Poker Dictionary

Backdoor - A draw requiring two or more rounds to fill; a hand made other than the hand the player intended to make.

Back Into - To win a pot with a hand that would have folded to any bet.

Backraise - A reraise from a player who previously called in the same betting round.

Bad Beat - To lose a hand where one hand is considerably ahead of the eventual winning hand.

Balance - Playing very different hands in the same way, with the aim of making it more difficult for an opponent to gain useful information about the cards a player has.

Bankroll - The amount of money that a player must wager for the duration of their poker career; to fund someone's participation in a game.

Bankroll Management - Choosing the correct stakes and game type to avoid exhausting a bankroll during downswings.

Behind - Not (currently) having the best hand; money on the table but not currently in the pot, which can be bet later in the hand; money in play but not visible as chips in front of a player.

Bet - Any money wagered during the play of a hand. The opening bet of a betting round. In a fixed limit game, the standard betting amount.

Betting Structure - The complete set of rules regarding forced bets, limits, raise caps, and such for a particular game.

Big Beat - The larger of two bet amounts in a fixed limit game.

Big Beat Game - A game played with no limit or a pot limit betting structure.

Big Blind - The larger of two forced bets in certain types of poker.

Big Blind special - A hand won by the big blind playing very weak pocket cards because there was no raise pre-flop.

Big Stack - A stack of chips that is relatively large for the stakes being played.

Blank - A card, frequently a community card, of no apparent value. Other names: rag, brick, bomb.

Bleed - To consistently lose chips throughout play, usually in tournaments.

Blind - A type of forced bet.

Blind Defence - To call or raise an opponent's raise when in the big blind, rather than folding an otherwise weak hand, to exploit overly aggressive players.

Blind Steal - A raise from a late position with a weak hand when all other players have folded, with the intention of winning the blinds and antes.

Blind off, Blinded - To ante off when a player's stack is reduced by paying ever increasing blinds in tournaments.

Blocker - In community card poker, holding one of the opponent's outs, typically when the board threatens a straight or straight draw. A blocker is also having a combination of cards that turn your opponent's outs into your own.

Blocking Bet - An abnormally small bet made by a player out of position intended to discourage a larger bet by an opponent.

Bluff - A bet made with a hand that is mathematically unlikely to be the best hand, either to make money or to disguise play patterns.

Bluff Catcher - A hand that can only beat a bluff.

Bluff Induce - To make an aggressive move with a strong hand to give the impression it is a bluff, to draw a bluff from an opponent.

Board - The set of community cards in a community card game.

Boat - Another name for a full house.

Bottom End - The lowest of several possible straights, especially in a community card game.

Bottom Pair, Bottom Set - In a community card game, a pair (or set) is made by matching the lowest-ranking board card with one (or two) in one's private hand. You can compare this with a second pair or top pair.

Bounty - An aspect of some poker tournaments that rewards players for eliminating other players with a cash prize for each player they eliminate, separate from the tournament pay-out structure.

break - A tournament, an intermission.

Brick - Blank, though more often used in the derogatory sense of a card that is undesirable rather than merely inconsequential.

Brick and Mortar - A brick and mortar casino is a real casino based in a building, as opposed to an online casino. This refers to many real world locations as opposed to their Internet counterparts.

Broadway - 10 through ace straight. Can also include any group of cards from 10 to ace.

Brunson - Texas Hold'em, when your hole cards are a 10 and a 2 of any suit. Named after Doyle Brunson, who in 1976 and 1977, won the No Limit Hold'em event at the World Series of Poker with a ten and a two, in both cases completing a full house.

Bubble - Last finishing position in a poker tournament before entering the pay-out structure

Bubble Factor - Factor by which the odds in chips differ from the odds in dollars.

Bully - A player who raises frequently to force out more cautious players, especially one with a large stack for the size of the game.

Burn Card - Card that is removed from the deal to prevent cheating in live play.

Button - Commonly a marker that indicates the dealer position at the table, but other specialized buttons exist.

Buy-in - Minimum required amount of chips that must be bought to become involved in a game or tournament

Buy the Pot - Making a bet when no one else is betting to force the other players to fold, thus winning the pot uncontested. A specialized version of this is buying the blinds by making a large raise in the first round forcing all other players out of the hand.

Call - To match a bet or raise.

Calling Station - A player who frequently calls bets, but rarely raises them. A calling station is usually a loose passive player.

Card Protector - In games where all of a player's cards are facedown, some players use items like specialty chips or glass figures to place on top of their cards to protect them from being accidentally discarded.

Cards - Standard playing cards are used. In home games it is common to have two decks with distinct backs, and to shuffle the unused deck while each hand is in progress. Casinos typically use plastic decks that can handle the added wear and tear, as casino players often read their "hole" cards by peeking at the corner rather than lifting the card.

Case Card - The last available card of a certain description.

Cash Game - A game where each hand is played for real money as opposed to tournament play.

Cashing - Winning a share of the prize money in a tournament.

Cashing Out - Exchanging chips for cash when leaving a game. Removing money from an online poker site.

Catch - To receive needed cards on a draw. Often used with an adjective to further specify, catch perfect, catch inside, catch smooth.

Catch Up - To successfully complete a draw, thus defeating a player who previously had a better hand

Chase - To call a bet to see the next card when holding a drawing hand when the pot odds do not merit it. To continue to play a drawing hand over multiple betting rounds, especially one unlikely to succeed. To continue playing with a hand that is not likely the best because one has already invested money in the pot.

CheckChecking means deferring one’s betting option for the time being, with the action then moving to the next player.

Check-raise - Deceptive play whereby a player initially checks with the intention of raising should another player bet.

Chip - A small disk or tablet used in place of money during poker games.

Chip Dumping - A strategy whereby one player deliberately loses chips to another player. Where players have agreed to take such action together, this is a form of collusion.

Chip Leader - The player currently holding the most chips in a tournament (or occasionally a live no limit game).

Chop - To split a pot because of a tie, split-pot game, or player agreement. An agreement by all players remaining in a tournament to distribute the remaining money in the prize pool according to an agreed-upon formula instead of playing the tournament to completion. Usually occurs at the final table of a large live tournament.

Chopping the Blinds - Ending a hand when all players have folded to the blinds with the blinds being returned to those who paid them.

Click Raise - Making the minimum raise. Refers to online poker where players click the raise button without specifying the amount of raise.

Coin Flip - A situation where two players have invested all their money in the pot and have a roughly even chance of winning. Also race.

Cold Call - To call an amount that represents a sum of bets or raises by more than one player without previously calling or making a bet in the same round. Compare with flat call, overcall.

Cold Deck - A "stacked" deck (a deck arranged in a pre-set order, to effect a specific outcome once dealt) which is deceptively switched with the original deck of cards in play, to benefit a player or the dealer. So named because when the deck is put into the game, it has not had a chance to warm up from handling by the players and dealer.

Collusion - A form of cheating involving cooperation among two or more players.

Combo Draw, Combination Draw - A hand containing both a flush draw and a straight draw.

Community Card - Board cards in Hold’em poker games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hold’em.

Connectors - Two or more cards of consecutive or close to consecutive rank.

Continuation Bet - A bet made after the flop by the player who took the lead in betting before the flop (Texas hold'em and Omaha hold'em). Also called a c-bet.

Cooler - A situation in which a player holds the second best hand, so strong considering the circumstances, that they are apt to lose the maximum with it no matter how they play it.

Counterfeit - When a card on the board makes your hole cards redundant.

Crying Call - Calling when a player thinks they do not have the best hand.

Cut-off - The seat immediately to the right of the button. Name derived from its positional strength, obtaining absolute position when the button folds.

Dead Blind - A blind that is not live, in that the player posting it does not have the option to raise if other players just call. Usually involves a small blind posted by a player entering, or returning to, a game (in a position other than the big blind) that is posted in addition to a live blind equal to the big blind.

Dead Button - The big blind is posted by the player due to it, and the small blind and button are positioned accordingly, even if this means the small blind or the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving the same player the privilege of last action on consecutive hands.

Dead Hand - A player's hand that is not entitled to participate in the deal for some reason, such as having been fouled by touching another player's cards, being found to contain the wrong number of cards, being dealt to a player who did not make the appropriate forced bets, etc.

Dead Man's Hand - Aces and 8’s the famous Poker hand from the wild west.

Dead Money - The term "dead money" is also used in a derogatory sense to refer to money put in the pot by players who are still legally eligible to win it, but who are unlikely to do so because they are unskilled, increasing the expected return of other players. The term "dead money" also applies in tournaments when many casual players enter events with virtually no chance of winning.

Deal - To distribute cards to players in accordance with the rules of the game being played. A single instance of a game of poker, begun by shuffling the cards and ending with the award of a pot. Also called a hand (though both terms are ambiguous). An agreement to split tournament prize money differently from the announced pay-outs.

Dealer - The person dealing the cards. The person who assumes that role for the purposes of betting order in a game, even though someone else might be physically dealing. This player also gets the ‘Dealer’ button.

Dealer's Choice - A version of poker in which the deal passes each game and each dealer can choose, or invent, a new poker game each hand or orbit.

Deep Stack - A stack of chips that is relatively large for the stakes being played. Also called a big stack.

Defence - Making a play that defends the player against a bluff by forcing the suspected bluffer to fold or invest further.

Deuce - A two-spot card (i.e. a two of any suit). Also called a duck, quack, or swan. Any of various related uses of the number two, such as a $2 limit game, a $2 chip, etc.

Dominated Hand - A hand that is extremely unlikely to win against another specific hand, even though it may not be a poor hand in its own right. Most commonly used in Texas hold'em.

Donk Bet - A bet made in an early position by a player who did not take the initiative in the previous betting round.

Donkey - A weak player, also known as fish or donk.

Door Card - In Texas hold'em, the door card is the first visible card of the flop.

Double Belly Buster Straight Draw - A combination of hole cards and exposed cards in hold'em or stud games which does not include four connected cards, but where there are two different ranks of card that complete a straight.

Double-Board, Double-Flop - Any of several community card game variants (usually Texas hold'em) in which two separate boards of community cards are dealt simultaneously, with the pot split between the winning hands using each board.

Double-Draw - Any of several draw poker games in which the draw phase and subsequent betting round are repeated twice.

Double Raise - The minimum raise in a no-limit or pot-limit game, raising by just the amount of the current bet.

Double Suited - An Omaha hold'em starting hand where two pairs of suited cards are held.

Double Up, double Through - In a big bet game, to bet all of one's chips on one hand against a single opponent (who has an equal or larger stack) and win, thereby doubling the stack.

Downswing - A period during which a player loses more than expected.

Draw, Drawing Hand, Come Hand - A drawing hand is when a player has a chance to improve their hand to something considerably stronger, typically a straight or a flush, through drawing the required cards on the flop, on the turn or on the river.

Drawing Dead - Playing a drawing hand that will lose even if successful. Playing a hand that can never improve beyond the opponent's hand.

Drawing Thin - Not drawing completely dead, but chasing a draw in the face of poor odds.

Dry Ace - In Omaha hold'em or Texas hold'em, an ace in one's hand without another card of the same suit.

Dry Board - A measure of texture of the community cards. A board is considered dry when the cards on the table mean that it is unlikely that any player has improved their hand's strength since before the flop.

Dry Pot - A side pot with no money created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent, but not raised. If subsequent betting occurs, the money will go to the dry pot.

Early Position - Players who act first are in "early position"; players who act later are in "late position"; players who act in between are in "middle position". A player "has position" on opponents acting before him and is "out of position" to opponents acting after him.

Effective Nuts - A hand that is not the actual nut hand but strong enough to be played like it.

Effective Stack - The smallest stack size among two players, in a heads-up pot the effective stack determines the maximum amount either player can lose.

Eight or Better - A common qualifier in high-low split games that use ace-5 ranking. Only hands where the highest card is an eight or less can win the low portion of the pot.

Equity - One's mathematical expected value from the current deal, calculated by multiplying the amount of money in the pot by one's probability of winning. If a split is possible, the equity also includes the probability of winning a split times the size of that split.

Expectation, Expected Value, EV - Used in poker to mean profitability in the long run.

Family Pot - A deal in which every (or almost every) seated player calls the first opening bet.

Favourite - A hand which, when matched against another in a showdown, has an advantage odds-wise over the other.

Felt - The cloth covering of a poker table, whatever the actual material. Metonymically, the table itself. Showing down a hand while all-in (so there is only felt left in front of the player); either betting all-in and getting called or calling all-in.

Field - All players as a collective in a large tournament.

Fifth Street - The last card dealt to the board in community card games.

Fill, Fill Up - To successfully draw to a hand that needs one card to complete it, by getting the last card of a straight, flush, or full house.

Final Table - The last table in a multi-table poker tournament.

First Position - The playing position to the direct left of the blinds in Texas hold'em and Omaha hold'em, also known as under the gun. The player in first position must act first on the first round of betting.

Fish - A weak player.To chase draws holding a weak hand. Especially when facing aggressive play by another player.

Fixed Limit, Flat Limit - A game of poker in which the amount a player can bet and raise is pre-determined.

Flat Call - A call, in a situation where one might be expected to raise. Also smooth call.

Float - Calling a bet with the intention of bluffing on a later betting round.

Flop - The dealing of the first three face-up cards to the board, refers also to those three cards themselves.

Flop Game - A community card game.

Flush - A hand comprising five cards of the same suit.

Fold - To discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot.

Fold Equity - The portion of the pot one expects to win, on average, by a bet that induces opponents to fold, rather than seeing the showdown.

Forced Bet - A Forced Bet is a required bet to start the action in a hand such as antes and blinds.

Forward Motion - A house rule of some casinos states that if a player in turn picks up chips from their stack and moves their hand toward the pot (forward motion with chips in hand), this constitutes a commitment to bet (or call), and the player may not withdraw their hand to check or fold. Such a player still has the choice of whether to call or raise. Compare with string bet.

Fouled Hand - A hand that is ruled unplayable because of an irregularity, such as being found with too many or too few cards, having been mixed with cards of other players or the muck, having fallen off the table.

Four-Flush - Four cards of the same suit. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most.

Four of a Kind - A hand containing four cards of equal rank. Also quads.

Four-Straight - Four cards in rank sequence; either an open-ender or one-ender. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most. Sometimes four to a straight.

Fourth Street - The fourth card dealt to the board in community card games. Also turn.

Free Card - A card dealt to one's hand (or to the board of community cards) after a betting round in which no player opened. One is thereby being given a chance to improve one's hand without having to pay anything.

Freeroll - Poker tournament which is free to enter.

Freezeout - The most common form of tournament. There are no rebuys and play continues until one player has all the chips. Full house, full boat, full hand, full. A hand with three cards of one rank and two of a second rank. Also boat or tight.

Free Bet Rule - In some casinos, the rule that a player must wager the full amount required for their action to constitute a raise.

Full Ring - A full ring game is a cash game with more than six players involved, typically nine to ten.

Gap Hand - In Texas hold'em, a gap hand is a starting hand with at least one rank separating the two cards. Usually referred to the context of one-gap and two-gap hands.

Get Away - To fold a strong hand against a supposedly superior hand. Compare with laydown.

Going South - To sneak a portion of chips from the table while the game is underway. Normally prohibited in public card rooms. Also ratholing.

Grinder - A player who earns a living by making small profits over a long period of consistent, conservative play.

Gut Shot, Gutshot, Gutter - See inside straight draw.

Half Bet Rule - In some casinos, the rule that placing chips equal to or greater than half the normal bet amount beyond the amount required to call constitutes a commitment to raise the normal amount.

Hand - The cards you are playing.

Hand-for-Hand - In tournament play, the act of equalizing the number of hands played at two or more tables by waiting for slower tables to finish each hand before beginning the next hand on every table. This is usually done to ensure an accurate finishing order to distribute prize money.

Hand History - The retelling or documentation of a hand played.

Heads Up - Playing against a single opponent.

Hero - In hand histories the player from whose perspective the hand is played, as opposed to villain.

Hero Call - Calling when a player has a relatively weak hand but suspects their opponent may be bluffing.

High Hand, High - The best hand using traditional poker hand values, as opposed to lowball. Used especially in high-low split games.

High Card - A no pair hand, ranked according to its highest-ranking cards. To defeat another player by virtue of high-ranking cards, especially kickers. To randomly select a player for some purpose by having each draw one card, the highest of which is selected (for example, to decide who deals first).

High-Low, High-Low Split - High-low split games are those in which the pot is divided between the player with the best traditional hand (called the high hand) and the player with the low hand.

ICM - ICM stands for independent chip model, and is defined as the act of assigning a monetary value to a chip stack in tournaments or sit’n’go’s. This value dictates the decision making process especially in push/fold situations.

Ignorant End, Idiot End - In flop games, a player drawing to, or even flopping, a straight with undercards to the flop has the idiot end of it. A player with 8-9 betting on a flop of A-10-J puts themself at great risk, because many of the cards that complete their straight give credible opponents higher ones.

Implied Pot Odds, Implied Odds - Implied odds are the amount of money that you expect to win on later streets if you hit one of your outs.

Improve - To achieve a better hand than one currently holds by adding or exchanging cards as provided in the rules of the game being played.

In Position - A player is said to be in position, if the player is last to act on the flop, turn and river betting rounds. You can compare this with out of position.

In the Middle - In a game with multiple blinds, an incoming player may sometimes be allowed to post the blinds in the middle (that is, out of their normal order) rather than having to wait for them to pass.

In the Money - To finish high enough in a poker tournament to win prize money.

In Turn - A player is said to be in turn if that player is expected to act next under the rules.

Inside Straight - See inside straight draw. Also "belly buster", "gutshot". Compare to outside straight draw..

irregularity - Any of several abnormal conditions in play, such as unexpectedly exposed cards, that may call for corrective action.

Isolation - In poker, an isolation play is usually a raise designed to encourage one or more players to fold, specifically for the purpose of making the hand a one-on-one contest with a specific opponent.

ITM - ITM stands for "In the money".

Junk - A hand with little expected value.

Kicker - A Kicker, also called a side card, is a card in a Poker hand that doesn’t take part in determining the rank of the hand. Though it may be used to break ties between hands of the same rank.

Lag - A loose aggressive style of play in which a player plays a lot of starting hands and makes many small raises in hopes of out-playing their opponents.

Lammer - Lammers are a name for "chips" awarded in satellite tournaments during the WSOP in Las Vegas as buy-in chips to larger tournaments.

Last to Act - A player is last to act if all players between the player and the button have folded.

Laydown - The choice to fold a strong hand in anticipation of superior opposition.

Lead - The player who makes the last bet or raise in a round of betting is said to have the lead at the start of the next round. Can also be used as a verb meaning to bet out into the pot, to lead into the pot.

Level - Used in tournament play to refer to the size of the blinds that are periodically increased.

Light - A hand that is not likely to be best. Usually used as an action descriptor; call light, three-bet light. See semi-bluff.

Limit - The minimum or maximum amount of a bet.

Limp, Limp In - To enter a pot by simply calling a bet instead of raising.

Limp-Reraise - A reraise from a player that previously limped in the same betting round. Also backraise.

Live Bet - A bet posted by a player under conditions that give them the option to raise even if no other player raises first; typically because it was posted as a blind or straddle.

Live Cards - In games such as Texas hold'em, a player's hand is said to contain live cards if matching either of them on the board would give that player the lead over their opponents. Typically refers to a hand that is weak, but not dominated.

Live Hand - A hand still eligible to win the pot; one with the correct number of cards that has not been mucked or otherwise invalidated.

Live Poker - A retronym for poker played at a table with cards, as opposed to online poker.

Lock Up - To lock up a seat in a cash game means to place a poker chip, player's card, or other personal effect on the table in front of the seat, to signify that the seat is occupied even though the player may not be present.

Loose - To play more hands than the average for the game or for the player normally. See loose/tight play. You can compare this with tight, aggressive, passive.

Low - The lowest card by rank. The low half of the pot in a high-low split.

M-Radio - A measure of the health of a chip stack as a function of the cost to play each round.

Made Hand - A hand that does not need improvement to win. Compare with a drawing hand.

Maniac - A very loose and aggressive player, who bets and raises frequently, and often in situations where it is not a good strategy to do so. Opposite of rock.

Mark - A person at a poker table that is the focus of attention, often due to their inexperience.

Match the Pot - To bet an amount equal to all the chips in the pot.

Micro-Limit - Internet poker games with stakes so small that real cardrooms could not profit from them, are said to be at the micro-limit level.

Middle Pair - In a community card game, making a pair with neither the highest nor lowest card of the community cards. You can see this also with second pair.

Middle Position - Middle position generally refers to players who are after the first three players after the blinds and before the last two players before the blinds.

Misdeal - A deal which is ruined for some reason and must be redealt.

Missed Blind - A required bet that is not posted when it is a player's turn to do so, perhaps occurring when a player absents themself from the table. Various rules require the missed bet to be made up upon the player's return.

Move In - In a no-limit game, to move in or to go all in means to bet one's entire stake on the hand in play.

Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) - Poker tournament with multiple tables.

Muck - To fold. To discard one's hand without revealing the cards. Often done after winning without a showdown or at a showdown when a better hand has already been revealed.

Multi-Way Pot - A pot where several players compete for it. Also known as a family pot, although family pot sometimes means a pot where all players participate.

Nit - A player who is unwilling to take risks and plays only premium hands in the top range.

No-Limit - Rules designating that players are allowed to wager any or all of their chips in a single bet.

Nosebleed Stakes - Also known as nosebleed, is the highest stakes offered in cash game poker.

Nothing - When a player only has the possibility of a high card and no other hand that will win.

Nothing Card - In community card poker, a newly revealed community card that does not affect the value of any player's hand.

Nut Hand (The Nuts) - The nut hand is the best possible hand in a given situation. Players sometimes evaluate hands by ranking them as being the pure nuts, the second nuts or the effective nuts.

Nut Low - The best possible low hand in high-low split games.

Off Suit - Cards that are not of the same suit.

On the Button - Being in the dealer position. As the position whose turn to bet comes last, it is the most advantageous and profitable position in poker.

One-Ended Straight Draw - Four out of the five cards needed for a straight that can only be completed with one specific rank of card, in cases where the needed card rank is either higher or lower than the cards already held as part of the sequence; as opposed to an inside straight draw or an open-ended straight draw. While A-2-3-4 and A-K-Q-J are the only truly one-ended straight draw possibilities, an open-ended straight draw could be considered one-ended if one of the card ranks needed to complete it would also give an opponent a hand of higher rank than a straight.

Open - The first person to enter the pot in the first betting round. They can either open limp or open raise.

Open-Ended Straight Draw, Open-Ended - An outside straight draw. Also two-way straight draw or double-ended straight draw.

Open Limp - Being the first person in the pot preflop by calling the big blind.

Option - The right to raise possessed by the big blind if there have been no raises.

Orbit - A full rotation of the blinds at a table, equal to the number of people at the table.

Outs - Any unseen card that, if drawn, will improve a player's hand to one that is likely to win.

Out of Position - A player is said to be out of position, if they are either first to act, or are not last to act in a betting round.

Outside Straight Draw - An outside straight draw, also called up and down, double-ended straight draw or open-ended straight draw overbet.

Overbet - To make a bet that is more than the size of the pot in a no limit game.

Overcall - To call a bet after others have called. You can compare this with cold call, flat call, smooth call.

Overcard - A community card with a higher rank than a player's pocket pair. A higher card.

Overpair - In community card games such as Texas hold'em and Omaha hold'em, a pocket pair with a higher rank than the highest community card.

Paint - Any royal card. Used mostly in lowball games, where royal cards are rarely helpful.

Pair - Two cards of the same rank.

Passive - A style of play characterized by checking and calling. You can compare this with aggressive, loose, tight.

Pay Off - To call a bet when the player is most likely drawing dead because the pot odds justify the call.

Play the Board - In games such as Texas hold'em, where five community cards are dealt, if the player's best hand is on the board and the player goes to the showdown they are said to play the board.

Pocket Aces - Refers to a starting poker hand that contains two Aces. The most common context is a game of Texas hold'em. Other names for Ace-Ace include American Airlines, bullets, and rockets.

Pocket Cards - Cards belonging exclusively to the player holding them.

Pocket Pair - In community card poker or stud poker, when two of a player's private cards make a pair. Also wired pair.

Poker Face - A blank expression that does not reveal anything about the cards being held.

Poker Table - A typical poker game will have between two and ten players. A padded table top is preferred to facilitate picking up chips and cards.

Polarised - When someone's range is split into either very strong hands or bluffs.

Position - Position in poker refers to the order which players are allowed to act. A player who acts first is “out of position” while a player who acts last is “in position”.

Position Bet - A bet that is made more due to the strength of the bettor's position than the strength of the bettor's cards.

Post - To make the required small or big blind bet in Texas hold'em or other games played with blinds rather than antes.

Post Dead - To post a bet amount equal to the small and the big blind combined (the amount of the large blind playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small blind as dead money). In games played with blinds, a player who steps away from the table and misses their turn for the blinds must either post dead or wait for the big blind to re-enter the game. Compare with dead blind.

Pot - The pot in poker refers to the sum of money that players wager during a single hand or game.

Pot-Committed - More often in the context of a no limit game; the situation where one can no longer fold because the size of the pot is so large compared to the size of one's stack.

Pot-Limit - The limit to any bet/raise you can make at any point is capped at the size of the pot at that moment.

Pot Odds - In poker, pot odds are the ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a contemplated call.

Pot-Sweetener - A small bet not meant to cause an opponent to fold but rather to build up the pot thereby sweetening it.

Pre-Flop - The time when players already have their pocket cards but no flop has been dealt yet.

Probe Bet - A bet after the flop by a player who did not take the lead in betting before the flop (and when the player that did take the lead in betting before the flop declined to act).

Push - To bet all in.

Quads - Four of a kind.

Qualifier, Qualifying Low - A qualifying low hand. High-low split games often require a minimum hand value, such as eight-high, to award the low half of the pot.

Quartered - To win a quarter of a pot, usually by tying the low or high hand of a high-low split game. Generally, this is an unwanted outcome, as a player is often putting in a third of the pot in the hope of winning a quarter of the pot back.

Rabbit Hunt - A situation where two players have invested all their money in the pot and have a roughly even chance of winning.

Race - A low-valued (and presumably worthless) card. Hence ragged - having a low value.

Rail - The rail is the side-line at a poker table—the (often imaginary) rail separates spectators from the field of play. Watching from the rail means watching a poker game as a spectator. Going to the rail usually means losing all one's money.

Railbird - A non-participatory spectator of a poker game.

Rainbow - Three or four cards of different suits, especially said of a flop. Betting a rainbow: to make a bet of one chip of each colour currently in play.

Raise - To raise is to increase the size of an existing bet in the same betting round.

Rake - House commission taken during cash games, typically a small percentage of the pot capped at a certain amount.

Rakeback - Rebate or repayment to a player a portion of the rake paid by that player.

Rakeback Pro - A rakeback pro is a poker player who may not be a winning player but uses rakeback to supplement their losses and turn them into winnings.

Range of Hands - The list of holdings that a player considers an opponent might have when trying to deduce their holding. See also put on.

Rathole - To remove a portion of one's chips from the table while the game is underway. At Holland Casino online poker tables you may not return to the same table within 2 hours with less than you left with.

Rebuy - An amount of chips purchased after the buy-in. In some tournaments, players are allowed to rebuy chips one or more times for a limited period after the start of the game, providing that their stack is at or under its initial level. Compare with add-on.

Redraw - To make one hand and have a draw for a better hand. Second or later draws in a draw game with multiple draws

Represent - To represent a hand is to play as if it were held (whether it is or not).

Reraise - Raise after one has been raised. Also coming over the top.

Ring Game - Cash game, blinds are static and you may leave whenever you like.

River - The river or river card is the final card dealt in a poker hand, to be followed by a final round of betting and, if necessary, a showdown. In Texas hold'em and Omaha hold'em, the river is the fifth and last card to be dealt to the community card board, after the flop and turn. A player losing the pot due only to the river card is said to have been rivered.

Rock - A very tight player (plays very few hands and only continues with strong hands).

Rounder - An expert player who travels to seek out high-stakes games.

Royal Cards - Royal cards are also known as face cards and picture cards. These cards consist of the jack, queen, and king of every suit.

Royal Flush - A straight flush of the top five cards of any suit. This is the highest possible hand.

Run it Twice, Running it Twice - If both players agree the remaining cards may be dealt twice in two separate boards. The winner of one run gets half the pot while the winner of the second run gets the other half. Running it twice is done to minimize bad beats and reduce bankroll swings.

Runner-Runner - A hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and river.

Rush - A prolonged winning streak. A player who has won several big pots recently is said to be on a rush. Also heater.

Sandbag - Slow playing.

Satellite - A tournament in which the prize is entrance to another (larger) tournament.

Scare Card - A card dealt face up (either to a player in a game such as stud or to the board in a community card game) that could create a strong hand for someone.

Scoop - In high-low split games, to win both the high and the low halves of the pot.

Second Pair - In community card poker games, a pair of cards of the second-top rank on the board. Second pair is a middle pair, but not necessarily vice versa. Compare with bottom pair, top pair.

Semi-Bluff - In a game with multiple betting rounds, a bet or raise made with a hand that has a decent chance of improving, but with the intention of making a better hand fold on the current betting round.

Set - Three of a kind, especially a situation where two of the cards are concealed in the player's hole cards. You can compare this with trips.

Shark - A professional player. See also card sharp.

Shootout - A poker tournament format where the last remaining player of a table goes on to play the remaining players of other tables. Each table plays independently of the others; that is, there is no balancing as players are eliminated.

Short Stack - A stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played. You can compare this with deep stack and big stack.

Shorthanded - A poker game that is played with six players or fewer, as opposed to a full ring game, which is usually nine or ten players. A tournament where all tables are shorthanded at all times is called a short table tournament.

Shove - To bet all in.

Showdown - When, if more than one player remains after the last betting round, remaining players expose and compare their hands to determine the winner or winners.

Showdown Value - A poker hand has showdown value, when compared to the opponent's range of hands, it has a realistic chance of winning at showdown.

Side Game - A ring game running concurrently with a tournament made up of players who have either been eliminated or opted not to play the tournament.

Side Pot - A separate pot created to deal with the situation of one player going "all in". See Betting in poker.

Sit and Go - A poker tournament with no scheduled starting time that starts whenever the necessary players have put up their money.

Slow Play - Slow playing is a deceptive play in poker where a player bets weakly or passively with a strong holding.

Slow Roll - To delay or avoid showing the winning hand at showdown, it is widely regarded as poor etiquette.

Small Blind - Forced bet to the left of the dealer.

Smooth Call - See flat call.

Soft-Play - To intentionally go easy on a player.

Squeeze Play - A bluff reraise in no limit hold'em with less-than-premium cards, after another player or players have already called the original raise. The goal is to bluff everyone out of the hand and steal the bets.

Stack - The total chips and currency that a player has in play at a given moment. To be paid off by an opponent for your full stack value, To "stack" an opponent.

Stakes - The amount one buys in for and can bet.

Starting Hand - In Texas hold’em, a starting hand consists of two hole cards, which belong solely to the player and remain hidden from the other players.

Steal - A steal is a type of a bluff, a raise during the first betting round made with an inferior hand and meant to make other players fold superior hands because of shown strength.

Steam - A state of anger, mental confusion, or frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy, usually resulting in poor play. You can compare this with tilt.

Stop and Go - When a player bets into another player who has previously raised or otherwise shown aggression. Another version of the stop and go is in tournament poker when a player raises pre-flop with the intention of going all in after the flop regardless of the cards that fall.

Straight - Poker Hand.

Straight Flush - Poker Hand.

Street - A street is another term for a dealt card or betting round.

String Bet - A call with one motion and a later raise with another, or a reach for more chips without stating the intended amount. String bets are prohibited in public cardroom rules.

Suck Out - A situation when a hand heavily favoured to win loses to an inferior hand after all the cards are dealt. The winning hand is said to have sucked out.

Suited - Having the same suit.

Suited Connectors - Connecting cards of the same suite.

Super Satellite - A multi-table poker tournament in which the prize is entrance to a live tournament.

Tag - A tight aggressive style of play in which a player plays a small number of strong starting hands, but when in pots plays aggressively. tank, in the tank.

Tank, In the Tank - To take an excessive amount of time to act.

Tell - A tell in poker is a detectable change in a player's behaviour or demeanour that gives clues to that player's assessment of their hand.

Texture - How well coordinated the community cards are to one another. This is used to estimate relative hand strength. See also dry board and wet board.

Three Bet, Three Betting - To be the first player to put in a third unit of betting. Similarly Four betting, Five betting, etc.

Three of a Kind - Poker hand.

Tight - To play fewer hands than average for the game or for the player normally. See loose/tight play. Compare with loose, aggressive, passive.

Tilt - Emotional upset, mental confusion, or frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy, usually resulting in poor play. You can compare this with steam.

Timer - If playing a poker tournament, a timer is used to count down periods in which the blinds are at certain levels. When the timer reaches 0:00, the blinds go to a higher level.

Top Kicker - In community card poker games, top kicker is the best possible kicker to some given hand.

Top Pair - In community card poker games, top pair is a pair comprising a pocket card and the highest-ranking card on the board. You can compare this with second pair, bottom pair.

Top Two - A split two pair, matching the highest-ranking two flop cards.

Trap - See slow play.

Trey - A three-spot card (i.e. a three of any suit).

Trips - Three of a kind, especially a situation where only one card is from the player's hole cards. Compare with set.

Turbo - A type of tournament where the blind levels increase much faster than in standard play.

Turn - The turn, turn card or fourth street is the fourth of five cards dealt to a community card board, constituting one face-up community card that each of the players in the game can use to make up their final hand. See also flop and river.

Under the Gun - The playing position to the direct left of the blinds in Texas hold'em or Omaha hold'em. The player who is under the gun must act first on the first round of betting.

Underdog - An underdog or dog is a player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player. Frequently used when the exact odds are expressed.

Underfull - A full house made where the three of a kind have lower-ranking cards than the pair. You can compare this with big full.

Up - When used with a card rank to describe a poker hand, it refers to two pair with the named card being the higher pair.

Upswing - A period during which a player wins more (or loses less) than expected. See also: downswing.

Up the ante - Increase the stakes.

Value Bet - A bet made by a player who wants it to be called (as opposed to a bluff or protection bet). See value

Variance - The statistical measure of how far actual results differ from expectation.

Villain - In hand histories any opponent as seen from hero's perspective.

VPIP - Voluntary put money in a pot. Represents the percentage of hands with which a player puts money into the pot pre-flop, without counting any blind postings. VPIP is an excellent measure of how tight or loose a player is.

Wake Up - To "wake up with a hand" means to discover a strong starting hand, often when there has already been action in front of the player.

Walk - A situation where all players fold to the big blind.

Weak Ace - An ace with a low kicker. Also small ace, soft ace, ace-rag.

Weak Player - A player who is easily bullied out of a hand post-flop by any sort of action.

Wet Board - A wet board is when the cards on the table make it possible for players to have hit strong hands. You can compare this with dry board.

Whale - A particularly weak player with a very large stack or bankroll that can be targeted with minimal risk.

Wheel - A five-high straight (A-2-3-4-5), with the ace playing low. See list of poker hands and lowball (poker) In deuce-to-seven lowball, the nut low hand (2-3-4-5-7).

Wrap - In Omaha hold'em, a wrap is a straight draw with nine or more outs comprising two board cards and three or four cards from a player's hand.