Villain
Villain is the name given to the opponent in a hand example, so that a hand can be discussed without naming anybody.
It pairs with hero, the player whose seat the example is written from. Neither word says anything about the people involved, which is exactly why they are used: the discussion stays about the decision.
When a hand is written this way, the useful part is what villain is said to have done rather than what they are said to be like. A range is built from actions, and a label is not evidence.
an example
your cards
board
Hero raises with two queens, villain calls from the big blind, and the flop brings an ace. What matters now is that villain called before the flop with a range that contains plenty of aces, not what sort of player they are.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find villain in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Hero
Hero is the name given to the player whose seat you are looking at in a hand example, so that a hand can be discussed wi ...
Range
A range is the whole set of hands a player could hold in a given situation, rather than a guess at the one hand they act ...
Hand history
A hand history is the full record of a hand, listing every card, every action and every amount, which is what makes a de ...
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Knowing the word is not the same as seeing it.
Forty hands against a bot, no account, and your own hand history at the end.