Reference

Poker math reference

Use shortcuts at the table; use exact arithmetic when reviewing. The goal is not to turn poker into a spreadsheet—it is to know what the shortcuts approximate.

Reviewed by the Baccaret Editorial Team · Updated
Clean outs on flopHit on turnHit by river
48.51%16.47%
817.02%31.45%
919.15%34.97%
1225.53%45.03%
1531.91%54.12%

The “4 and 2” shortcut

A common mental approximation multiplies flop outs by about 4 for a rough by-river percentage and turn outs by about 2 for a one-card percentage. It is convenient, not exact, and becomes less accurate as the out count rises.

Combination counts behind range thinking

Before community cards or blockers are known, a specific pocket pair has 6 suit combinations, a specific suited non-pair has 4 combinations, and a specific offsuit non-pair has 12. Visible cards remove combinations, which is why blockers change range weights.