The Concept of “Outs” in Poker

In the game of poker, “outs” are the cards still to come that will improve your hand, giving the best possible result. In other words, “outs” are cards that get you out of trouble by turning your weak hand into a strong hand. Each possible card that can complete your hand, to make it the potential winning hand, is an "out". Your total number of outs is the total number of possible cards which can complete your hand. You may be holding a weak hand with good potential, e.g. four cards of a flush, but need one more card of the same suit to complete it. (There are nine possible cards which can complete your hand) Since there are a total of 13 cards in a suit, and you are holding four, that means there are nine possible "outs" that can get you “out of trouble" and into the winner’s circle.

In Texas Hold’em, if you have a 7 and an 8 in your hand, and the board is showing a 6, 9 and 2, then you need either a 5 or a 10 to complete your hand (from weak with potential to a very likely winner). In this case you have a total of 8 outs (four 5's and four 10's in the deck). Once you know the number of outs, you can easily determine what your odds of getting those cards are given the total number of unseen cards in the deck. In this case, you have seen the two in your hand and the four on the board. One card on the board remains to be turned over, for a total of six cards visable. If you subtract six from 52, there are 46 unseen cards. That would mean, for the straight draw your odds are approximately 6-to-1 to get your out (46 potential cards divided by your eight outs).

The next thing to do is to compare your odds to the size of the bet and how much is in the pot. For example, if the bet is $5 and your odds are 6-to-1 to win, you would want to see at least $36 in the pot to justify the risk. This is called determining “pot odds,” and once you learn it, it will help you evaluate the risk/reward scenarios that happen with each deal of the cards. When we look at a 4 percent chance, we immediately understand that there are slim odds of getting one of your outs. However, pot odds should also be considered. With a 4.3 percent out, your odds equal 22.4-to-1 against the desired outcome. This means to justify a call and see the next card, the pot should be at least 23 times the size of the bet to you.

For a more optimistic example, let’s assume you have a total of 20 outs to hit your hand. This case arises when you have both a possible flush and an open-ended straight draw. With 20 outs and two cards to come, your chance of getting one of the cards you need is 67.5 percent. So any bet would justify a call, and in this case there does not even have to be money in the pot, because you have more than a 50 percent chance of winning any bet that a person could make. When looking at the odds chart, keep in mind the decimal points are insignificant. You should never have to remember numbers to this degree in poker.
The odds chart below shows the percentage chance (also converted to actual odds) of making your hand, based on your number of outs. You can clearly see you have better odds when there are still two cards to be dealt, which makes sense since your number of outs decreases when you are down to one card.

ODD’s Chart for Getting Your Needed “Out” Cards

You will find that you can easily remember a few of the most common situations for outs, such as the four flush or straight draw, but there has to be an easier way than memorizing the figures for every number of outs.

Quick Calculations in your Head

An easy way to calculate a ball park percentage in your head if you do not have access to this chart is to use the four-two rule.

With two cards to come after the flop, you multiply your number of outs by four. With only one card left, you multiply your number of outs by two. This will give you a quick figure with which to work. For example, if you have a four-card flush after the flop, you have nine outs (13 suited cards less the four you have). With two cards to come, you multiply nine by four to determine that you have a 36 percent chance of making the flush. The chart shows the true odds at 35 percent. With one card to come, you multiply nine by two and get 18 percent. The chart shows that the true figure is 19.6 percent. It is not completely accurate but it is pretty close, and it is an easy calculation to do in your head if this chart is not available. Calculating the approximate odds is sufficient in helping you determine if the pot is big enough to justify a call.