In poker, to isolate a player means to make a raise that aims to put your heads-up against a particular opponent.
For example, a player that you perceive as weak makes a raise from the middle position. You look down at Q-J on the button and decide to go for a raise, even if this isn’t the hand that you’d normally raise, because you want to ensure that nobody else calls and that you either pick up the pot or play only against the original raiser.
The isolation raise is usually done against a player that you believe in having a significant edge against postflop, and you want to avoid playing multiway pot. In that case, you are more likely to outplay your opponent even if you do not hit a strong hand.
This can be a very profitable play, but observant opponents like grinders will eventually catch up with what you’re doing and may adjust their strategy accordingly.
