Poker Starting Hand Odds Calculator
PokerStove is a very handy poker odds calculator that is used to examine hold’em hand matchups and equity calculations. It’s a tool that every poker player should have on their computer – and thanks to the RPS consulting, the creators of this excellent tool, it’s completely free!
Poker Odds Charts. Poker odds charts come in useful when you want to quickly work out the odds of winning a hand in Texas Hold'em. The most commonly used odds charts are the 'standard poker odds charts' below, which give both the percentage and ratio odds of completing your draw depending on the number of outs you have (see pot odds and drawing hands for more information). Our poker calculator is the perfect medium for finding out the odds in any given situation. Simply plug in your hand, your opponents’ hands, and the board, and you’ll be on the way to figuring out your next move. The Best Poker Hands Calculator.
Just to be clear – PokerStove isn’t a tool that you’ll be using in the heat of battle. It’s something you should use after the smoke has cleared. You can then take the lessons learned away from the poker table, with the help of PokerStove, and make smarter decisions upon returning to the game.
If you’ve not done so already then visit pokerstove.com to download your free copy of the software. It doesn’t take up much room on your computer and is very simple to install, so you should have it up and running within minutes.
How Does PokerStove Work?
PokerStove allows you to enter an exact hand, a random hand, or a range of hands for the players involved. There’s room for inputting data for up to ten players, although most of the time you’ll probably only need to enter data for two or three players at a time.
Here’s an example showing the equity when we match-up a pair of Jacks versus a range of QQ+, AKs, AKo:
Upon pressing ‘evaluate’ the software quickly runs a simulation of millions of hands and displays the equity for each player. You can see that player 2 is a favourite in our example. The equity figure is also displayed using a color. The more green the color, the better the equity.
Hand Distribution
PokerStove offers a couple of ways of inputting player data. You can manually enter the hands of the players involved into the fields provided on the main screen. Alternatively you can click on the player number and another box will appear, just like this:
There are two tabs at the top of this screen; ‘cards’ and ‘preflop’. In the above example we’re on the ‘cards’ tab and we’ve selected the exact cards () for the chosen player. This method is generally used to select your cards, since you obviously know what they are. It can also be used if you happen to know the exact cards you opponent is holding.
As you should already know, in poker it’s important to put your opponent’s on a range of hands, not just two cards. It’s very easy to select a range of hands using the ‘preflop’ tab in PokerStove, as shown here:
There are pre-set buttons that you can use (i.e. ‘any pair’) or you can simply click on the most likely hands in your opponent’s range. The hands that are highlighted in yellow are the ones we have chosen. This means we’ve put our opponent on a range that includes any broadway hand, any suited ace, and pairs of 8′s or better. This represents 17.6% of all hands, as shown at the bottom of the screen.
The slider and data field at the bottom of the screen allows you to choose a percentage of the top hands. You can move the slider or enter the percentage into the field and the software will display which hands fit in the selected percentage.
Post-Flop Equity Calculations
PokerStove can do more than just pre-flop match-ups. It can also be used to determine your equity in a hand post-flop. You can enter the board cards and any exposed cards into PokerStove to see how the equity changes with each card. Here’s an example:
Any board cards can be chosen and in the above example we’ve selected versus two opponent’s with random hands on a board showing . To put players on a random hand simply click the “RD” button next to each player. Of course, most of the time you should be putting your opponents on a range of hands.
It’s important to note that the PokerStove calculations also include split pots. The output section at the bottom of the main screen shows the results. Here’s the output for the above example:
As can be seen from the above output, in just over 6 seconds the software ran a huge number of simulations (966 million) to determine the results of our example situation.
Pot Equity and Pot Odds
PokerStove uses the concept of pot equity to determine whether or not calling a bet is the best strategy. For instance, if the player has a 35 percent chance of winning the hand, and the pot contained $1000, the player has $350 in equity in the pot. If the opponent’s all-in bet is less than $350, the equity in the pot makes this a profitable call, despite the odds that put the player at a disadvantage.
Pot odds and pot equity are similar concepts, but calculating pot equity is not as straightforward as figuring out pot odds. Since pot equity calculations rely heavily on putting an opponent on a range of hands, it will not be as reliable in determining how to proceed as pot odds. With the added dimension of putting an opponent on a hand, which can be highly difficult during stressful situations at the table, the equity analysis of PokerStove is to be used as a guide away from the table, rather than as a decision tool during play.
Conclusion
PokerStove is a very useful tool that every poker player can use away from the game to analyze a variety of situations. If you’ve not done so already then visit pokerstove.com and install the software. You will learn the true benefits of PokerStove by running your own simulations against the tendencies of real (or imagined) opponents and refining your strategic approach. PokerStove can help you understand the concept of pot equity and how it can affect those crucial betting decisions.
Related Lessons
By Gerald Hanks
Gerald Hanks is from Houston Texas, and has been playing poker since 2002. He has played cash games and no-limit hold’em tournaments at live venues all over the United States.
Related Lessons
On This Page
Introduction
Rules
- A single 52-card deck is used. All cards count as its poker value. Aces may be high or low.
- One player is designated as the dealer, usually with a laminated marker. This person does not have to physically
- The player to the dealer's left must make a 'small blind' bet. The player to the left of the small blind must make a 'big blind' bet. The amounts of both blinds should be specified in advance. The purpose of the blinds is to get the ball rolling with some money in the pot.
- Two cards shall be dealt down to each player, starting with the person to the dealer's left.
- The player to the left of the big blind must either call or raise the big blind bet. The play in turn will go around the table according to normal poker rules, which I assume the reader already knows. Table rules will specify any limits on the size or number of allowed raises.
- The small blind may also raise the big blind. If nobody raises the big blind the player making the big blind has the option to raise his own bet. The term for this is the 'big blind option.'
- Three community cards will be dealt face up in the center of the table. This is called the 'flop.'
- Another round of betting will ensue, starting with the player to the dealer's left.
- A fourth community card will be dealt face up in the center of the table. This card is called the 'turn.'
- Another round of betting will ensue, starting with the player to the dealer's left. Generally the minimum bet is double the first two rounds of betting.
- A fifth and final community card will be dealt face up in the center of the table. This card is called the 'river.'
- Another round of betting will ensue, starting with the player to the dealer's left. The minimum bet is generally the same as the previous round.
Each player still in the game at the end will determine the highest poker value among his own two cards and the five community cards. It is NOT a requirement that the player use both of his own cards. The player with the hand of highest poker value shall win. Following are the hand rankings.
- Straight flush: Five consecutive and suited cards. For example 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
- Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank, plus any fifth card. For example Q, Q, Q, Q ,4.
- Full house: Three of a kind and a pair. For example 6, 6, 6, J , J.
- Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, except for a higher ranking straight flush. For example A, Q, 8, 4 , 3.
- Straight: Five consecutive cards, except for a higher ranking straight flush. For example 8, 9, 10, J, Q.
- Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank, plus any other two cards. For example 5, 5, 5, Q ,2 .
- Two pair: Two pairs, plus any fifth card. For example 8, 8, 2, 2 ,Q .
- Pair: A pair and any other three cards. For example 7, 7, 2, 5 ,A .
- ? High: Any five cards that do not form any higher poker hand. A king high hand for example might be K, Q, 7, 5 ,4 .
- If two or more players have poker values of the same rank then the individual cards will be used to break the tie. If necessary all five cards will be considered.
- I get asked a lot whether the two unused cards in a player's hand are used to break a tie. The answer is a firm NO. The two unused cards do not matter.
- If a new player arrives at the table he should either wait for the big blind position or put up an amount equal to the big blind, amounting to a call of the big blind.
- If a bet is made after another player runs out of money, then a separate pot is created. The player that ran out of money is not eligible to win the second pot. If more than one player runs out of money then multiple separate pots can be created.
- In formal games players may not bet with cash or buy chips with cash in the middle of a hand.
- There are numerous rules of etiquette, which I won't get into.
- There house may set the betting rules. There are three main types. A 'structured' game features raises of specified amounts. For example a '3/6 game' would mean that raises after the deal and flop are $3, and after the turn and river are $6. There is usually a limit to the number of raises a player may make, typically three. A 'pot limit' game has structured minimum raises but the maximum raise may be anything up to the amount in the pot at the time the raise is made. A 'no limit' game also has structured minimum raises but there is no maximum raise.
Examples
Example 1
Board: A, 2, 4, 5, 6
Player 1: J, 6
Player 2: 7, Q
Player 1 wins. Both have an ace high flush, so the second highest card is considered. Player 1's jack beats player 2's 7. The only way to have a flush tie is if the flush is entirely on the board and no hole cards are higher than the lowest card on the board in the same suit.
Example 2
Board: J, A, 7, 5, 6
Player 1: 2, J
Player 2: 10, J
Player 2 wins. Both have a pair of jacks so the singletons are considered. High highet singleton in both hands is an ace so the second highest singleton is considered. Player 1's second highest singleton is a 7, compared to player 2's 10. A 10 beats a 7 so player 2 wins.
Example 3
Board: A, A, K, Q, J
Player 1: Q, J
Player 2: Q, 2
Poker Starting Hand Odds Calculator Percentage
Tie. Both have a two pair of aces and queens, with a king singleton. Some people incorrectly believe that in such cases the unused cards are considered, in this case player 1's pair of jacks beating player 2's jack/2. Only the top five cards matter. The jacks and deuce are irrelevant.
One of the most important aspects of Texas Hold'em is the value of each two-card hand before the flop. The decision of how to play your first two cards is something you face every hand, and the value of your first two cards is highly correlated to your probability of winning.
The following table shows my power rating for each initial 2-card hand in a 10-player game. The numbers are on a 0 to 40 scale. Basically, you should only play hands that are dark green, blue, or purple. Of course you should be more be more liberal in late position and picky in early position. If forced I would say you should need 10 points in late position and 19 points in early position to call the big blind. If your table is loose, as if often the case online, you can play a bit looser yourself.
Use the top table if you have a pair, the middle table if your cards are suited, and the bottom table if your cards are unsuited. Except for a pair,look up your high card along the left and your low card along the top.
Following are the links to my tables of the value of each intial hand according to the number of players. The 10-player section explains the methodology for creating the table table.
Pot Odds
The following table shows the probability of making various hands after the flop and the correct 'pot odds.' The pot odds are the breakeven ratio of money in the pot to the amount you have to bet for the player to be indifferent about calling, assuming the player would definitely win if he makes the hand (a big if) and there are no additional bets (another big if). This table is a good starting point the player should make mental adjustments for the probability of winning without making the hand, losing with making the hand, and expected future bets. The odds of a two pair improving to a full house are the same as those for four to an inside straight.
Pot Odds — After Flop
Poker Starting Hand Odds Calculator Free
| Hand | Probability of Making Hand | Pot Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Four to a flush | 34.97% | 1.86 |
| Four to an outside straight | 31.45% | 2.18 |
| Four to an inside straight | 16.47% | 5.07 |
The next table shows the pot odds after the turn.
Poker Starting Hand Odds Calculator 2020
Pot Odds — After Turn
| Hand | Probability of Making Hand | Pot Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to a flush | 19.57% | 4.11 |
| 4 to an outside straight | 17.39% | 4.75 |
| 4 to an inside straight | 8.70% | 10.50 |
Hand Strength Calculator
I'm proud to present my new and improved Poker Odds Calculator. Enter any situation in Texas Hold 'Em, and it will tell you the probability of each possible outcome.
Poker Tournament Calculator
My Poker Tournament Calculator will determine each player's probability, for up to nine players, of finishing in each place, and his expected share of any prize pool, assuming equal skill among all players. It produces the same results as what is known as the Independent Chip Model.
Poker Starting Hand Odds Calculator Bankrate
Internal Links
- Pinapple — Strategy and analysis of which card to discard before the flop.
- Bad Beat Jackpots: What is the Probability of Hitting one?
- Texas Hold 'Em Dominated Hand Probabilities: What is the probability one of your opponents has similar, and better, hole cards than yours?
