the pot, then you are getting 5 to 1 on pot odds.
Winning Probabilities
This is a pretty important spot as well when playing poker, whether it is live cash game poker, tournament poker, or just free online poker, you will find that knowing the winning probabilities can go a long way. An example of how these probabilities are broken down, is by the odds that you would win if you were in against another hand pre-flop. So say that you and one other player are all-in pre-flop and you have two over cards against their lower pocket pair. We'll say K-Q vs. 8-8 in this situation. The percentage that the overcards has here is 45% against 55% for the pocket 8's. Knowing these types of numbers while playing is a great bit of knowledge to have.
Drawing Odds
Online multiplayer poker sites are a great way to get this information while playing, because many of them will actually feature a stat telling you what percentage that your hand is to win once you get it all in. Now, say that you have a flush draw or a straight draw. The odds of hitting these hands obviously aren't incredibly high, but if you have something like a straight-flush draw then the odds of hitting one definitely increase. If you know the odds that you have of hitting your hand, whether it is pre-flop or post flop (obviously you have much further to go pre-flop), it can help you make tough decisions on when you should get those chips into the middle or simply lay down your hand.