What are the pot odds on a one-third pot bet?

One-card direct odds assume you fold after a miss and pay no further bets. Use by-the-river odds when this call guarantees both cards, such as an all-in or a guaranteed free river.

Small bets give you a great price. Risking 33 to win 133 means you break even calling just one time in five. Against a third-pot bet a lot of hands with some equity and a little implied odds can continue, which is exactly why small bets get called so often.

Worked example: the pot is 90 on the flop and your opponent bets 30. You call 30 to win the 90 already there plus the 30 bet, 120 in total. 30 to win 120 is 4-to-1, and 30 divided by 150, the pot after your call, is 20%.

If you fold after a miss and pay no later bets, price one card. A flush draw hits the turn 19.1% of the time and an open-ender 17.0%, both a little short of 20%, so it takes only a small amount of implied odds to make the call right. Two overcards at 12.8%, a gutshot at 8.5% and a set draw at 4.3% are well short and need real implied odds or a pair already. On the turn a flush draw at 19.6% is still a hair short, and only a combo draw clears this price on direct odds, at 31.9% on the flop and 32.6% on the turn. Small bets are cheap to call, which is why they fold out so little.

Quick tip: Small bet, small price: a third-pot bet needs only 20% equity, and even a flush draw is just short of that on one card.