The additional value of a bet that comes from the chance your opponent will fold.
Fold equity is the value gained from the possibility that your bet or raise will make your opponent fold. Even if your hand has little chance of winning at showdown, the fold equity from a well-timed bet can make it profitable.
Fold equity is calculated by combining the probability your opponent folds with the pot size. If there's $100 in the pot and you estimate a 40% chance your opponent folds to a $50 bet, the fold equity is 0.40 × $100 = $40.
Understanding fold equity is essential for profitable bluffing. A bluff only needs to work often enough to be profitable given the pot size and your bet amount. You don't need opponents to fold every time.
You have A♠T♠ with 25 big blinds in a WSOP $1,500 event. You shove over a late-position raise with 35% raw equity when called. Villain folds 55% of the time, and when they call, you hold 35% equity vs their range.
Total EV = (0.55 × $4,500 dead money) + (0.45 × (0.35 × $12,000 − 0.65 × $11,000)) = +$2,475 + ( -$735) = +$1,740. Without fold equity (villain calls 100%), the shove is -$1,050. Fold equity is what turns marginal hands into profitable all-ins. Short stacks in tournaments play almost entirely for fold equity: a 10bb shove with K7o works not because the hand is strong but because blinds and antes fold often enough to generate positive EV.
<p>You have <strong>A♠T♠</strong> with 25 big blinds in a WSOP $1,500 event. You shove over a late-position raise with <strong>35% raw equity</strong> when called. Villain folds 55% of the time, and when they call, you hold 35% equity vs their range.</p><p>Total EV = <strong>(0.55 × $4,500 dead money) + (0.45 × (0.35 × $12,000 − 0.65 × $11,000)) = +$2,475 + ( -$735) = +$1,740</strong>. Without fold equity (villain calls 100%), the shove is -$1,050. Fold equity is what turns marginal hands into profitable all-ins. Short stacks in tournaments play almost entirely for fold equity: a 10bb shove with K7o works not because the hand is strong but because blinds and antes fold often enough to generate positive EV.</p>
The additional value of a bet that comes from the chance your opponent will fold.
<p>You have <strong>A♠T♠</strong> with 25 big blinds in a WSOP $1,500 event. You shove over a late-position raise with <strong>35% raw equity</strong> when called. Villain folds 55% of the time, and when they call, you hold 35% equity vs their range.</p><p>Total EV = <strong>(0.55 × $4,500 dead money) + (0.45 × (0.35 × $12,000 − 0.65 × $11,000)) = +$2,475 + ( -$735) = +$1,740</strong>. Without fold equity (villain calls 100%), the shove is -$1,050. Fold equity is what turns marginal hands into profitable all-ins. Short stacks in tournaments play almost entirely for fold equity: a 10bb shove with K7o works not because the hand is strong but because blinds and antes fold often enough to generate positive EV.</p>
Top-rated platforms reviewed by our editorial team.