THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Poker Odds
Odds For
Deals Per
Pat Hand
(52-card deck)
Before the Draw
Lower Value
Hands per
Pat Hand
Odds Against
1 in 47 47 (Starting with 5 cards 46 46 to 1
Odds For
Draws
per Catch
After the Draw
Misses
per Catch
Odds Against
1 in 8.7 8.7 (Draw 3 cards to a pair) 7.7 7.7 to 1
Note: All values are rounded at two figures.
To calculate, for example, the number of three-of-a-kind hands possible on the deal, simply divide the
deals per pat hand (47) into the total number of hands possible with a 52-card deck (2,598,960). That
calculation gives a rounded-off answer of 55,300 possible hands of three of a kind on the deal. The
precise answer (as shown in odds table #1 is 54,913 possible hands, which is calculated by using exact
figures and not rounding off numbers.
But in calculating the card odds for drawing various poker hands (such as tabulated in odds table #2), a
special problem arises that makes draw odds reported in all other poker books either inaccurate or
imprecise. Furthermore, no practical way exists to give precise draw odds for certain hands. As a result,
all the odds in this Appendix were defined and then calculated on IBM computers at the University of
Delaware. Those calculations provided the only accurately defined and consistently calculated odds in
the literature. While certain draw odds are not precise for every situation, all odds provided in this
Appendix can be used with confidence since the additional knowledge of the slightly different, precise
draw odds would probably never make a meaningful difference for any poker decision.
For those interested in a more detailed explanation of the draw-odds calculations, see the footnote for
Poker-Odds Table #2.
1. RANK OF HANDS WITH ODDS
(highest to lowest)
http://www.neo-tech.com/poker/appendixd.html (2 of 19)9/17/2004 12:28:28 PM