River
The fifth and final community card dealt face-up on the board. The river is sometimes called 'Fifth Street.' After the river is dealt, players have all the information available to make their final betting decisions. River play involves the most polarized ranges, with players typically either value betting strong hands or bluffing.
Example
The board reads J♠T♦5♣3♥, and the river is the 8♠. Your opponent shoves all-in. You must decide whether to call with your J♥9♣ — one pair of jacks, but the 8 brought some straight possibilities.
Where this matters
Move from definition to decision.
Glossary pages explain the language. Use the links below to see how the term affects room choice, rakeback value, or payment tradeoffs on the commercial side of the site.
Related Terms
See Also
- Triple Barrel- Betting on all three post-flop streets: flop, turn, and river. Triple barreling is the ultimate aggr...
- Value Bet- A bet made with a hand you believe is ahead of your opponent's calling range, designed to extract ma...
- Bluff- A bet or raise made with a weak hand intended to make opponents fold better hands. Successful bluffi...
