All You Need to Know about Minimal Defense Frequency - MDF in Poker

Minimal Defense Frequency can sometimes be your optimal poker strategy when you don't know anything about the player you're currently playing against. It outlines the portion of your range you must play when facing a bet to prevent getting bluffed out of the game. In the following sections, we will explain further what exactly MDF means.

The Definition of an MDF?

MDF, or minimal defense frequency, is a statistic used in Poker to determine how often you should defend your hand. It's the ideal amount of defense you should play with to maximize your winnings.

To determine your MDF, first look at all of the hands you played over a period that didn't involve any significant changes in your game (like starting to play under-the-gun). Next, calculate how many times you defended each hand out of all it was dealt.

The percentage represents how often each hand was protected compared against its total distribution (e.g., if 5/9=55%, then 55% of all times this hand was dealt). Finally, divide this percentage by 100 so that we're left with an integer number - then add up all these integers together to get one number representing your overall MDF value.

Why Should You Use Minimal Defense Frequency?

MDF is a great way to gain an edge against your opponents. It's also a great way to keep the game interesting and exciting for you as a player. It can be used in all poker games, including cash games, tournaments, heads-up matches, and sit & go's. MDF works for short-term (one night) and long-term (multiple days) sessions, so whatever kind of session you have planned will fit right in!

To use MDF effectively, two main things need to happen:

1. It would be best if you found your standard bet size.
2. Decide which type(s) of hands should be considered when determining if you have enough value to raise or fold.

Examples of MDF Strategy

This section will explain how the MDF Strategy is used in practice. To calculate the MDF follow this principle:

Initial Pot Size / (Initial Pot Size + Bet Size)

Assume you bet $100 into a $100 pot, and it is now your turn to act. In this situation, your minimum defense frequency is:

$100 / ($100 + $100) = 0.50, or 50%

To avoid being exploited by bluffs, you must call or raise with at least 50% of your range.

1. The more you bet, the more likely it will be that your opponent will fold.

This means that when you get called by an opponent in later betting rounds, they have a better hand than yours. Therefore, your MDF strategy will help you win a lot of money. If you're going to use the MDF strategy, make sure to follow these rules:

1. Don't bluff! You might think this is obvious advice but if it doesn't work out for you at first, try again with another player or two before giving up on this strategy altogether.

Pot Odds vs. MDF

MDF is superior to pot odds only when playing against unknown players or in an unknown environment without knowing the population, which we'll discuss shortly.

Unlike MDF calculations, pot odds should be considered by almost every hand.

Pot odds are expressed as a ratio, such as 2-to-1, which can be converted into a percentage, in this case, 33 percent.

The following is the formula for calculating pot odds:

(pot size + bet size + call size) / (pot size + bet size + call size)

Multiply the result by 100 to get the percentage.

• We need to call $37.50 because the pot is $75.00. Our formula should look like this:

37.50 / (75 + 37.50 + 37.50) = 37.50 / 150 = 0.25

When we multiply the result by 100, we get the percentage of the time we need to win when we call to break even: 25%.

When to Use Minimal Defense Frequency?

The MDF strategy should be used when you are playing a tight game and have a good understanding of your opponent's playing style. This strategy is best used when you are playing against players who are not aggressive.

When Not to Use Minimal Defense Frequency?

MDF should not be used against very aggressive players who will call with any hand. Also, using it in a tournament where there is a lot of pressure on the players to play quickly is not recommended. Finally, if you are a beginner and do not have a lot of experience in playing Poker, MDF might not be for you either. See below some other situations where you should not use this strategy:

1. When playing against a good player:

If you can tell that your opponent is a solid player, you might want to avoid using MDF. After all, it's unlikely that they'll call worse than they should just because they're feeling lucky.

1. If you have a good hand:

Your hand should be strong enough that if your opponent has the same hand or one higher than yours, they will still fold and not try to bluff-call. So, for example, if you're holding KK and facing QQ, don't use MDF because it'll cost more money in the long run than if you usually bet on every street.

1. If the pot is small:

If there isn't much money already in the pot when choosing between regular betting and MDF betting, stick with regular betting.

Conclusion

MDF is a concept we think new players should practice on the free version of poker games. When you're not playing for real money, studying it will help you develop the ability to think about your entire range. You'll also learn which hands to play in different situations, considering different board bet sizes. Ultimately, we advise you not to confuse MDF with pot odds because many people are mixing those two. However, we hope this article was helpful and that you can rely on it to create many winning hands in the future.