At a glance
- On the HUD
- Flop OB·Turn OB·River OB
- Formula
bets larger than 110% of the pot / all their bets on the street- Typical range
0–12% on every street
- Where it shows
- Badge: a bettor in a plain bet (not a c-bet, donk bet, probe or stab).
- Trust it after
- 12 chances. Below that the number is faded; reads need 12 chances and a number at least one standard error outside the typical range.
What it measures
Overbet share counts how often a player’s bets are overbets: more than 110% of the pot before the bet. Every bet they make on a street is a chance, and it counts if the bet went over that line. A 133% turn bet, a 200% river bet and a shove for three times the pot all count; a pot-sized bet doesn’t.
Overbets are the most polarized bets in poker. In theory they go with the nuts and with bluffs, on boards where the bettor holds the strongest hands. In home games they also come from players who overbet every strong hand, players who shove draws to avoid hard decisions, and players who think in big blinds rather than fractions of the pot.
It complements bet size, the average size of their bets, and small-bet share, the other end of the scale. It’s the bettor’s side of fold vs overbets, which shows how players answer overbets.
How it’s calculated
Every bet a player makes on a street (not a raise) is one chance. It counts if the bet was more than 110% of the pot before it. Overbet share = overbets ÷ bets, kept per street.
- Size = the chips put in with the bet ÷ everything in the middle before it, earlier streets and dead money included.
- Edge: exactly 110% doesn’t count; the bet has to be larger.
- Every kind of bet is a chance: c-bets, donk bets, probes, stabs and bets in limped pots. Raises and check-raises are not bets and don’t count either way.
- One number per street, with no position or pot-type versions.
Example: Noor made 40 river bets over a month of games, and 7 were larger than 110% of the pot: 7 ÷ 40 = 17.5%, shown as 18% and colored gold. The error at 40 bets is about ±6 points (√(0.175 × 0.825 ÷ 40)), so she’s probably above 12%, though not by a sure margin.
Why it matters
Overbets are rare, so the share mostly tells you whether a player has the weapon at all. Someone at 0% over 50 bets never puts you to a decision bigger than the pot, so you can call down medium hands knowing the price won’t jump. Someone at 15% will, and you need a plan for it before the river.
It also frames the overbets you face. A 133% bet needs 57.1% folds to profit as a bluff and gives the caller a 36.3% equity price. If a player overbets 2% of the time, their overbets are most likely value; if they overbet 20%, they can’t have the nuts that often, and bluff-catching becomes reasonable.
The badge shows this number on a player who has just made a plain bet, one that isn’t a c-bet, donk bet, probe or stab, such as the first bet in a limped pot. Limped pots are small next to the stacks, so players who size in big blinds overbet there easily: in a four-way limped pot of 4 big blinds, a “normal” 5 big blind bet is already 125%.
Too low, about right, too high
The HUD’s typical range for overbet share is 0–12%, so the number can turn gold (over 12%) but never blue. The low card below is our own split for players who almost never overbet, which is a useful read even though the HUD leaves it plain.
Rarely: under 3%
What it says
They almost never bet more than the pot. Most players fit here, from careful regulars to passive callers. The biggest bet you’ll face from them on any street is about pot-sized, and when they do overbet, it’s an outlier with a reason. For many home-game players that reason is a very strong hand. Give it a decent sample first: one overbet in 20 bets is 5% and means little.
How to exploit it
- When they overbet, fold everything but strong hands unless they’ve shown a bluff. One overbet in 50 bets is not a balanced range.
- Call down medium hands against their normal-sized bets more comfortably: the price won’t suddenly jump on the next street.
- Check their fold vs overbets before overbetting into them. Players who never use the size are often unsure how to face it, and the number will show whether they overfold.
- Read their bet size and small-bet share instead. For a player who never overbets, those two describe their whole sizing habit.
About right: 3–12%
What it says
They overbet now and then, inside the HUD’s typical range. That fits a player who uses the overbet as a tool on turns and rivers when the board favors them, or a short stack whose shoves happen to be bigger than the pot. Check which street: a river number near 10% with a flop number near 0% is the sensible pattern. Showdowns tell you whether their overbets are balanced or value only.
How to exploit it
- Track showdowns after their overbets. Two shown bluffs make bluff-catching right; two shown nut hands make folding right.
- Against a 133% overbet you need 36.3% equity. Call with your best bluff-catchers, especially ones that block their value hands, and fold the rest.
- Split it by street. Overbets that show up only on the river, from a player with no river bluffs shown, are mostly value: fold your weakest bluff-catchers.
- Plan for the turn overbet. If their turn number is over 5%, avoid calling the flop with weak draws that can’t face a 133% turn bet.
Too high: over 12%
What it says
They overbet often, above the HUD’s typical range. That’s one of two players: an aggressive, thinking player who overbets turns and rivers with both nuts and bluffs, or a home-game player who goes big with every good hand and shoves draws. River bluff (shown) and won at showdown tell you which. Either way they make pots big, so mistakes against them are expensive.
How to exploit it
- If their shown hands are mostly strong, fold one pair to overbets and value bet them big when you’re strong; they call big bets too.
- If they’ve shown bluffs, call overbets with your best one-pair hands. Against 133% you need 36.3% equity, and a frequent overbettor who bluffs gives you that.
- Check strong hands to them. A player who overbets often will bet big into your check, and you can check-raise all-in.
- With medium hands, bet small yourself instead of checking; a checked medium hand is exactly what their overbet punishes.
On the flop, turn and river
Flop: overbet
Flop overbets are the rarest. The pot is small next to the stacks, ranges are wide, and few boards give the bettor a big enough edge. A flop overbet share over 12% usually means one of three things: short stacks shoving, 3-bet pots with little behind, or a player who bets fixed big blind amounts that happen to exceed the pot.
The last is common in home games: 5 big blinds into a 4 big blind limped pot is a 125% overbet the player thinks of as a normal bet. Those bets aren’t polarized; they’re a habit, and the range behind them is as wide as any other bet.
Flop exploit: if a player overbets the flop often with a wide range, call with pairs and good draws and let them keep betting. If their flop overbets have always been strong at showdown, fold one pair and continue with draws only when the price is right.
Turn: overbet
The turn is where theory uses overbets most. A turn card that favors the bettor’s range, such as an overcard the caller rarely holds, is the textbook spot for a 133% bet. A turn number inside the typical range, with a few overbets in the sample, fits a player who uses the size on purpose.
A called turn overbet makes the pot 3.66 times as big (1 + 2 × 1.33), so the river usually comes down to one shove. A player with a high turn overbet share is therefore choosing their stack-off spots on the turn, and you should know before the turn which of your hands can stand it.
Turn exploit: against a high turn overbet share, avoid calling the flop with weak draws and weak pairs that can’t call a turn overbet; raise the flop with your good draws or fold the weak ones.
River: overbet
River overbets are the purest polarized bets: the bettor has the nuts or nothing, and the caller holds a bluff-catcher. Players who overbet the river often are either balanced and skilled, or overbet only their best hands and never bluff. The share alone doesn’t separate them; showdowns do.
The caller needs 36.3% equity against 133%, 37.5% against 150% and 40% against 200%. Against a player who overbets 15% of their river bets and has shown bluffs, calling top pair is often right; against one who overbets 15% and has only shown the nuts, folding is.
River exploit: if a player overbets the river often and has shown bluffs, call with top pair or better. If they’ve only shown the nuts, fold everything below two pair, and bet your own thin value small when they check to you.
When it’s your own number
The HUD writes no read about your overbet share, but others see it on your badge after a plain bet, and every street’s number is on your player database page. If yours is 0%, your biggest bet is pot, and opponents can call down medium hands knowing the price is capped. If it’s high and your overbets are all value, observant players will fold to them every time.
A healthy overbet strategy uses the size in a few spots, mostly turns and rivers that favor your range, with both nut hands and bluffs. If yours is above 12% and nearly all your overbets are strong hands, add bluffs with blockers or move some value hands to smaller sizes.
Using it on the HUD
Overbet share shows on the badge of a player who has just made a plain bet: not a c-bet, donk bet, probe or stab, such as the first bet in a limped pot. Over 12% it turns gold; it can’t turn blue, because the typical range starts at 0%. It’s faded under 12 bets on that street, and there are no narrower versions, one number per street.
Small percentages need big samples. A 10% share is ±5.5 points over 30 bets and ±3 over 100, so 3 overbets in 30 bets could come from a player whose real rate is anywhere from about 5% to 15%. Read it with fold vs overbets on the other players, bet size and c-bet size, to see whether the big bets come with the lead or without it.
Questions
What is an overbet in poker?
A bet larger than the pot. The HUD counts a bet as an overbet when it is more than 110% of the pot before the bet, so a 133% turn bet or a river shove for twice the pot both count, while a pot-sized bet does not. Overbets are polarized: they usually mean a very strong hand or a bluff.
How often should you overbet?
Rarely, and mostly on the turn and river. The HUD’s typical range for overbet share is 0–12% of bets, and anything above 12% turns gold. Overbets work best when the board favors your range, with your strongest hands and some bluffs. Overbetting the flop often, or only with the nuts, makes the size easy to read.
Is a player who overbets a lot usually bluffing?
Not necessarily. A high overbet share can be an aggressive, balanced player or someone who overbets every strong hand. Check river bluff (shown) and their showdowns: shown bluffs after overbets mean you can call down with good bluff-catchers, while only strong hands shown mean you should fold one pair.
Does an all-in count as an overbet?
Yes, when it’s a bet, the first chips on the street, and larger than 110% of the pot. A shove over someone else’s bet is a raise and isn’t counted in overbet share at all. Short-stacked players can show a high overbet share simply because their shoves are bigger than the pot.