Poker Outs Calculator

How to use this calculator

Pick your two hole cards, the opponent’s two hole cards, and a 3-card flop or 4-card turn board. The opponent’s hand is required because outs depend on what you are drawing against: the same nut flush draw has a different out count against a set than against top pair, since some of the cards that complete the flush can also improve the opponent’s hand into something that still beats you. The calculator counts only the cards that take you from behind to ahead of that specific hand, and reports the exact odds to hit one on the next card and, on the flop, by the river, alongside the quick rule-of-2-and-4 estimate players use at the table.

Worked examples

1. Example 1

   Even a full house can be behind, and need the case card

   nine of hearts, nine of diamonds9♥9♦ on nine of clubs, two of spades, two of diamonds9♣2♠2♦ against an opponent holding two of hearts, two of clubs2♥2♣: nines full of twos loses to the opponent’s quad deuces, so the only card that gets hero ahead is the last 9, for quad nines. That is 1 out out of 45 unseen cards. Which hand is “ahead” always depends on what the opponent holds, never on hero’s cards alone.

2. Example 2

   Not every card that improves your hand is a real out

   ace of hearts, king of heartsA♥K♥ on queen of hearts, seven of hearts, two of clubsQ♥7♥2♣ against an opponent holding queen of spades, queen of diamondsQ♠Q♦: eight of the nine remaining hearts complete the nut flush and win. The ninth, the two of hearts, also completes the flush, but it pairs the board’s deuce and gives the opponent queens full of deuces, a full house that beats hero’s flush. That card improves hero’s own hand yet still loses, a tainted out. Counting it anyway is how a real 8-out draw here gets miscounted as 23 if you only look at your own hand.

Related pages

• Equity Calculator →
• Poker Math Trainer →
• Equity: outs and the rule of 2 and 4 →
• Glossary: equity →
• Drill equity in the ranked Trainer →

Frequently asked questions

What counts as an out?

An out is any remaining card that takes you from losing to winning against the hand you are up against. That is different from a card that merely improves your own hand: a card can turn no pair into a pair, or complete a flush, and still lose if it also improves the opponent hand into something stronger. This calculator asks for an opponent hand and counts only the cards that flip the result in your favour, not every card that changes your own hand class.

How accurate is the rule of 2 and 4?

It is a quick approximation, not the exact figure: multiply your outs by 4 on the flop (two cards to come) or by 2 on the turn (one card to come). On the flop it runs high once you are past about eight outs and stops being a usable estimate past about 14. On the turn it merely undershoots the exact figure and stays usable well past 14, which is why this calculator also shows the exact combinatorial odds alongside it.