Nash equilibrium

Basic Definition

A Nash equilibrium is a term from game theory that refers to a situation where no one can improve their expected outcome by unilaterally changing their strategy. In poker, it is often used in heads-up (one-on-one) situations.

Specific Situation

• In a heads-up situation, when the strategies of the two players are in a Nash equilibrium, the expected value does not change even if one player alters their hand range.
• When two players continuously adapt their strategies to match their opponent's, and eventually no further changes occur, that state is called a Nash equilibrium.

Important Information

• A Nash equilibrium is a theoretically optimal strategy, but in actual games, adjustments considering the opponent's play style and tendencies are necessary. Therefore, always adopting the same strategy as the Nash equilibrium is not necessarily the best approach.
• By studying Nash equilibrium play, you can exploit any deviations in your opponent's strategy to improve your expected value.

Examples of Term Usage

"In this situation, you should consider the range for pushing from the small blind by referring to the Nash equilibrium."