What is Variance in poker?

Variance refers to the statistical ups and downs experienced in poker outcomes. Even a fundamentally profitable player will encounter periods of significant losses over thousands of hands due to random chance. Successfully navigating negative variance is paramount for a professional poker player, making sound bankroll management a critical skill. Understanding variance helps maintain emotional stability, preventing players from questioning their strategy during downswings or becoming overconfident during upswings, which is vital for long-term success.

Despite playing perfectly for an entire month, you're down 5 buy-ins; this is simply variance at play.

Variance (Variance) belongs to the Pro Terms side of the game and shows up in almost every hand of Texas Hold'em. If you are just starting out, read the poker rules and the hand rankings first, then come back here. To practise risk-free you can play against our AI right on the site.