Poker is a game of skill and chance. Each hand of poker is a battle between two players, with each player trying to make the other fold, or lose more money than they do.
In order to determine who wins the hand, poker players use a system called poker equity. Equity is the difference in value between what each player started with and what they ended up with after all of their cards were revealed and all bets were paid.
There are two main ways to calculate poker equity: percentage of hand and raw hands. Percentage of hand calculates equity by dividing the amount of money won by the amount of money put into the pot preflop.
Raw hands calculates equity by taking the number of cards that each player had after preflop action was completed, and subtracting two. This number is then divided by the number of players in the hand.
The advantage that one player may have over another can be quickly calculated using equity calculations. For example, if one player has a high percentage of hand (meaning they have won more money than they have lost), then that player is likely to win the hand outright.
Conversely, if one player has a low percentage of hand (meaning they have lost more money than they have won), then that player is likely to lose the hand outright.
Equity calculations can be used to make informed decisions before playing any poker hands. For example, if you are playing against someone who has a high percentage of hand, it may be best not to risk any money at all in order to try and win back some of your losses.
Conversely, if you are playing against someone who has a low percentage of hand, it may be worth risking some money in order to try and catch up on your losses.
