Pot Odds Article

Counting Your Outs

Outs are cards that will complete your hand, and propel it over your opponents hand at the showdown.

For example:
You have Ad, Kd
The Board shows Jd 4d 2h 7s

If another diamond hits, you'll have the nut flush. There are 9 more diamonds that can come up on the river, so you have 9 outs in this situation.

Common Drawing Hands - and their associated number of outs:
3 Outs - One Overcard
4 Outs - Gutshot Straight Draw
4 Outs - Improving 2 pair
6 Outs - Two Overcards
8 Outs - Open-Ended Straight Draw
8 Outs - Double Gutshot Straight Draw
9 Outs - Flush Draw
11 Outs - Overcard with an Open Straigth Draw
14 Outs - Two Overcards with Open Straight Draw
15 Outs - Two Overcards with Flush Draw

Another example:
You hold: Ks Qs
The flop comes Ts, 9d, 4s

Your opponent goes All-In. Any spade will give you a flush, so count 9 outs for the flush draw. A jack will give you the nut flush. Since one Jack is a spade, and we've already counted that as a possible out, there are 3 more Jacks that can give you the nuts. Nine plus three is twelve outs.

Of course, you still have two overcards, and they might provide outs as well. If you believe your opponent might go All-In with top pair or less, you can count the remaining Kings and Queens as outs.

If you believe they would only go All-In with a set, you can discount those overcard outs.


Discounting Outs

Of course, when you land your out, you want to then have the best hand at the table. There are times when you can land your out, and still not be ahead of your opponent.

For example, you are drawing to a straight, but there is also a flush draw on the board. Or, you are drawing to a non-nut flush.

In times like these, it is not unwise to lower the outs total (or "discount" some of your outs) when computing the Pot Odds.

Hidden Outs

Runner/runner draws do happen. How much are they worth, as far as adding outs to your total? I've read that something like a backdoor nut flush draw is worth about 1.5 outs. You may or may not want to factor that in to your outs total.