What is fold equity

Another example might be when a scare card hits and you're first to act. You have a bit of fold equity if that card didn't help anyone.

The concept is easiest explained for the situation in which the raise represents an all-in move of the shortest stack. All players before me check, and I decide to move in my whole stack. It could happen that all opponents call my all-in, thereby creating a total pot of size S. This is the reference case which has fold equity zero. However, following my all-in, odds are that one or more of my opponents might decide to fold rather than call. The mathematics is easy to work out in case of heads-up situations.

If at some moment in the game I go all-in with a stack of size B that is called by my opponent thereby creating a total pot S, my expected take will be.

However, if there is a chance Pfold of my opponent folding to my bet, my expected take changes into:. Therefore, check-raising out of position with select draws, either on the flop or turn, can help gain you fold equity. It will also help you take the initiative in the hand, allowing you to bluff or value bet later streets if desired depending on whether or not your draw hits. Against particular players types i. Against other player types i. Being aggressive and making other players fold their hands because of the bets or raises you make in poker is a powerful tool to have.

You gain an extra way of winning the pot other than just at showdown, and that is by making your opponent s fold, awarding you the entirety of the current pot right then and there. To help further improve your game, be sure to study the above-mentioned supplementary articles on bet sizing , semi-bluffing , and bluffing. These extras will help you understand additional concepts that are very much tied into to that of fold equity, as these aspects deal right in-line with taking aggressive lines.

Top Menu. How to play. Download Now. Category Menu. Learn how to use Fold Equity - the amount of equity a player gains in the hand from betting or raising and making their opponent fold — to up your win rate.

Fold Equity Summary. You can use equity calculators like Equilab, Flopzilla, Poker Cruncher, or those found in your poker tracking software to do this calculation. Pot Odds and Bet Sizing: While not always the case, generally, small bets are called more frequently, and large bets are called more infrequently.

Fold Equity. About the Author. He also periodically provides online poker content for various sites. Draw Poker Explained in 5 Easy Steps. However, understanding the concept of fold equity can help you to make more profitable decisions.

Perhaps the most common situation where fold equity is used to maximum value is when a player is one card away from hitting a flush or straight. Therefore, it would be more profitable in the long run to make a semi-bluff bet in this situation. When playing against really loose aggressive players, your fold equity will likely be close to zero.

This is also the case against players with really short stacks very few playing chips in tournaments. Short-stacked players are less likely to fold, as they need to take more risks.

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