Poker Equity Calculator

How to use this calculator

“Hero” and “villain” are just labels for the two sides being compared: hero on the left, villain on the right. Each can be an exact two-card hand or a whole range built on the 13×13 grid, and you can optionally add a flop, turn, or river. The calculator runs a Monte Carlo simulation and reports each side’s win, tie, and overall equity share, recalculated live as you change either hand, either range, or the board.

Worked equity examples

Six real matchups, computed with the same equity engine that powers the calculator above, showing how equity shifts once you move past “pair vs pair”.

1. Example 1

   Pocket aces vs pocket kings, preflop

   ace of spades, ace of heartsA♠A♥ vs king of clubs, king of diamondsK♣K♦: aces have about 81% equity. This is the standard preflop coin-flip-that-isn’t: the best pair preflop is a big favourite over the second-best pair, but not a lock.

2. Example 2

   Ace-king suited vs queens, the classic coinflip

   ace of hearts, king of heartsA♥K♥ vs queen of clubs, queen of diamondsQ♣Q♦: ace-king has about 46% equity, queens about 54%. Two overcards against a pair this close to a coinflip is why shoving ace-king into a preflop raise is such a common, closely debated spot.

3. Example 3

   A big draw can be ahead of an overpair

   ace of hearts, king of heartsA♥K♥ vs queen of clubs, queen of diamondsQ♣Q♦ on nine of hearts, five of hearts, two of clubs9♥5♥2♣: the nut flush draw plus two overcards is now the favourite, at about 55% equity, even though queens still look like the “made hand”. A big draw with overcards attached is very often ahead of a one-pair hand, not just close.

4. Example 4

   A set holds up against a flush draw with one card to come

   eight of hearts, eight of clubs8♥8♣ vs ace of spades, king of spadesA♠K♠ on eight of diamonds, five of spades, two of hearts, ten of spades8♦5♠2♥10♠: the set of eights is about 84% to hold with only the river left, even facing a made flush draw. Three of a kind is a big made-hand favourite over a draw once most of the board is out.

5. Example 5

   A small pocket pair can be a big favourite over two overcards

   six of clubs, six of diamonds6♣6♦ vs ace of hearts, king of diamondsA♥K♦ on ten of spades, seven of hearts, two of clubs10♠7♥2♣: the underpair is about 74% once the flop misses both overcards. “Any two overcards are live” is only true preflop; postflop, a pair that has already made its hand is well ahead of two cards that haven’t.

6. Example 6

   A dominated ace is a bigger dog than it looks

   ace of spades, nine of spadesA♠9♠ vs ace of clubs, king of clubsA♣K♣: with the same ace but a weaker kicker, the dominated hand is only about 29% equity, far worse than a random matchup. Sharing a card with your opponent, rather than facing two live cards, is what makes a dominated hand so much worse than it feels at the table.

Related pages

• Pot Odds Calculator →
• Hand reading: working out a range, not just a hand →
• Glossary: equity →
• Every ranked puzzle type →
• Drill equity in the ranked Trainer →

Frequently asked questions

How is poker equity calculated?

Equity is the share of the pot a hand or range expects to win on average across every way the remaining cards could come. This calculator estimates it with a Monte Carlo simulation: it deals the rest of the board thousands of times and reports the win, tie, and overall equity percentages.

Can I calculate equity for a range, not just one hand?

Yes. Switch either side to "Range" and build it on the 13x13 grid. You can mix a specific hand against a range, or a range against a range.

What is a good equity percentage in poker?

There's no fixed good percentage on its own: equity only means something next to the price you are being offered. 30% equity is worthless if you must pay 50% of the pot to see it, and priceless if the bet only asks for 10%. Compare your equity to your required equity (see the pot odds calculator) before judging it.

How do you estimate equity quickly at the table without a calculator?

Count your outs and apply the rule of 2 and 4: multiply outs by four with two cards to come, on the flop, or by two with one card to come, on the turn. Nine outs (a flush draw) is roughly 36% on the flop and 19% on the turn.

Why does the rule of 4 overstate equity with a lot of outs?

The shortcut assumes you see both remaining cards for free, so it drifts high once you pass around eight outs. A 15-out combo draw (a flush draw plus an open-ended straight draw) is closer to 54% by the river than the 60% the rule of 4 suggests, so trim a few points off when you're rich in outs.

What is the difference between equity and pot odds?

Equity is your probability of winning the hand. Pot odds are the price a bet is offering, converted into the equity you would need to break even calling it. Equity answers "how often do I win?"; pot odds answer "how often do I need to win?" Compare the two to decide whether a call is profitable.

Does equity account for future betting?

No. Equity assumes the hand goes to showdown with no further bets, raises, or folds. In practice a hand rarely realises its full equity: betting, folding, and position all change how much of it actually gets collected, a distinct idea called equity realisation.

Is preflop equity calculated the same way as postflop equity?

Not quite, though the definition is identical. With a full or partial board, this calculator enumerates every possible runout exactly (990 flop-to-river combinations, 44 turn-to-river), so those results carry no sampling error at all. Preflop, with all five community cards still unknown, exact enumeration is too slow, so the calculator runs a fast Monte Carlo simulation instead.

Is this calculator free to use?

Yes. No sign-in, and no limit on how many times you run it. The ranked Trainer, which turns this same maths into a graded, adaptive drill, is a separate subscription with a 14-day free trial.