Card removal
How the cards you hold change which combos an opponent can have, and so the mix of their range.
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- What it means
- Every card in your hand is a card no one else holds. Card removal is the combined effect of your blockers on the other player's value hands and bluffs, and on the ratio between them.
- How it is calculated
- List the opponent's value combos and bluff combos on the board, then cross out every combo that uses one of your cards. Compare the ratio of value to bluffs before and after.
- Worked example
- On A♠J♥8♦4♣2♠ a range whose value hands are AJ and A8 has 9 combos of each, 18 in all. Holding A♥J♣ leaves 4 combos of AJ and 6 of A8, 10 in all, while bluffs with no ace or jack are untouched.
- Why it matters
- A hand that removes value combos and leaves bluffs makes a better bluff-catcher. A hand that removes the opponent's bluffs makes a better bluff itself, since the hands left are more likely to fold.
Try it: Poker math
Formula and worked example: Card removal and blockers in poker math
Lessons that teach it: How card removal changes a range · lessons other than the free one need an invite
See also: Blocker, Value combos, Bluff combos, Combo