Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Thin value

Thin value in poker is a bet made with a marginal hand, expecting to be called by enough worse hands to make the bet profitable, even though the hand is not especially strong.

Also called
Thin value bet1
Applies to
Poker strategy, especially river situations12
Rule of thumb
Do not bet less than 50% pot for thin value on the river (all-in excepted)3

Key points

  • A thin value bet aims to get called by worse hands, not to make opponents fold.1
  • It differs from a bluff, which tries to fold better hands, and from a protection bet, which denies equity to draws.1
  • One AI poker strategy advises against betting less than half the pot for thin value on the river unless all-in.3

Common questions

What is thin value in poker?

Thin value is a bet with a marginal hand that you expect to be called by worse hands more often than better ones, making the bet profitable. It is a narrower type of value bet, not a bluff.1

Where this term is used

Poker Texas Hold'em card values Explains the ranking and value of individual cards in Texas hold'em. Poker Poker hands Lists and describes all standard poker hand rankings. Poker Texas Hold'em hands Covers the specific hand rankings and starting hands in Texas hold'em. Poker Poker hand rankings Details the hierarchy of poker hands from highest to lowest. Poker Royal flush Defines the royal flush, the highest possible hand in poker. Poker Texas holdem rules Outlines the basic rules and gameplay of Texas hold'em poker.

Sources

  1. Value (poker) - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Defines thin value and distinguishes it from other bet types.
  2. Poker strategy - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Confirms the application of thin value in poker strategy.
  3. PokerSkill: LLMs Can Play Expert-Level Poker without ... arxiv.org Provides a specific rule of thumb for thin value bet sizing on the river.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.