Poker Outs Chart: How to Count Your Outs
One of the most important skills in Texas Hold’em is knowing how likely you are to improve your hand. That calculation starts with counting your outs — the unseen cards that will complete your draw and (almost certainly) give you the winning hand. Once you know your outs, a simple mental shortcut called the Rule of 2 and 4 turns that number into a quick probability estimate you can use at the table in seconds.
This guide explains what outs are, walks through every common draw type with real examples, and gives you a complete reference chart to memorize. By the end, you’ll be able to connect your outs directly to pot odds decisions.
What Are Poker Outs?
An outis any card remaining in the deck that improves your hand to what you believe is the best hand. The word “remaining” is key — you only count cards you haven’t seen yet. Because a standard deck has 52 cards and you can see your two hole cards plus however many community cards are on the board, the deck shrinks as the hand progresses.
For example, imagine you hold K♥ Q♥ and the flop comes J♥ 9♥ 2♣. You need one more heart to complete a flush. There are 13 hearts in the deck; you can already see four of them (two in your hand, two on the board), so 9 hearts remain unseen. Those 9 cards are your flush draw outs.
Counting outs accurately requires a bit of discipline. You must avoid double-counting cards that complete more than one draw simultaneously (called combination draws), and you should discount any out that might make your opponent an even better hand — these are sometimes called tainted outs or dirty outs.
The Complete Poker Outs Chart
The table below lists the most common draw types in Texas Hold’em, the number of outs each draw carries, and the approximate probability of hitting at least one of those outs. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
| Draw Type | Outs | Turn % | River % | Turn + River % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flush draw (4 to a flush) | 9 | 19.1% | 19.6% | 34.9% |
| Open-ended straight draw (OESD) | 8 | 17.0% | 17.4% | 31.5% |
| Two overcards to the board | 6 | 12.8% | 13.0% | 24.1% |
| Gutshot straight draw (inside straight) | 4 | 8.5% | 8.7% | 16.5% |
| One overcard to the board | 3 | 6.4% | 6.5% | 12.5% |
| Pocket pair → trips (set) | 2 | 4.3% | 4.3% | 8.4% |
| Three of a kind → full house or quads | 7 | 14.9% | 15.2% | 27.8% |
| Two pair → full house | 4 | 8.5% | 8.7% | 16.5% |
| One pair → two pair or trips | 5 | 10.6% | 10.9% | 20.4% |
| Flush draw + gutshot (combo draw) | 12 | 25.5% | 26.1% | 45.0% |
| Flush draw + open-ended straight (combo) | 15 | 31.9% | 32.6% | 54.1% |
Turn % = probability of hitting on the next card (one card to come). River % = probability of hitting on the final card assuming the turn missed. Turn + River % = probability of hitting at least once across both remaining cards (calculated as 1 minus the chance of missing both).
How to Count Outs: Step-by-Step Examples
Example 1 — Flush Draw
You hold A♠ 8♠. The flop is K♠ 5♠ 2♥. You need one more spade to make the nut flush. There are 13 spades in the deck. You can see 4 of them (A♠, 8♠, K♠, 5♠), leaving 9 unseen spades. You have 9 outs.
Example 2 — Open-Ended Straight Draw
You hold J♣ T♥. The flop is 9&diamonds; 8♣ 2♠. Any 7 or any Q completes your straight. There are four 7s and four Qs in the deck, giving you 8 outs. This is called an open-ended straight draw because both ends of the sequence are open.
Example 3 — Gutshot Straight Draw
You hold J♥ 9♣. The flop is K♠ 8&diamonds; 2♥. Only a T completes your straight (giving you K-J-T-9-8). There are four Ts in the deck, so you have 4 outs. A gutshot (inside straight draw) has half the outs of an open-ended straight draw, making it considerably weaker.
Example 4 — Counting Carefully (Avoiding Double-Counts)
Suppose you have both a flush draw (9 outs) and a gutshot (4 outs). It’s tempting to add them for 13 outs, but some of those 4 straight-completing cards may also be the same suit as your flush draw. If one of the four straight cards is also a flush card, you have 9 + 4 − 1 = 12 outs, not 13. Always check for overlap.
The Rule of 2 and 4
Memorizing the chart above is helpful, but at the table you need a faster method. The Rule of 2 and 4 is the standard shortcut used by players at every level:
- On the flop (two cards to come): multiply your outs by 4 to get your approximate equity percentage.
- On the turn (one card to come): multiply your outs by 2 to get your approximate equity percentage.
This rule is an approximation based on the fact that each out represents roughly a 2% chance of appearing on any given card. The math is slightly imprecise for large numbers of outs but stays within a few percentage points for the draws you’ll encounter most often.
Rule of 2 and 4 in Action
Flush draw (9 outs) on the flop: 9 × 4 = 36% equity. The exact figure from the chart is 34.9% — the rule overshoots by just over a point, which is perfectly acceptable for in-game decision making.
Open-ended straight draw (8 outs) on the turn: 8 × 2 = 16% equity. The exact figure is 17.4% — again, close enough to guide a correct decision.
Gutshot (4 outs) on the turn: 4 × 2 = 8%. Exact: 8.7%. The rule is reliable across the range of common outs (2–15).
For very large draws (15+ outs), the Rule of 4 will overestimate equity because it doesn’t account for the diminishing returns as the deck runs out of unseen cards. In those rare cases, use the exact percentages from the chart.
Connecting Outs to Pot Odds Decisions
Counting outs is only half the equation. The other half is comparing your equity to the pot odds you are being offered to call a bet. If your equity is higher than the pot odds required, calling is a profitable long-run decision.
Here is how the two concepts connect in a practical spot:
- Identify your outs. You have a flush draw on the flop — 9 outs.
- Apply the Rule of 4.9 × 4 = 36% equity (two cards to come).
- Calculate pot odds. The pot is $80 and your opponent bets $20. You must call $20 to win a total pot of $120, so your pot odds are 20 / 120 = 16.7%.
- Compare equity to pot odds. Your equity (36%) is far above the required 16.7%, so calling — or even raising — is clearly profitable.
If the numbers were reversed and your equity were below the pot odds percentage, folding is generally the correct play unless implied odds from future streets change the calculation.
Quick Reference: Minimum Pot Odds by Outs
| Outs | Equity (flop, Rule ×4) | Equity (turn, Rule ×2) | Call if pot odds below… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 16% | 8% | 8% (turn) / 16% (flop) |
| 6 | 24% | 12% | 12% / 24% |
| 8 | 32% | 16% | 16% / 32% |
| 9 | 36% | 18% | 18% / 36% |
| 12 | 48% | 24% | 24% / 48% |
| 15 | 60% | 30% | 30% / 60% |
Common Mistakes When Counting Outs
- Counting outs that complete your opponent’s hand too. If the board pairs and you suspect your opponent has trips, that card is not a clean out for you even if it improves your hand.
- Double-counting combination draws. As shown in Example 4 above, always subtract cards that appear in both draw categories.
- Ignoring board texture. A flush-completing card on the turn may also give an opponent a full house if the board already paired. Context matters.
- Counting outs to a losing hand. An out is only valuable if it gives you the best hand. If you make a straight but the board also shows three of a suit, your straight may not be good.
Summary
Counting outs is one of the first mathematical skills every serious poker player develops. Here are the key takeaways from this guide:
- An out is any unseen card that completes your draw and gives you the best hand.
- The most common draws are flush draws (9 outs), open-ended straight draws (8 outs), two overcards (6 outs), and gutshots (4 outs).
- Use the Rule of 4 on the flop (multiply outs × 4) and the Rule of 2on the turn (multiply outs × 2) for fast equity estimates.
- Compare your equity percentage to your pot odds percentage: if equity > pot odds, calling is profitable.
- Always check for double-counted or tainted outs before committing chips.
Practice these calculations away from the table until they become automatic. The free tools below can help you verify your work and build intuition quickly.