Fold Equity

A term referring specifically to the amount of equity a player gains from likelihood of an opponent folding to a bet. If a player pushes all in against a single opponent, that player’s “equity” includes both the money he will win should his opponent call and his hand prove best and the money he will win should his opponent fold to his bet. The latter portion is his “fold equity.”

While fold equity can be calculated specifically, the term is most often used in a much less precise way to refer broadly to the probability of getting a player to fold when betting. For example, in a tournament if a player open-raises all in with a 20-big blind stack, that player has a better chance of getting others to fold than if he pushes all in with just 5 big blinds. Thus with the larger stack, the player is said to have more “fold equity” when shoving.

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