Hi guys,

Need some help regarding basics.

Can someone give me the definitive answer to this question?

I have KJo on the flop 763, my opponent has 60 I cover him. The pot is 120.

If I check and he shoves, my pot odds are :

A/ I have to pay 60 to win 180 (120 in the pot and 60 from my opponent)

OR

B/ I have to pay 60 to win 240 (120 pot + 60 from my opponent + my 60 investment)

Im confused because A gives 3 to 1, so I can call with 25% minimum equity, when B gives 4 to 1, which gives me 20% minimum equity to call.

Hope it's clear enough, I really would appreciate your help because it looks like I see both of these answers as acceptable.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Difference between A and B is just semantics. You pay 60 to win a final pot of 240 which means you are getting odds of 3:1.

A. You’re putting in 60 to win what’s in the pot before that, 180

A. You are not winning the money that you are putting in to call, that is already yours, you can only win the pot and your opponent's wager. So you are risking 60 to win 180, and there is a 3:1 ratio between what you can win and what you must risk.

Learn to think in terms of odds, or in terms of equity. If you try to do both, you will confuse yourself (as above). Equity is usually the percentage of the total, final pot that is due to you based on your liklihood of winning. Odds describe the ratio of unfavorable to favorable outcomes. They ultimately mean the same thing. To simplify things, only use one method.

I prefer to use equity in my calculations, as it simplifies things when you decide to start using EV as your metric, and you need to consider multiple options. Like, if I shove, there is 50% chance he folds and I win pot size X 100% of the time, and there is 50% chance he calls, and I win pot size Y a different percentage of the time. It is easier to calculate EV with multiple outcomes if you visualize everything in terms of equity versus odds.

Pot odds is the ratio between the size of the pot when you're contemplating an action, compared to the cost of making that action. So in this spot, the ratio or pot odds is 180:60 or 3:1. You need to win 1/4 of the time to break even.
You can get that same 1/4 (or 25%) number by dividing the cost of calling by the size of the final pot if you call. 60/240 = 1/4 = 25%.

Here is one way to think about it. Pot =120, Villain bets 60 which you must call to stay in the hand.

If you call, the total pot will be 120+60+60 = 240.

If you win, you get back 240 and 60/240 = 25% is “yours”, the amount you contributed making the call decision. Thus, to break even, you need to win 25% of the time.

To see this using the relevant EV equation:

EV = Pr(Win)*$Win –Pr(Lose)*$Call

= Pr(Win)*$Win - (1-Pr(win))$Call

=Pr(Win)*($Win+$Call) - $Call

= 0.25*(180+60) – 60 = 0