#1 What does it mean when someone talks about "odds"

"Odds" for many is confusing because either they don't care, don't know why they should care about odds, haven't had the opportunity to learn odds, believe they can't learn it or players are not good at math.  In my opinion, understanding odds is near essential to be a top tier player.  Owning math skills is very helpful but I have played with many that I know are either too drunk to be able to calculate the odds, or have simply admitted they do not have good math skills and still played well.  Odds it seems can also come from the gut for some players.  The problem with the gut odds, is often the gut has heavily miscalculated their chance of winning.  (I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was the jalipeno poppers bought at the bar.)
     There are two sayings that I have heard from professional and non-professional players alike that have been around the game for a while.  The first is pretty common and easily understood "never call drawing dead."  The second has been debated by pros for years, "I'd rather blind out than push in with a bad hand."  These are both "odds" statements.  Knowing if you are drawing dead can be a gut instinct, but it can also be an odds understanding.  Waiting for the best "cards" to push in your chips can give you the best odds of winning a hand and doubling up, but in defense of the opposing view, can also give you the worst odds if your stack is too small and everyone at the table is calling.  Which is why I prefer the best "opportunity" to push in my chips, giving me the best odds to increase my stack. 
     There are several different types of odds to consider during a game:  Pot odds, implied odds, chip odds, odds to hit and odds the other player will miss, odds the player will call, fold, etc.  I could not count the number of times I have seen a player call all in on a flush draw after a flop when it was not necessary.  He/she has put their tournament life or all their money on generally 62% to lose!  Even worse (longer odds) I see the same call made on an open ended straight draw and some even on inside straight draw.  When they hit, some players call it getting lucky.  Well, yes and no.  They were lucky that the odds hit the long side this time because they give away their chips the majority of the time making those same calls.  Calling all in on long odds to hit, as a matter of habit, will win you alot of chips sometimes, but is the easy way to lose alot of money before you win and the way to give it back after you do win.  Odds to hit an open ended straight draw after the flop is at best, if all of the cards remain in the deck, 32%.  68% of the time you will give all your chips away. 
     There certainly are proper times to make that long odds call trying to hit, but generally only the foolish do it for their entire stack or get themselves stuck in a hand making that call when they didn't have to be in the hand to start.