How are odds calculated

When I watch championship poker on TV the anouncers will tell the odds on a hand as soon as they see the first two cards. How can they figure these odds so quickly without knowing what cards are going to be laid down next?

There are loads of calculators available (PokerStove is just one of them) that can tell you the odds in seconds if you know what the players hole cards are.

TV commentators don't even need the answer in seconds though - their commentary is almost always recorded long after the game is over, so they've got all the time in the world to work out the correct numbers.

FWIW, the percentages announced on TV don't always take into account all the information they have. I think the PPT was about the only show to take dead cards (ie: cards other players had folded, which they'd seen via the pocket cam) into account - pretty much everything else ignores them.

You have to remember, the announcers (thinkin' Mike Sexton) are excellent old school players themselves and have professional experience. pot odds is basic stuff, they know all the odds like the back of their hands. Odds pre-flop, on the flop and on the turn is stuff they can recite in their sleep.

Hi,
was the tournament you watched on TV a live one ?
Because if it's not live, they have a looot of time to calculate the right odds

Thanks guys

Thanks guys for all your answers on calculating odds. I had no idea there were programs out there for this.

maolitas said:

Hi,
was the tournament you watched on TV a live one ?
Because if it's not live, they have a looot of time to calculate the right odds

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Probably not - true live tournament telecasts (the few that there actually are) almost never feature hole card cameras.