Do you have the odds to call with two overcards?

Two overcards have 6 outs to make a pair: 12.8% on the turn, 13.0% on the river, and 24.1% by the river when both cards are guaranteed.

6 Outs

12.8% Hit on the next card (flop)

13.0% Hit on the river (turn)

24.1% By the river, both cards guaranteed

Table shortcut, outs × 2 for each card you see: 6 × 2 = 12% for a one-card call, and 6 × 4 = 24% when this flop call guarantees both cards. Both land within 1.0 points of the exact 12.8% and 24.1%, close enough to use at the table.

One-card direct odds assume you fold after a miss and pay no further bets. Use by-the-river odds when this call guarantees both cards, such as an all-in or a guaranteed free river.

If both your cards are higher than the board, six cards pair you up. With chips behind, one of them comes on the turn 12.8% of the time, which on direct odds calls a bet of only about a sixth of the pot. The 24.1% figure is the chance of pairing by the river when you see both cards, and it is not your equity, because pairing does not always win. Against top pair with one of your kickers, like ace king against ace jack on J-7-2, only three cards help and you win about 14% even all-in. Against top pair with a weak kicker, ace king wins close to a quarter of the time all-in, its backdoor draws making up for the pairs that still lose. Treat overcards as a small draw: call small bets in position, and do not call big bets cold.

On one-card direct odds, 6 outs can call a bet up to about 17% of the pot on the flop and up to about 18% of the pot on the turn on direct odds alone. When a flop call guarantees both cards, including all-in or a free river, both cards count, and then 6 outs can call a bet up to about 47% of the pot. Anything bigger has to be paid back by what you win when you hit.

Quick tip: Two overcards pair on the next card 12.8% of the time, and pairing is not the same as winning.