A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W
A
Ace-High
A five-card hand that has no hand combinations (flush, straight, pair etc), but contains one Ace.
Action
Can refer to any of the available options such as bet, raise, call, check, fold etc. See this glossary entry for a breakdown.
Aces Up
Two pair, one of which is Aces.
Add-On
An amount that can be added to our stack of tournament chips for a set fee during a designated break.
A-Game
Refers to playing poker with an optimal mindset or mental state. Also referred to as playing poker “in the zone”.
Aggression Factor
A ratio that compares how many aggressive actions (betting and raising) are taken for each passive action (calling).
Alias
Refers to a player’s online screenname. Players who predominantly play online are often known by their alias/screename.
All-in
When you bet all your money on a hand, either voluntarily in the belief that you have the
strongest hand, or because do not have enough money to cover the full amount bet by
someone else. You then contend for the pot in an amount proportional to what you contributed.
Angle
“Angle shooting” refers to manipulation of the rules to gain an unfair advantage.
Ante
The minimum bet that players must place into the pot by each player before betting begins. The ante is placed before any cards are dealt.
Any Two
Expression in Hold’em used to indicate an action that can be taken regardless of the hole cards – “I would 3bet any two cards in that spot”.
Any Two Cards
An expression used to convey that the 2 hole cards don’t matter in a certain Hold’em situation.
B
Backdoor
Making a hand you weren’t playing for, eg. You play for a full house but make a flush.
Backing
Lending money to a poker player and receiving a percentage of their poker profits in return.
Backraise
Refers to a re-raise made after just calling earlier on the same street.
Bad Beat
When a good hand that would have been expected to win the pot is beaten by a lucky draw.
Bad Beat Jackpot
A large prize awarded to a player who loses a hand despite having an exceptionally strong holding.
Bankroll
Refers to the total amount of funds a player has at his disposal for the purpose of playing poker. Consult this entry for advice on how to manage a bankroll profitably.
Barrel
Refers to making a bet after already being the last aggressor on the previous street.
bb
he lower case ‘bb’ refers to ‘big blinds’ in poker. It’s used as a measurement of stack sizes and bet sizes in poker games.
Belly Buster
A colloquial term for a gutshot. Otherwise known as “inside straight draw”.
Bet
To “bet” means to make the first wager on the current betting round. The full list of legal actions can be found in the glossary entry under “Action”.
Big Bet
Refers to the larger of the two designated bet-sizings in fixed limit games. The big bet sizing is usually employed on the later rounds of betting once the pot is typically larger.
Big Blind
The first bet posted by the player to the left of the player who posts the small blind. It is a forced bet. The big blind bet amount is equal to the lower bet. For example, in a $10 – $20 game, the big blind is $10.
Big Slick
An A-K combination as pocket (hole) cards.
Blind
To perform an action blind means to do it without looking at our cards. In this glossary entry, find out why this is a huge disadvantage.
Blind Bet
A forced bet that is placed before any cards are dealt. It is considered a live bet for the first
round of betting. You have big blind and small blind bets in the first round of betting.
Blocker
A “blocker” is a card that has a card removal effect on villain’s range. For example, if we hold a King in our hand, it’s less likely that villain has a King in his hand. Check this glossary entry for examples of how blocker effects might be utilized.
Blocker Bet
A small bet made in the hopes of preventing our opponent making an even larger bet if checked to. Learn whether block betting is a good idea in this glossary entry.
Blue Chips
Blue chips are usually worth $10, but it can vary. They are the highest value chip in a classic three-colour poker chipset.
Bluff
To pretend that you have a better hand than you actually do, by betting aggressively, in the
hope that the other players will fold.
Bluffcatch
To call with a hand that can only win if our opponent is bluffing. Discover the associated maths in this glossary entry.
Board
The cards seen by all the players, the community cards in the center of the table or in a players hand in a game like stud poker.
Boat
Colloquial term for a full house in poker. See the glossary entry under “Hand Rankings” for the full list.
Bomb Pot
Where all players agree to place an additional ante into the pot at the beginning of the hand before cards are dealt.
Bot
A non-human player at the tables. While illegal on most sites they still find a way of making it to the tables.
Bottom Pair
Refers to a pair made with the lowest ranked card on the board when playing community card games such as Hold’em.
Bounty
A prize that can be collected after knocking a specific player out of a tournament. A bounty is often put on the head of professional players, especially those that are sponsored pros at the site in question.
Bring-in
A forced payment made by the player with the worst upcard on the third street in tud. Said player can either pay the bring-in or “complete” to the small bet amount if he likes his cards.
Brick
A term for a card that doesn’t complete any possible draws. Especially a low offsuit card.
Brick and Mortar
Refers to a company (casino in this case) that has a physical presence (i.e. a building) from where it runs operations.
Broadway
Any card out of Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace can be referred to as a “broadway”. The Ace-high straight is also referred to as “broadway”.
BRM
Any acronym standing for “bankroll management” – the strategies which govern when to move up and down in limits.
Bubble
The stage of a tournament directly before any player has made the prizepool. Check out this glossary entry for tips on how to play the bubble.
Bullets
A pair of Aces. If these are your pocket cards, they are also known as “Pocket Rockets”.
Burning a Card
Discarding the top card from the deck.
Bum Hunter
A poker player who only plays against weak opposition (usually heads up poker) and sometimes actively stalks weak opponents.
Busted
The term “busted” refers to a draw (such as a straight-draw or flush-draw) that missed its card and did not complete.
Buy-in Amount
the amount you must bring into a game.
C
Call
When you place a bet equal to the previous bet.
Calling Station
Refers to a bad poker player who calls far too frequently.
Calling Your Bluff
“Calling your bluff” means that your opponent suspects you are bluffing and correctly makes the call.
Cap
A cap game is one where there is a limit placed on the maximum amount of chips that can be wagered postflop.
Card Dead
A poker term that means we are on a run where we are only being dealt bad hands and spend most of our time folding.
Card Removal
The effect that our holding has on the possible combinations of hands that villain can hold. Also known as “blocker effect”.
Case
Refers to the last card of a certain rank in the deck. For example, if there are already three Aces in play, the final Ace in the deck is referred to as “the case Ace” if it is dealt.
Case Card
The term ‘case card’ refers to the last card in the deck of a certain rank – e.g ‘the case ace’ means the last ace in the deck.
Cash Games
A format where chips directly represent cash amounts. Players can leave or join the table at any time.
Cash Out
To finish playing and exchange your chips for cash.
Catch
When a player makes the hand s/he was drawing to.
C-Game
Refers to playing poker with a poor mental state. For advice on improving mental game, see the glossary entry under “Mental Game”.
Chance
The ‘odds’ or ‘probability’ that something will occur in poker. Often expressed as a percentage.
Chase
Following after something. In a poker context this is usually either chasing after a draw or chasing lossess after a losing session.
Check
When you want to stay in the game but not place a bet. You can only check if no other bets
have been placed in the betting round.
Check in the Dark
To check on the current betting round without waiting to see which community cards are dealt.
Check-Raise
To check at the beginning of a betting round and then raise when a player to your left bets.
Chinese Poker
A variant of poker where cards are arranged into 3 rows and compared against our opponent’s rows to see who wins points. Check out this glossary entry for a brief summary of the rules of Chinese poker along with the different types of variants that are played.
Chip and a Chair
Refers to the idea that a player can still go on win an entire poker tournament even if they are down to their last chip.
Chip Dumping
The act of using online poker as a means to facilitate illegal money transfers. Check this glossary entry for clues on how to spot chip dumping.
Coinflip
The act of getting the chips in with roughly 50% pot equity. This is a rather loose term as explained in the glossary entry.
Cold-Call
A call made on the first betting round where said call is the player’s first action on that betting round.
Cold Deck
An expression used to indicate that we are getting a bad run of cards.
Collusion
The term “collusion” refers to a type of cheating where 2 or more players secretly work together to win chips off other unsuspecting players.
Colour Up
To trade chips with a low value for a smaller number of higher denomination chips to make the chip stack easier to handle.
Combination
Refers to a specific combination of cards. Check out this glossary entry and learn how to count card combinations in the popular poker variant Hold’em.
Combo Draw
Refers to a drawing hand with multiple draw components. Most often this will be a straight draw which is also a flush draw.
Community Cards
Cards that are dealt to the table. All players can use these cards to complete a five-card hand.
Complete
Can refer to calling in the small blind when facing an open limp in Omaha or Hold’em. It can also refer to raising to the small bet sizing when playing the bring-in in Stud games.
Connector
Refers to a hand that contains cards of consecutive rank.
Continuation Bet
Refers to betting on the current street after being the last aggressor on the previous street.
Cooler
A “cooler” is a situation where our hand is clearly too strong to fold but ends up being beaten by an even stronger hand.
Counterfeit
A situation where a previously strong hand loses a huge chunk of its value after further cards are dealt. See this glossary entry for specific examples of counterfeiting.
Cowboys
A nickname given to pocket Kings, the second best starting hand in Hold’em.
Crack
Carries the connotation of outdrawing a strong hand. “My pocket Aces got cracked!”
Cripple
To make such a strong hand that there is no way our opponent can ever outdraw us. “We flopped big and crippled the deck”.
Crossbook
A bet between two players in the same event. The player who busts out first owes his opponent a percentage of the winnings difference.
Cutoff(CO)
The position at the poker table to the direct right of the button. Provides a good opportunity for stealing the blinds.
D
Dark Bet
A bet made without waiting to see which additional cards are dealt on the current street.
Dealer
The person who deals the cards; it might be a player or a casino employee. The term “dealer” can also be used to describe the player who occupies the button position at the table during the current hand.
Dealer’s Choice
A poker game where the dealer of the hand is allowed to select which poker variant will be played for that orbit/hand.
Dead Man’s Hand
Two pair hand consisting of Aces & Eights. This is reputed to be the hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot dead.
Dead Money
Unclaimed or extra chips in the pot that could potentially be won by the first player willing to take an aggressive action.
Deuce
Common nickname for a card with a rank value of two. Find more about the origins of this term in the glossary entry.
Deuces
A pair of Twos.
Depolarised
A type of range construction involving the top x% of holdings and zero bluffs.
Dirty Stack
A chip stack that has not been correctly organized (considered bad etiquette or even cheating in some cases). Denominations of chips should be grouped together in piles with the larger denominations at the front of the chip stack.
Dog
Short for “underdog”. The term implies that a certain hand/player is statistically less likely to win.
Domination
Domination is where a weak draw or made hand is likely to be running against an even bigger draw/hand when there is a lot of action. Check out this glossary entry for examples.
Donk
To “donk bet” means to make a bet out of position on the current street after closing the action by calling on the previous street. The term can also be used to describe an exceptionally weak player at the table. (Note that the term can be considered derogatory in this context).
Door Card
A door card in Stud is the first upcard dealt to a player. Although it belongs exclusively to the player, it is visible to the entire table.
Double Up
To double the size of our chip stack after winning an all in.
Downcard
“Downcard” in Stud refers to any cards that are dealt face down to the player. They belong exclusively to the player and are not visible to the rest of the table.
Downswing
Refers to a prolonged period of losses. Check out the glossary entry under “Variance” for more information on downswings.
Drawing
Remaining in the round and accepting more cards.
Drawing to a hand
Remaining in the round with the hope of making one’s potential hand as more cards are dealt.
Drawing Dead
When a player is drawing to a hand that is not the best hand offered by the flop and will
therefore be beaten even if the hand is made.
Dry
Refers to a board texture where there are very few (if any) possible draws.
Ducks
A common nickname for pocket Twos in the Hold’em variant of poker. Check this glossary entry for more information.
E
Early Position
In an early betting position for a hand weakest position.
Effective Stacks
Refers to the smaller of two stacks in play. The larger stack can’t wager more chips than the shorter stack has in play. The size of the shorter stack is hence referred to as the “effective stack”.
Equity
Describes the likelihood of a certain hand winning at showdown assuming it doesn’t fold.
Equity Calculator
A tool used to calculate the equity of hands/ranges against other hands/ranges.
Expectation
Interchangeable with the term “expected value”.
Expected Value
The “expected value” of a certain play indicates how profitable we expect a certain play to be in the long run.
F
Face Card
Any Jack, Queen, or King: the artwork often contains a picture of a face on these cards of the deck.
Family Pot
When everyone at the table is still involved in the pot.
Fast Play
Betting and raising aggressively.
Favorite
Indicates that a certain hand or player is statistically likely to win.
Fifth Street
A stud game term used to describe the third betting round (the street on which every remaining player is dealt a fifth card).
Fish
A common term used to describe a weak player at the table. Sometimes considered derogatory so discretion is advised.
Fish Hooks
A nickname given to pocket Jacks, a strong starting hand in Hold’em.
Five-Bet
The fifth bet in a betting sequence. Check out this glossary entry for an example.
Flat
A term used interchangeably with “call” in poker. See the entry for usage examples.
Float
A call made with a speculative holding, having the intention of bluffing on a later street. In modern times this term has been re-appropriated to describe a “bet vs missed c-bet while in position”.
Flop
The first three community cards dealt to the table.
Flush
A hand made with five cards of the same suit. See the glossary entry under “Hand Rankings” for a breakdown of all the different hand types.
Flush Draw
When a player holds four cards of the same suit and is hoping to draw a fifth card of that suit to complete a flush.
Fold
When players throw in their cards. They give up any claim on the pot in exchange for not having to contribute more money to the pot.
Forced Bet
A bet that a player has no choice but to make, a blind bet.
Four-Bet
The fourth bet in a betting sequence.
Fourth Street
The second betting round in Stud. It’s called ‘fourth’ because players have been dealt four cards at this stage.
Free Card
A card seen without having to invest additional chips. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on the scenario as explained in this glossary entry.
Freeroll
A tournament with no buy-in required. Also refers to a situation where a hand can either chop or win but can rarely (or never) lose. The freeroll concept will be more easily understood after seeing the examples provided in this glossary entry.
Full Boat
Poker nickname for a full house – a hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two of another.
Full House
A five card hand made with a combination of three of a kind and one pair. See the glossary entry under “Hand Rankings” for a breakdown of all the different hand types.
G
Gap
Refers to a gap between cards of consecutive rank. Examples are given in this glossary entry.
Grinding
Refers to playing poker for long hours and slowly building up profit.
Go on tilt
When a player loses emotional balance during a game and plays irrationally.
Gut Shot
To draw to an inside straight.
Gut Shot Straight Draw
A type of straight draw where we are waiting on a card on the inside of our structure to complete the straight. Also known as ‘inside straight draw’.
H
Hanger
A term used to describe a protruding bottom card when base dealing. Check this entry for information on how to spot illegal base dealing in your own games.
Hand for Hand
A stage in poker tournaments where every table must finish their current hand before the tournament moves on to the next hand.
Hand Rankings
Check out this glossary entry for a full breakdown of the different types of hand that can be made in poker. Does a straight beat a flush? Find out here!
Heads Up
A game with only two players in it.
Hero Call
A call made with a speculative hand in the hopes that our opponent is bluffing. Is hero calling ever a good idea? Find out in this glossary entry.
Hero Fold
When a poker player folds a very strong hand (which would ordinarily call) because he has a strong feeling that he is beat.
High Hand
A poker hand where we don’t hold a pair or stronger. The strength of our hand is defined by its highest card (Aces are high in most variants). For a full breakdown of all the different hand types see the glossary entry under “Hand Rankings”.
High Roller
The term ‘High Roller’ describes gamblers who participate in the highest-stakes games. It doesn’t apply exclusively to poker. Casino gamblers are often referred to as high rollers also.
Hijack
A position at the poker table. Check the glossary entry for strategy advice.
Last Longer – A bet made between two players in a tournament setting. The player who busts out first loses the bet.
Hit
We “hit” when a card falls that gives us a decent hand. “We held a flush draw on the turn but hit on the river”.
Hit and Run
Describes a situation where a player wins big shortly after joining a cash game then leaves immediately afterwards.
Hold’em
The most popular poker variant, sometimes referred to as the “Cadillac of Poker”. Learn the rules of this popular variant in this glossary entry.
Hole Cards
These are the Down Cards in front of the players. (Also known as “Pocket Cards”).
House
The host of the game (e.g. the casino).
Hyper Turbo
A type of poker tournament (or sit and go) with an extremely fast blind structure and shallow starting stacks.
I
ICM
Stands for “Independent Chip Modelling” and refers to a mathematical technique of assigning real monetary values to tournament chips.
Implied Odds
A pot odds calculation factoring in the additional chips we stand to win on later streets if we make our hand.
Inside Straight Draw
Drawing to a straight where the cards needed to complete the straight are those in the middle of the straight. For example, you have 6-7-9-10 and need the middle card (8) to make the straight.
Insurance
A side wager made with another player at the table. If hero’s hand does not hold up, he’ll receive an insurance payout from the other player.
ITM
ITM in poker stands for ‘in the money’ and refers to players in line for a cash prize since they have successfully passed the bubble.
IPP
International Pro Poker
IPPT
International Pro Poker Tournament
J
Jackpot
Some casinos and poker rooms offer a “bad beat jackpot” when an extremely strong hand gets cracked.
Jam
Colloquial term meaning to shove all-in.
Joker
53rd card. The joker can be used as an ace in some cases. It is also frequently used in draw games. It can also be used to complete a straight or flush, in high games. It can also be used as the lowest card not already present in a hand at low.
Juice
Money the house collects. Also known as vig, vigorish, or the rake.
K
Kicker
The highest unpaired card of a player’s pocket cards.
L
LAG
Stands for “Loose Aggressive” and describes a player who plays many starting hands in an aggressive manner.
Last Longer
A side bet wagered between tournament participants to see who lasts longer. The last player to bust out of the tournament wins the bet.
Laydown
To make a fold. Sometimes implies reluctance to ditch the hand. “We thought for a long time but eventually made the laydown”.
Levelling
Refers to thinking on different levels when playing a hand of poker.
Leverage
Refers to chips that have an influence on correct strategy despite the fact that they are not currently in play.
Limit
Generally used to describe a game with a fixed-limit betting structure. All bets and raises occur in fixed increments.
Limit Poker
A betting structure in poker variants where players must bet or raise in pre-decided fixed increments.
Limp
Describes the action of just calling when there is no raise before us on the first betting round.
Limping In
Calling the big blind rather than raising.
Lowball
Refers to a poker variant which makes use of a “low” hand ranking system. The easiest way to conceptualize this is with the phrase “worst hand wins” although it’s slightly more complex than this in reality.
Low Hand
In lowball variants of poker the objective is to make the best “low hand”.
M
Maniac
Refers to a player type whose style can be characterized with the words “loose and crazy”.
Mark
In a poker context refers to the weak player at the table. Strong players will increase their profits by targeting the mark.
Mechanic
Someone who has learnt sleight of hand techniques for manipulating a card deck and can potentially cheat while dealing.
Mental Game
Refers to the discipline of looking to better one’s mental outlook when playing poker at the tables. This glossary entry provides a guide for developing a stronger mental game.
Middle Position
Middle position in poker refers to the hijack, lojack and mp1 on a full ring poker table. It refers exclusively to the hijack on a 6-handed table.
Mid Stakes
Poker games with a larger buy-in than ‘low stakes’ but a smaller buy-in than ‘high stakes’. I.e. the middle stakes.
Misclick
To accidentally perform the wrong action when playing in an online setting. Chiefly used to describe clicking in the wrong location (or accidentally clicking) with a mouse.
Monotone
Describes a board texture (or hand structure in some cases) where all cards are of the same suit.
Monster
A very strong hand.
Muck
When you do not want to show your hand to the table. The hand is discarded without being
displayed to the table. You can muck a losing hand in a show down, or the winning hand if
everyone else has folded before you.
Must Move
An overflow game created when the main table in a casino is full. Players must move to the main table when a seat is free.
N
Nash Equilibrium
A game theory concept. A Nash equilibrium is reached when all players are perfectly balanced and cannot improve their winrate by deviating from their current strategy.
Nit
Describes an extremely risk averse player who hardly plays any of his starting hands. A nit simply hopes to wait for premium holdings and get a big payout.
Nosebleed
A term used to designate ultra high stakes cash game action, typically 5knl and above.
No-Limit
The term “no limit” refers to a betting structure where players are allowed to bet or raise any amount at any given time.
Nuts
The best possible hand that cannot be beaten, at a particular point of the game.
Nut Flush
A flush containing the Ace.
Nut Flush Draw
A draw to the Ace High Flush. This will also typically be the stone cold nuts if it hits.
Nut-low
The lowball version of “the nuts”. It describes the best possible low hand in a lowball (or split pot) variant of poker.
O
Off suit
Cards of different suits.
Omaha
A popular poker variant utilizing community cards. Each player is dealt four hole-cards on the preflop betting round.
One-Gap
A term used to describe two cards which are not in direct consecutive order but instead contain a gap of one. For example, 79s in Hold’em can be described as a “one-gapper”.
Open-ended Straight Draw
A straight draw where a player is waiting for one of two cards on the outside of his structure. For example, we hold 5678 and make a straight if we pick up any 9 or 4.
Open-raise
To make the first raise on the first betting round.
OOP
An acronym standing for “out of position”.
OMC
Old man coffee. It’s used to describe an older player at the poker table who exhibits certain characteristics.
Outs
Cards that will make the hand that the player is drawing to.
Overbet
To make a bet sizing larger than the current size of the pot.
Overcall
To make a call when another player has already made a call before us on the current street. I.e. to call behind.
Over card
A card on the board higher than your pair.
Overlay
Additional money injected by the poker room into a tournament prize pool. This is performed when a guarantee tournament can’t deliver the promised payout based on player buyins alone i.e. there is a shortfall.
Overlimp
An overlimp is a limp on the first betting round after another player has already limped. (A limp is where we just call when first to act on the firs betting round). An overlimp is sometimes also referred to as a ‘limp behind’.
Overpair
A pair in the hole that is higher than the highest card on the board in community card games such as Hold’em and Omaha.
P
Pair
We make a pair when we hold two cards of identical rank.
Play the Board
Can refer to a situation where we formulate our hand entirely using community cards. Can also refer to a scenario where we make plays without a legitimate hand based purely on the board texture (in community card games) or the appearance of our upcards (in Stud games).
Paint
A term used to designate any cards between (and including) Jack and Ace. Also frequently referred to as “broadways” or “face cards”.
Paint Cards
The picture cards (King, Queen, Jack).
Pocket Cards
The cards dealt face down to each player. (Also known as “Hole Cards”).
Pocket Pair
Refers to a starting hand where we have a pair in the hole.
Pocket Rockets
A pair of Aces as your pocket cards (hole cards).
Polarized
A type of range construction where hands are divided into two categories, value hands and bluffs.
Position
Can refer to the specific position at the table we are occupying. It can also be used to refer to whether we are “in position” or “out of position”. This important concept is dissected in this glossary entry.
Post
The term “post” is typically used in conjunction with mandatory blind payments whether that be the small-blind, big-blind or antes. “Before each hand, every player at the table posts the antes.”
Postflop
In community card variants such as Hold’em or Omaha, the term “postflop” describes everything from the second betting round (the flop) onwards.
Pot
The pot is the pile of chips that accumulates as each player ante, bet and raise. All winnings are paid from the pot. The value of the pot varies. It is dependent on the stakes involved and the amount the Players bet. The pot goes to the winner of each round. (Note:
The House takes a small percentage of the pot. This is known as the “rake”. If two or more Players have the same winning hand, they split the pot equally.).
Pot Committed
The idea that a player has invested enough of his chip stack that folding at any point would now be a mistake.
Pot–Limit
A game where a player’s maximum bet is the size of the pot.
Pot Odds
The calculated odds the money in the pot represents in relation to how much it will cost to play and hand and the players chances of winning the hand.
Preflop
The first betting round in community cards games such as Hold’em and Omaha.
PRF
Stands for “preflop raiser”. A statistic which indicates how frequently a player is raising preflop when given the opportunity.
Price
How much something costs, such as the amount we need to call when facing a bet. Often used interchangeably with other terms such as pot odds.
Probe
Traditionally a small bet designed to gather information. However, the term has been re-appropriated in modern times to refer to a “bet vs missed continuation bet while out of position”.
Prop Player
A poker player who is given an hourly wage by a casino to play poker at their tables. Prop players gamble with their own money.
Protection
A bet or raise with a made hand, primarily to fold out our opponent’s live equity rather than with the intention of getting called by worse.
Q
Quads
Four of a kind (four cards of the same denomination).
Qualify
In split pot games, a low hand must “qualify” before it is counted as a legitimate low hand. In most variants this means holding 5 cards 8 or lower.
R
Rabbit Hunt
Seeing the remaining community cards after folding. This has no impact on the game but allows players to see if they would have hit their hand or not.
Ragged
Often used to describe a non-coordinated board texture.
Rags
Useless cards – cards that don’t improve a hand.
Rainbow
When the board contains 3 or 4 cards of different suits.
Raise
When you increase the bet made by a preceding player. This increases the stakes for remaining Players, who now have to match the total amount including the raise.
Rake
Percentage of the pot taken by the house.
Rakeback
A percentage of rake paid which is given back to the players as a reward. It sometimes comes in the form of a VIP system.
Range
The term “range” is used to describe a distribution of possible holdings that a player might hold.
Range Advantage
This term is used when one player has a better range than his opponent.
Rank
The term “rank” simply refers to a card’s value/number. I.e. Jack, Four, Ace etc etc.
Rap
A term used interchangeably with “tap”, potentially used to describe the act of tapping the table twice as the visual signal for checking in a live game.
Ratholing
Describes the action of leaving a ring game and then rebuying in for a smaller amount of chips.
Razz
The lowball version of seven card Stud. Check out this glossary entry for a description of the rules.
Read
Sometimes used interchangeably with the term “tell”. It indicates that we have a good vision over the type of holdings our opponent is likely to show up with. “Normally I would have folded, but I had a read that villain likes to bluff, so I made the call”.
Rebuy
To purchase additional chips. Predominantly applies to cash games although rebuy tournaments do exist.
Redraw
A possible draw has completed on the board texture but we are drawing to an even bigger hand.
Regular
A poker player who regularly plays in a certain game. Usual denotes an opponent of above average skill level.
Represent
When we don’t have a certain holding but we look to represent that we do through our actions. The term can also be used to analyze the meaning behind villain’s actions. Villain bet large on all three streets: he is definitely representing something big.
Re-raise
To re-raise means to raise after there has already been a raise on the current street. Check this glossary entry for the rules that govern re-raising in poker.
Reverse Implied Odds
An adjusted pot odds calculation taking into account chips we might lose on the later streets after we complete our draw.
Ring Game
A normal real money table game, as opposed to a tournament game.
River
Refers to the final betting round in Hold’em, Omaha and Stud variants.
River Card
The final community card dealt.
River Rat
A player who gets lucky and sucks out on the river. Especially applies to players who are clearly calling too wide on the earlier streets.
Rock
Refers to a player type who only enters the pot with an extremely tight range. This term might be sometimes used interchangeably with the word “nit” although some assign the two words completely different meanings.
Rolled Up
A Stud term that indicates being dealt three of a kind on third street, i.e. rolled up trips.
Royal Flush
The best possible hand in poker. We hold the Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit.
Run
A term used to describe the fall of cards over a period of time. “Running good” and “running bad” are terms commonly used to describe a lucky and an unlucky streak respectively.
Rundown
The term “rundown” is generally used to describe connected starting hands in Omaha variants. For example, the starting hand T987 is referred to as a “Ten-high rundown”.
Run It Twice
After all remaining players are all-in, the final board cards are dealt twice – half the pot being awarded to the winner of each runout. This is a useful tool for reducing variance.
Runner Runner
Making a strong made hand after catching consecutive running cards. For example, we hold three hearts on the flop and catch running hearts on both the turn and river to make our flush.
S
Sandbagging
A term used interchangeably with “slowplaying” or “trapping”. It means to play a strong hand deceptively by using passive lines such as checking and calling.
Satellite
A tournament event that awards winners a ticket to an even bigger tournament.
Scare Cards
High board cards (e.g. an Ace that appears on the flop).
See
To see someone is to call their bet.
Semi-bluff
To bluff with a hand that still has drawing potential and could improve to be the winning hand.
Set
Three of a kind made specifically with a pocket pair in the hole.
Set Over Set
Where two players both make a set at the same time (but one is higher). It is considered an unlucky ‘cooler’ type situation since neither player is supposed to fold in many cases.
Seven Deuce
The acknowledged weakest starting card combination in Texas Hold-em (7-2).
Sequence
Refers to the ordering of the cards. For example, five cards in sequential rank order makes a straight in poker.
Short Handed
Describes a poker table with six players or less. Heads up poker is a form of short handed poker for example.
Short Stack
A player without many chips in his stack. Certainly refers to stack sizes less than 100bb, and frequently refers to stack sizes less than 50bb.
Shove
Colloquial term for betting all-in. See the glossary entry under “All-in” for advice on when it makes sense to commit all of our chips.
Showdown
After the last betting round when the remaining players compare hands to determine the winner. The player with the highest value hand wins the pot.
Show Hand
To expose the value of our hole cards after the hand is over.
Sick
A term used to either mean “extremely cool” or “extremely unlucky”. The exact meaning depends on the context.
Side Pot
A second pot formed when one player is already all-in but there are still players left in the hand with additional chips to play for.
Sit and Go
A type of poker tournament which starts as soon as a designated number of entrants is reached.
Sitting Out
When you choose to leave a table for a few hands. (Note: If a player sits out for more than fifteen minutes, or has missed two rounds of blinds, they are usually removed from the table.).
Sizing
Refers simply to the size of our bet. Bet sizing is an important aspect of high level play.
Slow Playing
Playing non-aggressively with a powerful hand; calling and betting instead of raising. This is done in the hope of not driving players out of the hand and thus sucking more money into the pot. This is also called “sandbagging”.
Slowroll
To take a long time to call when we are closing the action and have the effective nuts.
Small Bet
Used in poker games with fixed limit structure. Denotes the smaller of two designated bet sizings (the small bet and the big bet).
Small Blind
The first bet posted by the player to the Dealer’s left. It is a forced bet. The small blind bet
amount is equal to half of the lower bet. For example, in a $10 – $20 game, the small blind is $5.
Snap Call
Means to call immediately without any form of hesitation. The term can also be used for other actions e.g. snap fold, snap shove.
Soft Play
To deliberately play a weak strategy against an opponent, perhaps because we are friends with them off the poker tables.
Solver
A poker calculator that generates game theory optimal solutions to a hand given a specific game tree.
Splash the Pot
To put our chips into the middle of the table in a disorderly fashion. It’s considered good etiquette to keep our chips in neat piles when making big bets.
Split
A split pot variant of poker is where half of the pot is awarded to one type of hand while the other half is awarded to another type of hand. The most common example is hi/lo split variants; half the pot is awarded to a high hand, the other half is awarded to the best low hand.
Split Pot
A split pot is one that is awarded to multiple players. This could be in the eventuality that a hand ties, or when playing a split pot variant of poker.
Spread Limit
A betting structure where players may bet/raise within a range of allowable sizes. Sometimes considered the middle ground between fixed-limit and no-limit.
Squeeze
A raise made against multiple players where there has already been a bet and a call on the current street. Especially used to describe 3betting against multiple opponents on the preflop betting round in Omaha and Hold’em.
SRP
Stands for ‘single raised pot’ in poker. It refers to pots where there was only one raise on the first betting round.
Stab
To make a bet, especially in a scenario where our opponent has just shown weakness. An example of such weakness might be skipping a continuation bet opportunity.
Stack
A player’s chips.
Stack to Pot Ratio
This is a ratio that describes the relationship between what is in the pot compared to how many chips are remaining in the effective stacks.
Staking
Lending money to a poker player and receiving a percentage of their poker profits in return.
Stand Pat
This is a legal option in draw games. To “stand pat” means to decline the option to draw additional cards and stay with the current hand.
Steal
To try and win the pot by betting when everyone else has checked, or by making a large raise when everyone else has called.
Stealing
Stealing refers to an attempt to win the pot outright on the first betting round, especially as the first raiser. For example, in Hold’em, any open-raise from the small blind, button or cutoff is considered a “steal attempt”.
Steel Wheel
Refers to the Ace to Five straight flush. This is an especially strong hand in PLO8 since it can win both the high and the low pot.
Steam
To be tilted. A player can be described as “steaming” if he is extremely angry, perhaps as a result of a bad run of cards.
Stop and Go
Refers to the line where a player bets the flop, checks the turn (stops), then fires the river (and go).
Straddle
A straddle is an optional blind bet made before any cards are dealt.
Straight
A five card hand consisting of all 5 cards in consecutive rank order i.e. 5,6,7,8,9.
Straight Flush
A five card hand consisting of all 5 cards in consecutive rank order and also of the same suit.
Street Poker
An unwritten agreement between players to play insupportably loose poker.
String Bet
String bet refers to splitting a wagering decision into multiple parts. For example “I call your bet…..and raise you by another 50”. In a modern casino, the player would be obligated to just call, since this was what he originally announced.
Structure
The term “structure” can refer to a range of different variables pertaining to the format of a certain poker game.
Stud
A poker variant without community cards where players are dealt a combination of upcards (visible to the table) and downcards (secret).
Suck out
When our opponent catches an unlikely card and goes on to win the pot.
Suited
The term “suited” typically describes a starting hand where two or more of the cards share the same suit.
T
Table Stakes
A ruling which prevents players from being forced to wager more chips than they brought to the table in the first place.
TAG
Short for “Tight Aggressive”. Describes an aggressive player who enters the pot with a relatively tight and strong range of holdings.
Tank
An abbreviation of “time bank”. Refers to the act of thinking about a decision at the tables.
Tell
Often used interchangeably with “read”. A tell is an unconscious indication from our opponent that he has a certain type of holding.
Tells
Gestures or words by a player that give away the value of his/her hand.
Texture
Usually refers to the board texture in community card games such as Hold’em and Omaha but could ultimately be used to describe any group of cards such as boards in Stud.
Three-Bet
Refers to the third bet in a sequence of bets.
Three of a Kind
We make this hand when we hold three cards of identical rank along with two kickers.
Three Pair
A term that is used mostly in Omaha variants. Only two of the pairs count, but the third pair provides additional outs to make a boat.
Tie
When two hands are of equivalent strength and hence split/chop the pot.
Tight
A tight player is a player who never bets unless they hold a good hand.
Tilt
Refers to playing poker with an affected mental state – especially anger, but also fear, lack of motivation etc etc.
Time Bank
The optional extra time available to online poker players during a hand.
Tournament
A poker format with a fixed buyin. Players continue playing until they run out of chips. The last man standing is typically the tournament winner.
Tracking Software
Software that tracks poker results along with a range of other features.
Trap
To play a strong made hand passively in the hope that our opponent launches a big bluff.
Trey
Commonly used term to describe a card of rank “Three”.
Trips
Colloquial term for three of a kind when not made with a pocket pair in the hole.
Turn
The fourth community card dealt.
Two-bet
The second bet in a betting sequence.
Two Pair
A hand made by holding two sets of pairs along with one kicker.
Two-tone
Describes a board texture or group of cards consisting of two distinct suits.
U
Under the Gun
The player who must act first in the betting round.
Underbet
A bet sizing less than 50% of the pot.
Underdog
Sometimes abbreviated to the word “dog”. Describes a hand or player which is statistically unlikely to win.
Upcard
A card dealt to the player in Stud face up, meaning it is visible to the entire table.
Upswing
A prolonged period of winning (especially when the winrate is higher than anticipated). I.e. running good.
Up the Ante
To increase the stakes.
V
Value Bet
A bet with a made hand hoping to get paid off by a worse holding.
Variance
A term used to describe the ups and downs of a poker players career. Variance is much larger than many players realise.
Variant
A particular brand of poker: there are many. For example, Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, 5-card Draw, etc.
Villain
A common poker term used to describe our opponent in a hand of poker.
Vig, Vigorish
The rake.
Visible Cards
Cards dealt face up to each Player. Players use these cards to complete a five-card
combination.
VPIP
Stands for ‘voluntarily put in pot’. It’s a percentage which describes how often a player voluntarily invests chips into the pot preflop when given the opportunity. High VPIP means a loose player.
Vulnerable
A hand is vulnerable if it is susceptible to being outdrawn.
W
Whale
An extremely bad poker player. Especially used to describe bad poker players at higher stakes games.
Wet
Describes a board texture with excellent coordination, allowing for a large number of possible draws.
Wheel
The Ace to Five straight. This is an especially strong hand in PLO8 since it has a shot at winning both the high and the low pot.
Wired
Refers to a pair on third street where both of the cards are downcards.
Wrap
Refers to a large straight draw in Omaha variants. Unlike in Hold’em, some of the big straight draws in Omaha can have as many as 20 outs.
Wrap Around Straight
A straight where the Ace falls somewhere in the middle of the five cards. Not a legal hand in the majority of poker variants.
WSOP
World Series of Poker
WTSD
Went to showdown. It’s a measure of how often a player goes on to see showdown after seeing a flop.
WWSF
WWSF stands for won when saw flop and is a measure of how often a player goes on to win the entire hand after seeing a flop.
