In poker, a cooler is a case in which somebody plays a very strong hand that justifies placing the maximum bet, but is still beaten by an even stronger hand. Most coolers are a result of betting high on the second best hand and losing to the nuts. Please note that getting a cooler does not imply misplaying the hand. In fact, usually the second best hand is so strong that it’s virtually impossible to fold. As a result, coolers are more than likely to put the losing player on tilt.
Usage Example
The Cooler is Bernie Lootz, and THE COOLER is about the changing fortunes of this down-at-heels loser who has made a career out of spreading his virulent bad luck on the floor of Las Vegas' aging Shangri-La casino. When Bernie falls for a gorgeous cocktail waitress his bad luck is thrown into reverse. Cooler A hand in poker in which a person with a very strong hand (often the 2nd best possible hand) is beaten by the best possible hand (usually a very rare full house, four of a kind, or straight flush).
A good example of a cooler in No Limit Texas Hold’em would be if one player decided to go all in with a king-high straight and lost to an opponent who managed to complete an ace-high straight. Keep in mind that determining whether a specific situation was a cooler or not is somewhat subjective, as there is no official definition of this term.
Trivia
Casino Cooler Definition
Preparing yourself to deal with coolers and bad luck in general is considered to be an important part of developing the right poker mindset. Therefore, poker books and message boards that focus on the psychological side of the game tend to discuss this subject in depth in order to help players cope with the losses, and understand that coolers are unavoidable even with proper play.