Yes, every Pokemon Go pack contains a guaranteed holo rare or better

Before we dive into the world of Pokemon Go cards, I want to provide a clear answer up front to one of the most common questions from new collectors: Do all Pokemon Go packs have a holo? The answer is yes! Every single Pokemon Go pack, without fail, contains at least one rare holo card or something even better. So you are guaranteed to get a fun foil card in every pack you open.

Now let‘s explore exactly what comes inside a Pokemon Go pack, the different holo card rarities you can pull, and the overall odds and pull rates for building an epic Pokemon Go collection. I‘ve been obsessed with Pokemon cards since the 90s when they first hit the school yard, so I‘m excited to share my decades of collecting knowledge with you!

An in-depth look inside Pokemon Go booster packs

Individual Pokemon Go booster packs contain 10 cards plus 1 basic Energy or 1 VSTAR marker. Out of those 10 cards, you‘ll typically get a mix of:

• 5-6 common cards
• 3-4 uncommon cards
• 1 reverse holo card
• 1 rare or better holo card (the guaranteed hit!)

The common and uncommon cards make up the bulk of every pack, featuring Pokémon you‘ll recognize from the video games with plain illustrations. These offer consistency but rarely huge value.

Then we get to the stars of the show – the special foil cards!

The reverse holo card

Each pack contains 1 reverse holo card. It can be common, uncommon, or in some cases, rare. Identify it by looking for a reflective foil background behind the illustration.

Reverse holos provide some fun without impacting the guaranteed rare holo. They‘re lower value, but pulling one that matches your rare holo makes for a cool pairing!

The rare (or better) holo hit

Here‘s where the excitement comes in – every single pack contains a holo rare card or something even more elusive and valuable! This is what makes opening Pokemon so much fun. Even if the rest of the pack is duds, you‘re going to uncover something shiny and special inside.

Holo rare cards have a few telltale signs:

• Black star rarity symbol
• Holographic foil illustration
• Higher collector number (often above #70 for rare holos)

This holo hit is the core of every Pokemon Go opening. But the possibilities don‘t stop there…

The different holo card rarities in Pokemon Go

While a holo rare is guaranteed as the minimum, you could also luck out with an amazing ultra rare or secret rare holo hit! Let‘s examine some of the different holo card tiers:

Rare holo

The most common holo hit. Features a shiny foil illustration and black rarity star. As mentioned the main draw of every pack.

Amazing rare

Introduced in the Sword & Shield Era, these showcase pokemon on a textured holo background. No rarity symbol, but identified by the Amazing Rare text.

Ultra rare

Better than rare! Gold rarity symbol, full art or large foil illustration. Less common but very exciting to pull.

Hyper rare

A subset of ultra rare cards with colorful backgrounds and gold borders. Extremely rare pulls.

Secret rare

The highest class of holo cards, indicated by a rainbow rarity symbol. Every set‘s most coveted cards. You‘ll know one when you see it!

That covers the spectrum of holo card rarities you could potentially pull from a Pokemon Go booster pack. From the common rare holos to the ultra elusive secret rares, it gives collectors a thrill to potentially uncover any of them in a given pack.

Now let‘s shift gears and break down the overall pull rates for the various holo cards…

Estimated pull rates for Pokemon Go holo cards

The most frequent question I get from new Pokemon Go collectors is "What are my odds of getting an awesome card?" That‘s where pull rates come in handy. Here are the current estimated pull rates for different holo cards:

• Rare holo – 1 per pack (guaranteed)
• Amazing rare – 1 in 5 packs
• Ultra rare – 1 in 10 packs
• Secret rare – 1 in 40 packs

So while you‘re assured 1 rare holo in every pack, uncovering an ultra rare or secret rare requires beating the long odds. To put it into percentages:

• Rare holo – 100%
• Amazing rare – 20%
• Ultra rare – 10%
• Secret rare – 2.5%

You can expect to open 40+ packs on average before uncovering a secret rare. But that‘s the allure – defying the odds to uncover something truly special!

Let‘s analyze the odds of finding specific Pokemon Go holo cards:

Holo Card Odds
Mew VMAX (Secret) – 1 in 264 packs
Gengar VMAX (Alt Art Ultra) – 1 in 143 packs
Moltres V (Full Art Ultra) – 1 in 33 packs
Umbreon V (Alt Art Ultra) – 1 in 143 packs
Charizard (Rare Holo) – 1 in 11 packs

As you can see, the super popular cards like Charizard have much better odds as regular rare holos. But pulling one of the elite secret rares requires opening hundreds of packs in most cases.

Improving your Pokemon Go holo pull rates

While holo card odds are set randomly, there are somecollector tricks to help improve pull rates:

• Buy fresh booster boxes – Loose packs can be "mapped" to identify contents. Sealed boxes ensure random packs.

• Prioritize special sets – Products like Elite Trainer Boxes, Collector Chests, and boutique sets have better pull rates.

• Focus on Japanese packs – They often guarantee secret rares and better ultra pull rates.

• Limit single pack purchases – Prefer booster bundles, boxes, or build-and-battle kits for moreconsistent pulls.

• Inspect pack quality – Avoid scuffs, marks, or other damage that can indicate tampering.

Does this guarantee you‘ll pull an Umbreon VMAX secret rare? Of course not. But using collector wisdom can help tilt the odds in your favor. Ultimately though, the thrill is in riding each pack‘s possibilities!

Pokemon Go Elite Trainer Box pull rates

In addition to individual booster packs, many collectors also buy elite Pokemon products like Elite Trainer Boxes. What can you expect from these?

An average Elite Trainer Box includes 10-12 booster packs, along with card sleeves, dice, condition markers, and other accessories. Here are the advertised pull rates:

• 10-12 rare holo cards (guaranteed one per pack)

• 3-4 ultra rare cards

• 1-2 secret rare cards

So by purchasing an entire Elite Trainer Box, you increase your chances at those tough-to-pull secret rares and ultra rares. However, the Trainer Boxes are a pricier investment, usually retailing around $50 each.

Let‘s compare the averages:

• Booster box (36 packs) – 3 secret rares, 9 ultra rares

• Elite Trainer (10 packs) – 1 secret rare, 3 ultra rares

For the price difference, you get significantly more pulls from a booster box. But the accessories from the Elite Trainer Box offer additional value if you plan to play the trading card game. As a collector, I prefer amassing booster boxes for the increased pull potential. But Trainer Boxes can be a fun occasional change of pace!

Weighing Pokemon Go packs – Does it work?

Some collectors swear by weighing unopened packs and boxes to try determining contents and pull rates. The basic premise is that heavier packs potentially contain rarer holo cards. But does weighing genuinely work?

In my experience, weighing provides extremely limited insight. Here are a few of the challenges:

• Differences in weight are very subtle, sometimes less than a gram.

• Pack wrappers and contents vary across production runs.

• Rare miscut cards or extras can throw off weight.

• Holos aren‘t necessarily heavier than non-holos of the same size.

Unless you have precision scales and extensive recorded data, it‘s nearly impossible to reliably predict a pack‘s contents by weight. My advice? Don‘t waste time weighing. Just enjoy the ride and accept the odds!

Pokemon Go specialty sets

Up to this point, we‘ve focused solely on main Sword & Shield standard booster packs. But Pokemon Go also has special expansions and boutique sets with their own unique pull rates and mechanics. Let‘s examine some examples:

Celebrations

This 25th Anniversary set has short 4-card "mini packs" along with a main set. You‘re guaranteed a hit in each mini pack. Overall pull rates are very high.

Shining Fates

Advertised pull rates of 6+ hits per Elite Trainer Box. Great set for chase cards like Shiny Charizard.

Classic Collection

Subsets in some main expansions with iconic vintage reprints. Radiant Eevee from Brilliant Stars is very sought after.

Trainer Gallery

Also a subset featuring full art Trainer cards. The Trainer Gallery in Astral Radiance has amazing pull rates.

Special Delivery Charizard

This product had just that one card, but it came graded in a sealed acrylic case. Extremely limited.

As you can see, specialty sets provide different collecting experiences by tweaking the standard pull rates and rarity tiers. This keeps each Pokemon Go release feeling fresh and exciting.

While I love ripping standard packs, these boutique products offer fun bonuses. The Shining Fates Elite Trainer Boxes quickly became one of my all-time favorite openings with their stellar pull potential.

Well-loved but affordable – Gourgeist‘s value

Shifting gears, let‘s explore the value and popularity of one underrated Pokemon – Gourgeist!

Gourgeist is a quirky ghost/grass type first appearing in Pokemon X & Y in 2013. The pumpkin-headed Pokemon debuted in the Pokemon TCG in the 2014 Phantom Forces expansion.

Phantom Forces featured two versions – a common Gourgeist, and a holo rare. Both showcase the same ghostly pumpkin illustration, but the holo is more sought after.

Now as a card from 2014, you won‘t retire from pulling a Gourgeist. But it remains a charming and affordable chase card, especially for fans of ghost Pokemon!

The Gourgeist holo rare sells raw in the $10 to $15 range on eBay. That‘s a sizeable premium over the standard common, which sells for under $1.

PSA 10 Gem Mint copies reach $50+, but remember grading costs time and money. Raw condition is your best value.

Overall, the holo rare Gourgeist is an iconic and budget-friendly hit, a great consolation when packs don‘t go your way. And who doesn‘t love glow-in-the-dark pumpkins?

Happy hunting, and may you be blessed by the Great Pumpkin with amazing Pokemon Go pulls!