What is an out
Counting the unseen cards that improve your hand — and only those.
6 minute read
An out is an unseen card that improves your hand. A flush draw has nine (thirteen of the suit, minus the four you can see). An open-ended straight draw has eight (two ranks, four cards each). A gutshot has four. Two overcards have six.
Improving means your cards improve
A card that pairs the board pairs it for everyone. On A♠ K♦ against a Q♣ 7♠ 2♦ flop, a 7 does not make you better than you were relative to the table; only aces and kings do. Count the cards that make your hand.
The 21 highlighted cards are your outs.
What you’re drawing to
- Flush draw9 outs
- Open-ended straight draw8 outs
- Two overcards6 outs
Pairing an overcard makes top pair, which is not always the best hand.
- Combo draw: a flush draw and a straight draw at once. Shared outs are counted once.
Shortcut vs. exact
| Cards to come | Rule of 2/4 | Exact | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn only | 42% | 44.68% | −2.68 pts |
| Turn and river | 84% | 69.94% | +14.06 pts |
Combo draws are where counting matters most: a flush draw plus an open-ender is 9 + 8 − 2 = 15 outs, not 17, because two of the straight cards are also flush cards. Fifteen outs with two cards to come is 54%: you are the favourite. (The explorer reports 21 because it also counts the six cards that pair your jack or ten — read the breakdown and decide which outs you trust.)
Quick check
You hold J♥ T♥ on 9♥ 8♥ 2♣. How many outs to a straight or flush?
Show answer
15: nine hearts, eight straight cards, minus the Q♥ and 7♥ counted in both.