The Odds of Texas Holdem Poker

Anyone who has watched a Texas Holdem poker tournament on ESPN can tell you the odds in this game can change in an instant. A player that has the upper hand before the flop can quickly find him or herself in the last place by the time the river is overturned. By knowing the various sets of odds of Texas Holdem poker, any player can win at this incredibly competitive card game.

Calculating the Odds

The odds of Texas Holdem poker are fairly easy to calculate. There are always 52 cards in a deck and each player is given just two of those cards. There are then 1326 possible combinations of cards for any one player to receive. The odds then of the combination of those cards winning over another player's hands depend on what cards are turned over on and after the flop.

Before and After the Flop

Before the flop the highest combination of cards that any player can get is a pair of Aces. The odds of any one player getting that are 72.7 to 1. A player can choose to play this to his or her advantage and scare the other bettors off with a dramatic raise preflop. However, if the flop proceeds, the odds of the game can change very quickly. Each new card represents an entirely new set of odds and potentially a new winner.

Without knowing the cards of each player, it is impossible to calculate exactly the odds of Texas Holdem Poker. Players would do best to become familiar with the odds, but they should never rely on them to determine all of their decisions.