Blocker
A card in your own hand that removes combinations your opponent could otherwise hold, shifting the math of the spot. Holding one card of a key rank or suit cuts the number of ways their range includes it — holding the A♠ on a three-spade board makes the nut flush impossible for them. Blockers matter most in big river decisions, where bluffing with the right blocker (or folding without it) meaningfully changes how often you are right.
Board K♠9♠6♠2♦Q♥. You hold A♠J♦ — no flush, but the nut-flush blocker: they can never hold the best spades, so your raise tells a story only you can tell.
Blockers: how good players lie with a straight face and math on their side.
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