Protection bet
A bet made with a vulnerable made hand mainly to deny opponents a free card, charging draws and folding out hands with live overcards. Solvers use it on wet boards with medium-strength hands that would otherwise be checked.
Frequently asked questions
What is a protection bet in poker?
A bet made chiefly to make opponents with draws fold or pay, rather than to extract value from worse made hands — betting top pair on a wet board so the flush and straight draws cannot see the next card cheaply.
Is protecting your hand a real idea?
The old framing — 'protecting' a hand from being outdrawn — is loose, since you cannot stop a card coming. The sound version is equity denial: the folds you win deny the opponent the chance to realise their share of the pot, and that denial is genuine value.
When should you do it?
On boards full of draws, with a hand that is ahead now but vulnerable. On dry boards, where there is little to protect against, the same bet becomes a mistake — it folds out the weak hands you wanted to keep in and tells a strong opponent exactly where you are.