Minimum defense frequency
The share of your range you must continue with so that a pure bluff against you does not profit.
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- What it means
- Minimum defense frequency, or MDF, is how much of your range has to call or raise against a bet so the bettor cannot profit by betting any two cards.
- How it is calculated
- MDF = pot ÷ (pot + bet), using the pot before the bet. It is one minus the share of folds a bluff needs to break even.
- Worked example
- The pot is 10bb and the villain bets 5bb, half the pot. MDF = 10 ÷ 15 = 67%, so you continue with two thirds of your range. Against a pot-sized bet it is 50%, and against a third of the pot it is 75%.
- Why it matters
- Folding more than this lets a player who always bets win the pot too often. It is a baseline for balanced play, and against someone who rarely bluffs you can fold more.
Try it: Poker math, Bet sizing against a capped range
Formula and worked example: Minimum defense frequency in poker math
Lessons that teach it: How much of your range must continue, Facing a continuation bet · lessons other than the free one need an invite
See also: Bluff break-even, Bluff-to-value ratio, Pot odds