How to use the calculator
- Choose between two and six players.
- Tap the card slots and select your two hole cards.
- Enter opponents’ cards if you know them. Empty slots are filled randomly from the remaining cards.
- Leave the board empty for a preflop calculation, or enter the full flop, the turn or the river.
- Click “Calculate equity.” Read the method and the number of possible outcomes or simulations shown with the result.
The picker blocks cards already in use. The calculator still validates every card and rejects incomplete boards or gaps. You can clear a slot, choose a different example or cancel the calculation.
Besides checking the probabilities, you can play poker free against bots to see how betting rounds play out. The table uses play chips and does not rate your strategic decisions.
The selected precision applies only to simulations. When the number of combinations allows for exact enumeration, the tool checks them all and ignores the selected sample size.
Odds, probability, equity and pot odds
Probability is the expected frequency of an outcome. A 20% chance means about one occurrence in five trials under the same model. It does not guarantee what happens next.
Odds against are the ratio of misses to hits: a 20% chance corresponds to 4:1 against. Convert a probability p with (1 − p) / p. Convert odds of x:1 against with 1 / (x + 1).
Equity is your expected share of the pot if everyone reaches showdown, including splits. It can differ from your chance of winning outright.
Pot odds describe the price of calling relative to the pot you can win. They let you compare the cost of a call with the required equity under the model’s assumptions.
A tie is not a full win
If two players always tie, each has 0% outright wins, 100% ties and 50% equity. If three players always tie, each has 33.33% equity.
How the tool calculates equity
For each scenario, the tool fills in the unknown cards without duplicates. It finds each player’s best five-card hand out of seven, compares categories and ranks, and splits one unit of pot among the winners.
Adding those shares and dividing by the number of scenarios gives each player’s equity. Outright wins and ties are counted separately. Total equity is 100%, apart from minor rounding differences on screen.
Exact result
When there are up to 50,000 combinations of unknown cards, the calculator checks every one. With two exact hands and a known flop, for example, 45 cards remain and C(45,2) = 990 turn-and-river pairs are possible.
Simulation estimate
For larger scenarios it draws independent samples. More simulations usually reduce variation in the estimate. The result indicates that it is approximate, and repeating the calculation may produce slightly different numbers.
The margin shown for the hero’s equity is an approximate 95% statistical interval from sampling. It does not measure errors in the choice of range or guarantee that a real hand’s result falls within the interval.
What does an opponent with no cards entered mean?
Every remaining legal combination is treated as equally likely. This models a random hand, rather than the range of someone who opened UTG or made a 3-bet. You can enter one card and leave the other unknown. The empty slot is filled based on the known cards.
How to calculate pot odds step by step
Let P be the pot before the bet, B the opponent’s bet and C the amount left to call. In this page’s heads-up model, you have not put in anything toward the new bet yet, so C = B.
With a pot of 100 and a bet of 50, there is already 150 in the pot when it is your turn. Calling 50 makes the total pot 200. The price is 150:50, or 3:1 on a call. Break-even equity is 50/200 = 25%.
Do not divide 50 by the initial pot of 100 alone. Do not add the bet twice if it is already included in the pot you entered. That is why this page explicitly asks for the pot before the bet.
| Bet and call | Pot after calling | Break-even equity |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 150 | 16,67% |
| 50 | 200 | 25% |
| 75 | 250 | 30% |
| 100 | 300 | 33,33% |
| 200 | 500 | 40% |
If there is nothing to call, the required equity for a zero-cost call is 0%. In that situation you can check. Partial all-ins and side pots require separating the amounts each player is eligible to win, which this pot odds model does not cover.
How to compare equity and the price of a call
If there will be no more bets and everyone competes for the same pot, compare equity to the break-even percentage. Above it, the call has positive chip EV in this model. Below it, EV is negative. At the break-even point, EV is zero before fees.
With a pot of 100, a bet of 50 and 30% equity, the calculation is 0.30 × 200 − 50 = +10 chips. With 20%, it is 0.20 × 200 − 50 = −10 chips. Chips already in the pot are not an additional cost of calling.
EV is an average over repetitions of the model. It does not mean winning ten chips on every hand or that calling is always the best option. This simple formula does not evaluate raising, future action or tournament context.
The “Use your calculated equity” button transfers the percentage to the pot odds model when there are two players. The comparison assumes the pot values refer to the same matchup. Changing the cards does not update manually entered equity: clear it or transfer the new result.
Outs and the rule of 2 and 4
Outs are remaining cards that can improve your hand to a winner in the scenario. Reaching a better category is not enough if you still lose to the opponent.
A flush draw with four known cards of the suit usually has nine cards left that complete the flush. Some may still lose to a stronger hand or let the opponent improve later.
- One card to come: outs × 2 gives a quick percentage estimate.
- Two cards to come: outs × 4 approximates the chance of getting there by the river, within limits.
With nine favorable cards and only your two cards and the flop known, the chance on the next card is 9/47, about 19.15%. By the river, the chance of hitting at least one is 1 − (38/47 × 37/46), about 34.97%. The shortcut gives 18% and 36%.
These calculations do not automatically give your total equity. A pair may win without completing a draw, a favorable card can give the opponent a stronger hand, and extra known cards change the remaining deck. The hand calculator evaluates the matchups through the river.
When counting a flush draw and a straight draw together, do not count the same card twice. If a ten of your suit completes both draws, it is still only one card in the deck.
Why do these calculations matter in poker?
They help separate the apparent strength of a hand from the price on offer. A draw can have a good chance of improving and still cost too much. A hand that often loses may be worth calling at a given price.
After a session, compare hands and boards to see how one card changes the odds. Adding an opponent can reduce the hero’s equity without changing the hero’s cards. Changing one suit can affect flushes, blockers and ties.
The calculation also shows why losing with a favored hand does not prove the decision was poor. A hand with 80% equity can still lose. One result cannot tell you whether the decisions and assumptions were sound.
Limitations to consider
- Exact cards are not a range: knowing the opponent’s hand in an example is different from estimating it in a game.
- Equity is not equity realization: on the flop, you might have to pay another bet on the turn. Do not automatically compare your chance by the river to the price of seeing only the turn.
- Fold equity: the calculator does not predict how often someone folds to a bet or raise.
- Implied odds: extra winnings on later streets are not part of the simple EV calculation.
- Reverse implied odds: losing more chips after improving to a hand that is still behind is also outside the model.
- Costs and tournaments: rake, ICM, bounties and payout pressure are not included.
- Same pot: the percentages assume all players compete for one entire pot. They do not directly apply to stacks that cover different pots.
An equity calculator is a study tool. It is not a solver, does not automatically pick the best action, and does not guarantee outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator work preflop?
Yes. Leave the board empty. Because there are many possibilities, it usually runs a simulation. The result shows which method was used.
Can I leave the opponent’s cards blank?
Yes. Each unknown slot is filled with a random valid card. Your own hand must be complete.
Why is the tie rate different from equity?
The tie rate counts how often you share a win. Equity counts your share: one half in a two-way tie, one third in a three-way tie, and so on.
Why does the number change when I calculate again?
Simulations draw different samples. Exact enumeration does not vary for the same scenario. Choosing more samples reduces statistical variation.
Does the tool recommend calling or folding?
No. It shows probabilities and the calculation for a simplified model. A real decision requires assumptions about hands, future action, costs and payout structure.
Does the calculation require an account or a database?
No. It runs in your browser. There is no account, hand saving or real-money betting.