Showdown value

Also: SDV

The quality of having a hand that can win at showdown without improving, but is not strong enough to bet for value. Hands with showdown value are usually checked rather than turned into bluffs.

Example. Second pair on the river has showdown value: it beats missed draws, so you check rather than bet it.

Related terms

Full glossary

Thin value

Betting a hand that is only slightly better than the hands the opponent will call with. Extracting thin value …

Bluff-catcher

A hand that can only win at showdown if the opponent is bluffing — it beats their bluffs but loses to all thei…

Way ahead / way behind

A situation where your hand is either a big favourite or a big underdog against the opponent's likely holdings…

Alpha (bluff break-even)

The percentage of the time a bluff needs to work to break even: bet ÷ (bet + pot). It is the mirror image of m…

Balance

Having a mix of strong hands and bluffs in the same line so that an opponent cannot tell which one you hold an…

Bankroll management

The discipline of only playing stakes your bankroll can survive. Rules of thumb: 20–50 buy-ins for cash games,…

Blind steal

A late-position raise with a weak hand whose main purpose is to win the blinds and antes uncontested. Steals f…

Block bet

A small bet made out of position, often on the river, with a medium-strength hand to set a cheap price and dis…