Counting cards is an invaluable skill in poker and one of the primary strategies used to beat Texas Hold’em. Additionally, card counting can also come in handy in other types of games where it helps determine how likely it is that your hand will win or whether your opponent holds an overpair or underpair and should bluff or play safe.
Rule for Counting Cards
When counting cards in Texas Hold’em games, one key rule you need to remember when counting outs is not double counting them; this is an easily made mistake and should be avoided at all costs.
A standard deck of 52 cards contains 13 cards from each suit, meaning four outs are necessary for a gutshot straight draw and eight for an open-ended straight draw respectively. Furthermore, as there are 13 cards that could form a flush during both turns and rivers, nine outs would be needed for one such flush draw.
How to Count Outs in Texas Hold’em
In Texas Hold’em, counting outs is easy if you simply divide the total outs by all possible card combinations left in your hand – whether on the flop or turn. This process should be repeated until all outs have been used up.
On the flop, multiply your number of outs by four; on the turn multiply it by two in order to calculate pot equity and estimate how likely your hand will win the hand as well as how much money will need to be raked into the pot.
How to Count Outs on the Flop
In poker games, the flop is often the initial hand that you encounter and often serves as the starting point of counting outs or making equity calculations.
As with any poker hand, when it comes to Texas Hold’em you will see three outs: your two hole cards and community cards. Knowing this basic information is vital in order to make decisions that benefit both yourself and others.
However, there are other cards you won’t see during a standard hand of Texas Hold’em that could give your opponents an advantage, such as folded cards. If these go unchecked you’ll be at an extreme disadvantage and they could give them the upper hand.
Keep Track of Folded Cards in Texas Holdem
Your only real advantage over your opponents lies in being able to monitor folded cards – particularly in large Stud games where opponents often possess more information than you. This is particularly relevant when competing against experienced opponents with more knowledge.
Tracking Folded Cards in Omaha
One common strategy used in Omaha is keeping an eye on folded cards, subtracting them from your hand’s total and then using this information to estimate how likely it is that opponents hold sets or pairs; doing this gives you more chances at pulling off a successful bluff.