What Is a Brick in Poker? The Unpredictable Chaos that Shatters Hopes and Dreams!

Updated on June 20, 2025

Poker can be savage. The turn of a card can shatter your hopes, dreams, and bankrolls. Even though it's frustrating at times, this unpredictable chaos keeps people coming back to the tables.

However, it’s not always fireworks and volcanoes. The laws of mathematics bind the poker gods, and even the juiciest of draws are often more likely to be met with bricks than improve.

But what is a brick in poker, and what do we need to know about them?

Let’s take a look.

Brick in Poker – Definition

In short, a poker brick is a community card that is unlikely to help anyone in the hand. Unlike brick counterparts, known as action cards, they don’t usually lead to much drama, often causing non-all-in hands to fizzle out like a sparkler in a sandpit.

On a board like A♥️T♣️9♥️, for example, an opponent can have lots of drawing hands. Here, a turn of the 3♣️ would be a brick, as would a river card like the 5d, since neither card is likely to change much.

The idea of a brick is straightforward, but things aren’t always as forthright as poker definitions imply. Poker bricks are relative.

Perceived bricks could catch you out if someone went a little gung-ho earlier in the hand and found an unlikely, disguised runout.

Where Does the Poker Slang Originate?

Like most poker slang, the origins are hazy, but a few ideas exist. Some believe the term comes from the card being as useless as a brick. However, this reasoning seems slightly flawed since bricks build monuments and skyscrapers.

Since poker originated in America, the term possibly crossed over from basketball slang, in which a brick is a useless shot, but who knows?

How to Identify Bricks

Since bricks are usually relative to a range, your ability to identify them matches your poker hand-reading skills. Hand-reading comes with experience.

So, if you're relatively new to the game, here are a few tips to help you identify bricks:

1: How did the board change?

One of the most crucial things to consider when assessing brick poker is how the brick interacts with the rest of the board. Did any over-cards come, or did any draws improve?

2: How did your opponent act on previous streets?

Your opponent’s actions are essential, too. When the board pairs on A♣️K♠️3♦️5♠️3♥️, the value of the 3♥️ changes a lot based on your opponent's actions.

• If the pot was played aggressively, you could consider the 3 a brick since it’s unlikely your opponent would continue to the river with a 3.
• If your opponent was playing passively, however, it's more likely they have a 3 in their hand and were trying to take it to showdown. In this case, they just made trips.

3: How wild is your opponent?

Some players often turn up with all kinds of random junk. So, if you’re playing a weak or hyper-aggressive player who loves to bluff in poker, don’t be surprised if a perceived brick improves their hand.

Brick Poker Strategy Tips

While you should always try to mix things up, handling bricks should depend on your opponent.

Some players are always looking for a reason to call.

Calling Stations

These calling stations typically put you on a missed draw if you start betting when bricks fall on wet boards. Since they aren’t looking to fold, they may struggle to see beyond the missed draws you can have, ignoring your potential value hands altogether.

This factor makes them dangerous players to try to bluff, so don’t!

Instead, bet bigger than usual when you have a strong hand against calling stations. Even if they notice the bigger sizing, they will likely interpret it as an attempt to make a bluff look scarier and call regardless.

Tighter Players

You can play a little differently against tighter GTO poker players. For example, when you don't have a good hand and want to bluff, it's a good idea to size your bet down. This smaller size is unlikely to affect their calling frequency, allowing you to save a few chips when they look you up.

The sizing also makes the bluff far more profitable. However, you should avoid this against tricky players since they're more likely to attack it with a bluff-raise.

To Brick or Not to Brick

It's a common misconception that bricks change nothing, but this isn't always true. Since many players learn about c-betting early in their poker careers, some will often do so without considering the board texture.

The same can be said of tilting or wildly aggressive players, who might decide to bluff the flop "just because." This randomness impacts their turn ranges, causing them to show up with hands that better players wouldn’t.

As we mentioned earlier, some players make strong hands with perceived bricks, but thankfully, it won’t happen very often in poker games.

• If you check-called a bet in a 3-way pot on Q♥️9♠️K♥️, for example, you’d logically consider the 4♣️ a brick on the turn— and for good reason.
• After all, betting 44 on such a high, coordinated board would be ambitious (to put it nicely), especially since it’s a multi-way pot and the 4♣️ doesn’t connect with any of the board.

However, if a weak or aggressive player made an unorthodox flop bet with 44, they would hit this brick so strongly. So strongly, you'll probably want to toss a real brick at them. You probably shouldn't, though.

What’s Next?

Now you know what bricks are, you can think about them before they hit the felt. When you're on the flop, take a moment to consider the following:

• Which turn cards would qualify as bricks?
• How likely they are to appear?
• What will your plan be if they do?

Playing pre-brick poker will turn your reactive play into a proactive strategy.

So, there you have it! Everything you need to know about poker bricks.

Here’s a quick quiz to see how much you can remember!

Brick Poker Quiz (Scroll down for the answers)

1. True or False: A brick is a community card that usually improves the strength of most hands at the table.
2. True or False: On a Q♥️T♥️7♣️ board, the 3♣️ is often a brick because it doesn't complete any obvious draws or improve many holdings.
3. True or False: The term "brick" comes from basketball, which refers to a missed or ineffective shot.
4. True or False: Bricks always have the same effect, regardless of betting action or the players’ likely ranges.
5. True or False: Identifying bricks correctly requires solid hand-reading skills, including evaluating how new cards interact with previous streets.
6. True or False: If your opponent was aggressive before the turn, a paired card on the board is undoubtedly a brick and safe to ignore.
7. True or False: Weak or overly aggressive players can make strong hands on any cards that seem like bricks to others.
8. True or False: Betting small on brick turns against tight players can be a profitable bluffing strategy because it keeps your risk low.
9. True or False: Calling stations often fold when bricks fall, which makes them ideal targets for frequent bluffs.
10. True or False: The next time someone asks you, 'What is a brick in poker?', you can tell them all about it.

Brick Poker Quiz Answers

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. False
10. True

See Also

Blank, Board, Texture, Dry, Draw