Reverse Implied Odds

The term "reverse implied [pot] odds" is applied in situations where pot odds may not always help you determine whether staying in a hand might be deemed appropriate or even that profitable. This is because the application of reverse implied odds is basically utilized in spots where a player involved in the hand will either win the least amount of money with the best hand, or lose the very maximum if he/she doesn't have the absolute nuts against their opponents.

The nuances behind this theory can be complicated even to novice and intermediate players, considering the usage of it may require someone to either lay down a perfectly good hand and give up the pot, stay with the hand and win only little, or stay with the hand and lose a lot. A more experienced player can tell you that this concept can save you a lot of money if it's used in the right situation and against the right opponents.

A perfect example of this is when you hold an offering such as Tc Td. Let's say you raise this preflop in a $5/$10 Limit Hold Em game and get 3 callers. In a 4-way pot, a flop of 8s 9s Jc seems like a pretty solid holding, right? You not only have a great pair, but you also have a straight draw to boot. But take a look at the following things:

1. Depending on the players involved (tight, aggressive, etc), betting here will probably not deter your competition to go away quietly, especially given the pot odds they would be getting if they were drawing to either a flush or a straight.

2. Now let's assume the turn brings the Ts. A near money card right? WRONG. You may have gotten a set, but the card has also put the dreaded flush (anyone holding suited connectors in spades is now ahead) on board, not to mention it has filled a 4-card straight (anyone holding a hand like K Q or 6 7 now has you beat).

3. You are now essentially drawing only to a full house or quads (that improbable one outer on the river could always happen, right?) on the river, and depending on the betting, you may or may not choose to stick around any further than 4th street.


In the above situation, you have to make a sound decision on whether you think a set might be good here. The betting after the turn may very well determine your decision to see the river, and that's where the reverse implied odds come in. You either hate your set and will play this hand very passively and essentially hope to win very little, or you will overly commit yourself with the hand too much, not catch up whatsoever, and lose a larger amount of money to your opponents.

As you can see, it's situations like the one mentioned above that not make players both love and hate reverse implied odds. However, in the long run, making solid calculated decisions in relation to odds (regular, implied, and reverse implied) will most likely make you a more profitable player.