Odds (Runners)

[RicktheRuler]

I was watching poker on Tv with a buddy of mine the other day and made a comment about the odds of someone improving there hand. He said that I was wrong becuase I did not consider running cards (for a flush). Am I wrong in not including runners when I calculate my odds?

[LetsRock]

Technically yes, but probably not too wrong.

[Mucking Idiot]

Yes, you should consider 2 running cards. It is a small percentage play, but it happens enough. Sometimes that "backdoor" str8 or flush draw pushes a close call into a more clear call. There are books and software available to figure out such draws(I can't think of any offhand though)

Also, in games like omaha(where you get 4 cards) or a high/low split game, "runner-runner" comes into play considerably more.

[RydenStoompala]

I recommend Sklansky's book "Fighting Fuzzy Thinking." It's a collection of his old essays with enough little gems buried in it to make the price a great investment.