How To Calculate Poker Outs

A basic but important skill for any serious poker player is the capability to calculate how many outs you have to win a hand in a quick and useful manner. Once you grasp the concept, like many poker strategy techniques, you’ll have to practice it consistently to get really good at using it in your game efficiently. With practice, calculating outs during play can become an instinctive part of your thought process.

The first thing to realize is that we don’t always get dealt an ideal hand in poker. In fact, we are more likely to be dealt a hand that is not necessarily anything to get excited about, but we’ll put money on it anyway in hopes that it becomes a better hand on a later street. And then we really hope it become at least good enough to beat the other player and score the pot. The cards that will give you that hand are called outs.

For example, let’s say your hand is A K, and your opponent’s hand is J 7. The community cards are 10 J 5. To calculate your outs, figure out how many cards are out there that will give you a winning hand. There are three Aces and three Kings that will give you a higher pair. There are also four Queens that could get you a straight. And there are nine clubs that could give you a flush, but since you don’t want to count the Queen of clubs twice, you really only have eight clubs. Therefore, all together, you have 18 outs that could potentially show up on the turn in your favor, which is a nice cushion to bet on, granted you won’t know your opponents’ cards in a real game of Texas Hold ‘em. Consequently, taking into consideration your opponents’ hand range(s) is an important component of calculating outs.

Hand Range
Being able to factor in the hand range of your opponents’ cards into your out calculations will ultimately make it easier for you to calculate your outs. While you won’t be able to know the exact cards other players hold, in order for your out calculations to be more accurate, you’ll have to hypothosize the hand range you could potentially be up against.

Take the same example described above and assume you do not know what your opponents’ hole cards are. Giving him a possible J J will decrease your outs significantly. You would lose the three Aces and three Kings as outs in this situation, and more so, you could still lose if the river puts a pair on the board. Furthermore, you should always keep in mind that not all possible outs will produce the best and winning hand.

Half-Outs
You’ll also want to take into account half-outs, which are those outs that will only count as half an out. For example, say your hole cards are 8 9 The board shows T J 3. There are four 7s and four Queens that would produce a straight, which you can assume would give you eight outs. However, hitting the straight might give your opponent a flush, which would not win you the hand. Therefore, the Q and the 7 should not be considered full outs and should only be counted as half-outs, giving you only seven outs in total and making up for the times that your opponent’s flush will beat your straight.

Hidden Outs
Hidden outs are those cards that might not directly improve your hand, but will actually hurt the other player’s hand. For example, say you have A A with 5 6 9 K on the board. Your opponent has 6 5 which will give him two pairs. A or A on the river would be great, but a 9 or a King would also give you the better hand by devaluing your opponent’s hand and giving you a higher two pair; thus, a 9 or a King would be considered hidden outs.

The Bottom Line
Effectively and efficiently calculating outs during play must be practiced, like any poker technique, but once it is mastered, it can dramatically improve your game. When working on this skill, though, you should also keep in mind the number of players at the table, as the more players you have, the less outs you actually have. Furthermore, you must also consider the burn cards when processing your outs. This article is for beginners, and as you become a more seasoned outs counter, you will likely start to make your own inferences which will dictate your perception of the strength of a hand.