Playing draws
A draw is not a hand yet. Whether to continue comes down to how often it gets there and what that costs.
Count the outs
A flush draw has 9 outs, an open-ended straight draw 8, a gutshot 4. With 9 outs you hit on the next card about 19% of the time.
Discount outs that might not win. A card that completes your straight and a possible flush is not a full out.
Compare with the price
Facing a bet with more betting to come, compare the one-card chance with your pot odds. A half-pot bet needs 25%, so a bare flush draw at 19% is short on its own.
Implied odds can make up the gap: money you win on later streets when you hit. They are real when stacks are deep and your draw is hidden, and thin when the draw is obvious.
The two-card figure, about 35% for a flush draw, applies only when you see both cards for one price, as when you are all-in on the flop.
Bet the draw
A strong draw can bet or raise instead of calling. It wins at once when your opponent folds and still wins when it hits. With 12 outs or more you hold close to half the equity with two cards to come, and betting or raising is often better than calling.
Work it out
Terms in this guide
Practise it
Reading is the easy part. Play the hand of the day, or deal ten hands in the trainer and see which of these decisions cost you the most.