Payoff
A payoff is a call of a bet, usually on the last round, with a hand that is not expected to be the best. The caller pays off the bettor.
The simple explanation
If you call a big river bet with a weak hand and the opponent has a better one, you paid him off.
A closer look
The word is used for a call that gives the bettor his winnings. Paying off is not always a mistake: a call may be right if the odds are good. But habitual paying off with weak hands loses money. Think about which hands the opponent can have before calling.
A practical example
A player calls a large river bet with a pair of fives and loses. He paid off the opponent.
Full explanation
A payoff is a call of a bet, usually on the last round, with a hand that is not expected to be the best. The caller pays off the bettor.
A payoff is a call with a hand that is not expected to be best.
It usually happens on the river.
It is not always a mistake.
Think about the opponent’s range.
Alternative spelling: pay-off, pay off