In poker, the term “pot odds” is used to assess how profitable placing a bet or calling will be based on the current size of the pot.

To calculate the “pot odds”, you divide the size of your current bet (or call) by the total pot size (the sum of all bets at this stage of the round, including yours and other players' bets). The formula looks like this:

Pot odds = Size of your bet / Total pot size

For example, if there is $100 in the pot, and you decide to place a bet amounting to $20, your pot odds are equal to:

$20 (your stake) / $100 (total pot size) = 1/5 or 20%

This means that to recover the cost of your bet and receive a positive expected value, you need the likelihood of winning in a given situation to be higher than 20%.

Players use “pot odds” to decide whether it’s worth placing a bet or calling, bearing in mind their cards and the estimated strength of their hand. If the likelihood of winning exceeds the pot odds, this could be a profitable bet.