Poker Term Fold Equity
Poker Term Fold Equity Definition
Poker Term Fold Equity Calculator
Poker Term Fold Equity Formula

Players often use the term 'fold equity' to describe a large enough bet that will cause opponents to fold in a particular hand, which although incorrect is generally understood. The term is also used to describe short-stack play, when pushing all-in dictates the amount of fold equity you have. Fold equity is a term that has been tossed around more and more over the past few years. As the games have gotten tougher and more advanced, a number of players have picked up on terminology that was once reserved only for top level pros. Fold equity is a concept that is definitely misunderstood by a sizable portion of the poker playing community.

The below gives explanations for the most popular examples of poker terminology. The Glossary is designed for you to use to check what all the various poker terms mean. Poker is a game that uses a lot of jargon, but you will quickly get used to the language.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

A

Action
Making, or calling, a bet or raise. i.e. “giving action”.

All-in
When a player is all-in, they have bet all of their remaining chips, and can take no further active part in future betting rounds.

Angle/Angle Shooting
Attempting to manipulate the action or other players decisions through questionable or illegal behavior. Cheating.

Ante
Poker games like Stud are played with an ante; a forced bet that every player has to post before each round of betting. Antes are also introduced in the later levels of some No-Limit Hold’em tournaments.

B

Bad Beat
Losing a hand after getting action as an overwhelming favourite.

Backdoor Draw
A draw that requires two cards to complete, i.e. a flop with one heart when you hold two hearts in your hand.

Badugi
(1) Badugi is a relatively new type of poker game originally from Asia. Each player gets four cards, and there are three draws. The player with the lowest hand wins the pot.
(2) Four cards of different suits that don’t form a pair is a hand known as a Badugi.

Bankroll
Refers to the amount of money you have available solely for playing poker.

Barrel
To continue betting on future streets post flop after taking the betting lead on the current street.

Bet
The first bet made in a round of betting. If this bet is increased later in the same betting round, this is known as a raise.

Big Stack
A player who has a lot of chips.

Blind
A forced bet which has to be posted before each hand. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind, while the player two places left of the dealer posts the big blind. As a rule the big blind is twice the size of the small blind.

Blind Level
Describes the size of the forced blind bets in the current stage of a tournament. The size of the blinds increases with each new level.

Blind Stealing
A raise before the flop with a weak hand, with the aim of forcing all opponents to fold, and therefore winning the blinds. Works best from late position if all players have folded so far.

Bluff
When a player bets and/or raises without having a good hand, to try and make their opponent fold the better hand.

Bluff Catcher
A hand that is not strong enough to beat an opponent who is betting for value with a made hand, but only an opponent who is bluffing.

Board
The five community cards in the middle of the table in poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Boat
(slang) A full house.

Break-even
To break-even means that neither a loss nor a profit has been made.

Bubble
Describes any significant threshold in a tournament. The most common tournament bubbles are the initial money bubble, and the final table bubble.

Bubbleboy
The player in a tournament eliminated directly before the paid places are reached, therefore going away empty-handed.

Burncard
The card that gets discarded by the dealer before the community cards are dealt, in order to prevent cheating.

Busted/Bust-out
When you are eliminated from a tournament after losing all your chips

Button
(1) A plastic disc which is passed clockwise each hand to determine the position of the nominal dealer.
(2) Named used to describe the nominal dealer in the current hand.

Buy-in
The amount of money players have to pay to enter a tournament. Most of this money goes into the prize pool, except for a small entry fee retained by the card room (also see rake).

Bring-in
A forced bet in Stud, which has to be placed by the player with the lowest open card.

Broadway
(1) Name of the highest-possible straight in poker, for e.g. Tc-Jc-Qh-Kd-As.
(2) A single card (T-x or higher) is also often called broadway or a broadway card.

C

Call
Calling means you are matching the last bet made.

Cap
The fourth and last possible raise in a fixed limit game.

Cash Game
Poker played for real money, with blind levels that stay the same. Players can come and go as they please, and buy new chips anytime they want.

Calling Station
A player who plays many hands in a very loose way. They will call often, but rarely raise or fold.

Check
If no bets have been made, a player has the option to check, i.e. stay in the hand without putting any more chips into the pot.

Check-Call
To check and then call an opponent’s bet.

Check-Raise
To check and then raise an opponent’s bet.

Chipleader
The player with the largest amount of chips in a tournament.

Community Cards
The five cards dealt face up in the center of the table, which can be used by all players.

Complete
(1) Hold’em: To call preflop from the small blind if no bets have been placed.
(2) Stud: The first raise in the first betting round.

Connector
Two or more connected cards, for e.g. 6c-5s. Connected cards of the same suit are called suited connectors (6s-5s for instance).

Continuation Bet
A bet made on the flop by the last player who raised preflop. Also known as a C-bet.

Cold Deck
When a very strong hand is beaten by a player who improves their hand on the board.

Cut-off
The player seated to the right of the dealer. A strong position to be in, because you are one of the last to act on every round of betting.

D

Dead Money
Money in a pot which comes from players who have already folded, and therefore cannot participate in the hand any longer.

Dealer
(1) Live games: the person who deals the cards, sorts out the pot and watches over the game.
(2) Online: the position of the nominal dealer, marked by a dealer button, which is passed on clockwise.

Defending the Blinds
When a player is in one of the blinds and plays to try and enusre they keep their chips by winning the pot.

Dominated Hand
If two players hold a card of the same rank, the player with the better kicker is said to dominate their opponent. For e.g. If Player A holds Kc-As, they dominate Player B who holds Kd-Qd.

Donk Bet
The term used for a bet that is made into the aggressor from the prior street, instead of checking to them.

Door Card
The first open card dealt in Stud poker games.

Downswing
A run of bad luck which can often make players start playing bad.

Draw
A poker hand which needs additional cards to improve or complete.

Double Suited
Omaha starting hand that includes two times two cards of the same suit (for e.g. As-Kd-Jd-9s).

E

Equity
The winning odds multiplied by the pot size. For e.

Poker Term Fold Equity