Poker Basics - Dead Money

Another guide for newbies and today we discuss what dead money is, both technically in a hand and also the poker insult.

Dead money refers to money in a poker pot that has been contributed by players who have already folded their hands. This money is considered "dead" because it is no longer in play for the active players and cannot be won by the person who contributed it.

Technically speaking that could mean any pot where players have paid blinds or antes, but folded preflop. That isn't how we tend to use it, however. 

Dead money tends to refer more specifically to pots where money has been contributed and the player who contributed it has no chance of winning it, or indeed never had a chance of winning it. 

You don't want to be dead money

A typical example would be if a player is disconnected online but has posted their big blind in a tournament. In a live event the same player could be on a bathroom break while their blind is posted. 

In this example 'dead money' refers to chips that should be easier to win, because nobody is fighting for them. The strategic adjustment is usually to play a wider range of hands to take down bigger uncontested pots like this. Be warned though, other players will have the same idea. 

Dead money is also used to disparage weak players. It is used to refer to players who are perceived to have no chance of winning, so therefore they are not more a threat than a player who is posting their blinds on a bathroom break. Likewise it refers to pots where nobody seems willing to fight for that can easily be taken down.