Domination

Also: dominated hand, dominated

When two hands share a card and one has the better kicker, the weaker hand is dominated: it wins only about 25–30% of the time and is in deep trouble when both pair the shared card.

Example. A-Q against A-K pre-flop wins around 26% of the time — it is dominated.

Domination is the hidden danger of hands like A-J, K-Q and Q-J against tight raisers, whose ranges are heavy in A-K and A-Q. A-K dominates A-Q; K-Q dominates K-J. Domination is also why 3-betting light with suited aces is popular: those hands are dominated but have straight and flush outs to compensate.

Related terms

Full glossary

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