A backdoor in poker is called a backdoor draw – a semi-prepared combination, which, in order to complete, needs to catch outs on both the turn and the river. Some beginners consider such a hand unpromising, others overestimate and draw, having no profitable pot odds and a distribution plan.
They usually talk about backdoor straight draws and backdoor flush draws. A synonym for this designation is “runner-runner draw”.
Difficulties in Calculating Backdoor Odds in Poker
It should be remembered that the calculation of the chances of improving the backdoor is not done according to the principle by which outs are calculated, since these two situations are different. In the case of calculating outs, only one card is taken into account, and for the backdoor – two.
Some poker players, when calculating the chances of a backdoor, increase the initial chances of improving the hand by 1%. However, this approach is not always able to show the real picture, since individual backdoors have initially higher chances of building a complete combination. In some cases, the reverse process is observed: the probability of building a combination may decrease, since some cards should not be taken into account due to their intersection with outs.