Poker Odds You Need to Know

Poker is at its core entirely a game of math; every scenario and decision in the game of poker comes to odds and probability. What are the chances my bluff will succeed compared to the amount I will win? What are the odds my opponent that moved all-in has a better hand than my AQ? And so on.

With this in mind I have put together three separate categories of odds and probabilities that every player should have memorized: Not only will these odds help you make the correct decision, they will also keep you from second-guessing yourself for the rest of the night, until you can get home and run the odds yourself.

Let’s start with some basic odds:

• Odds you will flop one pair when you have two unmatched cards = 32%
• Odds you will flop two pair when you have two unmatched cards = 2%
• Odds you will flop trips when you have two unmatched cards = 1.35%
• Odds you will flop a four-flush when you have two suited cards = 11%
• Odds you will flop a set when you have a pocket pair = 12%

Ok, now we’ll move on to some more advanced odds:

• Odds someone has AA when you have KK in a 10-handed game = about 20 to 1
• Odds someone has AA or KK when you have QQ in a 10-handed game = about 10 to 1
• Odds someone has AA/KK/QQ when you have JJ in a 10-handed game = about 6 to 1
• Odds someone has AA or KK when you have AK in a 10-handed game = about 20 to 1
• Odds of an Ace on the flop when you have KK -and do not hit a set = 11.6%
• Odds of an Ace or King on the flop when you have QQ -and do not hit a set = 31%

Alright, have all those down? The last thing you want to memorize is actually the most important, which is your chance of making your hand depending on your number of outs:

These are not the only odds you’ll need to know, but they are a very good place to start.