Poker Glossary

96 terms covering everything from basic lingo to advanced strategy concepts.

96 terms

Positions & Table

UTG
Under The Gun; the first player to act pre-flop, seated to the left of the big blind.
Hijack
The seat two positions to the right of the button (one before the cutoff). Also called HJ.
Cutoff
The seat directly to the right of the dealer button. A strong late position for stealing blinds.
Button
The dealer position (BTN). The best seat at the table because you act last on every post-flop street.
Small Blind
The forced bet posted by the player to the left of the button before cards are dealt. Usually half the big blind.
Big Blind
The forced bet posted by the player two seats left of the button. Sets the minimum bet size for the hand.
Position
Your seat relative to the dealer button, determining when you act each street.

Player Types & Slang

Hero
The player whose perspective a hand is being discussed from. In hand reviews, "hero" is you.
Villain
Any opponent in a hand history or analysis. The player(s) you're playing against.
Fish
A weak or inexperienced player who makes frequent fundamental mistakes.
Shark
A highly skilled, winning player. The opposite of a fish.
Whale
A very wealthy recreational player who plays high stakes and loses large amounts.
Nit
An extremely tight player who only plays the very best starting hands.
TAG
Tight-Aggressive; a player who enters few pots but bets and raises frequently.
LAG
Loose-Aggressive; a player who enters many pots with frequent bets and raises.
Calling Station
A passive player who calls too many bets and rarely folds or raises.
Maniac
A hyper-aggressive player who raises and re-raises with a very wide range.
Reg
Short for "regular." A player who plays frequently at the same stakes, usually a winning player.
Rec
Short for "recreational." A casual player who plays for fun rather than profit.

Hand Outcomes

Bad Beat
Losing a hand where you were a heavy statistical favorite. Often involves a lucky river card for your opponent.
Cooler
A situation where two very strong hands collide and the loser couldn't have avoided losing chips (e.g., KK vs AA).
Suck Out
When a player who was behind catches the card they need to win the hand. Similar to a bad beat.
Cracked
When a strong hand (usually pocket aces) loses. "My aces got cracked."
Set Over Set
When two players both flop three-of-a-kind (sets) from pocket pairs. A classic cooler.
Runner Runner
Hitting the needed card on both the turn AND river to complete a hand. Very unlikely but very tilting.
Showdown
When remaining players reveal their hands after the final betting round to determine the winner.

Betting Actions

3-Bet
The third bet in a sequence; a re-raise of the original raise before the flop.
4-Bet
A re-raise over a 3-bet, typically representing a very strong or polarized range.
C-Bet
A continuation bet made by the pre-flop raiser on the flop.
Check-Raise
Checking with the intent to raise after an opponent bets on the same street.
Donk Bet
An out-of-position bet into the pre-flop aggressor, often considered unorthodox.
Overbet
A bet larger than the current pot size, used to polarize your range.
Barrel
A continuation bet on a later street, such as a second barrel on the turn.
Open
The first voluntary raise pre-flop. Also called RFI (Raise First In).
Limp
Calling the big blind pre-flop instead of raising. Generally considered a weak play.
Squeeze
A large 3-bet made after an open raise and one or more callers.
Jam
Going all-in. Also called shoving, shipping, or pushing.
Snap Call
Calling a bet instantly without hesitation, indicating a very strong hand or easy decision.
Flat
Calling a raise (instead of re-raising) with a hand that could justify a raise. Also called "flatting."
Fold Equity
The value gained from the chance that your opponent will fold to your bet.

Strategy Concepts

Bluff
Betting or raising with a weak hand to make opponents fold better holdings.
Semi-Bluff
A bluff made with a drawing hand that can still improve to the best hand.
Value Bet
A bet made with a strong hand intended to get called by a weaker holding.
Float
Calling a bet in position with a weak hand, planning to bluff on a later street.
Slowplay
Playing a strong hand passively (checking/calling) to disguise its strength and trap opponents.
Trap
Deliberately underplaying a strong hand to lure opponents into betting. Similar to slowplay.
Thin Value
Betting for value with a marginal hand that is only slightly ahead of the opponent's calling range.
Pot Control
Keeping the pot small with a medium-strength hand to avoid playing for stacks.
Protection Bet
Betting to deny opponents free cards that could beat your hand.

Math & Theory

GTO
Game Theory Optimal; a strategy that cannot be exploited by any opponent adjustment.
EV
Expected Value; the average amount you expect to win or lose on a decision over time.
Equity
Your share of the pot based on your probability of winning at showdown.
Pot Odds
The ratio of the current pot size to the cost of a contemplated call.
Implied Odds
Pot odds adjusted for additional money you expect to win on future streets.
Reverse Implied Odds
The money you stand to lose on future streets when you make a second-best hand.
Outs
Cards remaining in the deck that will improve your hand to a likely winner.
ICM
Independent Chip Model; converts tournament chip stacks into real-money equity.
SPR
Stack-to-Pot Ratio; the effective stack divided by the pot, guiding post-flop commitment.
Pot Geometry
Planning bet sizes across streets to achieve a desired final pot on the river.
Variance
The natural statistical swings in results due to the randomness of card distribution.

Ranges & Analysis

Range
The complete set of hands a player could hold in a given situation.
Polarized
A range consisting of only very strong hands and bluffs, with no medium-strength holdings.
Merged
A range that includes strong and medium-strength hands but few or no bluffs.
Blocker
A card you hold that reduces the likelihood of an opponent having a specific hand.
Nut Advantage
When one player's range contains more of the strongest possible hands than the opponent's.
Range Advantage
When one player's overall range has higher average equity than the opponent's range.
Combo
A specific combination of two cards. AKs has 4 combos, AKo has 12, AA has 6.
Showdown Value
A hand strong enough to win at showdown but not strong enough to bet for value.
Combo Draw
A draw combining a flush draw and a straight draw, giving many outs.

Board & Cards

Flop
The first three community cards dealt face up after the first betting round.
Turn
The fourth community card, dealt after the flop betting round.
River
The fifth and final community card. Last chance to improve your hand.
Board Texture
The overall character of community cards, describing how coordinated or connected they are.
Dry Board
A flop with few draws and little coordination, such as K-7-2 rainbow.
Wet Board
A flop with many possible draws and high coordination, such as J-T-9 suited.
Rainbow
A board where all cards are different suits, meaning no flush draw is possible.
Monotone
A board where all cards are the same suit, meaning flush draws and made flushes are very likely.
Runout
The sequence of community cards dealt on the turn and river after the flop.
Nuts
The best possible hand given the current board. "Having the nuts" means you can't be beaten.

Tournament

Bubble
The stage of a tournament just before players reach the paid positions.
Short Stack
A stack small enough that most decisions reduce to pushing all-in or folding.
Push/Fold
A short-stack strategy where you either go all-in or fold pre-flop.
Chip Leader
The player with the most chips at a table or in a tournament.
Final Table
The last table remaining in a tournament, usually the top 8-10 players.
Bounty
A cash prize awarded for eliminating a specific player from a tournament.
Rebuy
Purchasing more chips during a tournament (when allowed) after busting or falling below a threshold.
Ante
A forced bet posted by all players before each hand, in addition to the blinds. Common in tournaments.

Mental Game

Tilt
An emotional state causing a player to make irrational or suboptimal decisions.
Bankroll
The total amount of money a player has set aside specifically for playing poker.
Grind
Playing poker steadily over long sessions, focusing on making consistent small profits.
Sweat
Watching someone else play poker, either for fun or for coaching purposes.
Punt
Making an obviously bad play, usually tilted or careless. "I punted my stack."
Bink
To win a tournament or hit a lucky card. "I binked the river flush."
Ship It
Exclamation when going all-in or winning a pot. "Ship it!"
Rack Up
To cash out and leave the table. Comes from putting chips into a rack to carry them.
Staked
Playing with someone else's money in exchange for a share of profits.