Pre-Flop Hold’em Odds
We know that poker is to some extend a game of mathematics. Since the odds associated with much of poker are fixed quantities, these are a few numbers you should commit to memory. It is enough to have a ‘close enough’ number you don’t need to go decimals.
Here are a few common ratios worth remembering.
Pre-Flop
What are the odds of getting pocket aces?
A single player has a 1 in 221 chance of being deal two aces or 220 to 1 against. (Just a little reminder, at a ten player table that means each player has a 220-1 chance or 22-1 that one player has AA.)
What are your odds of being dealt any pocket pair?
Much better odds here: 16 to 1 or 5.9%, but be careful, your getting a small pocket pair only slightly lowers the odds of 1 in 16 that someone else also has a (higher) pair.
What are the odds I will be dealt two cards of the same suit?
If you think about this one it is easy. Your first card is a spade, your second card can be 1 of 13 clubs, 1 of 13 hearts, 1 of 13 diamonds or 1 of 12 remaining spades. So your odds of “suiting up” are just a bit less than 1 in 4. To be exact you have a 23.53% of matching the suit of your first card.
It is late in a tournament, you need a double up; what are the chances of aces or kings.
If you mean aces and kings, then you are asking about your odds of getting AA, KK or AK. Again, simple math: your first card must be an ace or a king and then you need one of seven remaining kings or aces in the deck. The chances are 1 in 47 or 2.1% you will get your big hand.
-This is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #47
