Poker Glossary

A method of reducing the state-space complexity of poker in order to make it computable. Common abstraction methods include: betting tree abstraction (restricting what bet sizes ca…

A hand in which the highest ranking card is an Ace with no pair or higher valued combination of cards possible.

Ace-x denotes a hand containing one Ace and one other card, such as A5 offsuit, or A8 suited.

A term for when a player has been dealt two Aces as hole cards. AA

To make a decision when it is the player's turn to do so in a hand.

A community card that is likely to induce betting/raising actions due to how it impacts the board and/or players’ hands.

An option available at the end of the rebuy period of some tournaments, where players can choose to purchase a specified amount of additional chips for a specified price to add to …

Any bet or raise is considered an aggressive action. A player who frequently tends to bet or raise more than they check or call can be considered aggressive.

An unmade, high card hand. Typically used to describe low-equity hands.

When a player in a hand bets all of the chips in their stack. Some people will say that they "stacked off", which means the same as "went all-in".

The minimum frequency your opponent needs to fold to a bet, in order to break even with a pure (0% equity) bluff. Alpha can be defined as risk/(risk + reward), where risk = amount …

An ethically questionable decision/action made by a player, which is likely to give them an unfair advantage over other players, regardless of whether their actions would be techni…

A predetermined amount of chips that all players are required to put in the pot preflop, commonly used in tournament play, but occasionally also in cash games. Unlike blinds, one d…

A slang poker term that refers to playing "any two" cards. For example, a very short stack goes all-in and it's on you, as last to act, in the Big Blind. The player at risk shoved …

When a player calls, and then re-raises after another player has raised on the same street.

A draw, on the flop, which requires specific cards to come, on both the turn and river to complete. For example, a backdoor flush draw (BDFD) would be 2 cards of the required suit …

Losing with a very strong hand to another very strong hand, typically the losing hand being so strong that a reasonable player could not have been expected to fold.

A jackpot awarded when a bad beat has occurred. Common in brick-and-mortar casinos, often triggered by at least a full house losing to quads.

Playing both bluff hands and value hands in a similar manner, so as to prevent opponents from inferring what a player holds based on their actions.

The money that a player allocated specifically to use for playing poker.

The management of a player’s bankroll so that they have adequate funds to play their desired stake. Bankroll management allows a player to avoid the risk of going bust by having a …

Barreling is the act of betting consecutively across multiple streets. An example of barreling would be betting the flop, getting called, and then betting once again on the turn. A…

A unit of measurement in poker equal to the average amount of big blinds won/lost per 100 hands.

Any chips voluntarily put in the pot (VPIP) by a player where the amount required to call to see the next street increases.

The player who makes the last bet/raise on the previous street is said to have the betting lead. Also see continuation betting.

The big blind ante is a poker format where, instead of each player posting a separate ante, the player in the Big Blind will post antes for the entire table, equal to 1bb. This spe…

The big blind (bb) is the largest mandatory bet before cards are dealt. It's also the name of the seat that places this bet (BB), who acts after the small blind (SB).

A slang poker term for the hand AK (Ace King).

A term that refers to the player who has the largest stack (or one of the larger stacks) at a poker table.

A community card that is perceived to have little to no impact on the current hand. A card is typically considered "blank" when it is not perceived to hit any player’s range or sig…

To bet preflop without looking at your cards, or to bet postflop before the next street has been dealt. Typically, not allowed in online poker. Some people like to say "in the dark…

Any formation involving only the players in the SB and BB.

To slowly lose chips to the blinds and/or antes, typically when a player is already short-stacked, to the point that they will soon have no chips left and bust.

A small bet made by the out of position player designed to prevent or "block" the opponent from betting a slightly larger amount themselves. Sometimes used to induce raises.

The card removal effect of holding a hole card that blocks a relevant portion of your opponent's range. For example, holding the ace of spaces on a 3-spade board "blocks" the nut-f…

A bet made with a weak hand that is unlikely to win at showdown, with the intention of getting the opponent to fold better hands.

A hand that is likely only able to beat the opponent’s bluffs, and will therefore likely lose to the opponent’s value hands.

The face up community cards that are shared by all players in the poker game.

Board coverage in poker refers to a player's ability to make strong hands across a wide range of possible board textures.

Describes the nature of hands that can be made from the community cards. Texture is fundamental to putting hand strength in context. Common categorizations include wet (many strong…

A slang poker term for a full house. This means having 3-of-a-kind and a pair at the same time, such as AAAKK. Ranking full houses is done by first comparing the ra…

A prize awarded to a player for eliminating another player in a poker tournament. See: Progressive Knockout Tournament.

Bounty power is used to convert the dollar value of a bounty in a poker tournament to a chip value, or vice versa. The bounty power formula measures the power of chips you control…

Either refers to a player or a play. A player is said to be "breakeven" when they have neither profit nor losses over a certain amount of hands played. A play is said to be "break …

A community card that is perceived to have little to no impact on the current hand. A card is typically considered a "brick" when it is not perceived to hit any player’s range or s…

A Ten through Ace straight. "Broadway cards" can also be used to describe any 10, J, Q, K, or A card…

The phase of a tournament when only a few players need to bust before the remainder of the players are in the money. When exactly one player needs to bust and the remainder will be…

Bubble Factor (BF) measures how much more losing hurts than winning helps you in MTTs. It’s a measure of survival pressure and a valuable tool for understanding ICM spots. It's def…

An abstraction method that involves grouping similar hand classes together. Many preflop solvers bucket similar hand classes together postflop to reduce state-space complexity in o…

A slang poker term for pocket Aces. AA

A card removal effect caused by hands that are folded preflop. Players typically play high cards more often than low cards, which skews the distribution of cards in the deck.

A face down card discarded on each street before face up community cards are dealt. Used to prevent cheating in live poker.

When a player loses all of their chips.

A widely used short form for dealer button, which is used to represent the player who is positionally representing the dealer, and therefore last to act on each street postflop.

The amount of money an individual must pay to enter a tournament, or the minimum amount of money to sit at a table in a cash game. A tournament will always have a fixed buy-in for …

When a player matches the amount that has previously been bet, they have “called” the bet.

In live poker, calling the clock is the act of asking casino staff to intervene and force a player to make an action when a player is taking a significant amount of time to make a …

A pejorative term used to describe players who frequently call, often with weak hands or draws. Typically used with a negative connotation to describe someone as a weak player.

A range without many very strong hands. A capped preflop range lacks all of the strongest pocket pairs and Ace-high hands. A capped postflop range is missing a lot of very strong h…

Card removal describes the effect of one player's hole cards altering the frequencies and possible combinations of another player.

A format of poker where each chip is equal to a set amount of money, and players can choose to enter and leave the table as they desire.

To exchange a player’s chips for real money, typically done when leaving a cash game. A player can not cash out during a tournament.

The stage of a tournament where all remaining players are guaranteed a share of the prize pool.

To call a bet in hopes of hitting a draw on the next street, thereby “chasing” said draw.

When a player whose turn it is to act chooses to forgo the option to bet. This can only be done postflop, and only when no players have previously bet on the same street.

An action whereby an out of position player checks and then raises after another player bets, on the same street. Typically considered a deceptive and very aggressive action.

A strategy where a player deliberately loses their chips. Considered to be cheating, this can be done for several reasons, including colluding with another player.

The average amount of chips an action is expected to yield. See: EV.

The player who presently has the most chips in a tournament.

Your tournament equity, scaled by the total number of chips in the tournament.

Any sort of physical maneuver or trick done with physical poker chips. Common at tables in casinos.

To remove lower denomination chips and replace them with higher denomination chips in a live poker tournament. Typically done to reduce the physical amount of chips in play as a to…

A pot where, at showdown, two or more players are tied because they have hands of the same strength, and therefore share, or “chop” the pot.

A player that is clairvoyant knows their opponent's exact range and strategy at all times. This term is commonly used in reference to solvers and toy games.

An online poker term where a player makes the minimum legal raise, called such due to the fact that it is usually the default raise made if a player clicks the bet button while cur…

To call a bet/raise when you have not invested any money in the pot yet.

A preflop 4-bet made by a player who was not the original open-raiser. For example, the BB posts (first raise), the CO opens (2nd raise), the BU 3-bets (3rd raise), the BB cold 4-b…

A situation where two or more people work together in a poker game. Can include both players and/or dealers.

Combinatorics is a term for evaluating the number of possible “combinations” (combos) of any given hand: the combination of 2 cards of certain ranks and suits. For example, there a…

Short for "combination", which refers to a specific hand's combination of two cards of certain ranks and suits. For example, there are four combinations of Ace King Suited: (gwcs)A…

A hand containing more than one draw, such as a straight + flush draw, or a weak pair + draw. (Often overlooked, but pairs are also draws, to two pair or trips. Or in the case of a…

The face up cards shared by all players in a hand postflop.

A capped range that is also tight. This range does not contain the strongest hands, but is lean and contains many medium-strength hands. Also known as "depolarized".

A bet made by the previous-street aggressor. They are continuing to bet on the current street.

A situation where a very strong hand loses to an even stronger hand.

A situation where a change in the community cards makes it so that a player's previously strong hand is now more likely to be beaten by the opponent due to the community cards. Fo…

A slang poker term for being dealt two Kings preflop KK.

Your (tournament equity adjusted) share of the pot as a percentage.

The player to the immediate right of the Button and left of the Hijack. The Cutoff is the second last position to act postflop.

Money in the pot put in by players that cannot win the pot. Sometimes used as slang for when a fold is expected from a player with a highly capped range.

To distribute to each player their preflop cards for a hand.

The person who is physically dealing the cards in a live poker game, or a person who is in the position of the dealer for the purposes of position (also known as the Button).

A large number of big blinds (bb) relative to the average stack or stakes being played, usually referring to a player who is more than 100bb deep. See: SPR.

A delayed c-bet is a continuation bet made on the turn or river instead of the flop as the preflop-aggressor. You skip betting on the flop and then bet on a later street. Checking …

A depolarized range contains mostly medium-strength hands. In contrast, a polarized range contains mostly very strong or very weak hands. Depolarized ranges are sometimes called "c…

Deuce refers to any 2. Deuces typically refers to a pair of 22.

The actual cash value of prizes and bounties you expect to win, according to ICM.

A hand that is unlikely to beat the opponent's hand. For example, AK is "dominated" by AA as it only has 6.8% equity preflop.

A short form for the word donkey, used pejoratively to describe a weak or bad player.

Any bet made by a player before the previous street aggressor has had an opportunity to act. A donk bet can only be made by a person out of position relative to the last aggressor …

A straight draw where the player has two different gutshots. For example, a player with 56 on 793 has a "double gutshot" to a 4 or an (…

A period during which a player has significant negative results, typically more than they would reasonably be expected to lose. The opposite of an upswing.

A hand that has the chance to improve to a strong made hand on certain future community cards. For example, a player holding A7 on 4K9 has a flush draw…

When one player has no outs to win a hand, and is therefore guaranteed to lose the hand if it goes to showdown.

Dynamic Sizing is a revolutionary new poker algorithm that automatically simplifies your strategy to the highest EV bet size(s) at each decision point.

In a 6-handed game, refers to the first person to act postflop. In a 9-person game, several players after the first to act postflop can be referred to as Early Position (EP) +1, +2…

A hand that is not the literal nuts, but given the actions throughout the hand, can effectively be played or treated as though it is the nuts.

The maximum amount any player can risk in a hand. In 2-player situations, this will always be the smallest of both players' stacks. In multiway situations, there are more than one …

Refers to "Nash equilibrium" which is a stable set of adversarial strategies where no player can gain by unilaterally changing their own strategy. Therefore, the strategies have re…

The percentage chance that a player will win a hand, assuming all players go to showdown. Equity also factors in ties. Equity can be calculated in multiple ways, such as: hand vs h…

A method of bucketing the equity of each holding in a range vs the opponent's range. For example, bucketing equity into 0-25%, 26-50%, 51-75%, 76-100%, will tell you how much of yo…

To fold out or "deny" your opponent's equity. Any time you get your opponent to fold a hand that could have beaten you at showdown, you have denied them from realizing that equity.

An Equity Distribution Graph plots each player's hand-vs-range equity. The horizontal axis plots each player’s range from their lowest-equity hand, on the far left, to their highes…

The ability of a hand to "realize" its raw equity. Generally, Equity Realization (EQR) has come to mean the translation of raw equity to expected value. A hand that wins more than …

The anticipated value one expects from any hand, position, or play. EV is calculated as a weighted average of all possible outcomes weighed by the probability of each of those outc…

To deviate from a baseline strategy in order to take advantage of a (future or prior) mistake in your opponent's strategy.

A strategy designed around exploiting the mistakes of your opponents. Often used in contrast to GTO, which is designed to decrease the exploitability of your own strategy. See: MES…

A card that has a face on it, such as a K, Q or J.

A hand where every player dealt into the hand sees the flop.

To play a strong hand aggressively with lots of betting and raising, can be contrasted with slow play.

When two or more players are all-in before the river, the hand which has the most equity, and therefore the greatest chance to win after all cards have been dealt, is the favourite…

All of the players that have entered a tournament.

The last table remaining in a poker tournament. Often, people use the abbreviation FT to refer to it.

The first player to voluntarily enter the pot is said to be "First In". There are two ways to do that: via open-raising or open-limping. These strategies are often mentioned in the…

A pejorative term used to describe a weak player.

A strategy that is unable to change.

Calling a bet in a spot where the option to raise is also given.

Shorthand for coin flip, describes a situation where two players are all-in, and after the cards have been revealed, their equity to win the hand is very close. The probability of …

Calling a bet with a draw or otherwise marginal hand with low expectation to win the pot at showdown.

In live poker, the floor is a casino employee who aids in managing the poker room and has more authority than the dealer. Duties of the floor include dealing with player disputes, …

The first street of community cards dealt. The flop consists of three cards.

A made poker hand that has five cards of the same suit. Ranking flushes is done by comparing the highest rank of the hole cards that make the flush. There are for example 4 hearts …

To discard a player’s current cards, and cease to be involved in the hand. When a player folds, they lose any chance of winning the pot and forfeit any chips they have put in thus …

The amount of value a player will win by making another player fold.

A term that describes four cards of the same suit. A four flush is an unmade hand, but before the river is drawing to a flush.

A hand that contains all four of a specific card rank in the deck. Four of a kind is a very strong hand in Texas hold ‘em, and is quite rare.

A drawing hand, which consists of four connected cards such that one card rank will complete a five-card straight and thus create a made hand.

The 4th bet/raise on a single street. Preflop, the big blind is considered the first bet, the open-raiser is considered the second bet, and so on. Postflop, it simply refers to the…

A pot that was 4-bet preflop. In other words, someone raised a 3-bet preflop.

Any card seen by players when they did not have to call a postflop bet to see the next street.

A tournament where there is no cost to enter, but a prize is offered.

A tournament where rebuys are not allowed, and once a player loses all of their chips and is therefore eliminated, they are unable to re-enter and thus “frozen out”.

A slang poker term for a full house, can also simply be called a boat.

A made poker hand, consisting of three of a kind + a pair. For example, a player holding QQ on a board of Q5727 has a full house, queens full of sev…

A cash game with more than six seats/positions available at the table for players. In the context of online poker, full ring is usually 9-handed.

The least exploitable fixed strategy, resulting in the highest possible expected value against an opponent that can perfectly exploit you. A strategy is considered to be GTO if it …

The state-space that describes all sequences of actions that can take place in a round of poker. This term is often used in reference to solvers, where betting trees are limited in…

The Gap Concept argues that a player needs a stronger hand to call an open, than they need to open themselves. The "gap" refers to the difference between hands that can open raise,…

A preflop hand with at least one rank separating the two cards. For example, 79 would be referred to as a one-gapper, and 58 as a two-gapper.

Betting the same size (as a percentage of the pot) on each street such that chips are all-in on the river bet. This is the optimal bet size if one player is perfectly polarized rel…

In a live poker cash game, the act of taking chips in one stack off the table. Widely considered to be either illegal or strongly frowned upon as poor etiquette. Also known as "rat…

A pejorative term used to describe someone with a reputation for cheating other poker players or attempting to angle shoot.

A colloquial online poker term used to describe someone who plays a significant volume of hands.

GTO Wizard AI, formerly known as Ruse, is the world’s best and fastest artificial intelligence poker solver. GTO Wizard AI is the engine that powers our custom solutions. With GTO …

A slang poker term for an inside straight draw, which requires one specific card rank to complete it. A 4-out straight draw. For example, on a board of K65, a playe…

Hand-for-hand is a poker tournament phase when all tables pause and wait for every other table to finish their ongoing hand before starting a new one. This helps organizers track p…

The description of how a hand occurred, or in online poker, a copy of the hand as recorded by a tracking software.

When there are only two players at a table playing against each other. You can try playing <a href='https://gtowizard.com/play-mode/heads-up-poker' class='clr-primary link-underlin…

When a poker player has a period of very good results, above expectation, they are said to be on a heater.

The player from whose perspective a hand history or situation is being reviewed or discussed.

A river call that is considered to be very ambitious, often when the player making the call has a weak hand, and the player betting is capable of having many strong hands or draws …

A hand that at showdown has not made a pair or better. Can also be described based on the highest card in the player’s hand. For example, a player holding A7o on (g…

A player who plays for very high stakes.

The position immediately to the right of and acting before the cutoff. Also referred to as middle position.

When the cards on the board improve or connect with the cards in the hole. For example, a player holding 99 on 27K9 has hit the turn, as they have m…

The act of leaving a table shortly after winning a big pot.

A live poker camera that is able to see a player’s hole cards for the purposes of broadcasting the action.

The two preflop cards that a player has been dealt, and only they can see, unless their hand goes to showdown.

Refers to an exaggerated or obnoxious way of speaking or acting toward an opponent in a hand, typically to induce a reaction or gain information about a player’s hand strength. Or …

A game played in a private residence or location, typically at the home of one of the players who hosts the game. In many jurisdictions, home games are illegal if rake is being col…

A player who receives financial backing from someone for playing poker. The player receiving the funds becomes the backer’s "horse". Can also refer to a poker variant with alternat…

The casino, card room or entity that operates the poker game.

A commonly used acronym for the term Independent Chip Model. ICM is a model that translates the value of a tournament chip to actual cash value, better known as tournament equity. …

A calculation of odds that takes into consideration future betting, thus allowing players to estimate the additional bets they could gain on future streets should they make their h…

The player who acts last postflop is said to be in position.

Any finish in a poker tournament where the player has won money for their placement. Also known as "having cashed". Often abbreviated to ITM.

A reason to take a certain action. Different hands have different incentives because of their different properties like strength and/or blocker effects. For example, a very strong …

Sometimes called the indifference principle, this game theory term means two or more actions have the same expected value. For example, a specific bluff catcher might mix between c…

To get another player to do something. For example, checking or betting small to "induce" a bluff.

A straight draw which requires one specific inside card rank to complete. For example, on K56 a player holding 98 has an inside straight to a 7. See…

To raise over one or several limpers, often with the express purpose of isolating a weaker player postflop.

Isomorphic in poker refers to strategically equivalent cards. Isomorphic hands can apply to hole cards or community cards. Isomorphism is commonly used to reduce the gamespace of p…

A pool of money collected by the house in some poker rooms that can be split when a bad beat of a certain threshold has occurred. Typically, it is common in live poker rooms.

Used as a verb to describe the act of going all-in. Synonymous with "shove" or "push".

A very weak hand with little playability.

The second card in a player’s hand, which can be used to break ties. For example, if one player has AK and another player has A9, on a board of (gwc…

A game element present in some poker games where after something specific happens (such as a pot over a certain size or a player winning two pots in a row) the player will be requi…

To "ladder" in a poker tournament means to move up in the prize money rankings by outlasting other players, without necessarily accumulating a lot of chips or winning many hands. T…

A slang poker term for pocket Queens QQ.

An acronym meaning "Loose Aggressive" which refers to the playstyle of a player that is characterized by playing a large number of hands in an aggressive manner.

A term that generally refers to the Button and positions close to it, though the exact positions considered to be Late Position may vary depending on the number of players at the t…

A term that literally describes making a fold, but often used in the context of making a tough decision with a relatively strong hand.

Any bet made by a player before the previous street aggressor has had an opportunity to act. A donk bet can only be made by a person out of position relative to the last aggressor …

A period of time where the blinds/antes remain the same size in a tournament.

Leveling stems from the concept of thinking in levels. Level 1: How strong is my hand? Level 2: How strong is their hand? Level 3: How strong do they think my hand is? Level 4: How…

Leverage is the additional value gained from betting hands that you anticipate profitably betting future streets, whether for value or as a bluff. Hands that can bet multiple stree…

To take an action with a hand that is weaker than one would usually take that action. For example, someone who called an all-in river bet with a weak top pair when the flush comes …

The maximum or minimum amount that can be bet. No limit hold ‘em is described as such due to the fact that there is no maximum amount that can be bet on any street. This can be con…

To call the big blind preflop, before anyone has made a raise.

A range construction that consists of the top-down strongest hands. A linear range might contain nutted to medium-strength hands, or value to thin value.

Very literally refers to poker that is played with a physical deck of cards, as opposed to online with a virtual deck of cards. Can also be referred to as simply "live".

Describes a game with lots of action between players, where there are frequently large pots. Not to be confused with live poker games.

To play a significantly wider range of hands than would be considered optimal in a certain situation. More subjectively speaking, someone can be considered "loose" when playing a n…

Can be used in a variety of contexts to describe a low card or low hand depending on the situation at the table.

Refers to a hand of at least one pair or better. As the player already has at least a pair, their hand is technically “made”, compared to a drawing hand, which may only have high c…

The primary pot during a hand. The main pot can be contrasted against any side pots, which can occur in multiway pots when one player goes all-in but at least one other player has …

A pejorative term that describes a very loose and aggressive player who is considered to be a weak player.

A strategy that will perfectly maximize value by taking advantage of all your opponent's mistakes. See: Nemesis strategy.

The psychological impact of playing poker. Mental game can refer to tilt, performance, and emotional control at the table.

A merged range is often described as a range morphology between linear and polarized. Merged ranges often resemble polarized ranges with some medium-strength hands or polarized ran…

The lowest stakes offered on internet poker rooms, described as "micro" due to the fact that the lowest possible big blind stake is often $.02 US.

On the flop, a pair that uses one community card, and has an equal number of community cards above and below it. Can also be used less precisely, on the turn, to describe pairs bet…

Roughly described as the positions between late position and early position on the poker table. Depending on the number of players at the table, Middle Position (MP) can vary. On a…

A strategy that assumes your opponent will make a mistake on one specific node, and will play perfectly afterwards. MinES can more loosely refer to exploiting one of your opponent'…

The minimum percentage of your range that must be defended against a bet to prevent the opponent from profitably bluffing a 0% equity hand. Inversely related to alpha; MDF = 1 - al…

In live poker, any card deal that has been ruined or deemed unfair for any reason and must be redealt. A classic example is accidentally revealing a hole card.

When a player has been absent from a cash game table, and thus the big blind has passed them. Depending on the house rules, they may have to wait until the big blind to re-enter th…

To mix between different actions with the same hand. For example, if AK always bets ⅓ pot on K96 in a BTN vs BB SRP scenario, this would be considered …

A mistake in the optimal frequencies of a mixed strategy. Mixing mistakes are exploitable, but do not lose value against a fixed strategy.

All of the community cards are of the same suit.

A slang poker term to describe a very strong hand.

A slang poker term to describe going all-in, or putting all of one’s chips in the pot.

A metric used in tournament poker that measures the health of a player's chip stack. A player’s "M" is the number of orbits they could fold every hand and only post the blinds and …

To discard one’s cards without revealing them to the table, often done at showdown when a player has not won the hand. Less commonly, the term can also be used synonymously with th…

A poker tournament with at least two tables of players.

Describes any spot where three or more players are still in the hand.

In poker, a "mystery bounty" is a special type of KO bounty tournament where the value of the bounty is not known until after it's won, or until after the tournament.

Sometimes called delta EV, this metric describes the accuracy of a GTO solution. It's measured as the maximum aggregate EV that the solution can be exploited for. For example, if t…

A stable set of adversarial strategies where no player can gain by unilaterally changing their own strategy.

Synonymous with Maximally Exploitative Strategy (MES). A strategy designed to maximize value against all of the opponent's mistakes (both future and prior).

A term that describes players that are considered to be very tight. For example, entering the pot with very few hands preflop. This concept also applies postflop where a "nit" only…

Poker rules where there is no limit on the amount a player can bet, thus allowing players to go all-in at any point in the hand.

Any specific decision point in a game - commonly used in reference to solvers and game trees.

The act of fixing ("locking") a player's strategy at some decision point ("node"). This process is used to build exploitative strategies.

A slang poker term that refers to very high stakes.

The best possible flush available.

A draw to the best possible flush available (nut flush).

Describes the strongest possible hand on a certain board. For example, on K2789, any player holding any combination of JT is holding the "nuts".

An advantage coming from having proportionally more "nuts" (very strong hands) than another player. This allows the player that has the "nuts advantage" to polarize with large bets…

A hand that is not the literal nuts, but close enough in strength to be considered "nutted". For example, a flopped set is frequently considered to be a nutted hand.

Literally speaking, "odds" are the mathematical probability that a hand, cards or draws will occur. However, the term is frequently used as slang for the term "pot odds".

A term which describes hole cards containing cards of different suits.

The term used to describe several variants of hold ‘em where players are dealt four hole cards preflop. Different Omaha variants exist, such as Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha High Low S…

A common way to describe being in the position of the dealer, also known as the Button.

A rule in live poker games that when facing action, a single-chip being placed forward without any verbal declaration is considered a call, regardless of the chip denomination, inc…

Describes preflop hands where there is one card rank between the ranks of a player's hole cards. For example, 86 is a "one-gapper", as the 8 and (gw…

When the first person to enter a pot preflop does so by calling the big blind.

A straight draw where the player already has four consecutive cards, using the board and their hand, and will make a straight if a card at either end of their four completes; an 8-…

The player who made the first raise (or limp) preflop, after the blinds.

When there have been no raises, and only limps before the action reaches the big blind preflop, it becomes the big blind’s "option" to decide whether they wish to raise or check.

A full rotation of the blinds and positions at a table. One orbit is equal to the number of players currently playing at a poker table.

Describes a player’s relative position at the table, always at least the person who is not last to act postflop. For example, in a 3-way pot postflop between the Small Blind (SB), …

To hit a player’s outs and thus improve to a stronger hand than their opponent(s).

The number of cards in the deck that will improve a player's hand or complete their draw. For example, a player with a flush draw on the flop can be said to have nine outs, as ther…

Any bet made postflop that is larger than the size of the pot.

To call a bet when at least one other player has already called.

A term used multiple ways to describe cards that are higher than either the highest community card currently on the board or a player’s pocket pair. For example, the flop is (gwcs)…

The act of limping in preflop after other players have already limped.

A pocket pair that is higher than the highest community card currently on the board.

A term used to describe a situation where a player has unintentionally over-valued the strength of their hand relative to their actions.

A royal card that is traditionally depicted with an image on the card, that is any K, Q, or J. Players often ask the dealer to put s…

Any two cards of the same rank.

A style of play known for very little betting and raising, and a high frequency of passive actions like checking, folding, and calling.

A GTO strategy gains expected value against an opponent that deviates from optimal play. This gain is called passive exploitation because the GTO player doesn't actively change the…

The payout structure refers to how prize money is distributed among players in a tournament. It shows what percentage of the prize pool goes to each finishing position.

To call a bet on the flop or turn in hopes of hitting their hand or draw.

A commercially available poker solver. Piosolver was among the first publicly available solvers, and therefore is widely used and popular within the poker community.

When, on the river, a player’s best five card hand is the five cards on the board. For example, a player holding 54 on AJ9Q6 is "playing the board". …

A preflop hand containing AA.

Any two hole cards that are of the same rank.

A slang poker term for pocket Aces. AA

A live poker term used to describe a stoic expression that does not give off information about a player’s hand. The term is seldom used in poker, but is widely adopted to describe …

Describes a range that is mainly very strong made hands or bluffs, with very few middle-strength hands.

A term used to describe the order in which players act. The later a player acts, the better their position. The player that acts last is said to be in position.

An advantage coming from "having position" on another player. Firstly, there is the benefit of having more information to base a decision on. The in position (IP) player can observ…

A term used to describe a cash game situation where a player who has just joined a table chooses to post a big blind in their current position, to immediately be dealt into the gam…

The total value of chips that have been bet in the present hand.

A situation where a player is unlikely to fold because the amount they have contributed to the pot thus far is large, relative to their stack. However, there is no mathematical rul…

The ratio of [the size of the bet a player is facing] in relation to [the size of the pot]. For example, a player facing a half-pot bet can call, risking 0.5 to win 1 (the pot) and…

The first betting street in no limit hold ‘em, which occurs before the flop has been dealt.

A bet made on the turn by the player who is out of position after the in position player, who is also the preflop aggressor in the hand, chose not to make a continuation bet on the…

In poker, a PKO (Progressive Knockout) tournament is a tournament format where a portion of the buy-in goes toward a bounty on each player’s head.

In PKO tournaments, when a playe…

A type of bet made on an abstract topic, often not related to poker itself. However, prop bets are very common in the poker world. For example, one famous prop bet between Matt Sav…

A bet made with a made hand that is vulnerable to being drawn out on, for the purposes of protecting the hand by pricing out some draws of other players or force them to overpay if…

A slang poker term used to describe a very poor decision that resulted in a large loss.

To take an action that strictly loses value against against a fixed strategy. And is therefore 'never chosen' by the optimal counterstrategy, a "pure mistake". Often used in contra…

A strategy in which the same action is always taken at the same decision point without mixing. For example, AA is a pure raise in the BB facing a BTN open in a 100b…

The total value of the prize pool in a poker tournament.

Used as a verb to describe the act of going all-in. Synonymous with "shove" or "jam".

A made hand containing all four cards of a specific rank.

After a hand has ended before the river, the act of having the next or remaining streets dealt, despite that the hand has concluded. Sometimes requested by players who wish to see …

A situation where players go all-in before the river, and they have roughly equal equity and therefore, chance of winning. See: Coin flip.

A chip tray used to transport chips in live poker venues.

A low ranking card perceived to be of little value given the hand, board or context of the situation.

In live poker venues, the rail is considered the sideline where spectators may watch the poker tables from. The term is also used as a verb to describe the act of rooting on or che…

When none of the community cards are the same suit; no flush draws possible.

Any action that increases the size of the bet when already facing a bet.

To raise without looking at your cards.

The money taken from the pot by the casino, cardroom, website or game runner as a fee for operating the game.

The maximum amount the house is permitted to charge for rake per hand.

A collection of hands that a player could feasibly be holding given the action of the current hand. Ranges are used conceptually to discuss and analyze the various holdings a hero …

A general term meaning one player's range equity distribution is stronger on a given board. It's possible to have an advantage only over a specific part of the equity distribution.…

Referring to the shape/structure of a player's range with consideration to the proportion of strong, medium and weak holdings. See: Polarized, Linear, Merged, Capped, Uncapped and …

The act of removing chips or money from one’s stack during a cash game. Synonymous with "going south".

The percentage chance that a player will win a hand, assuming all players go to showdown. Ties are also factored in. It can be calculated in multiple ways, such as: hand vs hand, h…

A specified amount of chips purchased by players after the tournament has started. Rules for rebuys are specific to the tournament, and are not necessarily offered. Can also apply …

To deal the hand again, typically because of some sort of misdeal like accidentally revealing one of the hole cards.

To have a made hand but also a draw to a better hand.

To raise after there has already been a raise on the current street. Interchangeable with "3-bet" but is generally only used in regard to post-flop play.

A preflop 3-bet from late position or the blinds. The opening raise attempts to "steal" the pot, while the "resteal" attempts to take down the opener's raise preflop.

The aggregate money won, divided by tournament entry fees. If you have paid $1000 in entry fees, and won $2000 total, your return on investment (ROI) is 200%.

The opposite of implied odds. They estimate the amount a player could lose when they make their hand but their opponent makes an even stronger hand, thus making it likely they will…

A cash game where real money is at stake and players are free to join and leave the table as they see fit.

Risk Advantage is the difference between two players' risk premiums. When one player experiences less ICM pressure than another, they can take on more risk and capitalize on the op…

Risk Premium measures the extra risk you take stacking off in an MTT. It’s a measure of survival pressure and a valuable tool for understanding ICM spots. Risk premium is defined a…

The fifth and last community card dealt in a poker hand, dealt as a single card after the turn if at least two players remain in the hand.

A term used to describe a situation where a player loses a hand, because his opponent made a better hand on the river.

The capacity of a fixed strategy to withstand various counterstrategies. A strategy that is extremely vulnerable to exploitation or counterexploitation is considered "fragile", whe…

A term used to describe a highly skilled poker player who travels from place to place in search of games. Popularized by the famous 1990 poker film Rounders, however the term is no…

The 10, J, Q, K and A of each suit.

A straight flush consisting of the 10, J, Q, K and A of the same suit. The strongest possible hand i…

A prolonged losing streak where a player encounters significant negative variance and an extended period of results below expectation. The opposite of run good.

A prolonged winning streak where a player encounters significant positive variance and an extended period of results above expectation. The opposite of run bad.

In cash games, when players are all-in before the river, the option to deal each of the remaining cards twice, and thus divide up the pot based on who wins on each runout. Running …

A hand made by having hit on both the turn and river, when it was necessary that both streets hit in order to win the hand.

A tournament that awards seats to another tournament, typically one of the higher buy-in. They provide a way to enter a tournament cheaper.

A community card that is perceived to help the other players or complete hands, which could result in less betting.

A pair made with the second highest community card on the board.

A bet made with a currently mediocre hand (such as a draw) but that has the chance to improve on future cards.

A term used to describe one period or sitting in which a player plays poker.

A three of a kind hand where the player has a pocket pair and the third card is on the board. Sets are more disguised and considered to be of higher value than regular trips.

A term used to describe a situation where two strong hands run into each other, and it would have been unreasonable for the losing player to have folded their hand. See: Cooler.

A very strong player.

A player who is paid to play in the game, often to help keep the game from dying.

A plastic container used by casinos and card rooms to hold undealt cards. Very common on blackjack tables.

In cash games, a short stack is any stack below 100 big blinds. In tournaments, a short stack is a small stack with few remaining big blinds, typically under 20bb is considered a s…

A poker table with less than six players.

Used as a verb to describe the act of going all-in. Synonymous with "push" or "jam".

When two or more players remain after the final street of betting, the players will showdown their hands to determine who has a stronger hand, and therefore wins the pot.

A hand that has a reasonable chance of winning at showdown unimproved. Often used to describe a medium-strength hand, in contrast with a very strong value hand or a very weak hand.

The physical act of mixing up cards in a deck so they are in a new order for the next hand.

A separate pot created in hands with three or more players, when one player goes all-in, but another player has less chips than them, and is thus ineligible to win their entire sta…

Simulations or "sims" are used to derive game theory optimal strategies. A solver runs iterative simulations on the game tree it's given until it finds unexploitable strategies. Th…

A pot where one player open-raised and was called preflop.

A poker tournament with a specified number or maximum number of players that starts when a certain number of players have registered. Unlike regular tournaments, which started at a…

The act of primarily checking and calling with a very strong hand, as opposed to betting and raising. Typically done deceptively in attempts to have the other player bet frequently…

The act of being very slow to reveal the winning hand at showdown. Slow rolling is widely considered to be bad etiquette in poker.

The required blind put in the pot by the player to the immediate left of the (dealer) button. Typically, half the size of the big blind.

To call the opponent's bet in the situation where raising would be expected. Synonymous with the term "flat-call".

To act immediately without thinking much about a decision. Can be used in conjunction with other poker action terms (snap-call, snap-jam, snap-fold).

A slang poker term for pocket Eights. 88.

A software program that provides optimal solutions for specific poker scenarios that are inputted (stack and pot size, ranges, betting options) by the user. By default, solvers wil…

In live poker, to throw one’s chips into the pot in a manner such that they connect with chips already in the pot. Typically, not allowed in casinos as it makes it difficult for th…

A pot shared between two or more players at showdown due to them having hands of equal strength.

A preflop play whereby a player raises after one player has made an open-raise, and the second player has called that raise. The idea is to "squeeze" the caller out of the hand, th…

The total amount of chips, big blinds or currency a player currently has in front of them at the table.

In live poker, a situation where players or the dealer have rigged the deck in order to have a hand be dealt with the predetermined outcome. Typically used to set up a hand where o…

The effective stack divided by the size of the pot. SPR is commonly used to gauge the value of implied odds and the relative value of made hands.

The size of the blinds/entry in a cash game or size of the entry fee in a tournament.

When one player provides funds for another player to play in poker games, typically with an agreement to split profit at a predetermined percentage between the staker and the playe…

A raise made with a weak hand from the Cutoff, Button or Small Blind with the intent to win "steal" the blinds without having to see the flop by getting the remaining players to fo…

An optional additional blind posted by players other than the Small and Big Blind. Straddles are only used in cash games, typically in live poker and rarely online. Commonly used t…

A made hand consisting of five consecutive (ranked) cards of which not all have the same suit.

A made hand consisting of five consecutive (ranked) cards of the 'same suit'. The second strongest hand in community card poker, and very rare.

A slang poker term for a round of betting. Preflop, flop, turn and river are all different "streets" in most poker games.

A subset of a larger game tree. For example, a turn can be considered a subgame of the flop. A solver solution with restricted bet sizes can be considered a subgame of the full pok…

A slang poker term to describe a situation where the villain hits a card to make a better hand when they were behind.

A slang poker term for the K, due to the fact that the King appears to be stabbing himself in the head on most card depictions.

A term which describes hole cards containing cards of the same suit.

A preflop hand consisting of two cards of the same suit that are consecutive in rank. For example, a player holding 76 or 98 has "suited connectors".

Your share of tournament equity divided by the total tournament equity of all players at your table.

An acronym meaning "Tight Aggressive" which refers to the playstyle of a player that is characterized by playing a small number of hands in an aggressive manner.

The act of taking a long time to make a decision. A player is going into the "tank".

Any action or indication that gives information about the strength of a player’s hand or cards. The term "tell" is classically used in a live poker context to refer to behaviour or…

A term used in a variety of ways to describe the board and community cards. For example, a flop with a flush and straight draw can be referred to as a wet texture, whereas a rainbo…

A made hand consisting of three cards of the same rank. Synonymous with "trips". Both 'trips' and a 'set' could technically be classified as three of a kind but are often different…

Literally describes the act of putting in the third bet on one street. However, the term is widely used preflop to describe the act of raising the open-raiser (as the Big Blind is …

A pot that was 3-bet preflop. In other words, someone raised the open-raiser preflop.

To play a significantly tighter range of hands than would be considered optimal in a certain situation. More subjectively speaking, someone can be considered "tight" when playing a…

A mental state whereby a player’s decisions are heavily influenced by their emotions. Typically, tilt is referred to in a negative context describing a player who is making poor de…

To have the strongest possible kicker with a made hand. See: Kicker.

The highest one-pair hand available using community cards.

A made two pair hand pairing the two highest cards on the board.

A structure of a poker game where play continues until one player has all of the chips. Another difference with cash game is that there is a payout structure that outlines how the …

A toy game is a simplified version of poker, that is used to help players understand the underlying principles and strategies of the game. It is often used as a teaching tool to he…

To disguise the strength of one's hand through their actions; another term used to describe "slow play".

A specific three of a kind hand, consisting of one 1 hole card and 2 community cards on the board, all of the same rank.

A type of online poker tournament where the blinds increase quicker than in a normal tournament. The blind levels are relatively shorter.

The fourth community card dealt in a poker hand, dealt as a single card after the flop if at least two players remain in the hand.

All of the community cards are of two of the four suits. Two suits or two "tones". A term mostly used to describe flops and indicative of the possibility of flush draws.

A card that does not block certain key combinations in a player’s range. For example, holding 33 on K73 unblocks top and second pair, which makes it…

A range that includes the strongest hands. See: Capped.

The position to the immediate left of the Big Blind. The Under The Gun player always acts first preflop but not always postflop which depends on if at least one of the blinds are i…

When two players are all-in, the person with less equity is considered the "underdog".

A pocket pair lower than the lowest ranking card on the board.

A period during which a player has significant positive results, typically more than they would reasonably be expected to win. The opposite of a downswing.

Valor is your hand’s capacity to bet or raise future streets for value. Qualities like the ability to continue vs aggression on later streets, or outdraw your opponent’s value rang…

A bet made with a made hand for the purpose of getting called by worse hands.

Variance measures how far a set of numbers differs from the mean. In poker, variance often refers to how "swingy" a game or strategy is relative to your win rate. Variance can also…

An online poker acronym which stands for ‘Voluntarily Put In Pot’, a statistic that measures the frequency with which a player voluntarily puts money into the pot preflop.

When all players fold preflop, the hand is over and the Big Blind wins the small blind (and antes if there are any). The Big Blind is said to have received a walk.

A live poker term in which the dealer shuffles the deck by placing all cards face down and physically mixing them up.

A term used to describe a player or range that is not likely to have a strong hand in a given situation.

A term used to describe board textures with many possible draws or strong hands.

A very weak player. In many contexts, a whale refers to not only a very weak player, but one who is very wealthy and plays high stakes with money they can afford to lose.

A low straight made with the cards A2345. Also commonly referred to as a "wheel" straight. When the wheel cards are of the same suit, we no longer have a mere wheel…

Any hole cards that can make a wheel straight. A2, A3, A4, or A5.