How to Calculate Outs and Odds in Poker
Back in the post about Pot Odds, we discussed knowing the odds of making your hand in relation to the size of the bet you are facing and the size of the pot to be won. But, how do you know the odds of making your hand?
1. Count the number of cards that will give you the hand you need to win at showdown. For instance, if you have four cards to the flush, and there are 13 cards of each suit, you have 9 outs (13-4=9).
2. At this point, there will be 46 unseen cards. These are all of the cards left in the deck, the muck, and your opponents’ hands. They are all unseen to YOU. Divide the unseen cards (46) by the outs (9) and you get 5.1
3. Subtract 1, and you have your odds: 4.1 to 1
The table below can be memorized, or you can keep it handy when playing online:
| Outs | Odds |
|---|---|
| 1 | 45 to 1 |
| 2 | 22 to 1 |
| 3 | 14.3 to 1 |
| 4 | 10.5 to 1 |
| 5 | 8.2 to 1 |
| 6 | 6.7 to 1 |
| 7 | 5.6 to 1 |
| 8 | 4.75 to 1 |
| 9 | 4.1 to 1 |
| 10 | 3.6 to 1 |
| 11 | 3.2 to 1 |
| 12 | 2.8 to 1 |
| 13 | 2.5 to 1 |
| 14 | 2.2 to 1 |
| 15 | 2.1 to 1 |
| 16 | 1.9 to 1 |
| 17 | 1.7 to 1 |
| 18 | 1.6 to 1 |
A thorough understanding of the concept of outs and odds is critical for success at Full Tilt Poker, where you can get a 100% deposit bonus. For this reason, read Small Stakes Hold ‘em: Winning Big With Expert Play
It should be noted that this only applies to the “turn” (or 4th street). The odds are slightly different when drawing at the “river” (5th street).
Double post. Reason is that on the river there is 1 less unseen card.
Thanks for clarifying that. I should have made that clear.