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A lot of poker software seems to focus on Hand Equity instead of breaking out the Win/Tie/Loss odds for a specific poker hand. The main difference between the two seems to be that Equity combines the odds of Win and Tie into a single fractional pot-win number that is easier to work with, but breaking out Win/Tie/Loss gives a much better picture of a hand's true strength. Once you start tracking actual bets then calculating Pot Odds and Equity seem to make more sense, but for pre-flop or heads up hand evaluation it seems like Win/Tie/Loss odds make more sense. Which do you prefer and why? |
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I always use hand equity (that is, subjective all-in equity or SAIE) exactly because it normalizes those wins/ties into a single number, makes the math easier, and (IMO) gives you a clearer picture of the strength of the hand, not a less clear picture. Especially when you start getting into range vs. range analysis. But for when it matters I think a lot of tools (like PokerStove) break it down for you so you can see your overall equity as well as your win/loss/tie percentages. |
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If you are playing SNGs which are NLHE or O8, then you need the information from the ties. The reason is that a tie is worth more than 50% of a win when you are risk-averse. If there are 4 equal stacks on the bubble of a 50-30-20 tournament, then ties are worth about 65% of a win, since a win is worth about 38.3% of the prize pool, a tie is worth 25%, and losing means you get 0. 25-0/38.3-0 ~ 65%. If you have a hand like 88, you can ignore ties, but hands like Ax often tie against other Ax hands, and of course ties are common in split pot games. Ties can be worth less than 50% in cash games, since you can't bet a tie for value heads up. So, drawing to win 1/3 is worth more than drawing to tie 2/3 of the time when there will be money left to bet on the river. |
