Poker Glossary

Bluff Catcher

A hand strong enough to beat every bluff in your opponent’s betting range but too weak to beat any of their value hands. Calling with one is purely a judgment on their bluffing frequency, and the price sets the bar: facing a half-pot bet you need to be right only about 25% of the time. Theory says defend enough bluff-catchers to keep opponents honest; exploitation says fold them all against a player who never bluffs.

At the table

River J♠T♦8♣4♥2♦, you hold A♦J♦ — top pair. Their shove beats you with every two pair or better and loses with every missed draw. Your call is a vote on how often they lie.

House note

Bluff catchers turn poker into a lie-detector test where wrong answers cost stacks.

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