Poker research glossary
Definitions for reading the settings and results in our articles. Follow a dotted term link to return to its definition here.
- Big blind (bb)
- The forced big-blind bet, used as a unit for stack and pot sizes. A 100bb starting stack contains one hundred big blinds.
- Effective stack
- The smaller amount remaining between two players: the most each can put at risk against the other from that point.
- Range
- A set of possible hole-card combinations with relative weights. A postflop range depends on the earlier actions and the visible cards.
- Expected value (EV)
- An average outcome under specified ranges and strategies. Compare values only when they use the same accounting convention and units.
- Equity
- A hand or range’s expected share of the pot at showdown, including ties, against a specified opponent range. This alone does not account for future betting.
- Action frequency
- The share of the relevant hand combinations or decision opportunities assigned to an action. The conditioning and weighting determine what is being averaged.
- Solve tolerance
- A stopping target for a numerical solve in its configured game. It does not certify that the input ranges or available actions match a real opponent.
- Exploitability
- A measure of how much a strategy can lose to a best response within a specified game. Solver conventions and units must be checked before comparing values.
- Decision loss
- The expected-value cost assigned to an action or strategy relative to a stated reference. It is distinct from a numerical solver’s convergence measure.
- Engine estimate
- A result from Turnstone’s flop search using a learned continuation-value model. It is an approximation, not a full numerical solution of all future streets.
- Numerical solve
- An iterative solution of the configured game tree, with stated ranges, available actions, and stopping criteria. “Exact” in a product label is relative to those settings and tolerance.
- Checking range
- The range remaining after weighting each possible hand by how often that hand checks at this decision. A check does not by itself remove strong hands.