It is only natural that you get different starting hands on each round. Being able to compare these starting hands with other possible hands and know exactly the kind of odds you are dealing with can surely help you make better betting decisions and improves your overall profitability. In fact, you will actually play better poker because you can decide whether or not you should play the hand according to the odds you have.

The first step to counting the odds your starting hands have is counting outs. Outs are the numbers of cards on the deck that can help you construct a possibly strong, winning, hand. For example, if you get same suited A-K, you can actually count at least 9 outs from the suit, 3 outs from the remaining Aces and Kings — count ½ outs for possible strong pairs — giving you 12 outs in total. You can count additional outs on the possibility of constructing a Straight, but use “the number of cards needed” approach instead. In this case, you need 3 additional cards to make a straight so the total number of outs you have now is 15.

Not it is time to consider the odds of your hand winning the round. With 15 outs pre-flop, you enjoy the luxury of having 54.1% chances of hitting the hand combination on the flop, the turn, or the river. The odds don’t actually change after the flop unless your hand improves. However, the odds decrease greatly after the turn to only 32.6%. With these calculations in mind, you can actually make your moves more effectively. You will end up making better decisions on your plays making you that much more profitable at the end of the day. These calculations are approximates, so use it as part of your strategies to give confirmation instead.