Poker: Texas Hold'em

Lesson 5: Odds & Outs

Outs

Outs are calculated by using simple division. You take the number of cards left that can improve your hand such as completing a pair, finishing a straight, or making a flush and divide it by the number of cards left that haven’t been seen.

The number of unseen cards is:

• 50 pre-flop (52 cards in a deck minus your two pocket cards)

• 47 after the flop (52 cards in a deck minus your two pocket cards minus the first three community cards)

• 46 after the turn (52 cards in a deck minus your two pocket cards minus the first four community cards)

Example: Starting with a pocket pair of Jacks

1. What are your chances of getting another Jack in the flop?

   There are four Jacks left in the deck, and you have two of them so there are two left. Two remaining Jacks divided by fifty remaining cards pre-flop equals 2-in-50 or 1-in-25 or 4%.

2. You still have a pair of Jacks and drew nothing on the flop, what are your chances of getting another Jack in the turn?

   Two remaining Jacks divided by forty-seven remaining cards pre-turn equals 2-in-47 or 1-in-23.5 or 4.25%. The percentage goes up because you have the same number of chances but they are coming out of a smaller pool of cards.

3. You still haven’t drawn a third Jack through the turn, what are your chances of drawing one on the river?

   Two remaining Jacks divided by forty-six remaining cards pre-river equals 2-in-46 or 1-in-23 or 4.35%.

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