The term live cards refer to the cards still in the deck and can help a player improve his hand or win the pot.
Depending on the format, the term “live cards” can have a couple of meanings:
- In stud games, live cards refer to the cards that have not year appeared amongst opponents’ cards and can improve a player's hand.
- In hold’em games, live cards refer to a player having hole cards that no other player at the table has, which increases the chance of community cards improving his hand.
The concept of live cards is important in poker because it allows you to determine your poker hand's strength and how likely it is to improve on future streets.
Poker Live Cards Example:
Let’s say you make a raise with 9s 8s, and an NIT opponent 3-bets you. In this situation, your hand can be described as having live cards since there is a small chance that your opponent is 3-betting you with a hand that contains a 9 or an 8.
On the other hand, if you make a raise with Qs Js and a tight passive opponent 3-bet, there is a lesser chance that your cards are live since there is a high chance that your opponent is 3-betting you with a hand that contains either a J or a Q, so you should not be leveling yourself and making rational decisions.
ONLINE POKER:
RESOURCES:
