In Part 1, we talked about the percentages of making a drawing hand in Texas Holdem. Knowing the percentage is one thing, but knowing the odds is the piece of information that will help you decide if it's wise to put your money in the pot. Like the percentage, calculating the odds is just a simple mathematical formula. Let's say you have 4 outs after the Turn. The percentage of making your drawing hand (as discussed in Part 1) would be:

% of Making Hand = 1 � [(46-outs) / 46]

% of Making Hand = 1 – [(46-4) / 46]
% of Making Hand = 8.7%

Now you know you have about a 9% chance of catching an "out" on the river, but you are still not sure if calling a bet is justified. To make that determination, you need to know how to covert the percentage to the odds of making the hand. There are several ways to determine your odds:

Odds in Favor of Making Hand = outs / (unknown cards - outs)

Another formula that can be used to calculate odds is:

Odds = (100 / percentage) - 1

With 4 outs, the percentage of making your hand after the Turn is 8.7%.

Odds = (100 / 8.7) - 1
Odds = 10.5 to 1 against

The following chart provides some basic odds information for various drawing hands you may have when playing Texas Holdem. In all cases, the values are "against" making your hand. Consider printing this information to have it with you at the poker table as a quick reference for making betting decisions.

 

Drawing Hand	Outs	After the Flop	After the Turn
Pocket Pair -> Set	2	11 to 1	22 to 1
Overcard -> Pair	3	7 to 1	14.5 to 1
Inside Straight / 2 Pair -> Full House	4	5 to 1	10.5 to 1
Pair -> 2 Pair or Set	5	4 to 1	8 to 1
2 Overcards -> Pair	6	3 to 1	6.5 to 1
Open End Straight	8	2 to 1	5 to 1
Flush	9	2 to 1	4 to 1
Flush + Open End Straight	15	1 to 1	2 to 1