In poker, a cooler can happen in various forms, such as when two players hold premium hands like pocket aces and pocket kings. When these players go all-in, the player with pocket aces is heavily favored to win, but if the board runs out in a way that gives the player with pocket kings a straight or a flush, the aces will lose. This situation highlights the variance inherent in poker; even the best hand can lose to an unexpected turn of events, often leading to a larger-than-usual financial swing for both players.
Cooler in Poker Example
For example, imagine a player holding pocket aces and another player with pocket kings goes all-in pre-flop. The flop comes down with two more kings and an unrelated card, giving the player with pocket kings four of a kind. The player with pocket aces, despite having a strong hand initially, faces a devastating loss to the cooler situation.