What is a cooler in poker?

A cooler in poker refers to a situation in which a strong hand is beaten by an even stronger hand. This can be a particularly frustrating and unlucky occurrence for the player with the strong hand, as they may have no way of knowing their opponent has an even better hand.

Coolers can happen in any variant of poker, but they are more common in games like Texas Hold'em where multiple players can have strong hands due to the shared community cards.

One classic example of a cooler is when two players have a very strong hand, such as a full house, but one player has a higher-ranked full house. In this case, the player with the lower-ranked full house is said to have been "cooler" as they were unlikely to fold their strong hand but still lost to a better hand.

Coolers are a natural part of the game of poker and can happen to any player at any time, regardless of skill level. Dealing with coolers and maintaining composure is an important aspect of being a successful poker player.