What is EV (expected value) in poker?
Expected value is the average result of a decision if you could make it thousands of times — measured in chips or big blinds. A +EV play wins money on average even when it loses this time; a −EV play loses money on average even when it wins. Good poker is choosing the highest-EV option every hand.
Why it matters
EV separates the decision from the outcome. A correct call that loses is still correct; a bad bluff that works is still bad. Players who judge decisions by results chase short-term variance and never fix their leaks.
Every leak on HoldemPro is a recurring −EV decision — folding hands that had the price, calling without it, checking hands that should bet. The quiz finds the most expensive one.
The numbers
- EV of a call = (equity × pot after the call) − (1 − equity) × amount called. With 30% equity, calling 50 into a 100 pot: 0.30 × 200 − 0.70 × 50 = 60 − 35 = +25.
- The average player HoldemPro has diagnosed scores 62.3 out of 100 on the Edge scale; the leak that costs the most is "calls too light", whose players average 51.2.
Figures come from the same preflop charts and research data the rest of the site uses (charts last updated July 5, 2026); they change when that data does.
Seven real hands, four minutes — finds the one leak costing you the most.
Common questions
What does +EV mean?
Positive expected value: the play makes money on average over the long run, regardless of how any single instance turns out.
What is bb/100?
Big blinds won per 100 hands — the standard win-rate unit. It's EV realized over a large sample; 5 bb/100 is a solid winning rate at low stakes online.
Is this your leak?
Seven real hands, four minutes. The quiz finds the one pattern costing you the most — free, no signup.
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