Poker Odds and Probability

Knowing poker probability and odds puts you a step ahead of the casual poker player and will help play smarter and win more consistently.

The odds of being dealt any given pat hand are the same, regardless of the number of players in the game. The same holds true in drawing cards to try to improve a hand. There are 2,598,960 possible poker hands in a 52-card deck.

The following table lists the odds of being dealt a given hand in 5 cards. For each hand you have the number of different ways the hand can be made and the odds of making it in the first 5 cards.

Poker Hand Probabilities
Odds of Being Dealt a Given Hand in 5 Cards
Hand	# Ways	Odds
Royal Flush	4	1 in 649,740.00
Straight Flush	36	1 in 72,193.33
Four of a Kind	624	1 in 4,165.00
Full House	3,744	1 in 694.16
Flush	5,108	1 in 508.80
Straight	10,200	1 in 254.80
Three of a Kind	54,912	1 in 47.32
Two Pair	123,552	1 in 21.03
One Pair	1,098,240	1 in 2.36
No Pair Hand	1,302,540	1 in 1.99
Total	2,598,960

The poker probability of being dealt a pair or better in the first five cards dealt is almost even -- to be exact, .499 -- and the poker probability of being dealt a no-pair hand is practically the same -- .501. So it's almost a 3 to 1 chance, when playing against two opponents, that one of them will hold a pair or better in the first five cards dealt. The poker probability varies slightly depending upon what you hold.