PT101

Poker Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the terms you will encounter at the table and in strategy articles.

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A

Ace in the Hole
An ace held as a hole card (hidden from opponents). Pocket aces is the strongest starting hand.
Action
Any bet, call, raise, or fold. "The action is on you" means it is your turn.
Add-On
An optional chip purchase available to all players at the end of the rebuy period, regardless of stack size.
Advertising
Intentionally showing a bluff (or a value hand) to influence how opponents perceive you in future hands.
Aggression Factor
A stat measuring how often a player bets or raises compared to how often they call. Higher = more aggressive.
All-In
Betting all remaining chips. You can still win the portion of the pot you contributed to.
Angle Shooting
Using technically legal but unethical actions, such as misleading speech or ambiguous gesturesto gain an unfair advantage.
Ante
A forced bet every player posts before the deal, in addition to or instead of blinds. Common in later tournament levels.

B

Backdoor
A draw that requires two running cards (both turn and river) to complete. Also called a "runner-runner" draw.
Bad Beat
Losing a hand where you were a large statistical favourite.
Bankroll
The total amount set aside for poker.
Barreling
Firing consecutive bets on multiple streets, a double barrel is flop + turn, a triple barrel continues to the river.
Belly Buster
A gutshot straight draw is a draw that requires one specific card in the middle of a sequence to complete the straight.
Big Blind (BB)
The larger of the two forced preflop bets. Also used as a unit for stack sizes: "I had 25 big blinds."
Blocker
A hole card that reduces the number of combinations your opponent can hold. Holding the ace of a suit blocks nut flush combinations.
Bluff
Betting or raising with a hand unlikely to win at showdown, aiming to make opponents fold.
Board
The five community cards placed face up in the middle (flop, turn, river).
Broadway
The highest possible straight: A-K-Q-J-T.
Bubble
The point in a tournament just before the money. The bubble player finishes one spot short of a cash prize.
Button (BTN)
The dealer position, marked by a disc. Acts last post-flop. The most powerful seat at the table.

C

Call
Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
Check
Passing the action without betting when no bet has been made yet.
Check-Raise
Checking when first to act, then raising after an opponent bets. A show of strength or a semi-bluff.
Chip Dumping
Deliberately losing chips to another player, typically collusion in a tournament to give one player a bigger stack.
Chip Race
The procedure used to remove smaller denomination chips when a tournament blind level increases. Players receive one card per chip being raced; the highest cards receive replacement chips.
Cold Call
Calling a raise without having any money already invested in the pot (other than a forced blind).
Continuation Bet (C-Bet)
Betting the flop after raising preflop, regardless of whether the board helped your hand.
Cooler
A situation where a strong hand loses to a better hand through no fault of either player. For example a flush losing to a full house.
Cutoff (CO)
The seat immediately to the right of the button. The second-best positional seat, often used to steal the blinds.

D

Dead Man's Hand
Two pair: aces and eights, the hand Wild Bill Hickok held when he was shot.
Dead Money
Chips already in the pot from players no longer in the hand.
Donk Bet
Betting into the preflop aggressor from out of position.
Double Up
Winning an all-in to double your chip count.
Draw
A hand that is not yet complete but can improve on future streets. Such as a flush draw or straight draw.
Drawing Dead
Having no outs. No card in the deck can make your hand win.
Dynamic Board
A board texture with many draws and potential straight or flush completions, making hands vulnerable on future streets. Contrast with a static (dry) board.

E

Effective Stack
The smaller of two players' stacks, which determines the maximum amount at risk in a hand. In a 100BB vs 40BB confrontation, the effective stack is 40BB.
Equity
Your statistical share of the pot. If you win 40% of the time in an all-in, you have 40% equity.
Expected Value (EV)
The average outcome of a decision over many repetitions. +EV decisions make money long-term.

F

Fish
A weak or inexperienced player.
Float
Calling a bet with a weak hand, intending to bluff on a later street when the opponent shows weakness.
Flop
The first three community cards dealt face up.
Flush Draw
Four cards of the same suit, needing one more to complete a flush. A nine-out draw.
Fold Equity
The value gained from the chance an opponent folds when you bet or raise.

G

Gap Hand
A concept describing how you need a stronger hand to call a raise than to open one yourself. The "gap" is the extra hand strength required.
Grinder
A player who plays carefully and methodically, grinding out small consistent profits over a large volume of hands.
Gutshot
A straight draw requiring one specific rank in the middle of a sequence. Example: holding 6-9 on a 7-8-K board needs a 5 or T. With 6-9, you need a T or 5 to make 5-6-7-8-9 or 6-7-8-9-T. Four outs.

H

Heads-Up
A hand or match between exactly two players.
Hero Call
Calling a large bet with a weak hand based on a read that the opponent is bluffing.
Hijack (HJ)
The seat two to the right of the button. A middle-late position with reasonable stealing and playability.

I

ICM
Independent Chip Model. A method for converting tournament chips into real-money value, used for final table decisions.
Implied Odds
The potential future winnings factored into a current calling decision.
In Position
Acting after your opponent on post-flop streets. Being in position is a significant advantage because you have more information.
Isolation
Raising over a limper to go heads-up against a weaker player, removing other opponents from the hand.

K

Kicker
The unpaired card(s) that break ties. Ace-king beats ace-queen when both pair the ace because king outranks queen.

L

Late Position
The hijack, cutoff, and button seats. Players in late position act last or near-last and have a significant informational advantage.
Late Registration
The period after a tournament starts during which new players can still enter with a full starting stack.
Limp
Calling the big blind preflop instead of raising. Generally a weak play from most positions.

M

M-Ratio
A measure of your stack size relative to the total cost of one orbit (all blinds and antes). An M of 10 means your stack covers 10 full orbits. Coined by Dan Harrington.
Maniac
A player who bets and raises at a very high frequency, often with weak holdings.
MTT (Multi-Table Tournament)
A poker tournament played across multiple tables that consolidate as players are eliminated, concluding at one final table.

N

Nash Equilibrium
A game theory concept where no player can improve their result by changing strategy unilaterally. Nash push/fold ranges are unexploitable short-stack strategies.
Nit
A very tight, risk-averse player who folds most hands and rarely bluffs.
Nut Flush Draw
The highest possible flush draw. Typically the ace-high flush draw in a given suit.
Nuts
The best possible hand given the board. "I had the nuts" means no hand could beat yours.

O

Open-Ended Straight Draw (OESD)
Four consecutive cards that can complete a straight at either end. Example: holding 6-7 on a 5-8 board can complete with a 4 or 9. Eight outs.
Outs
Cards remaining in the deck that will improve your hand to the best hand.
Overbet
A bet larger than the current pot size.

P

Pocket Pair
Two hole cards of the same rank, dealt before any community cards.
Polarized Range
A betting range consisting of very strong hands and bluffs, with few medium-strength hands. Common on the river.
Position
Where you sit relative to the button. Late position (button, cutoff) acts last and is most profitable.
Pot-Committed
Having so many chips already in the pot that folding to a raise would be a mistake. You are effectively forced to call.
Pot Odds
The ratio of the current pot to the cost of a call. Use them to decide whether calling is profitable.
Probe Bet
A small bet made by the out-of-position player on the turn after the preflop aggressor checked back the flop, testing whether the opponent has a hand.
Push/Fold
A short-stack strategy where you either move all-in or fold preflop, removing post-flop decisions below ~15 big blinds.

R

Rabbit Hunt
Asking to see what cards would have come after a hand ends early. Not allowed in most card rooms.
Rake
The percentage the casino or platform takes from each pot.
Rakeback
A reward program that returns a percentage of the rake you pay back to you.
Range
The full set of hands a player could hold in a given situation, rather than a single specific hand.
Re-Buy
Purchasing a new stack after going broke during the re-buy period of a tournament.
Re-Entry
Entering a tournament again after being eliminated, typically by paying the buy-in a second time.
River
The fifth and final community card.
Rock
An extremely tight and passive player who plays very few hands and rarely bluffs. Similar to a nit.
Runner-Runner
Hitting two consecutive cards (turn and river) to complete a hand. Also called a backdoor draw.

S

Satellite
A tournament where the prize is entry into a larger tournament rather than cash.
Scare Card
A card that completes obvious draws or represents strong hands, potentially changing the action even for a player who already has a strong hand.
Semi-Bluff
Betting with a drawing hand that can improve to the best hand if called.
Set
Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one board card. More disguised than trips, which uses two board cards.
Short Stack
A player with a relatively small number of chips compared to other players or the blind level.
Shove
Moving all-in.
Showdown
When remaining players reveal their cards to determine the winner.
Side Pot
A separate pot created when a player is all-in for less than a full bet. Players with more chips compete for the side pot; the all-in player can only win the main pot.
Sit and Go (SNG)
A single-table tournament that starts as soon as enough players register, rather than at a scheduled time.
Slow Play
Checking or calling with a strong hand to disguise its strength and build the pot.
Slow Roll
Deliberately taking a long time to call or reveal a winning hand at showdown. Considered very poor etiquette.
Small Blind (SB)
The forced bet posted by the player immediately left of the button and is half the size of the big blind. Acts first post-flop, the worst positional seat.
Squeeze Play
A re-raise over both a raiser and one or more callers, putting maximum pressure on all players in the hand.
Stack-to-Blind Ratio
Stack size expressed in big blinds. Tells you how much room you have to manoeuvre.
Steal
Raising from late position to win the blinds unopposed.

T

Tell
A physical or behavioural cue that reveals information about a player's hand such as hand trembling when betting a strong hand.
Texture
The overall character of the board wet (many draws), dry (few draws), paired, rainbow, monotone, etc.
Tilt
Playing emotionally rather than rationally, usually after a bad beat or a losing run.
Trips
Three of a kind made with one hole card and two board cards. Less disguised and potentially more dangerous than a set.
Turbo
A tournament format with faster blind level increases, typically every 5-10 minutes, rewarding aggressive play and push/fold strategy.
Turn
The fourth community card.

U

Underdog
The hand or player with less than 50% equity to win a given confrontation.
UTG (Under the Gun)
The first player to act preflop/the seat immediately left of the big blind.

V

Value Bet
Betting with a strong hand expecting to be called by weaker hands.
Variance
The natural swings in results caused by luck over a sample of hands. Skill reduces variance long-term but cannot eliminate it.
VPIP
Voluntarily Put money In Pot is the percentage of hands a player plays preflop. A low VPIP indicates a tight player; a high VPIP indicates a loose player.

W

Walk
When all players fold to the big blind, giving them the pot without a contest.
Whale
A recreational, high-stakes player who plays for entertainment rather than profit, often a lucrative opponent.
Wheel
The lowest possible straight: A-2-3-4-5. The ace plays as a low card.

#

3-Bet
The third bet in a preflop sequence: open raise, then re-raise is the 3-bet.
4-Bet
A re-raise of a 3-bet. Often represents a very strong range.