Each week, the Talking Poker series highlights a particular poker term. We’ll give you a clear, to-the-point definition of the term and an example of the strategic concept to which it refers, so that you can start using the term and implementing the related strategy into your game. Today we turn our attention to a commonly used term but perhaps not a commonly understood one — “fold equity.”
Definition
“Fold equity” is a special use of the term “equity” — one we discussed here a few weeks ago.
Whereas equity generally refers to your “rightful” share of the pot as determined by your chance of winning it, fold equity more specifically represents the amount you stand to gain from the likelihood of your opponent folding to a bet.