Turn your outs into a real chance of hitting — exact odds by street, the rule of 2 and 4, and the pot odds you need to call. Instant, right in your browser.
| Outs | By the turn 1 card | By the river 2 cards | Odds against 2 cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2% | 4% | 22.5 : 1 |
| 2 | 4% | 8% | 10.9 : 1 |
| 3 | 6% | 12% | 7.0 : 1 |
| 4 | 9% | 16% | 5.1 : 1 |
| 5 | 11% | 20% | 3.9 : 1 |
| 6 | 13% | 24% | 3.1 : 1 |
| 7 | 15% | 28% | 2.6 : 1 |
| 8 | 17% | 31% | 2.2 : 1 |
| 9 | 19% | 35% | 1.9 : 1 |
| 10 | 21% | 38% | 1.6 : 1 |
| 11 | 23% | 42% | 1.4 : 1 |
| 12 | 26% | 45% | 1.2 : 1 |
| 13 | 28% | 48% | 1.1 : 1 |
| 14 | 30% | 51% | 1.0 : 1 |
| 15 | 32% | 54% | 0.8 : 1 |
Exact probabilities with all unseen cards equally likely. The rule of 2 and 4 is the fast table version: multiply outs by 2 for one card to come, by 4 for two — close to these numbers, and all you need mid-hand.
Every drawing hand comes down to one question: how often do I hit, and is the pot paying me enough to chase? Outs are how you answer it.
An out is any card left in the deck that turns your hand into the winner — the nine remaining suit cards for a flush draw, the eight cards for an open-ended straight. Count your outs and you can turn any drawing hand into a real percentage, then compare it to the price the pot is laying you. That single skill — outs to equity to a call-or-fold — is the mathematical backbone of winning poker.
At the table you can't run this calculator, so you estimate: multiply outs by 2 for one card to come, by 4 when you're all-in on the flop with both cards to come. Nine outs ≈ 18% for one card, ≈ 36% for two — within a point of the exact math above. The estimate drifts a little high past ~9 outs, which is why it helps to have run the real numbers a few times so you know the truth behind the shortcut. Then price it with the pot odds calculator.
Pick the street, set your outs, read your odds.
Choose whether you have both cards to come (all-in on the flop), just the turn, or just the river — the odds change with each.
Drag the slider or tap a common draw — flush draw, open-ender, gutshot — and the outs fill in for you.
You get the exact percentage to hit, the odds against, and the pot odds you need to make calling profitable.
You hold A♠ K♠ and the flop comes Q♠ 7♠ 2♥. You have the nut flush draw: nine spades are still in the deck, and any of them gives you the best possible flush. Count them plainly — thirteen spades minus the four you can see (two in your hand, two on the board) leaves nine outs, and none of them are tainted here, so there's nothing to discount. By the rule of 4, nine outs on the flop with two cards to come is roughly 35% to hit by the river. Now price it: if a villain bets half the pot, you're being asked to call one chip to win three — you only need about 25% equity to break even, and you have 35%. The draw is far ahead of the price, so this is a clear call (and often a raise, once you add the times they fold).
Verdict — nine clean outs, ~35% by the river, and the price is right — callFix A card that completes your flush but pairs the board can hand your opponent a full house. Count only the outs that actually win — discount the ones that make you the second-best hand.
Fix The rule of 2 is for a single card (turn or river alone); the rule of 4 is for both cards, which only applies when you're all-in on the flop. Multiply by 4 when you'll still fold to a turn bet and you'll badly overrate your draw.
Fix A 35% draw is a fold if the pot only lays you 20%. Outs tell you how often you hit; you still have to compare that to the pot odds before you call.
Fix If the card that makes your straight also makes their flush, it isn't a clean out. Be honest and subtract it — over-counting outs is one of the most expensive habits in poker.
Three draws. Count them, estimate the equity, then check the reasoning.
You flop an open-ended straight draw. How many outs do you have?
An open-ended straight draw can complete on either end — two ranks, four cards each — giving eight outs. A gutshot fills only one rank (four outs); a flush draw has nine.
You're all-in on the flop with a flush draw and both the turn and river to come. Which shortcut estimates your equity?
With two cards still to come you multiply outs by 4. The rule of 2 is for a single card; use it when only the turn or only the river remains.
You have a gutshot straight draw (4 outs) and there's one card to come. Roughly how often do you hit?
Four outs times two is about 8–9% for a single card. The gutshot only reaches around 16.5% when both the turn and river are still to come.
You scored 0 / 3. The more you drill this, the faster the maths becomes instinct.
An out is any unseen card that will give you the best hand. A flush draw has nine outs (the nine remaining cards of your suit); an open-ended straight draw has eight. Count only the cards that actually make you a winner.
A shortcut for estimating your equity: multiply your outs by 2 for one card to come, or by 4 when you're all-in on the flop with two cards to come. It's accurate to within a couple of percent up to about nine outs, and slightly over-estimates beyond that.
This page turns outs into your chance of hitting; the call-or-fold step is a pricing question. Take that percentage to our pot odds calculator, enter the bet and the pot, and it returns the exact verdict — this tool stays focused on the odds, the pot odds calculator handles the price.
After the flop you've seen 5 cards (your two plus three board), leaving 47 unknown; after the turn, 46. Those are the pools the next card is drawn from, so they give the exact probability of hitting an out.
Only count clean outs — cards that make you the winner, not just any pair or a second-best flush. Discount outs that could also improve your opponent, and be honest about it; over-counting outs is one of the most common losing habits.