The Yeti Theorem

More than two decades ago, when the online poker community was still in its infancy, many of its members had a field day discussing various hypotheses and theories about the card game. Their go-to gathering place was the Two Plus Two (2+2) forum, dedicated entirely to poker and all its variations.

One of the most discussed theorems was the so-called Yeti theory. Even though the original forum thread disappeared, it was discussed repeatedly on various poker sites and social media.

The earliest post we could find was from 2007, but we can conclude that the original thread was created much earlier, as Two Plus Two has been online since 1998.

In this article, we’ll discuss it and see whether it’s applicable in poker. Read on.

What Is Yeti Theory in Poker?

The Yeti theorem is pretty straightforward. It suggests that a three-bet on a dry flop (preferably a paired one) is most likely a bluff.

To help you understand it better, here’s an example.

How Yeti Theory Works

Let’s see the reasoning behind the Yeti theorem.

We can assume that the villain had either a seven or a three.

If they had a seven, the hand still wouldn’t be strong enough to re-raise on a check-raise post-flop. It takes superior confidence to do it on such a weak flop. Check-raising from your side will make everyone think you either have a deuce in your hand for Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Another possible solution here is to hold an overpair, and you’re confident enough to check-raise.

If they had a three, they would probably call instead of re-raising. It’s much better to slowplay such a hand than immediately trying to scare your opponents into folding with aggressive action. Simply put, any poker player would try to trap you here and then increase the pot on the turn and the river.

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Conclusion

The Yeti theory caused a stir in the poker community when it was published. It’s unknown where it got its name, but we guess that the original nickname of the user who came up with the hypothesis had something to do with Yetis.

Either way, coming up with theorems such as the one described in this article makes poker the world’s greatest card game. Even though the Yeti theory doesn’t hold water, the player who created it deserves kudos.

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