Dominated
Sharing a card with a better hand while holding the weaker second card, such as KJ against AK.
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- What it means
- A hand is dominated when an opponent holds one of the same ranks with a better card beside it. Pairing the shared card does not help, because the other hand pairs it too and has the better kicker.
- How it is calculated
- Only the unshared card can save the dominated hand, so it has about 3 outs to a pair that wins. It tends to win small pots and lose big ones.
- Worked example
- KJ against AK: a king on the board gives both a pair of kings and AK wins with the ace kicker. Only the 3 jacks help, and KJ wins about 25% of the time.
- Why it matters
- It is why offsuit broadways such as KJo and ATo fold to early raises: the hands that raise from those seats are the ones that dominate them.
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See also: Kicker, Equity, Broadway, Hand families