Poker Glossary

Common poker terms with clear definitions. 107 entries covering cash, tournaments, Hold'em and Omaha. Use the search box, the letter jumps, or scroll.

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W

A

Ace-high: A five-card poker hand whose highest card is an Ace and which does not contain a pair or higher made hand. Often used as a bluff-catcher on disconnected boards.

Action: The turn of play — whose decision it currently is — or the betting activity in a hand. "Action on you" means it is your turn.

Aggression factor (AF): A statistical ratio of how often a player bets or raises versus calls. AF = (bets + raises) / calls. Used to classify opponents in tracking software.

All-in: Committing the rest of your chips to a single bet. Once all-in, you cannot win more from any remaining live players than the chips you contributed.

Ante: A small forced bet contributed by every player before the hand begins. Common in tournaments to encourage action.

B

Backdoor: A draw that requires both the turn and the river to complete — e.g. a backdoor flush needs two running cards of the same suit.

Bad beat: Losing a hand you were a heavy favourite to win because of an improbable opponent runout.

Bankroll: The total money set aside for poker. See bankroll management for sizing guidelines.

Blockers: Cards in your hand that reduce the combinations of strong hands an opponent can hold. Critical in Omaha. See Blockers in Poker.

Bluff: Betting or raising with a hand unlikely to win at showdown, hoping to fold out better.

Board: The community cards dealt face-up in flop games (Hold'em, Omaha).

Brick: A card that does not change the board texture or complete any draw. "The river bricked" = no draw hit.

Broadway: Five cards from Ten to Ace — the highest straight, A-K-Q-J-T. Also "broadway hands" = AK, AQ, etc.

Bubble: The stage of a tournament just before the money. Bubble play is heavily influenced by ICM.

Button: The dealer position; the last to act post-flop and the most profitable seat. See Button Strategy.

C

C-bet (continuation bet): A bet on the flop by the pre-flop aggressor. See Continuation Bet.

Call: Matching the current bet to stay in the hand without raising.

Cap: In limit games, the maximum number of raises allowed in a round. In no-limit, "no cap" means betting up to your stack.

Cash game: A poker game played for cash chips that retain their monetary value, as opposed to a tournament.

Check: Passing the action to the next player without betting, when no bet is outstanding.

Check-raise: Checking first, then raising after an opponent bets. Powerful for both value and bluff.

Cooler: A hand where two players hold strong holdings that are destined to put a lot of money in — e.g. set vs set, or AA vs KK.

Coordinated board: A wet flop with connected/suited cards favouring many draws. Opposite of "dry".

Cut-off (CO): The seat immediately to the right of the button. Second most profitable seat. See Cutoff Strategy.

D

Dangler: In Omaha, a fourth hole card that doesn't connect with the other three, weakening the hand significantly.

Dead money: Chips already in the pot from folded players, or chips contributed by a player unlikely to win.

Donk bet: Leading out into the pre-flop aggressor on the flop or later street.

Double-suited: In Omaha, four hole cards forming two distinct suit pairs (e.g. A♠K♠Q♥J♥). The premium tier. See Double-Suited Hands.

Down to felt: Reducing a player's stack to zero — they have nothing left on the table.

Drawing dead: Holding a hand that cannot improve to beat what your opponent already has — even hitting your draws will not be enough.

E

EV (expected value): The average profit or loss of a decision over many repetitions. +EV = profitable in the long run.

Equity: Your share of the pot based on the probability of winning the hand. See our Pre-flop Equity Calculator.

F

Final table: The last table of a tournament, typically 9 players in MTTs.

Flat call: Calling a bet rather than raising.

Flop: The first three community cards dealt simultaneously. See The Flop.

Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not consecutive. Rank 5 of 10. See Flush in Poker.

Fold: Giving up your hand and forfeiting any chips already in the pot.

Fold equity: The expected gain from making your opponent fold. See Fold Equity.

Four of a kind (quads): Four cards of the same rank plus a kicker. Rank 3 of 10.

Full house (boat): Three of a kind plus a pair. Rank 4 of 10. See Full House.

G

Gutshot: An inside straight draw — needing one specific rank to complete a straight (e.g. holding 7-9 on a 5-6-T board).

GTO (game theory optimal): A balanced strategy that cannot be exploited by any single counter-strategy. See GTO vs Exploitative.

H

Hand history: The text record of a played hand, including dealt cards and all actions. Used for review with our Hand History Reviewer.

Hand range: The set of hands a player might hold given the actions they've taken. Build your own with our Range Builder.

Heads-up: A hand or game between exactly two players. See Heads-Up Poker.

Hero call: Calling a big bet with a relatively weak hand because you believe your opponent is bluffing.

High card: A hand with no pair or made combination — the weakest poker hand. Rank 10 of 10.

Hijack (HJ): The seat immediately to the right of the cutoff. See Hijack Strategy.

Hole cards: A player's private cards. Two in Hold'em, four in Omaha.

I

ICM (independent chip model): A model converting tournament chip stacks into real-money equity. See ICM Calculator.

Implied odds: Expected additional winnings on later streets when you hit your draw. See Implied Odds.

Iso (isolation) raise: Raising after a limper to play heads-up with them in position.

K

Kicker: The highest unpaired card that breaks ties between equal hand-ranks (e.g. AK vs AQ on an A-high board).

L

Limp: Entering a pot by calling the big blind rather than raising. Usually weak but situational.

Loose: A playing style with a wide range of hands; opposite of tight.

M

M-ratio: Stack ÷ (SB + BB + antes per orbit). Used to classify tournament stack pressure.

Made hand: A hand that already has showdown value (at least one pair) — not a pure draw.

Min-raise: Raising by the minimum allowed amount — typically the same as the previous raise/bet.

Multiway pot: A pot contested by three or more players. See Multi-Way Pots.

N

Nuts: The best possible hand on a given board.

O

Open-raise: Being the first player to put chips in voluntarily by raising pre-flop.

Out: A specific card that would improve your hand to win.

Overbet: A bet larger than the size of the pot.

Overcard: A card higher than any on the board (relative to your hand).

Overpair: A pocket pair higher than any card on the board.

P

Pair: Two cards of the same rank. Rank 9 of 10.

Pocket pair: Two hole cards of the same rank in Hold'em.

Polarised range: A betting range made of strong value hands and bluffs only — no medium-strength hands.

Position: Where you sit relative to the button. Late position = more information = profitable. See Position in Poker.

Pot-limit: A betting structure where the maximum bet is the size of the pot. Standard in PLO. See Pot-Limit Rules.

Pot odds: The ratio of the pot size to the cost of a contemplated call. See Pot Odds Explained.

Push/fold: A simplified short-stack strategy where every action is either all-in or fold. See Push/Fold Chart.

R

Range advantage: Holding a stronger overall range of hands than your opponent on a given board.

Rake: The fee a cardroom takes from each pot or tournament entry. See Understanding Poker Rake.

River: The fifth and final community card. Last betting round.

Rock: An extremely tight player who only enters pots with very strong hands.

Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-T all of the same suit. The highest hand. Rank 1 of 10.

Runner-runner: Hitting a hand by catching favourable cards on both the turn AND river. Same as "backdoor".

S

Satellite: A small tournament whose prize is entry into a larger one.

Semi-bluff: Betting with a draw that may not currently be ahead but can improve.

Set: Three of a kind using a pocket pair plus one card from the board. Distinct from "trips" which uses one hole card + board pair.

Shove: To go all-in. Common in short-stack and tournament play.

Side pot: A separate pot created when one player is all-in and others continue betting. Only the all-in player's contribution counts toward the main pot.

Slow-play: Playing a strong hand passively to disguise its strength. See Slow Playing.

Squeeze: Re-raising over one open and one or more callers, often as a bluff.

Stack: The chips a player has in front of them.

Stack-to-pot ratio (SPR): Remaining effective stack divided by the current pot. Low SPR = more committed.

Straddle: A voluntary blind posted before the deal, usually 2× BB, that gets last action pre-flop.

Straight: Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Rank 6 of 10. See Straight in Poker.

Straight flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Rank 2 of 10.

Suited connectors: Two consecutive same-suit hole cards (e.g. 8♥7♥). See Suited Connectors.

T

Three-bet (3-bet): The second raise pre-flop. See Three-Bet Strategy.

Three of a kind (trips/set): Three cards of the same rank. Rank 7 of 10.

Tight: A playing style with a narrow range of strong hands. See Tight vs Loose.

Tilt: Emotionally compromised decision-making. See Tilt Management.

Top pair: Pairing the highest card on the board.

Trips: Three of a kind made by pairing one of your hole cards with a board pair. Weaker than a "set".

Turn: The fourth community card. Second-to-last betting round.

Two pair: Two distinct pairs. Rank 8 of 10.

U

Under the gun (UTG): The first seat to act pre-flop, immediately left of the big blind. Tightest opening range. See UTG Strategy.

V

Value bet: A bet made hoping to be called by a worse hand. See Value Betting.

Variance: The statistical fluctuation around your expected results. See Poker Variance.

W

Wet board: A flop with many draws available. Opposite of dry.

Wheel: The lowest possible straight: A-2-3-4-5.

Wrap: An Omaha-specific big straight draw using three or more hole cards. See Wraps in Omaha.