Protection, protect
In poker, when a player makes a bet with a hand that is strong, although not the strongest possible out on the table, then the bet is called protection. The idea is to either make an opponent take the plunge and place a bet with pot odds that do not favour her/him or simply fold.
In either case, the player making the bet ensures that s/he gets the result that s/he wants. However, if an opponent does get the draw that s/he wants then the player might end up being unable to protect her/his hand.
Unlike a bluff, a player makes a protection bet when s/he has a hand that is extremely likely to win the round in any case. However, the player may feel that if s/he extends the play to make more people bet in the round, then there is a chance that they might get favourable cards to complete their draws and that might lead to a loss later.
Protection is an effective strategy to use especially when playing against a number of opponents. When a player with a winning hand is up against 3 or more players for the pot, then the other three have better odds, combined, to win the pot. This means that against more opponents, there is a higher possibility that the player may lose to one of the others.
In many cases, players who make an all-in bet are also said to have made a protection bet. When another player makes such a bet to reduce the number of opponents against the all-in player, it is considered a deliberate move that constitutes collusion. For e.g. if a player makes an all-in bet of $20, and another player raises the pot to $300, to scare off other players and give the all-in player better odds to win, then it is called collusion.
This is different from the protection bet where a player with an A-A pair may make a bet of $400 in a pot size of $40 just to ensure that other players either fold or are forced to go in with a weaker hand in the hope of drawing to something better. Another player, who has 4-5-6-7, may decide to go ahead with the call and choose to wait for the board cards to give her/him a reason to cheer. If the player does get a 3 or an 8, then s/he would have defeated the protection bet.
Forrige begrep: Prop, proposition player, Neste begrep: Push
