Draws and Outs Tutorial

What are Draws?

A draw is when you do not yet have a made hand, but you are one or two cards away from a strong hand.

• Open ended straight Draw: Needing one or two cards to complete a straight.
• Flush Draw: Needing one more card of the same suit to make a flush.
• Gutshot straight draw: Missing one middle card to complete a straight.
• Overcards: Having two high cards that could pair on the board.
• Set Draw: Holding a pocket pair and hoping to hit trips.
• Full House Draw: Having two pairs and hoping to improve to a full house.

Examples of Draws and Outs

Open ended straight Draw Example

You need a 3 or 8 to complete a straight.

Flush Draw Example

You need any heart (except the 2 hearts, which is already on the board) to complete a flush.

Gutshot straight draw Example

You need a 10 to complete a straight.

Overcards Example

You need an Ace or a King to improve your hand.

Set Draw Example

You need a 10 or holding a pocket pair to 4, 7 or 2 for complete a set.

Draws and Their Outs

Draw Type	Number of Outs	Example
Flush Draw	9	Holding four suited cards, needing one more.
Open-Ended Straight Draw	8	Holding four consecutive cards, needing one at either end.
Gutshot straight Draw	4	Missing one middle card to complete a straight.
Overcards	6	Two high cards that could improve if they pair the board.
Set Draw	2	Holding a pocket pair, needing one more to make trips.
Full House Draw	4	Having two pairs, needing one more to make a full house.

Using Outs to Calculate Odds

Once you know your number of outs, you can estimate your chances of hitting a winning hand using the “Rule of 2 and 4”.

Odds (%) = Number of Outs × 2 (Turn) or × 4 (Turn + River)
            

For example, with a flush draw (9 outs), your odds of hitting on the turn are about 18% (9×2), and on the river about 36% (9×4).