Half-pot bet
A 50 bet into 100 gives an MDF of 66.67% and maximum fold frequency of 33.33%.
Poker Minimum Defense Frequency Calculator
Turn a pot and bet size into the classic minimum defense frequency benchmark. The poker MDF calculator also shows the complementary maximum fold frequency, without presenting either number as a mandatory real-world strategy.
Minimum defense benchmark
MDF is a toy-game baseline, not a command to defend every real range at this frequency.
How the result is built
MDF Is a Baseline, Not a Command
In the simplified no-future-action model, MDF is a sizing benchmark. It does not choose the hands that should continue.
- Defense baseline 57.1%
- Maximum fold benchmark 42.9%
Pot100
Opponent bet75
MDF57.14%
Maximum fold42.86%
MDF = pot / (pot + bet)
The toy-game benchmark
MDF equals pot divided by pot plus bet. In an abstract model, folding more lets an opponent profit with any two cards.
Why practical defense can differ
Range disadvantage, rake, future-street realization, blockers, and the opponent’s bluff availability can all justify deviations from the baseline.
Use MDF as a diagnostic
The figure is useful for checking bet-size pressure. It is not a hand-selection engine and does not identify which combinations should continue.
Turn the benchmark into a decision check
The percentage is most useful as a baseline for reviewing a range, not as an automatic command. Compare the model's fold limit with range advantage, equity realization, blockers, rake, and the opponent's plausible bluffs. Record which assumption justifies any departure from the benchmark.
Worked examples
Pot-sized bet
A 100 bet into 100 lowers the benchmark defense to 50%.
Frequently asked questions
Does MDF tell me which hands to call?
No. It gives an aggregate frequency only.
Must I always defend at MDF?
No. Real ranges and incentives can support exploitative or structural deviations.
Are MDF and maximum fold frequency complements?
Yes. They sum to 100%.
Does rake enter this formula?
Not in the basic benchmark shown here.