Favorite

Basic Definition

"Favorite" refers to a situation where you have a hand with a high probability of winning against your opponent under the current circumstances.

Specific Situation

• In the pre-flop, if your hand is and your opponent's is , your hand can be considered the favorite at this point (with a win rate of about 87%).
• The flop is , and with your hand being and your opponent's hand being , both have a pair of nines, but you have the better kicker, making you the favorite.

Important Information

• Even if you're the favorite, you can't always win. Poker is a game of probabilities, and comebacks can definitely happen (this is known as a "bad beat").
• To properly understand when a player is the favorite, it's important to calculate probabilities and know the number of outs. This helps in making appropriate bets and raises.

Examples of Term Usage

"I had pre-flop, but lost when my opponent hit a straight on the river. I was the favorite, so it's frustrating!"