Poker Outs

The most common situation in poker, before all the cards have been dealt, is that you don't have the best hand yet but can have the best hand if the right card comes up. That card is called an "out". If you have a makeable hand you will have more than one out. It is especially important to count outs when you must call or fold. But even if everyone checks, it's good poker technique to always count outs. It becomes second nature and you don't have to remember to do it when you really need it.

Some players never count outs. They say, "How can I know what the other players have in the hole?" The point these players are missing is that that counting outs is not an exact science. But you can get a reasonable picture of your chances to win the hand by counting outs. The better players count outs and then use the information to calculate the pot odds.

Poker involves dealing with uncertainty. Poker players have many ways of gathering information to help them make the right plays. Counting outs is one. Calculating pot odds is another. But, if you study your opponents, they will "tell" you a lot about the hand. So it's not enough just to make the right calculations. You also have to apply your knowledge of how your opponents play to make the final decision to call a bet.

The number of outs also depends on the game you are playing. In community card games you see only your hole cards. Then everyone sees the flop. Everyone will be calculating their outs based only on the five cards they can see. But in stud poker you see everyone's up cards. As the hand progresses a card that may have been an out could get played to an opponent. It may not help them but it is certainly no longer an out for you.

The actual mathematical calculation of the odds of hitting an out is simple if you have a calculator and the time to enter the numbers. Instead of doing that, players use the rule of two and four. You multiply the number of outs by the number of cards to be played. If you are waiting for the river you multiply by two. This gives a very close estimate of your odds of getting the out. If you are waiting for the turn you multiply by four.

Many players fail to account for all their potential outs. If you have a combination of possible hands, such as a straight and a flush, you have outs for both possibilities. Inexperienced players may underestimate their outs, thereby mistakenly calculating the pot odds and folding the hand when they should call.

Many new players are surprised to find out how good their chances are of making a hand in some situations. By learning to count outs and use the rule of two and four, they increase their chances of winning more substantial pots.

In the example above, a card that gives you a straight will also give you a flush. So it is an out only for the flush.

In stud games, where up cards are seen by everyone, if you don't remember which up cards were folded you will erroneously count them as outs.

Poker outs are an invaluable tool for determining the proper course of action in the hand. But it isn't enough: you have to learn to read your opponents, learn to calculate pot odds and, as you advance in poker, implied odds.

Many new players find the game goes too fast for them to correctly make all these calculations and observations. This is especially true of online poker. This merely points to the fact that it takes playing a lot of hands to become proficient at poker.