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Enter the pot, the bet you face and your outs. You get the equity you need, your exact chance of hitting, and how the quick rule of 4 and 2 compares.
The short answer. Pot odds tell you the share of the final pot you must win to break even on a call. If your chance of completing the draw is higher than that share, a call is supported by the maths of the pot alone.
equity needed = bet ÷ (pot + bet + bet)
chance to hit one card = outs ÷ unseen cards
“Pot” means the pot before their bet. Pot odds ignore what happens on later streets, so treat the result as one input to a decision, not an instruction.
Any unit works (chips, dollars, big blinds) as long as you use the same one in every box. Nothing you type leaves this page.
01
Suppose the pot is 100 and your opponent bets 50. To continue you put in 50, and if you win you collect 200: the 100 that was there, their 50 and your own 50. Your call is one quarter of that final pot, so you break even when you win one time in four. That 25% is the equity you need. Said as odds, you risk 50 to win the 150 already in the middle, which is 3 to 1.
The calculator turns that into one comparison: equity you need against your chance to complete the draw. For a simple draw, your chance to hit is a fair stand-in for equity.
Final pot if you call: 200
50 ÷ 200 = 25% needed
02
An out is an unseen card that would give you the best hand. In Texas Hold’em you can see five cards on the flop (your two plus three on the board), so 47 are unseen. On the turn you see six, so 46 are unseen. The figures below are calculated from those counts; nothing is simulated.
| Draw | Outs | Turn: river card | Flop: next card | Flop: by the river | Rule of 2 / rule of 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gutshot straight draw | 4 | 8.7% | 8.5% | 16.5% | 8% / 16% |
| Two overcards | 6 | 13.0% | 12.8% | 24.1% | 12% / 24% |
| Open-ended straight draw | 8 | 17.4% | 17.0% | 31.5% | 16% / 32% |
| Flush draw | 9 | 19.6% | 19.1% | 35.0% | 18% / 35% |
| Flush draw + gutshot | 12 | 26.1% | 25.5% | 45.0% | 24% / 44% |
| Flush draw + open-ended straight draw | 15 | 32.6% | 31.9% | 54.1% | 30% / 53% |
In practice some outs are “dirty” (they also improve an opponent), so the real chance can be lower. The rule of 4 column uses the common correction of subtracting one point for each out above eight.
03
The shortcut multiplies outs by 2 with one card to come, or by 4 with two cards to come. It is close for small draws and drifts upwards for big ones: with 15 outs on the flop, 15 × 4 = 60% while the exact chance is 54.1%. With 20 outs the shortcut says 80% and the true figure is about 68%.
The usual fix is to subtract one point for each out above eight when you use the rule of 4. The calculator shows the shortcut next to the exact figure so you can see the gap for your own numbers.
04
The equity you need depends only on how big the bet is compared with the pot before it. A half-pot bet needs 25%; a pot-sized bet needs a third; an overbet of twice the pot needs 40%. Bigger bets never need more than 50% from pure pot odds, because you can never be asked to call more than the final pot you share.
| Their bet | Equity needed | Pot odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 pot | 20.0% | 4 : 1 |
| 1/2 pot | 25.0% | 3 : 1 |
| 2/3 pot | 28.6% | 2.5 : 1 |
| 3/4 pot | 30.0% | 2.33 : 1 |
| Pot | 33.3% | 2 : 1 |
| 2x pot | 40.0% | 1.5 : 1 |
05
All examples are hypothetical and use made-up numbers to show the method.
Pure pot odds support a call by 10 points. This assumes you see both cards for the price of this one call; if the opponent bets again on the turn, you pay again, so use “only the next card” when you will not see the river for free.
The pot alone does not pay for the call. To break even you would need to expect about 90 more in winnings when you hit, since 40 ÷ (140 + 90) = 17.4%. The optional box lets you test that estimate; be honest about whether the opponent would really pay it.
06
Money you might win later if you hit. The optional box adds your own estimate; the calculator cannot know it.
Hitting your card can still lose, for example a flush that meets a bigger flush.
Cards that complete your draw but also complete an opponent’s hand, or cards in opponents’ hands that remove outs.
A raise behind you changes the price. The tool assumes you are simply calling one bet.
This tool uses Texas Hold’em card counts. Omaha and other games have different outs and card counts.
A bluff-raise or a hand that is already ahead is a different calculation.
This page is educational. It makes no claim about profit, and nothing here is a recommendation for a specific hand. To practise decisions with practice chips only, try the free poker trainer. To work out what you pay in fees, use the rakeback calculator.
07
Divide the amount you must call by the total pot after you call. With a pot of 100 and a bet of 50, that is 50 ÷ 200 = 25%, or 3 to 1.
Outs are the unseen cards that would give you the best hand. A flush draw on the flop has nine outs.
A mental shortcut: multiply your outs by 4 on the flop (two cards to come) or by 2 on the turn (one card to come) to estimate your chance of hitting. It overstates large draws, so subtract about one point per out above eight when you use the rule of 4.
No. Pot odds are one factor. Implied odds, dirty outs, opponents’ ranges, raises and your stack sizes all matter.
No. It runs in your browser and does not store or transmit what you type.
Poker is for adults of legal age only. Play with money you can afford to lose. This page is educational, contains no offers, and makes no promise of winnings.
