In poker, live cards refer to cards that haven’t already been seen or used—and that still have the potential to improve your hand. The term is most commonly used in Texas Hold’em, especially in all-in situations, to describe hole cards that aren’t dominated by your opponent’s hand.
If your cards are “live,” it means they’re not paired with or blocked by your opponent’s cards, giving you outs to win the hand. This increases your chances, even if you’re currently behind.
Live cards matter most when you’re preflop all-in or in a showdown. Having two live cards can give you around 35–45% equity against a single opponent.
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