There are countless advanced tools for studying poker, but sometimes a simple poker calculator is all you need. So I’ve put together a list of the 7 poker calculators that every player should use. Be sure to bookmark this page, or you can even download my entire poker spreadsheet collection for offline usage.
When it comes to calculators, the most important thing is that you are inputting the correct numbers. Each tool includes a quick blurb showing you which numbers you need, where to get them, and how to interpret the output. Have fun playing with each calculator and feel free to tweet at me if you have any questions.
BASIC POKER EV CALCULATOR
Understanding the expected value (EV) of a play is crucial to ensure the plays you make rate to be profitable. If you are new to the concept of EV, I highly recommend you start with my Poker EV formula and video.
This EV calculator has 3 inputs:
- $W: This is how much money you expect to win when you do win the pot
- $L: This is how much money you expect to lose when you do lose the pot
- W%: This is your chance of winning the pot. Typically this number is derived by finding your equity in a given hand, and free tools such as Equilab are excellent for this.
If you already know the EV formula, you may be wondering where L% is? Well, if you take 100% – W%, you actually get %L, so I simplified the inputs for you and saved you a step at zero cost to the results.
BREAKEVEN PERCENTAGE CALCULATOR
Interested in bluffing more? Then this simple bluffing calculator is exactly what you are looking for. With a few simple inputs, you can see just how often your bluff needs to work.
This calculator has 2 inputs:
- Your risk: The amount of money you are risking right now. (e.g., if you are betting $25 into a $40 pot, your risk is $25)
- Your reward: The amount of money in the pot before you bet/raise. (e.g., if you are betting $25 into a $40 pot, your reward is $40)
The result is the breakeven percentage of your bet. When bluffing, if you expect your opponent to fold MORE OFTEN than the current BE%, you have an outright +EV bluffing opportunity! If you expect your opponent to fold less often than the current BE%, your current bluff is immediate -EV.
You will notice that a higher risk compared to the reward (aka, a larger bet or raise size compared to the pot size) results in a higher BE%. While that may seem bad on the surface, remember that many players will fold much more often against larger bets and raises.
So don’t let a high BE% automatically turn you away from considering a bluff.
MULTIPLE FOLDERS POKER TOOL
The multiple folders calculator is perfect for knowing how often you can expect all remaining players to fold. If you like squeezing preflop or bluff cbetting on multiway flops, this is a tool you want to use a few times.
The calculator has 5 inputs:
- The estimated folding frequency for each player (up to 5)
Say you raised preflop UTG and two players called you. On a flop of Kโ Qโ 4โฅ you think one player will fold 65% of the time against your cbet and the other player will fold 40% of the time. Simply enter 65 for player one and 40 for player two, and 100 for the other 3 players.
The calculator will show you exactly how often you can expect every player to fold.
If the result is high, you should look to bluff more often. If the result gets very low (under 20%), your bluffing frequency should typically decrease.
One of the best tools for figuring out how often players will actually fold to a bet is Flopzilla Pro. This tool does some excellent range analysis and even allows you to do range analysis across multiple opponents (giving you the exact inputs you need for this calculator). Learn more about Flopzilla Pro and see how to study hands with it.
SIMPLIFIED FLOATING EV
A float is when you call one bet with intentions of betting when checked to on the next street. While the complete math for floating is incredibly complex (needing to account for all possible future actions and runouts), this simplified calculator gives you a great estimation of your EV if you were to float the flop.
This calculator has 5 inputs:
- Current pot size on the flop: The size of the pot after their bet and before your call.
- Amount to call on the flop: The size of the bet you are facing on the flop.
- Their turn barrel frequency: How often you expect them to bet on the turn.
- Their turn check/fold frequency: How often you expect them to check/fold on the turn.
- Your turn bet size: If they check the turn, how big will you bet?
The result is the EV of your overall float. A higher EV relative to the money you plan to invest in the play (your flop call + your turn bet) the better. You will notice one of the largest factors is how often you expect your opponent to barrel the turn and check/fold.
The less they barrel and the more they check/fold, the more profitable floating is. But as they barrel more, and thus give you less opportunity to make your float bet on the turn, the more your EV will drop as you fold to their bet.
The largest simplification this calculator makes is that you automatically lose if your opponent checks and then continues against your turn bet. This isn’t typically the case, since even weak bluffs can have some equity against their check/call range. Or, you could 3bet over their check/raise on the turn and win. These outcomes aren’t considered in the calculator to keep things more manageable.
You will notice that your equity is not included in this tool. Usually, you will float with hands that have at least some sort of equity (like a weaker draw or pair), which then amounts to some sort of implied odds calculation. While you could step this formula out and attempt to solve for those extra factors, it’s outside the bounds of this calculation.
OUTRIGHT BLUFFING CALCULATOR
A play’s outright profitability refers to how much money your bet/raise stands to make right this moment. It does not account for future considerations (like barreling or giving a check/raise action), which can be useful for basic bluffing calculations.
This calculator has 3 inputs:
- Current pot size: The size of the pot bet before you bet.
- Your bet size: The size of your bluff.
- Villain’s fold frequency: How often will they fold to your bluff?
The result is the outright EV of your bluff. Again, the higher the EV relative to the size of your bet, the better.
One thing to note is that just because a bluff is NOT outright profitable (aka, the result of the calculation is negative) does NOT necessarily mean you want to avoid bluffing altogether.
If your opponent would call this bet at a high frequency, but fold to a barrel on most future cards at a high frequency, your overall play could easily be +EV.
RIVER CHECK-BEHIND EV
Do you know the profitability of checking behind on the river? This is especially helpful if you get to the river with a busted Ace-high flush draw, or a weak pair, and need to deduce if turning these hands into bluffs is best.
This calculator has 2 inputs:
- Current pot size: The size of the pot on the river.
- Check & win %: How often you expect to win the pot if you check behind.
The result is the EV of checking behind. Keep in mind that this specifically looks at checking behind, which means you act last on the river. This is not the same as checking to your opponent on the river which would give them a chance to bluff you off the pot.
Your check and win % is simply your hand’s equity compared to the range your opponent would check the river with. Hands like Ace-high and weak pairs tend to have some equity against their opponent’s range, especially busted draws, which quickly improves the EV from 0 to positive.
Use this calculator side by side with the next one for deeper analysis.
RIVER BETTING EV (SIMPLIFIED)
What if instead of checking the river behind, you opted to bet instead? This calculator gives you a simplified EV of betting so you can decide which river action to take.
This calculator has 4 inputs:
- Current pot size: The size of the pot on the river before you bet.
- Your bet size: The size of your river bet.
- Win% when called: If they call your bet, how often will you have the best hand.
- Their check/fold %: How often will they fold against your bet.
The result is the EV of betting instead of checking behind. Like previous tools, this calculator is simplified since it removes the option of giving their check/raise action. But how often are you really facing a lot of river check/raises anyway?
As for the two variables, you can get your Win% when called and Their check/fold % by using Flopzilla Pro and analyzing their river range once they check. Your win% is your equity against specifically their check/call range.
I suggest comparing your results with the previous calculator since it will give you a great idea of whether checking behind or betting the river is more profitable.
MORE POKER CALCULATORS
Want even more poker tools? You can always use my popular pot odds poker tool (which also calculates implied odds). Or, download my entire collection of spreadsheets and use them during your study sessions.
My spreadsheet pack is a name-your-own-price product, and yes, you can enter $0 and get them for free! Or, throw in a few chips and get extra training + discounts on some awesome products.
Just make sure to use these tools exclusively for off-table study, and never use them while playing a session. They might be against an online site’s TOS, and if nothing else, they will be distracting. Remember, the more you study and use calculators between sessions, the easier it is to recall and use your finds at the poker table.
Best of luck and happy calculating!
