by Michael Wiesenberg
A
A-x: An ace with another card, probably a small card, with “small” meaning 9 or smaller.
ace-little: An ace with a small card.
active player: A player still in contention for a pot.
adjustment: making changes to your game based on factors like position or opponents.
aggressive: A style of play characterized by much betting, raising, and reraising.
all in: Out of chips due to having put one’s remaining chips into the current pot.
all-in protection: Online feature to prevent folding due to lost connection by making the player all-in with a side pot created.
ante: Chips put in by each player before cards are dealt.
B
bad beat: A strong hand loses to a long-shot or improbable hand.
bad beat story: A tale told about losing with a strong hand.
badugi: A poker game with four-card triple-draw lowball rules.
berry patch: A game full of weak players.
bet for value: Betting to get called by lesser hands.
bet on the come: Bet made on a drawing hand.
bet slider: Online control for adjusting bet sizes.
big blind: A forced bet by the player two seats left of the dealer.
big slick: Hole cards of A-K.
blank: A card that doesn’t improve any hand.
blind: A forced bet put in before seeing cards.
blinded off: Losing chips without playing hands in a tournament.
blind thief: A player who steals blinds with a weak hand.
bonus: Online incentive for players upon deposit.
brick-and-mortar cardroom: A physical poker room.
bubble: The position just out of the money in a tournament.
button: Dealer position marker.
buy-in bonus: Deposit-matching bonus in online play.
C
call someone down: Check and call all bets to the river.
calling station: A player who calls too often with weak hands.
cap: The maximum number of raises allowed in a betting round.
cash: To finish in the money in a tournament.
chances: Likelihood of a particular event.
chase: Try to catch a better hand.
check: Decline to bet while retaining the option to act later.
check boxes: Online controls to select actions before it’s your turn.
check-raise: Check then raise when another player bets.
clean outs: Outs that definitely result in a winning hand.
coin flip: A confrontation of nearly equal hands.
coin-flip situation: See coin flip.
come over the top: Make a large raise or reraise.
community cards: Cards dealt to the center of the table used by all players.
complete hand: A straight or better.
continuation bet: Follow-up bet after a pre-flop raise.
counterfeited: A strong hand becomes weak due to board cards.
curiosity call: A call made just to see an opponent’s hand.
cute plays: Sophisticated strategies like slow-play or check-raise.
D
dead money: Chips in the pot from players no longer in the hand.
dealer button: See button.
deep: Having a large chip stack.
deep stack: A large starting chip stack in a tournament.
deep stack tournament: A tournament with deep starting stacks.
defend a blind: Play a hand rather than fold a blind.
discards: Thrown-away cards.
dominated: One hand significantly weaker than another.
dominating hand: One hand significantly stronger than another.
downcard: A face-down card.
draw: An incomplete hand.
draw out: Improve to beat another player’s hand.
drawing dead: Drawing to a hand that can’t win.
drawing hand: Four to a straight or flush with cards to come.
E
early position: One of the first to act in a round.
eight-or-better: In a split-pot game, the specification that a hand can win the low half only by having five different cards ranked 8 or lower.
extra outs: Additional cards that can improve a hand.
F
family pot: A pot with many players.
fancy play syndrome: See cute plays.
fish: A weak, easy-to-beat player.
flop: The first three community cards dealt.
forced-move game: A secondary game feeding into a main game.
FPPs (frequent player points): Online loyalty incentives.
free card: See another card without betting.
frequent player points: See FPPs.
full-bet rule: See half-bet rule.
G
go all in: Bet all your chips.
go in the tank: Take a long time to decide.
gut-shot: Inside straight draw or made straight.
H
half-bet rule: What constitutes a legal raise for reopening betting.
hand history: A replay or summary of a previously played hand.
heads-up display (HUD): Online tool showing player stats.
hold’em: A poker variant with two hole cards and five community cards.
holecard: One of your facedown cards.
house: The casino or cardroom.
human card rack: A player consistently dealt good hands.
hyper-turbo: Very fast-paced online tournament.
I
implied odds: Future winnings compared to current bet cost.
independent chip model (ICM): A mathematical model to convert tournament chips into a monetary value.
in the money: Finish in a paying position in a tournament.
isolate: Make a large raise to face only one opponent.
K
kicker: Unpaired side card used to break ties.
kicker trouble: Having a weaker kicker.
L
late position: Acting near or last in the round.
leave money on the table: Not betting enough to extract full value.
leaks: Flaws in play.
limp: Enter the pot by calling rather than raising.
lobby: Main interface in an online poker site.
live one: A very loose, often losing player.
loose: Playing many hands with relaxed standards.
loose-aggressive: A player who bets and raises frequently.
loose-passive: A player who plays many hands but rarely raises.
M
maniac: A player who bets and raises wildly.
middle pair: Pair formed with a card between the highest and lowest board cards.
middle position: Between early and late positions.
milk: Bet small to encourage calls.
min raise: Raise the minimum amount allowed.
miracle: Hit an improbable winning card.
mixed game: A rotation of poker variants.
monster: A very strong hand.
move: A poker play or tactic.
move all in: See go all in.
move in: Bet all chips.
MTT (multitable tournament): A tournament with multiple tables.
muck: Discard cards without showing.
mucked cards: Unshown discarded cards.
must-move game: See forced-move game.
N
nut: Best possible hand in a situation.
nuts: See nut.
nosebleed limits: Extremely high-stakes games.
O
odds: Likelihood of an event expressed as a ratio.
offsuit: Cards of different suits.
on tilt: Playing irrationally due to emotional distress.
online site: A poker room on the world wide web.
orbit: One complete round of hands.
option: The choice to raise after a blind.
outkicked: Lose with same pair but worse kicker.
outs: Cards that can improve your hand.
overbet: Bet more than expected or standard.
overcard: A card on the board higher than your pair.
overcards: Hole cards higher than board cards.
overlay: A pot with better-than-fair value.
overpair: A pocket pair higher than any board card.
P
passive: Playing conservatively, rarely betting or raising.
pat hand: A complete five-card hand.
play fast: Bet and raise aggressively.
pocket pair: Pair in your starting two hole cards.
position: Where a player sits relative to the dealer.
pot-committed: Having invested so much that folding seems impossible.
pot odds: The ratio of the pot size to the bet needed to continue.
probe bet: Small bet made to gauge opponents’ strength.
put someone on a hand: Try to guess an opponent’s cards.
Q
qualifier: Conditions required to win a portion of the pot.
R
rag: A low, likely useless card on the flop.
rainbow: Board cards of different suits.
rake: Money taken from the pot by the house.
ram and jam: Bet and raise aggressively.
razz: A lowball variant of seven-card stud.
read a hand: Assess a player’s possible holdings.
reload bonus: See bonus.
reopen the betting: Restart the raise sequence.
ring game: A regular cash game.
river: The fifth and final community card.
rock: A tight, conservative player.
runner-runner: Making a hand with both turn and river cards.
S
satellite tournament: A tournament with entry into a larger one as a prize.
scare card: A card that potentially completes strong hands.
second pair: Pair with second-highest board card.
semi-bluff: Betting a hand that isn’t best but might improve.
set: Three of a kind using a pocket pair and a matching board card.
short real money: Low on cash.
showdown: Reveal of cards to determine the winner.
side pot: Pot created when a player goes all in and others continue betting.
sit-and-go: A tournament that begins once seats are filled.
slider: Online tool to adjust bet sizes.
slow-play: Underplaying a strong hand to trap opponents.
small blind: Player to the left of the button who posts a smaller blind.
smooth call: Call without raising.
soft: Easy to beat game.
speed: Aggressiveness of play in a game.
standard raise: Typical preflop raise, often 2.5–4x the big blind.
steal position: A position likely to attempt to steal the blinds.
stop-and-go play: Betting after calling a raise to regain control.
structured limit: A betting structure with fixed limits.
suck out: Win with a lucky card after being behind.
T
tell: A physical or behavioral clue to a player’s hand.
Texas hold’em: The formal name for hold’em.
the nuts: The best possible hand.
third pair: Pair with the third-highest board card.
three-bet: A re-raise after an initial raise, typically before the flop.
tight: Playing few hands and folding often.
tilt: See on tilt.
time bank: Extra time given for decisions in online play.
tool: Third-party software for tracking opponents.
tough: Difficult to beat.
tough player: A skilled, winning player.
tournament trail: Circuit of major poker tournaments.
tracking software: Software that logs opponents’ play patterns.
turbo tournament: A fast-paced tournament with shorter levels.
U
under the gun: The player seated to the immediate left of the big blind
V
value bet: Bet meant to get called by a weaker hand.
variance: The swings in a player’s results.
X
x: Placeholder for any unspecified card.