If you are going to play texas Holdem and win you have to have an understanding of the odds. There are many kinds, but you will use the outs and pot odds most of the time. You will see all kinds of formulas for figuring outs. They remind me high scholl algebra and how they were always asking, "What is x." I did not care and never got close to figuring out what they were talking about. Outs are simply how many cards are left that are useful to your hand. Since you get two cards for free right of the bat you have to start there. You know that there are fifty-two cards in the deck. That they are divided into four suits. The start at the top with ace and go down through, king,queen,jack and the 10,9,8, etc all the way to 2.

If you are dealt Ad,Ks you know that there are 3 more Acres out there, 3 more Kings, 12 diamonds and 12 spades. You will get to see five more cards. Anything that you don't see, someone else can have.

There are also lots of complicated formulas for figuring out pot odds. I just look at the stack. Is it a big stack? If so, it might be worth a shot. If it is a little stack. Who cares?