Blockers are cards in your hand that reduce the number of ways your opponent can hold a particular hand. Because you hold a card, your opponent cannot hold it too. This effect is also called card removal.
The math behind blockers
There are 6 ways to be dealt any pocket pair, such as AA. If you hold one ace, only 3 combinations of AA remain. If you hold two aces, there are none. For unpaired hands like AK, there are 16 combinations; holding one ace leaves 12.
| Hand | Combos normally | With one blocker |
|---|---|---|
| AA | 6 | 3 |
| AK | 16 | 12 |
| Nut flush (one suit) | varies | 0 if you hold the ace of that suit |
How to use blockers
- Bluffing: bluff more with hands that block your opponent’s strongest calls. On a four-flush river, holding the ace of that suit means they cannot have the nut flush.
- Preflop: A5 suited is a popular 4-bet bluff because the ace blocks AA and AK.
- Hero calls: call more when your hand blocks the hands your opponent would value bet, and fold more when you block the bluffs.
Do not overrate blockers
Blockers are a tie-breaker between similar hands, not a reason to make a play on their own. Reads on your opponent and the size of the bet matter much more. Test how removal changes equity in the range equity calculator, and browse the poker glossary for related terms.
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