the.com/pot odds

means Pot odds are the ratio between the current size of the pot and the cost of a contemplated call, used to decide whether a drawing hand is mathematically worth pursuing.

from A piece of poker jargon, not etymology in the classical sense — it emerged from the game itself as players began formalizing gut instinct into arithmetic. 'Pot' is simply the communal stake (from the pot or vessel such winnings were once literally collected in), and 'odds' traces to probability language from wagering generally, likely from Old Norse 'oddi' meaning a point of land or an odd/extra thing — the leftover that tips a balance one way. Put together, 'pot odds' is a 20th-century poker-table coinage, popularized as the game grew more analytical and players started treating calls as investments rather than hunches.