What is a "cooler"?

[Cloodie]

Series 2 of High Stakes Poker...Negreanu has a full house and calls a river bet making the po $575,000. He lost to Gus Hansen's quads.

Negreanue actually said just before he called the river bet that it would be a cooler if he lost.

[oober]

A cooler really only means you think you have the best and get stacked in a situation the odds are against. Such as the 10 8, A 8 both making FH's, how often, HU mind you, a hand comes up like this?

[mikever]

A "cooler" comes from the phrase "cold deck" meaning the deck has been stacked against you. You were cheated, in other words. So, a cooler is essentially a hand that you cannot get away from. If you could have made a better read and reasonably folded your hand, then it was not a cooler, just a bad call by you. I see too many people using the word "cooler" to describe a bad call on a tough but not impossible laydown.

[AngusThermopyle]

And "cold deck" came from the fact that a deck that has been sitting feels 'cool' to the touch, in contrast to the deck that you are playing with. So the stacked deck brought in to cheat you would feel 'cold'.

[wrkingtobegreat]

thanks for the input guys

[smbruin22]

if i have AA pre-flop, go all-in against AQo and the flop comes QQ3, is that a cooler??? thanks in advance!!

[lfairban]

No, that's Poker.