Poker Basics: Poker Terms

Poker has its own vocabulary, with hundreds of terms describing betting actions, positions, hands, tournament situations, strategy concepts, and poker slang.

Whether you’re learning poker for the first time or trying to understand an unfamiliar expression, this A–Z poker glossary explains the most common poker terms and definitions used in live and online poker.

The glossary covers everything from basic terms such as ante, blind, call, flop, and raise to more advanced concepts including blockers, equity, expected value, ICM, range advantage, and reverse implied odds.

Poker Terms A-Z

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Ace High – A hand with no pair or better in which an ace is the highest-ranking card.

Ace in the Hole – An ace among a player’s hole cards.

Ace Rag – Slang for an ace accompanied by a low kicker, such as A-4 or A-6.

Act – To make a decision when it is your turn, such as checking, betting, calling, raising, or folding.

Action – The betting activity in a poker hand. The term can also refer to a player’s turn to act or to a game with frequent betting and raising.

Action Card – A community card that significantly changes the strength of one or more likely hands or ranges.

Action Flop – A flop that connects with many possible hands or draws and is likely to generate significant betting.

Action Player – A player who participates in many pots and tends to create substantial betting action.

Active Player – A player who has not folded and remains eligible to win some or all of the pot.

Add-On – Additional tournament chips that players may purchase at a designated point in certain tournament formats, often near the end of a rebuy period.

Advertising – Deliberately showing a hand or making a noticeable play in an attempt to influence how opponents perceive your play later.

Aggressive – A playing style characterized by frequent betting and raising rather than checking and calling.

Ahead – Currently holding the stronger hand or having greater equity than an opponent.

Air – A very weak hand with little or no showdown value.

All-In – Betting or committing all of your remaining chips. If players with larger stacks continue betting, one or more side pots may be created.

Alligator Blood – Poker slang for a player who is particularly resilient or difficult to eliminate.

Ammo – Slang for poker chips or money available for betting.

Angle – A questionable action intended to gain an advantage by exploiting rules, procedures, or another player’s misunderstanding without necessarily constituting outright cheating.

Angle Shooter – A player who deliberately uses angles to gain an advantage.

Ante – A forced contribution made before a hand begins. Depending on the game or tournament structure, antes may be posted by every player or through a format such as the big blind ante.

Any Two Cards – An expression indicating that a player’s range can contain virtually any possible starting hand.

Armor – Informal poker slang for a large chip stack that gives a player substantial room to withstand losses.

B

Baby – A low-ranking card, commonly a five or lower, particularly in lowball and split-pot games.

Back Into – To make a hand indirectly or unexpectedly, often when the completed hand was not the player’s primary draw.

Backdoor – A draw requiring favorable cards on both the turn and river to complete.

Backdoor Flush – A flush completed by catching the required suit on both the turn and river after the flop.

Backraise – To call an initial bet or raise and then re-raise after another player raises behind you during the same betting round.

Bad Beat – A loss in which a hand that was a substantial favorite is beaten after an opponent improves.

Bad Beat Jackpot – A promotional jackpot awarded when a qualifying strong hand loses to an even stronger hand. Qualification requirements vary by poker room.

Balance – Constructing a strategy so that particular actions can contain different types of hands, making the strategy more difficult for opponents to exploit.

Bankroll – Money specifically allocated for playing poker.

Bankroll Management – The process of choosing stakes and controlling poker funds to manage variance and the risk of exhausting a bankroll.

Barrel – A bet made on one street after the player also bet the previous street. Betting multiple consecutive streets is commonly called double-barreling or triple-barreling.

Base Dealing – A cheating technique in which cards are improperly dealt from the bottom of the deck.

Behind – Currently holding the weaker hand or having less equity than an opponent.

Belly Buster – Another term for a gutshot or inside straight draw.

Bet – The first wager made during a betting round when no previous wager has been made.

Bet Into – To make a bet when another player had been the aggressor on the previous street.

Bet Sizing – The amount selected for a bet or raise.

Betting Pattern – A recurring tendency in the way a player checks, bets, calls, or raises.

Betting Round – A period of betting during which eligible players act until all required wagers have been matched or all but one player has folded.

Big Bet – In fixed-limit poker, the larger of the game’s two standard betting amounts, normally used on the later streets.

Big Blind – The larger of the standard forced blind bets. In games such as Texas Hold’em, it is normally posted by the player two seats clockwise from the button.

Big Blind Special – Slang for making a strong or unexpected hand from a weak starting hand played from the big blind, particularly when the player was able to see the flop without calling a raise.

Big Slick – Slang for ace-king.

Big Stack – A chip stack that is large relative to the other stacks in a game or tournament.

Blank – A community card that appears unlikely to substantially change the relative strength of the players’ hands or ranges.

Blind – A forced bet posted before cards are dealt. Texas Hold’em and Omaha commonly use a small blind and big blind.

Blind Defense – Continuing from one of the blinds against an opponent’s raise or attempted blind steal.

Blind Steal – A preflop raise, usually from late position, intended in part to win the blinds without seeing a flop.

Blocker – A known card that reduces the number of combinations of particular hands an opponent can hold.

Blocking Bet – Traditionally, a relatively small bet intended to set a price and potentially discourage an opponent from making a larger bet.

Bluff – A bet or raise made with a hand that is unlikely to be best, intended to cause a better hand to fold.

Bluff Catcher – A hand that generally loses to an opponent’s value bets but can profitably call if enough of the opponent’s betting range consists of bluffs.

Board – The community cards available for players to use in games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Board Texture – The characteristics of the community cards and how they interact with likely ranges, including possible made hands and draws.

Boat – Slang for a full house.

Bomb Pot – A poker hand in which players make a predetermined contribution before the cards are dealt and typically proceed directly to the flop without a normal preflop betting round.

Bottom End – The lower end of a straight or straight draw.

Bottom Pair – A pair made using the lowest-ranking card on the board.

Bottom Set – A set made using the lowest-ranking card on the board.

Bottom Two – Two pair made using the two lowest-ranking cards on the board.

Bounty – A prize awarded for eliminating another player from a bounty tournament.

Box – The dealer’s position at a poker table. A dealer working a game is sometimes described as being “in the box.”

Break – A scheduled pause in tournament play.

Break Even – To have neither a net profit nor a net loss over a specified period or sample.

Brick – A card that does not appear to significantly improve a hand or change the board.

Brick and Mortar – A physical casino or poker room, as opposed to an online poker site.

Bridge Order – The traditional suit order of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Poker generally does not use suits to break ties between otherwise equal hands, although suit order may be used for certain administrative procedures.

Bring-In – A forced opening wager used in stud poker, generally determined by an exposed card according to the rules of the particular game.

Broadway – The highest possible straight: A-K-Q-J-10.

Broadway Cards – Cards ranked ten through ace.

Bubble – The stage of a tournament immediately before the remaining players reach the paid positions.

Bubble Boy – Informal term for the player eliminated in the last unpaid position of a tournament.

Buck – Traditional slang for the dealer button.

Bullet – Slang for an ace. “Bullets” commonly refers to pocket aces.

Bully – A player who uses a large stack and frequent aggression to pressure opponents, particularly in tournaments.

Bump – Slang for raising.

Burn – To remove the top card of the deck face down before dealing certain community or exposed cards.

Burn Card – A card removed from the top of the deck and placed face down before another card or cards are dealt.

Burn and Turn – Informal expression for burning a card and then dealing the next community card.

Busted – Eliminated from a tournament or, depending on context, having failed to complete a draw.

Busted Draw – A drawing hand that failed to complete.

Button – A marker representing the nominal dealer position. It moves around the table and is used to determine position and the order of action.

Buy-In – The amount required to enter a tournament or the amount of money converted into chips when joining a cash game.

Buy the Button – In some cardrooms, a procedure allowing a new or returning player to post both blinds from the small-blind position and receive the dealer button on the following hand rather than waiting for the big blind.

Buy the Pot – Informal expression for winning a pot through a bet or raise that causes the remaining opponents to fold.

C

Cage – The casino cashier area where players can exchange cash and chips.

Call – To match the amount of the current bet or raise in order to remain in the hand.

Call Clock – To request that a time limit be placed on a player who is taking an extended period to make a decision. Procedures vary by poker room.

Call Down – To call an opponent’s bets across one or more streets, often with the intention of reaching showdown.

Calling Range – The set of hands with which a player would call in a particular situation.

Calling Station – A player who calls frequently and tends to fold relatively infrequently.

Cap – The maximum number of bets or raises permitted during a betting round in a game with a betting cap. “Cap” can also refer to making the final permitted raise.

Capped Range – A range that is unlikely to contain the strongest possible hands because of the player’s previous actions.

Card Dead – Experiencing an extended period without being dealt strong or playable starting hands.

Card Protector – An object placed on top of a player’s cards to help prevent them from being accidentally collected by the dealer.

Card Rack – Slang for a player who is being dealt an unusually strong sequence of hands.

Cards Speak – A rule under which the actual cards shown at showdown determine the value of a hand, regardless of how the player verbally describes it.

Case Card – The only remaining card of a particular rank that has not already been accounted for.

Cash Game – A poker game in which chips directly represent monetary value and players can generally join or leave between hands subject to the room’s rules.

Cash Out – To exchange poker chips or an online poker balance for money.

Catch – To receive a card that improves or completes a hand.

Catch Bluffs – To call with a hand primarily because it can beat the bluffs in an opponent’s betting range.

Catch Perfect – To receive exactly the card or sequence of cards required to make a desired hand.

Catch Up – To improve from a losing hand to a winning hand.

Center Pot – Another term for the main pot, particularly when side pots are also present.

Change Gears – To alter one’s playing style, such as shifting between tighter, looser, more aggressive, or more passive strategies.

Chase – To continue with a drawing hand in an attempt to complete it. The term often carries a negative connotation when the price of continuing is unfavorable.

Check – To decline to bet while retaining your hand when no bet has yet been made during the current betting round.

Check Behind – To check after an opponent has checked, thereby ending or continuing the betting round without making a bet.

Check Call – To check and then call after an opponent bets.

Check Dark – To announce a check before seeing the next card.

Check Down – To have the remaining players check through the rest of the hand without further betting.

Check Fold – To check with the intention of folding if an opponent bets.

Check Raise – To check and then raise after another player bets during the same betting round.

Chip – A gaming token used to represent value at a poker table.

Chip and a Chair – An expression meaning that a tournament player who still has chips remaining still has a chance to recover.

Chip Dumping – Intentionally transferring chips to another player by deliberately losing pots. Chip dumping is generally prohibited and can be a form of collusion.

Chip Leader – The player with the largest chip stack in a tournament or at a particular table.

Chip Race – A tournament procedure used to remove lower-denomination chips that are no longer needed after the blinds increase.

Chip Trick – A manipulation of poker chips for display or entertainment, such as shuffling chips between two stacks.

Chip Up – To increase the size of your chip stack. The term can also refer to exchanging smaller-denomination chips for larger ones.

Chop – To divide a pot between two or more players. “Chop” can also refer to an agreement between remaining tournament players to redistribute prize money.

Chop the Blinds – An agreement, where permitted, between the small blind and big blind to take back their blinds and end the hand when everyone else has folded.

Clean Out – To win all or most of another player’s chips or money.

Click Back – An online poker term for making a small re-raise, often the minimum legal raise. Also called a click raise.

Click Raise – Another term for a click back: a small, often minimum-sized, raise or re-raise.

Closed – Describes a betting round or action that has been completed, leaving no further opportunity for eligible players to act on that round.

Closer – A player whose position allows them to close the betting action after all other players have acted, depending on the sequence of bets and raises.

Coffee Housing – Talking about a hand, often deceptively or strategically, in an attempt to influence another player’s action. Rules governing table talk vary by poker room.

Coin Flip – A poker situation in which two hands have roughly equal equity, particularly an all-in confrontation.

Cold – Describes entering betting action without having previously invested voluntarily on that betting round, as in a cold call or cold four-bet.

Cold Call – To call a raise without having previously put voluntary money into the pot during that betting round. The exact usage can vary with the betting sequence.

Cold Deck – A situation in which a very strong hand loses to an even stronger hand in circumstances where a large pot is difficult to avoid. Historically, a “cold deck” can also mean a prearranged deck used for cheating.

Collusion – Secret cooperation between players to gain an unfair advantage over other participants.

Color Up – To exchange smaller-denomination chips for larger-denomination chips, commonly during tournament play.

Combination Draw – A drawing hand with multiple ways to improve, such as simultaneous straight and flush draws. Also called a combo draw.

Come Bet – An older term for betting or raising with a drawing hand in anticipation of completing the draw on a later street.

Come Over the Top – To re-raise another player’s bet or raise, often by a substantial amount.

Community Cards – Cards dealt face up that can be used by multiple players to construct their hands. Texas Hold’em and Omaha use five community cards.

Complete – In stud poker, to increase the bring-in to the full amount of the opening bet.

Connector – Starting cards with consecutive ranks, such as 7-8 or J-Q.

Continuation Bet – A bet made by the player who was the aggressor on the previous street, most commonly a flop bet by the preflop raiser. Often abbreviated c-bet.

Cooler – A situation in which two or more unusually strong hands collide and a substantial loss is difficult to avoid.

Counterfeit – To have the value of a hand reduced when a board card duplicates or neutralizes one of its useful components, particularly in split-pot games.

Covered – Having fewer chips than another player. If an opponent covers you, you can lose your entire stack to that player in the current hand.

Crack – To beat a strong starting or made hand, as in “cracking aces.”

Cripple – To leave an opponent with very few chips after winning a large pot. The term can also describe holding cards that severely reduce the likelihood that opponents have particular strong hands or draws.

Crying Call – A reluctant call made when a player expects to lose frequently but believes the pot odds or possibility of a bluff may justify calling.

Cut – To divide the deck into two portions and reverse their order before dealing.

Cut Card – An opaque card placed beneath the deck to prevent the bottom card from being exposed.

Cutoff – The seat immediately to the right of the button.

Cutoff Seat – Another term for the cutoff position.

D

Dark – Acting before seeing a card that has not yet been dealt or revealed.

Dark Bet – A bet announced before the next card is dealt or seen.

Dead – Unable to win the hand, or a term describing cards, chips, or money that are no longer live in a particular context.

Dead Blind – A blind or portion of a blind that is posted but does not give the player the same action rights as a live blind. The exact meaning depends on the game and house rules.

Dead Button – A tournament button procedure in which the dealer button can occupy an empty seat to preserve the correct movement of the blinds after players are eliminated.

Dead Card – A card known to be unavailable for future play, such as a card that has been exposed, discarded, or otherwise removed from consideration.

Dead Hand – A hand that has been ruled ineligible to win the pot.

Dead Money – Chips already in the pot from players who no longer have an interest in the hand, or money contributed in circumstances where it is unlikely to be defended. The term can also be used disparagingly for a player perceived as unlikely to win.

Deal – To distribute cards to players.

Dealer – The person responsible for dealing cards and administering the game. In games with a professional dealer, the dealer button identifies the nominal dealer position for determining action.

Dealer Button – The marker indicating the nominal dealer position.

Dealer’s Choice – A poker format in which the designated player selects which poker variant will be played, usually from an agreed list of games.

Dealing – The act of distributing cards during a poker game.

Declare – To announce an intention, action, or hand designation when required by the rules of a particular game.

Deep – Having a large stack relative to the blinds, antes, or other players.

Deep Stack – A large stack relative to the blinds or a tournament/game structure designed to provide players with relatively deep starting stacks.

Defense – Continuing against an opponent’s aggression, such as defending a blind against a raise.

Deuce – A card ranked two.

Deuce to Seven – A family of lowball poker games in which aces are high and straights and flushes count against the player. The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 with at least two suits represented.

Dirty Stack – A stack of chips containing one or more chips of a different denomination mixed into it.

Discard – To remove one or more cards from your hand, most commonly in draw poker.

Dog – Short for underdog, meaning a hand or player that is less likely to win.

Dominated – Describes a hand that shares an important card with a stronger hand but has an inferior accompanying card or cards, substantially reducing its chances of winning. For example, A-Q is dominated by A-K.

Donk – A derogatory slang term for a player perceived as inexperienced or unskilled.

Donk Bet – A postflop bet made into the player who was the aggressor on the previous street, most commonly a flop lead into the preflop raiser.

Door Card – An exposed card dealt to a player in stud poker, particularly the first face-up card on third street.

Double Barrel – To bet the flop and then bet again on the turn, usually after being the aggressor on the previous street.

Double Belly Buster – A straight draw that can be completed by either of two non-consecutive ranks, giving it eight potential straight-completing cards when all outs are clean.

Double Board – A poker format or hand played with two separate community-card boards, with the pot generally divided between the winning hand on each board.

Double Draw – A draw poker format containing two drawing rounds.

Double Gutshot – Another term for a double belly buster.

Double or Nothing – A Sit & Go format in which approximately half the field receives an equal payout, commonly around twice the entry amount before accounting for fees.

Double Suited – In Omaha, a four-card starting hand containing two cards of one suit and two cards of another suit, giving the hand two potential flush draws.

Double Through – To approximately double your tournament stack by winning an all-in pot against a player who covers you.

Double Up – To approximately double the size of your stack, usually by winning an all-in confrontation.

Down Card – A card dealt face down, particularly in stud poker.

Downswing – A period during which a player’s results decline, whether because of variance, poor play, or a combination of factors.

Draw – A hand that can improve substantially if particular cards arrive on later streets. The term can also refer to exchanging cards in draw poker.

Drawing Dead – Having no possible remaining card or sequence of cards that can produce a winning hand.

Draw Heavy – Describes a board containing numerous possible straight, flush, or combination draws.

Draw Out – To improve a hand on a later street and overtake a hand that was previously ahead.

Draw Poker – A family of poker variants in which players can discard cards and receive replacements.

Drawing Hand – A hand whose value depends significantly on the possibility of improving on a later street.

Drawing Thin – Having very few cards or combinations of cards capable of producing a winning hand.

Dry – Describes a board with relatively few available draws or strong connections between its cards.

Dry Pot – A side pot containing no chips, usually arising when one player is all-in and the remaining active players have not bet against each other. The term is especially relevant when discussing whether there is an incentive to bluff another player out of the hand.

Duck – Slang for a deuce.

Dwell – To take an extended amount of time before acting.

Dynamic – Describes a board on which future cards can substantially change hand strengths, equities, or the relative strength of ranges.

E

Early Position – The seats that act relatively early before the flop, including under the gun and nearby positions. Exact terminology varies with table size.

Edge – An advantage over an opponent or field that produces a higher expected return.

Effective Stack – The maximum number of chips that can be wagered between players in a hand, determined by the smallest relevant stack. In a heads-up pot between stacks of $500 and $300, the effective stack is $300.

Eight or Better – A low-hand qualification requirement in which a qualifying low must contain five different cards ranked eight or lower. Common in Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.

Elimination – The removal of a player from a tournament after that player loses all of their chips and has no remaining re-entry or rebuy available.

Empty the Clip – Slang for betting aggressively across all available postflop streets, particularly when bluffing.

Equity – A hand or range’s share of the pot based on its probability of winning or tying.

Equity Denial – The value gained by causing an opponent to fold a hand that would otherwise retain some chance of winning the pot.

Equity Realization – The extent to which a hand or range converts its theoretical equity into actual value, accounting for factors such as position and future betting.

Even Money – A wager in which the amount that can be won equals the amount risked, excluding the return of the original stake.

Expectation – The average result expected from a decision or situation over repeated instances.

Expected Value – The average amount a decision is expected to win or lose over repeated instances. Commonly abbreviated EV.

Exploit – A strategic adjustment designed to take advantage of a specific tendency or weakness in an opponent’s play.

Exposed Card – A card that has been or is dealt face up. The term can also describe a card accidentally revealed during a deal.

Extra Blind – An additional blind a player may be required to post under certain cash-game procedures, such as entering or returning to a game from a particular position.

F

Face Card – A jack, queen, or king.

Face Down – A card dealt with its identity hidden from the other players.

Face Up – A card dealt or exposed so that its identity is visible.

Family Pot – A pot in which most or all players at the table see the flop.

Fast – Describes an aggressive manner of playing a hand, particularly betting and raising rather than slow-playing.

Fast Fold – An online poker format that moves a player immediately to another hand or table after folding rather than requiring them to wait for the current hand to finish.

Fast Play – To bet or raise aggressively with a strong hand rather than slow-playing it.

Favorite – A hand or player with more than 50% equity against another specific hand or player, or otherwise the greatest probability of winning among the participants.

Feeler Bet – A traditional term for a relatively small bet made partly to gauge an opponent’s response or perceived hand strength.

Felt – The playing surface of a poker table. To be felted means to lose all of the chips in your stack.

Field – All players entered in a tournament or, more generally, the group of opponents in an event.

Fifth Street – The fifth community card, or river, in Hold’em and Omaha. In Seven Card Stud, fifth street is the player’s fifth card and the third card dealt face up.

Fill – To complete a drawing hand.

Fill Up – To make a full house, often by pairing the board when holding three of a kind.

Final Table – The last remaining table in a multi-table tournament.

Fire – Slang for making a bet. The term can also be used for entering or re-entering a tournament, as in “firing another bullet.”

First Position – The first position required to act before the flop, commonly called under the gun.

First to Act – The player required to make the first decision during a particular betting round.

Fish – Poker slang, often considered derogatory, for a weak or inexperienced player.

Fish Hooks – Slang for pocket jacks because the letter J resembles a hook.

Five Bet – A raise following a four-bet. In common preflop terminology, an opening raise is the two-bet, the first re-raise is the three-bet, the next is the four-bet, and the following raise is the five-bet.

Fixed Limit – A betting structure in which bets and raises are made in predetermined increments.

Flash – To accidentally expose a card that was intended to remain hidden.

Flat – To call rather than raise. Also called flat-calling.

Flat Call – A call made instead of raising, often simply called a flat.

Float – To call a bet, commonly on the flop, with the intention of potentially taking the pot away on a later street rather than solely because of the immediate strength of the hand.

Floorman – A poker room supervisor who manages games and makes rulings. Often shortened to floor.

Flop – The first three community cards dealt together in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and other flop games.

Flop Game – A poker variant using a flop and community cards, such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha.

Flop Texture – The characteristics of the three flop cards and how they interact with possible hands and ranges.

Flopped – Made or occurred on the flop, as in “flopped a set.”

Flush – A five-card poker hand in which all five cards are of the same suit, such as A♥ K♥ 7♥ 5♥ 2♥. In standard high poker, a flush beats a straight and loses to a full house.

Flush Draw – A hand that needs one additional card of a particular suit to make a flush. A standard four-card flush draw normally has nine unseen cards of that suit remaining before accounting for known cards.

Fold – To surrender your hand and give up any claim to the pot.

Fold Equity – The value a bet or raise gains from the possibility that an opponent will fold. Fold equity is relevant in addition to the hand’s equity when called.

Forced Bet – A mandatory contribution required by the game’s rules, such as a blind, ante, or bring-in.

Forward Motion – Movement of chips toward the pot that may constitute a binding betting action under a poker room’s rules. Exact enforcement varies by venue.

Foul – A hand that is invalid under the rules of the game. The term is particularly common in games such as Open-Face Chinese Poker.

Four Bet – A raise following a three-bet. In common preflop terminology, the opening raise is the two-bet, the first re-raise is the three-bet, and the next raise is the four-bet.

Four Flush – Four cards of the same suit, one card short of a flush.

Four of a Kind – Four cards of the same rank. Also called quads.

Four Straight – Four cards that form part of a potential five-card straight.

Fourth Street – The fourth community card, or turn, in Hold’em and Omaha. In Seven Card Stud, fourth street is the player’s fourth card and second exposed card.

Free Card – A card seen without having to call a bet on the preceding betting round.

Free Play – An opportunity to see additional cards without making an additional voluntary wager, such as when the big blind checks after everyone else limps.

Free Roll – A tournament that does not require an entry fee. More commonly written as freeroll when referring to the tournament format.

Freeroll – A situation in which a player cannot lose a particular portion of the pot but can still improve to win more of it. The term also refers to a tournament with no entry fee.

Freezeout – A tournament format in which players cannot rebuy or re-enter after losing all of their chips.

Full Boat – Another term for a full house.

Full House – A five-card hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, such as K♠ K♥ K♦ 7♣ 7♥. In standard high poker, a full house beats a flush and loses to four of a kind.

Full Ring – A poker table with the traditional maximum or near-maximum number of players, commonly nine or ten depending on the game and poker room.

Full Table – A table at which all available seats are occupied. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with full ring.

Future Game – A poker game that is expected or scheduled to start after enough players join its waiting list.

G

Gamble – To risk money or chips on an uncertain outcome. In poker, the term can also describe a willingness to take high-variance lines or play for large pots.

Gambler – A person who wagers money or something of value on uncertain outcomes.

Game Flow – The changing pattern and dynamics of a poker game, including recent actions, player tendencies, and table conditions.

Game Selection – The process of choosing which poker games or tables to play based on factors such as stakes, format, opponents, and playing conditions.

Game Theory – The mathematical study of strategic decision-making between participants whose choices affect one another. Game theory provides the foundation for concepts such as game-theory optimal (GTO) poker strategy.

Gap Concept – A poker strategy concept stating that, in many situations, a player generally needs a stronger hand to call a raise than to be the first player to raise. The concept was popularized by poker author David Sklansky.

Gap Hand – Starting cards separated by one or more ranks, such as 7-9. Such hands are also called gappers.

Get There – Poker slang for completing a draw or otherwise improving to the winning hand on a later street.

Give Action – To participate readily in betting and raising, particularly by playing a relatively loose or aggressive style.

Give Up – To stop betting or bluffing and concede a pot unless the hand reaches showdown without further betting.

Going South – Illegally or improperly removing chips from a cash-game stack while continuing to play. Most poker rooms require chips won at the table to remain in play until the player leaves the game.

Good Game – A poker game considered attractive to play, usually because the player believes the lineup or other conditions are favorable.

Grapevine – Informal communication among poker players through which information about games, players, tournaments, or other poker-related matters spreads.

Grind – To play poker for an extended period or consistently over time, often emphasizing volume rather than individual large scores.

Grinder – A player who regularly puts in substantial poker volume, often as a serious or professional player.

Gutshot – An inside straight draw requiring one particular rank to complete the straight. For example, holding 6-7 on a 4-5-9 board creates a gutshot to an 8.

Gutter – Slang for a gutshot straight draw.

Gutterball – Another slang term for a gutshot.

H

Hack – Derogatory slang for a player considered unskilled or inexperienced.

Half Pot – A bet equal to half the size of the pot before the bet is made. For example, a $50 bet into a $100 pot is a half-pot bet.

Hand – The cards held or used by a player to form a poker combination. The term can also refer to one complete deal of a poker game.

Hand for Hand – A tournament procedure in which tables complete hands in synchronization, commonly used near the money bubble or another significant payout threshold.

Hand History – A record of the actions and results from a poker hand. Online hand histories can include hole cards, betting actions, board cards, pot sizes, and results.

Hand Range – The set of possible hands a player could hold in a particular situation.

Hand Reading – The process of using available information to estimate the hands or range an opponent may hold.

Hand Selection – The process of deciding which starting hands to play and which to fold.

Hand Strength – The value of a hand relative to possible opposing hands or ranges.

Heads-Up – Poker played between two players. The term can describe a two-player game or a situation in which only two players remain in a particular hand.

Heads-Up Display – An on-screen display, commonly abbreviated HUD, that presents poker statistics or other information about players. Availability and permitted use vary by poker site.

Heart – One of the four standard playing-card suits, represented by ♥.

Heat – Informal poker slang for pressure created by repeated or substantial betting and raising.

Heater – Slang for an extended period of unusually favorable poker results or cards.

Heavy – Poker slang that can describe a stack containing substantial value or a player who is heavily involved in a pot. Usage varies by context.

Hero – The player from whose perspective a hand history or strategy discussion is being analyzed.

Hero Call – A call made with a relatively weak or marginal made hand based on the belief that an opponent is bluffing often enough for the call to be justified.

Hero Fold – A fold of a relatively strong hand based on the belief that an opponent’s range is sufficiently strong to make continuing unprofitable.

Hidden Pair – A pair that is not immediately apparent from a player’s exposed cards, particularly in stud poker. The term can also describe a concealed pocket pair.

High – The conventional high-ranking side of a poker game, as opposed to the low side in a high-low split game.

High Card – A hand containing no pair, straight, flush, or stronger combination and therefore ranked according to its highest cards.

High Hand – The highest-ranking conventional poker hand at showdown. In a high-low split game, the high hand competes for the high portion of the pot.

High Limit – Poker played at relatively large betting limits or stakes. What constitutes high limit depends on the game and context.

High Low – A poker format in which the pot can be divided between the best qualifying high hand and best qualifying low hand. Also written high-low or hi-lo.

High Roller – A player who participates in games or tournaments with unusually large stakes or buy-ins. The term can also describe a high-buy-in tournament itself.

High Society – Traditional poker slang for high-denomination chips, particularly $100 chips.

High Stakes – Poker played for relatively large amounts of money.

Hijack – The position two seats to the right of the button in a standard poker seating arrangement, immediately to the right of the cutoff.

Hit – To receive a card that improves a hand or completes a draw.

Hit and Run – To win a significant amount in a cash game and leave shortly afterward. The term is generally descriptive and does not itself imply a rules violation.

Hold’em – A family of community-card poker games in which players combine private hole cards with community cards. Texas Hold’em is the best-known form.

Hole – Informal shorthand for a player’s concealed or hole cards.

Hole Cards – Private cards dealt to an individual player. In Texas Hold’em, each player receives two hole cards; in Omaha, each player receives four or more depending on the variant.

Hollywood – To deliberately exaggerate, delay, or perform an action at the poker table in an attempt to create a misleading impression about one’s hand or decision.

Home Game – A poker game played in a private setting rather than a commercial poker room or online poker site.

Hook – Slang for a jack, based on the shape of the letter J. Pocket jacks are sometimes called hooks or fish hooks.

HORSE – A mixed-game format rotating through Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better.

Hot – Informal term for running well or experiencing favorable results over a period of play.

Hot Seat – Informal expression for a player or position facing pressure or a particularly difficult decision. Meaning can vary by context.

House – The casino, cardroom, or other establishment operating a poker game.

House Rules – The specific rules and procedures established by a poker room or other venue.

I

Ignorant End – Slang for the low end of a straight, particularly when a higher straight is possible. Also called the idiot end.

Image – The perception other players have of a player’s tendencies, style, or behavior based on observed actions.

Implied Odds – A comparison that considers not only the money currently in the pot but also additional money a player expects to win on later streets if a drawing hand improves.

Improve – To receive a card or cards that increase the strength of a hand.

In Position – Acting after an opponent on a betting street. A player who will act last postflop against an opponent is said to have position on that opponent.

In the Air – An expression indicating that cards have been dealt and play has begun, as in “cards are in the air.”

In the Dark – Acting before seeing a card that has not yet been revealed.

In the Money – Reaching a finishing position in a tournament that awards prize money. Commonly abbreviated ITM.

In Turn – Acting at the proper point in the betting sequence.

Incomplete – A term whose meaning depends on context, such as an incomplete bet or raise that does not meet the amount required to constitute a full wager under the applicable rules.

Information Bet – A traditional term for a bet made partly in an attempt to learn about an opponent’s hand from their response.

Inside Straight – A straight draw requiring one particular interior rank to complete. Also called a gutshot.

Insurance – An arrangement or side wager that pays a player if a specified unfavorable outcome occurs after the players’ cards are known, often when a player is all-in. Insurance rules and availability vary by game and operator.

Intimidation – An attempt to influence opponents through pressure, table presence, aggressive betting, or behavior. Conduct rules limit what forms of intimidation are permitted.

Invest – Informal term for committing chips or money to a pot.

Involved – Participating in the current hand or pot.

Isolate – To bet or raise with the intention or effect of reducing a multi-player pot to a heads-up situation against a particular opponent.

Isolation Play – A bet or raise designed to isolate a particular opponent, commonly called an isolation raise or iso-raise.

J

Jack – A face card ranked above ten and below queen.

Jackpot – A special prize pool awarded when specified conditions are met. Poker jackpots can include bad beat jackpots, high-hand jackpots, and other promotions.

Jacks or Better – A form of draw poker in which a player generally needs at least a pair of jacks to open the betting. The phrase is also used in video poker, where a pair of jacks is typically the lowest paying hand.

Jam – Slang for moving all-in or making a very large bet or raise.

Joker – An additional card included in the deck in certain poker variants. Depending on the rules, it may function as a wild card or have more limited uses.

Juice – Slang for a fee or commission charged for gambling activity. In poker-related contexts, the term can refer to rake or to the fee charged on a wager or tournament entry.

Junk – Slang for a weak starting hand or cards with little apparent value.

K

Kansas City Lowball – Another name for Deuce-to-Seven Lowball, particularly the single-draw form of the game. Straights and flushes count against the player, aces are high, and 7-5-4-3-2 is the best possible hand.

Keep Honest – An expression for calling often enough that an opponent cannot profitably bluff with complete freedom. It can also refer more generally to challenging an opponent’s aggressive actions.

Key Card – A card that has particular importance to the outcome or strategic development of a hand.

Key Hand – A hand considered especially important to a tournament, session, match, or analysis.

Kick – Informal shorthand for a kicker.

Kicker – A card used to break ties between otherwise equivalent poker hands when the rules require additional cards to determine the winner. For example, A-K beats A-Q on an ace-high board when both players otherwise have the same pair of aces and the king plays as the higher kicker.

Kill – In a kill game, the activation of a temporary increase in the betting limits after a specified condition is met.

Kill Button – A marker identifying the player or hand associated with an active kill pot.

Kill Game – A poker game in which the betting limits temporarily increase when a predetermined condition is met.

Kill Pot – A hand played at increased betting limits after the game’s specified kill condition has been triggered. A full kill commonly doubles the normal limits, while a half-kill uses a smaller increase.

King – A card ranked above queen and below ace in standard high poker.

Kitty – A pool of money collected for a designated purpose, such as paying expenses or other agreed costs in a private poker game. Meaning varies by game and venue.

Knock – To tap the table as a physical indication of a check.

Knockout – A tournament format in which eliminating another player earns a bounty or other reward. Also commonly called a bounty tournament.

L

Ladies – Slang for pocket queens.

LAG – Abbreviation for loose-aggressive, a playing style characterized by entering relatively many pots while frequently betting and raising.

Lamb – Older poker slang for an inexperienced or weak player.

Lammer – A special marker or non-cash-value chip used by a poker room for a particular administrative purpose. Lammers can be used for tournament entries, satellites, dealer payments, seat reservations, or other functions depending on the venue.

Last Longer – A side bet between players on which participant will remain in a tournament longer.

Late Position – The seats that act relatively late in the betting order, commonly including the cutoff and button.

Lay Down – To fold a hand.

Laydown – A fold, particularly one involving a hand that was difficult to release.

Lead – To make the first bet on a betting round. Depending on context, the term can also refer to being ahead in a hand, tournament, or match.

Lead Out – To make the first bet on a betting round, particularly into one or more opponents who had shown aggression on an earlier street.

Leak – A recurring weakness or mistake in a player’s strategy that reduces expected value over time.

Level – A layer of strategic thinking about what players know or believe about each other’s ranges, tendencies, or intentions. The term can also refer to a stage of a tournament’s blind structure.

Leverage – The ability to use current and potential future bets, often relative to stack sizes, to place pressure on an opponent’s decisions.

Light – Describes taking an aggressive action with a wider or weaker range than would normally be expected, as in three-betting light or four-betting light.

Limit – A restriction on betting amounts. In poker, the term commonly refers to a fixed-limit betting structure.

Limit Poker – Poker played with predetermined betting increments rather than unrestricted bet sizes.

Limp – To enter an unopened pot before the flop by calling the amount of the big blind rather than raising.

Limp In – To enter a pot by limping.

Limp Re-raise – To limp preflop and then re-raise after another player raises.

Linear – Describes a range constructed primarily from the strongest hands downward without intentionally skipping stronger hands to include weaker ones. A linear raising range contrasts with a polarized range containing very strong hands and selected weaker hands or bluffs.

Live – Describes poker played in person rather than online. The word also has several other poker-specific meanings, such as a live blind or live card.

Live Blind – A blind that counts as a player’s wager and, when applicable, preserves the player’s right to raise if the action returns without an intervening raise. A standard big blind is a live blind.

Live Card – A card that remains available and can improve a player’s hand. In stud games, the term is particularly useful when evaluating whether needed cards have already appeared in opponents’ exposed holdings.

Live Game – A poker game currently in progress. Depending on context, the term can also mean an in-person cash game.

Live One – Traditional poker slang for a loose, action-oriented player, often one perceived by other players as relatively weak.

Live Poker – Poker played face-to-face at a physical table rather than online.

Live Read – Information inferred from an opponent’s physical behavior, timing, speech, or other observable actions during live poker.

Live Straddle – A voluntary blind wager, usually posted before the cards are dealt, that generally gives the straddler an option to raise when the preflop action returns to them. Rules and permitted positions vary by poker room.

Lock – A hand that is certain to win all or a specified portion of the pot given the remaining possibilities. The term can also describe an outcome regarded as certain.

Lock Up – To reserve or secure a seat in a poker game, often by placing chips or another marker at the seat.

Long Run – A sufficiently large number of repeated poker situations over which short-term variance becomes less influential relative to expected results. It does not refer to a fixed number of hands or tournaments.

Longshot – A hand, draw, or outcome with a relatively small probability of occurring.

Loose – A playing style characterized by entering pots with a relatively wide range of starting hands.

Loose Aggressive – A playing style combining relatively wide starting-hand ranges with frequent betting and raising. Commonly abbreviated LAG.

Loose Call – A call made with a wider or weaker range than would normally be expected in the situation.

Loose Game – A poker game in which players generally enter pots with relatively wide ranges and many hands are contested by multiple players.

Loose Passive – A playing style characterized by entering many pots but tending to call more often than bet or raise.

Low – The low-ranking hand in a lowball or high-low split poker game. The rules determining the best low depend on the variant.

Low Limit – Poker played at relatively small betting limits or stakes.

Lowball – A family of poker variants in which the lowest qualifying hand wins all or part of the pot. Hand-ranking rules differ among forms such as Ace-to-Five and Deuce-to-Seven Lowball.

M

Made Hand – A hand that already has meaningful showdown value and does not need to complete a draw to become a recognizable made hand, such as a pair, straight, or flush.

Main Pot – The primary pot for which all active players who contributed to it are eligible. Additional side pots can be created when one or more players are all-in for different amounts.

Make – To complete a hand or draw, as in making a straight or making a flush.

Maniac – Poker slang for an extremely loose and aggressive player who bets and raises very frequently.

Marginal – Describes a hand, decision, or situation in which the expected values of the available choices are relatively close or the correct action is not clear-cut.

Mark – Traditional gambling slang for a player targeted because they are perceived as vulnerable or inexperienced.

Marked Cards – Playing cards that have been altered or identified in a way that allows their values to be recognized from the back or another concealed position. Deliberately using marked cards is cheating.

Marker – A form of casino credit extended to a player, typically documented as a negotiable instrument or debt that must be repaid according to the casino’s terms.

Match – To equal the amount of a wager, generally by calling a bet.

Match the Stack – A cash-game buy-in rule allowing a player to buy in for an amount equal to the largest stack, or sometimes another qualifying stack, already at the table.

Maximum Buy-in – The largest amount a player is permitted to bring to a cash-game table when initially buying in or adding chips, according to the game’s rules.

Mechanic – Gambling slang for a dealer or card handler skilled at secretly manipulating the deck, usually in the context of cheating.

Mental Game – The psychological and emotional aspects of poker performance, including concentration, confidence, decision-making under pressure, and managing reactions to wins and losses.

Merge – To bet or raise a range containing medium-strength hands for value in addition to stronger value hands, rather than constructing a strictly polarized range of very strong hands and bluffs. Such a range is commonly called a merged range.

Meta Game – Strategic considerations extending beyond the immediate hand, including history between players, previous actions, image, and how current decisions may affect future interactions.

Middle Pair – A pair made using a card of intermediate rank on the board. On a K-8-3 flop, a player holding A-8 has middle pair.

Middle Position – The seats between early position and late position. The exact seats considered middle position depend on the number of players at the table.

Middle Set – A set made with a pocket pair matching the middle-ranked card on the flop. For example, 8-8 on a K-8-3 flop is middle set.

Min Bet – The smallest legal bet permitted by the rules and betting structure.

Min Cash – The smallest payout awarded to a player who finishes in the money in a poker tournament.

Min Raise – The smallest legal raise permitted under the game’s betting rules.

Minimum Buy-in – The smallest amount a player is permitted to bring to a cash-game table or, depending on context, the minimum entry amount for a particular game.

Misdeal – A dealing error or irregularity serious enough under the applicable rules to invalidate the deal and require the hand to be redealt.

Miss – To fail to complete a draw or otherwise fail to receive a card needed to improve.

Mixed Game – A poker format in which multiple poker variants are played in rotation or selected according to predetermined rules.

Monster – Slang for an exceptionally strong poker hand.

Monster Draw – A drawing hand with numerous ways to improve to a strong made hand, commonly combining straight and flush possibilities.

Move – Informal term for a deliberate strategic action, particularly an aggressive or deceptive play.

Move All-In – To bet or raise all of your remaining chips.

Move In – Another expression for moving all-in.

MTT – Abbreviation for multi-table tournament, a tournament that begins with players distributed across multiple tables that are consolidated as players are eliminated.

Muck – The pile of folded, discarded, or otherwise dead cards. As a verb, to muck means to fold or surrender a hand, often without showing it.

Multi-Table – Describes a tournament played across multiple tables or, in online poker, the practice of playing at several tables simultaneously. Meaning depends on context.

Multi-Way – Describes a pot contested by three or more players.

N

Narrow – Describes reducing the number of possible hands in a range. A range may narrow as additional information becomes available through a player’s actions.

Natural – A hand made without relying on wild cards. Whether a natural hand has special ranking significance depends on the rules of the particular poker variant.

Needle – To make provocative, teasing, or irritating comments toward another player, often with the intention of eliciting a reaction.

Negative Expectation – A decision or situation with an expected value below zero. Commonly described as negative EV or -EV.

Nit – Poker slang for an extremely tight player who enters relatively few pots and tends to avoid marginal situations.

Nitty – Describes an unusually tight or risk-averse style of poker play.

No Limit – A betting structure in which a player may generally wager any amount up to all of the chips they have at the table, subject to minimum-bet and minimum-raise rules.

No Limit Hold’em – Texas Hold’em played using a no-limit betting structure. Commonly abbreviated NLHE or NLH.

Nose Bleed – Slang for exceptionally high-stakes poker, often written nosebleed stakes.

Nothing – Informal term for a hand with little or no showdown value, often meaning no pair or better.

Nut Flush – The best possible flush given the available cards.

Nut Flush Draw – A flush draw that, if completed, will make the highest possible flush given the known cards.

Nut Low – The best possible qualifying low hand given the available cards in a lowball or high-low split game.

Nut Straight – The highest possible straight given the available cards.

Nuts – The best possible hand in a particular situation given the known cards. What constitutes the nuts can change as additional community cards are dealt.

Nutted – Describes a hand or range containing the nuts or hands close to the strongest possible holdings. The precise meaning depends on context.

O

Odds – A way of expressing the probability of an event, commonly as a ratio or percentage.

Odds Against – The ratio of unfavorable outcomes to favorable outcomes. For example, odds of 4-to-1 against indicate four unfavorable outcomes for each favorable outcome.

Off – Informal shorthand indicating that cards are not of the same suit.

Offsuit – Describes cards of different suits. Starting hands such as A♠ K♦ may be written as AKo, with the “o” indicating offsuit.

Omaha – A community-card poker family in which players receive multiple hole cards and must use exactly two hole cards together with exactly three community cards to make their final five-card hand. Standard Pot-Limit Omaha is commonly dealt with four hole cards.

On the Button – Occupying the dealer button position.

On the Come – An older poker expression for playing or betting a hand that is not yet complete but can improve on later cards.

On Tilt – Playing while emotional frustration, anger, excitement, or another psychological reaction is negatively affecting decision-making.

One Gap – Describes starting cards separated by one rank, such as 7-9 or J-K. Such holdings are commonly called one-gappers.

One Pair – A five-card poker hand containing two cards of the same rank and three cards of different ranks.

One Time – A common poker expression used when hoping to receive a favorable card or outcome, particularly during an all-in confrontation.

Open – To make the first voluntary bet or raise in a betting sequence. Preflop, the first raise is commonly called an open raise.

Open Ended – Describes a straight draw that can be completed at either end. For example, 5-6-7-8 can make a straight with either a 4 or 9.

Open Face Chinese – A poker variant in which players arrange cards face up into three separate hands, traditionally containing three cards in the front and five each in the middle and back. Commonly abbreviated OFC.

Open Limp – To be the first player to voluntarily enter a preflop pot by calling the big blind rather than raising.

Open Raise – The first raise made before the flop after no other player has voluntarily entered the pot.

Open Seat – An unoccupied seat available to a player in a poker game.

Opener – The player who makes the first voluntary bet or raise in a betting sequence.

Option – The right of a player who posted a live blind or straddle to raise when the action returns to them if no intervening raise has removed or changed that option.

Orbit – One complete rotation of the dealer button around the table, generally corresponding to each player receiving the button once.

Outs – Unseen cards that can improve a hand to one that is expected to win. Not every card that improves a hand is necessarily a clean out.

Outrun – To overtake a hand that was previously ahead by improving on a later card.

Outside – An older term for an open-ended straight draw that can be completed at either end.

Overbet – A bet larger than the size of the pot before the bet is made.

Overcard – A card higher in rank than the highest card on the board. The term can also describe a hole card higher than the board cards.

Over Limp – To limp after one or more other players have already limped into the pot.

Overpair – A pocket pair higher than every card currently on the board. For example, Q-Q is an overpair on a J-7-3 flop.

Overlay – The difference between a tournament’s guaranteed prize pool and the amount contributed toward that guarantee by player entries when the entries fall short. For example, if a tournament guarantees $100,000 but qualifying entries contribute only $90,000 toward the prize pool, the operator supplies a $10,000 overlay.

P

Paint – Slang for a face card: jack, queen, or king.

Pair – Two cards of the same rank.

Paired Board – A community-card board containing at least two cards of the same rank.

Pass – Depending on the game and context, to fold or decline to bet. “Pass” is sometimes used as another word for check.

Passive – Describes a playing style characterized by relatively frequent checking and calling compared with betting and raising.

Pat – In draw poker, a hand with which the player chooses not to draw any replacement cards. Such a player is said to stand pat.

Pay Off – To call a bet, often reluctantly, when expecting to lose frequently but believing a call may still be warranted.

Penny Ante – Informal term for a game played for very small stakes.

Perfect – Describes an ideal card or runout for a particular hand, as in “catching perfect.”

Pick Up – To win a pot, particularly without a showdown.

Pigeon – Older gambling slang for a player perceived as inexperienced, vulnerable, or easy to beat.

Play – To participate in a poker game or hand. The word can also refer to a particular strategic action or decision.

Play Back – To respond to another player’s aggression with aggression of your own, commonly by raising or re-raising.

Play Fast – To bet or raise aggressively with a strong hand rather than slow-playing it.

Play the Board – To use all five community cards as your final five-card hand in a game such as Texas Hold’em. Multiple players may play the board and tie if none can form a better hand using a hole card.

Player – A person participating in a poker game or tournament.

Playing Style – The general pattern of a player’s strategic tendencies, such as tight-aggressive, loose-aggressive, or loose-passive.

Pocket – Informal shorthand for a player’s private or hole cards.

Pocket Cards – Another term for hole cards.

Pocket Pair – Two hole cards of the same rank, such as 8♠ 8♦.

Pocket Rockets – Slang for pocket aces.

Poker Face – A facial expression or demeanor intended not to reveal information about a player’s cards, intentions, or emotions.

Polarized – Describes a range concentrated around very strong hands and weak hands or bluffs, with relatively few medium-strength hands.

Position – A player’s place in the betting order relative to the other players. Position is commonly described in relation to the dealer button, but its strategic importance comes from when a player acts.

Position Bet – An informal term for a bet made partly because a player’s positional advantage makes the situation favorable for betting.

Post – To put a required blind or other forced wager into the pot.

Post Oak Bluff – An old poker term for a small bluff, traditionally a relatively small river bet intended to appear as though it is seeking a call.

Pot – The chips or money wagered during a poker hand and available to be won by the eligible player or players.

Pot Committed – Informal term for a situation in which folding has become unattractive because of the pot odds, remaining stack, equity, and other strategic factors. Money already invested in the pot does not by itself make a player mathematically obligated to continue.

Pot Control – A strategy or result in which a player limits the size of the pot, often by checking or choosing smaller bet sizes with hands that do not want to play an exceptionally large pot.

Pot Equity – A player’s or range’s theoretical share of the pot based on its probability of winning or tying. Commonly shortened to equity.

Pot Limit – A betting structure in which the maximum legal bet or raise is determined by the size of the pot according to pot-limit rules.

Pot Odds – A comparison between the amount a player must call and the pot that can be won. Pot odds can be converted into the minimum equity required for a call to break even when no further betting is considered.

Pot-Sized Bet – A bet equal to the size of the pot before the bet is made.

Preflop – The betting round that occurs before the flop is dealt in games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Premium – Describes a particularly strong starting hand. Which hands qualify as premium depends on the poker variant and context.

Price – The cost of continuing in a hand relative to the amount that can be won, commonly referring to the pot odds offered by a bet.

Probe – A postflop bet made into a player who declined an earlier opportunity to continuation bet, particularly after the previous street checked through.

Probe Bet – A bet fitting the definition of a probe, commonly made on the turn after the preflop aggressor checks back the flop.

Profit – The amount by which poker winnings or returns exceed the relevant costs or losses over a specified period.

Prop – Short for proposition player, a player paid by a poker room to help start or maintain games while playing with their own money.

Prop Bet – A side wager on an event or outcome separate from the normal result of the poker hand or tournament.

Protect – To bet or raise partly to deny opponents the opportunity to realize their equity cheaply or for free.

Protection – The strategic value of denying opponents inexpensive opportunities to improve or realize their equity.

Push – Depending on context, to move all-in or make a substantial bet. In general gambling terminology, push can also mean a tie in which a wager is returned, but that is not the usual term for a tied poker pot.

Put On – To assign an opponent a particular hand or range of hands, as in “putting an opponent on a range.”

Q

Quads – Four cards of the same rank, another name for four of a kind.

Qualifier – A requirement that a hand must satisfy to be eligible for a particular portion of a pot, jackpot, promotion, or prize. The term can also refer to an event through which players qualify for another tournament.

Qualifying Hand – A hand that satisfies the requirements necessary to compete for a particular pot, prize, or promotion.

Quartered – In a split-pot game, receiving one-quarter of the total pot, commonly because two players tie for one half while another player wins the other half outright.

Queen – A face card ranked above jack and below king.

Quitting Time – A predetermined time or condition for ending a poker session.

R

Rabbit Hunt – To reveal cards that would have been dealt after a hand ended in order to see what the remaining board would have been. Whether rabbit hunting is permitted varies by poker room.

Race – An all-in confrontation in which the competing hands have relatively similar equity. Also called a coin flip.

Rack – A tray used to hold and transport poker chips. A standard casino chip rack commonly holds five rows of 20 chips for a total of 100.

Rag – Slang for a low or apparently insignificant card. The term can also describe a weak starting hand.

Rail – The area around a poker table or tournament where spectators can watch play.

Rail Bird – A spectator who watches poker games without participating.

Rainbow – Describes cards of different suits. A rainbow flop contains three different suits, making an immediate flush draw impossible using only two suited hole cards in Hold’em.

Raise – To increase the amount of the current wager, requiring opponents who wish to continue to match the new amount.

Rake – A fee collected by a poker operator for hosting a game. In cash games, it is commonly taken from pots according to a specified structure; tournaments generally charge an entry fee instead.

Rakeback – A rebate or reward that returns a portion of generated rake or fees to a player.

Rake Race – A promotion in which players compete for prizes based on a measure related to rake, fees, points, or playing volume.

Range – The set of possible hands a player can hold or take a particular action with in a given situation.

Range Advantage – A situation in which one player’s overall range has more equity or stronger holdings than another player’s range on a particular board. The term does not necessarily mean that the player holds the stronger actual hand.

Rank – The value of a playing card independent of its suit, such as two, ten, queen, king, or ace.

Rap – To tap the table to indicate a check.

Rathole – To remove chips from a cash-game stack and continue playing with fewer chips, contrary to rules requiring those chips to remain in play. Also used as a verb, ratholing.

Rebuy – To purchase additional tournament chips after losing some or all of a stack when the tournament’s rebuy rules permit it. Rebuy formats and restrictions vary.

Re-entry – To enter a tournament again after being eliminated when re-entry is permitted. A re-entry is generally treated as a new tournament entry with a new starting stack and may result in a different seat assignment.

Re-raise – To raise after another player has already raised during the same betting round.

Read – An assessment or inference about an opponent’s hand, range, tendencies, or intentions based on available information.

Reading – The process of interpreting available information to assess an opponent’s likely hand, range, or tendencies.

Redraw – A draw to an even stronger hand after a player has already made a strong hand, or a way to improve again if an opponent completes their own draw.

Regular – A player who participates frequently in a particular poker game, stake, venue, or player pool. Commonly shortened to reg.

Represent – To take actions consistent with holding a particular hand or range, regardless of the player’s actual cards.

Reraise – Another spelling of re-raise.

Rest – To take a break from poker or temporarily stop playing.

Reverse Implied Odds – The potential additional money a player may lose on later streets when completing a draw or making a seemingly strong hand that can still be second best.

Reverse Tell – A deliberate behavior intended to create a misleading physical or behavioral read.

Ring Game – Another term for a cash game, in which chips represent monetary value and players can generally enter or leave between hands.

River – The fifth and final community card dealt in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and similar flop games.

River Rat – Derogatory poker slang for a player perceived as frequently winning by improving on the river, particularly after continuing with a weak or unlikely draw.

Rivered – To lose after an opponent improves to the winning hand on the river.

Rock – Poker slang for an extremely tight player who plays relatively few hands.

Rock Garden – A poker table containing numerous very tight players.

Rolled Up – In Seven Card Stud, being dealt three of a kind on third street, with a pocket pair and a matching exposed door card.

Rounder – A player who regularly travels or moves among poker games seeking profitable opportunities. The term is often associated with professional or serious poker players.

Royal – Slang for a royal flush.

Royal Flush – An ace-high straight flush consisting of A-K-Q-J-10 all in the same suit. It is the highest-ranking hand in standard high poker.

Run – A sequence of cards, hands, or results over a period of poker play.

Run Bad – To experience an unfavorable stretch of results, often involving negative variance.

Run Good – To experience a favorable stretch of results, often involving positive variance.

Run It Twice – After betting is complete, usually because players are all-in, to deal the remaining board twice and divide the applicable pot between the results of the two runouts. Rules and availability vary by game.

Runner – A card needed as part of a sequence on later streets, as in runner-runner. The term can also refer to an entrant in a poker tournament.

Runner Runner – Requiring favorable cards on both of the remaining streets to complete or substantially improve a hand. Also written runner-runner.

Running – Describes consecutive cards on later streets that combine to make a hand, as in running hearts or running straight cards.

Rush – An informal term for a stretch in which a player wins numerous hands or experiences especially favorable results.

S

Sandbagging – An older term for slow-playing a strong hand by checking or calling rather than betting or raising.

Satellite – A tournament in which some or all prizes are entries into a larger or more expensive tournament.

Scare Card – A community card that significantly changes the board and can plausibly complete or strengthen important hands or draws.

Scared Money – Money a player is particularly reluctant or unable to lose, potentially affecting how they make poker decisions.

Scoop – To win the entire pot, particularly in a high-low split game by winning both the high and low portions.

Seat – A player’s physical or assigned position at a poker table.

Seat Change – Moving from one seat to another at the same poker table, subject to the poker room’s rules.

Seat Open – An announcement indicating that a seat has become vacant or is available.

Second Best – A hand that ranks immediately behind the winning hand or, more generally, a strong hand that is nevertheless beaten.

Second Nuts – The second-best possible hand given the known cards. Depending on the board, more than one specific combination may produce the same second-best hand strength.

Second Pair – A pair made using the second-highest ranked card on the board.

See – Traditional poker terminology for calling a bet, as in “I’ll see your bet.”

Semi-Bluff – A bet or raise with a hand that is probably not currently best but has meaningful potential to improve if called.

Session – A continuous period of poker play.

Set – Three of a kind made using a pocket pair together with one matching card on the board.

Set Mining – Playing a pocket pair primarily in the hope of flopping a set, usually with the expectation of winning additional chips when the set is made.

Set Over Set – A situation in which two or more players hold sets simultaneously, with the higher set beating the lower set.

Shark – Poker slang for a highly skilled or experienced player.

SharkScope – A third-party service that tracks and provides statistics about online poker tournament and Sit & Go results for supported poker networks and operators.

Ship – Poker slang that can mean to send the pot or chips to a player or, depending on context, to move all-in.

Ship It – A celebratory poker expression commonly used after winning a pot, tournament, or other prize.

Shootout – A tournament format in which players generally must win or advance from their original table before progressing to another table, rather than having tables continuously balanced as players are eliminated.

Short – Having relatively few chips compared with the blinds, antes, other stacks, or normal buy-in for the game.

Short Handed – A poker game or table with fewer players than a traditional full-ring game. Commonly written shorthanded.

Short Stack – A chip stack that is small relative to the blinds, antes, or other stacks in the game.

Short Stack Strategy – A strategy designed for playing with a relatively small number of blinds or a small stack relative to the game.

Shove – To move all-in.

Show – To reveal a player’s cards.

Show One, Show All – A common poker-room principle under which cards deliberately shown to one player may be shown to all players so that everyone has access to the same information. Exact procedures vary by venue.

Showdown – The stage after betting is complete when remaining players reveal or otherwise establish their hands so that the winner or winners can be determined.

Showdown Value – The ability of a hand to win often enough at showdown without needing to bluff.

Shuffle – To randomize the order of the cards before dealing.

Side Action – Wagers or gambling activity occurring in addition to the primary poker game or pot.

Side Game – A separate poker game running alongside a tournament or another primary event, often a cash game.

Side Pot – A separate pot created when a player is all-in for less than the amount wagered by other players. Only players who contributed to a particular side pot are eligible to win it.

Sit and Go – A tournament that begins after a predetermined number of players have registered rather than at a scheduled starting time. Commonly abbreviated SNG or Sit & Go.

Sit Down – To take a seat and join a poker game.

Sit Out – To temporarily stop participating in hands while retaining a seat, subject to the game’s rules.

Sizing – The amount chosen for a bet or raise.

Slow Play – To play a strong hand passively, commonly by checking or calling rather than betting or raising, in an attempt to conceal its strength or induce later action.

Slow Roll – To unnecessarily delay revealing or acknowledging a hand that a player knows or reasonably should know is the winner, particularly at showdown. Slow rolling is generally considered poor poker etiquette.

Small Ball – A poker strategy associated with playing numerous pots while attempting to limit pot sizes unless circumstances justify committing more chips. The term has been used in different ways by poker authors and players.

Small Blind – The smaller of the two standard forced blind bets in games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha. It is normally posted immediately clockwise from the dealer button.

Small Stakes – Poker played for relatively modest betting limits or buy-ins. What qualifies as small stakes depends on the game and context.

Smooth Call – An older term for calling with a strong hand instead of raising, often with the intention of concealing its strength.

Snap – To act almost immediately, as in a snap call or snap fold.

Snap Call – A call made almost immediately.

Snap Fold – A fold made almost immediately.

Snowmen – Slang for pocket eights because the numeral 8 resembles a snowman.

Soft – Describes a poker game or field perceived as containing relatively weak opposition.

Soft Play – To deliberately avoid normal competitive action against a particular player, such as a friend or partner. Soft play may violate poker-room or tournament rules, particularly when it affects other players.

Solid – Informal term for a player or strategy considered fundamentally sound and consistent.

Soul Read – Slang for an unusually accurate read of an opponent’s hand or intentions, particularly in a difficult situation.

Spade – One of the four standard playing-card suits, represented by ♠.

Speeding – Informal poker slang for playing too aggressively or taking actions at a pace or frequency beyond what is considered appropriate for the situation.

Spew – Poker slang for losing chips through excessively loose, aggressive, or poorly considered play.

Splash – To throw chips loosely into the pot rather than placing them in an identifiable stack. Splashing the pot can make it difficult for the dealer to verify the amount wagered.

Splash Around – To play relatively loosely and participate in numerous pots.

Split – To divide a pot or prize between two or more players.

Split Pot – A pot divided between multiple players, either because they tie or because the game awards separate portions of the pot, as in high-low poker.

Spot – A particular poker situation or decision point.

Spread – To offer or deal a particular poker game or range of stakes, as in a poker room spreading $1/$2 and $2/$5 No Limit Hold’em.

Spread Limit – A betting structure in which players may wager any amount within a specified minimum and maximum range on each betting round.

Squeeze – A re-raise made after one player has raised and one or more other players have called the raise. The re-raiser is said to make a squeeze play.

Stack – The chips a player has available at the table.

Stack Off – To commit an entire stack to a hand, usually through betting, raising, or calling all-in.

Stack Size – The amount of chips a player has, often expressed in money, chips, or big blinds.

Stacked – Depending on context, having a large stack or losing an entire stack to another player, as in “getting stacked.”

Stake – Money risked in a wager. In poker, the plural stakes is more commonly used to describe the betting level of a game.

Stakes – The betting level or monetary size of a poker game, such as $1/$2 or $5/$10.

Stand – In draw poker, to decline to exchange any cards. More commonly expressed as stand pat.

Stand Pat – To draw no replacement cards in a draw poker game.

Standard – Informal term for an action, line, or strategy considered conventional or commonly used in a particular situation.

Starting Hand – The cards initially dealt to a player before any community cards or draws.

Station – Short for calling station, a player who calls frequently and tends to fold relatively infrequently.

Steal – To win a pot through a bet or raise, particularly when attempting to win blinds or antes without a showdown.

Steal Position – A late position from which players commonly attempt to steal the blinds, particularly the cutoff or button.

Steam – To play emotionally or recklessly after becoming frustrated or upset. Similar to tilt.

Stiff – Gambling slang for failing to tip when a tip would normally be customary. Usage and tipping customs vary by venue.

Stop and Go – A poker line in which a player calls a bet or raise on one street and then leads into the aggressor on the next street. The term has also been associated with a specific short-stack tournament play involving a preflop call followed by a flop shove.

Straddle – A voluntary blind wager posted before the cards are dealt, typically larger than the big blind. A straddle usually gives the player a live option when the preflop action returns, but size, position, and action rules vary by poker room.

Straight – A five-card hand containing five consecutive ranks, such as 6♠ 7♥ 8♦ 9♣ 10♠. In standard high poker, a straight beats three of a kind and loses to a flush.

Straight Draw – A hand that can complete a straight by receiving one or more particular ranks on a later street.

Straight Flush – Five cards of consecutive rank all in the same suit. In standard high poker, a straight flush beats four of a kind.

Strategy – A systematic approach to making poker decisions across different hands and situations.

Street – A stage of a poker hand associated with the dealing of cards and a betting round, such as the flop, turn, and river in Hold’em.

String Bet – An attempted bet or raise made through multiple forward chip movements without a prior verbal declaration when the applicable rules require the wager to be made in one motion. Exact enforcement varies by poker room. A verbal statement such as “I call and raise” can create a separate verbal-action issue, but is not itself the defining example of a string bet.

Strong – Describes a hand, range, or action with relatively high strength in context.

Structure – The rules governing elements such as blinds, antes, betting limits, starting stacks, and level lengths in a poker game or tournament.

Stuck – Poker slang for currently being down money during a session or over a specified period.

Stud – A family of poker variants in which players receive a combination of face-up and face-down cards without using a community-card board. Seven Card Stud is a common example.

Suck Out – To improve from a significant underdog to the winning hand on a later card.

Suited – Describes two or more cards of the same suit.

Suited Connectors – Consecutively ranked starting cards of the same suit, such as 8♥ 9♥.

Super Satellite – Traditionally, a satellite tournament awarding seats into another satellite or a major target event. Usage varies, and the term is also sometimes applied to satellites awarding multiple seats.

Super System – An influential poker strategy book originally published under Doyle Brunson’s name, featuring strategy contributions from Brunson and several other prominent poker players.

Sweat – To watch and follow another player’s poker action closely, often because of a personal or financial interest in the outcome.

Swing – A significant change in poker results or bankroll, commonly caused by a combination of variance and playing results.

T

Table – The physical or virtual setting where a poker game is played. As a verb in some poker contexts, to table a hand means to place it face up for others to see.

Table Captain – Informal term for a player perceived as controlling or strongly influencing the pace and betting dynamics of a table.

Table Change – Moving from one poker table to another.

Table Coach – A player who gives unsolicited strategy advice or commentary to other players during a game.

Table Draw – The process by which players are randomly assigned to tables and seats, particularly in tournaments.

Table Image – Other players’ perception of a player’s style, tendencies, or behavior based on what they have observed.

Table Selection – The process of choosing which available poker table to join.

Table Stakes – A rule under which players can wager only the chips or money they had in play when a hand began and generally cannot add funds during the hand.

Table Talk – Conversation among players during a poker game. Rules governing discussion of active hands vary by poker room and tournament.

TAG – Abbreviation for tight-aggressive, a playing style characterized by entering relatively few pots while frequently betting and raising when involved.

Take a Shot – To temporarily play at stakes higher than a player’s usual game, often with predetermined limits on the amount risked.

Take Down – To win a pot.

Tank – To take an extended period of time to make a poker decision.

Tap Out – Informal term for losing all available chips or money or otherwise being unable or unwilling to continue playing.

Tell – A physical, behavioral, verbal, or timing cue that may provide information about a player’s hand, intentions, or emotional state.

Texture – The characteristics of a community-card board and how those cards interact with possible hands and ranges.

Third Barrel – A river bet made after the same player bet the flop and turn. Also called the third barrel of a triple-barrel sequence.

Third Nuts – The third-best possible hand given the known cards.

Third Street – The first betting street in Seven Card Stud, when each player normally has two down cards and one exposed card.

Three Bet – A raise following an initial raise. In modern poker terminology, the first bet is considered the one-bet, the opening raise the two-bet, and the first re-raise the three-bet.

Three of a Kind – A five-card poker hand containing three cards of the same rank. In standard high poker, three of a kind beats two pair and loses to a straight.

Tight – A playing style characterized by entering relatively few pots or using relatively narrow starting-hand ranges.

Tight Aggressive – A playing style combining relatively selective starting-hand ranges with frequent betting and raising when involved. Commonly abbreviated TAG.

Tight Passive – A playing style characterized by entering relatively few pots and tending to check or call rather than bet or raise.

Tilt – A state in which emotions or psychological factors negatively affect a player’s poker decisions.

Time Bank – Additional decision time available to a player, particularly in online poker and tournaments using action clocks.

Time Charge – A fee collected from players based on time played rather than as a percentage or fixed amount taken from individual pots.

Timing Tell – Information potentially inferred from the amount of time a player takes before acting.

Tip – A gratuity given to a poker dealer or other staff member.

To Go – An expression identifying the total amount a player must match to continue, as in “$20 to go.”

Toke – Traditional gambling slang for a gratuity or tip, particularly one given to a dealer.

Top End – The higher end of a straight or straight draw.

Top Kicker – The highest possible kicker accompanying a particular made hand given the available cards.

Top Pair – A pair made using the highest-ranking card on the board.

Top Set – A set made using the highest-ranking card on the board.

Top Two – Two pair made using the two highest-ranking cards on the board.

Tournament – A poker competition in which players begin with tournament chips and compete according to a specified structure and payout schedule.

Tournament Chips – Chips used to keep score in a poker tournament. They generally have no direct cash value and cannot be redeemed as cash.

Tournament Clock – A display or timer showing information such as the current blind level, antes, remaining time in the level, and upcoming levels.

Tournament Director – The official responsible for administering a poker tournament and making or overseeing tournament rulings.

Tournament Equity – A player’s share of the tournament’s prize value based on factors such as stack size, payout structure, and the tournament situation. Chip value and monetary tournament equity are not necessarily equivalent.

Tournament Life – Informal expression referring to a player’s continued survival in a tournament.

Tournament Poker – Poker played in a tournament format rather than as a cash game.

Trap – To play a strong hand deceptively, often by checking or calling rather than immediately betting or raising.

Trash – Slang for a very weak starting hand or cards with little apparent value.

Trey – Traditional card-room slang for a three.

Trips – Three of a kind made using one hole card and a paired board in Hold’em terminology. The word is also used more generally for three of a kind, but is commonly distinguished from a set.

Triple Barrel – To bet the flop, turn, and river in succession.

Triple Draw – A draw poker format with three drawing rounds, such as Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw.

Turbo – A tournament with relatively short blind levels or rapidly increasing blinds compared with a standard structure.

Turn – The fourth community card dealt in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and similar flop games.

Turn Card – The fourth community card itself.

Two Bet – The second wager in a betting sequence. In common modern preflop terminology, the big blind is treated as the initial bet and an opening raise is therefore called a two-bet.

Two Pair – A five-card poker hand containing two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and one additional card. In standard high poker, two pair beats one pair and loses to three of a kind.

U

Underbet – A bet that is relatively small compared with the size of the pot or the size normally expected in a particular situation.

Underpair – A pocket pair lower than at least one relevant board card. The term is often used for a pocket pair lower than every card on the flop.

Under the Gun – The position immediately to the left of the big blind and therefore the first player required to act before the flop in a standard game with blinds. Commonly abbreviated UTG. It is not necessarily the first player to act on later betting rounds.

Underdog – A hand or player with a lower probability of winning than another hand or player in the specified situation.

Underraise – A raise smaller than the minimum full raise required by the betting rules. An underraise may occur when a player moves all-in for less than a full raise; its effect on subsequent action depends on the rules.

Underroll – To play stakes for which a player’s bankroll is relatively small compared with their chosen bankroll-management requirements.

Unimproved – Describes a hand that has not increased in rank or strength as additional cards were dealt.

Unlimited Rebuy – A tournament format permitting players to purchase additional chips repeatedly during a specified rebuy period, subject to the event’s rules.

Unopened – Describes a pot in which no player has yet voluntarily entered before the action reaches the player in question.

Unpaired – Describes a board containing no two cards of the same rank.

Unsuited – Describes cards that are not of the same suit. Also called offsuit in many contexts.

Up – Informal term for being ahead financially during a session or specified period.

Up Against – Facing a particular hand, opponent, or difficult situation.

Up and Down – An older term for an open-ended straight draw that can be completed at either end. The phrase can also describe fluctuating results.

Up Card – A card dealt face up and visible to all players, particularly in stud poker.

Up Front – Informal term for early position.

Up the Ante – To increase the amount at stake. Outside literal poker usage, the phrase is commonly used figuratively to mean increasing pressure or commitment.

Upstairs – Traditional poker-room slang for moving to or referring to higher-stakes games.

Upswing – A period of favorable poker results.

UTG – Abbreviation for under the gun, the first position to act before the flop in a standard game with blinds.

UTG+1 – The position immediately to the left of the under-the-gun player and therefore the second player to act before the flop in a standard full table.

V

Value – The amount a hand or action can profitably extract from weaker hands, or more generally the expected benefit of a poker decision.

Value Bet – A bet made with the expectation that enough weaker hands will call to make betting more profitable than checking.

Value Cut – To make a value bet and be called by a stronger hand, resulting in the bettor effectively extracting additional value for the opponent rather than themselves.

Value Own – To bet for value believing weaker hands can call, only to be called by a stronger hand. Also expressed as value-owning yourself.

Value Range – The portion of a betting or raising range made up of hands intended to be called by weaker hands.

Value Town – Poker slang associated with repeatedly or successfully betting for value, as in “taking an opponent to value town.”

Variance – The statistical variation in poker results caused by the game’s element of chance. Even players with positive expected value can experience substantial short-term winning and losing stretches.

Verbal – A spoken declaration of a poker action. Verbal declarations may be binding under poker-room rules.

Villain – The opponent in a hand history or strategy discussion when the player whose perspective is being analyzed is called the hero.

VIP – Abbreviation for Very Important Person. In online poker, the term has commonly been associated with loyalty or rewards programs, although program terminology varies by operator.

VPIP – Abbreviation for Voluntarily Put Money in Pot, a poker statistic measuring the percentage of hands in which a player voluntarily contributes chips preflop. Forced blind postings by themselves are not counted as voluntary contributions.

W

Wait List – A queue of players waiting for seats in a poker game.

Waiting – Being on a waiting list for a poker game or tournament seat.

Wake Up – Poker slang for unexpectedly being dealt a strong hand, particularly after significant action has already occurred.

Walk – To win the blinds without opposition, most commonly when every other player folds to the big blind before the flop.

Wash – To mix cards face down across the table before gathering and shuffling them. Also called scrambling the deck.

Weak – Describes a relatively poor hand, range, player tendency, or action depending on context.

Weak Ace – An ace accompanied by a relatively low kicker, such as A-5 or A-7.

Weak Lead – Informal term for a relatively small lead bet, often made from out of position. Bet size alone does not necessarily indicate a weak hand.

Weak Tight – A style characterized by playing relatively few hands and folding or avoiding aggression too frequently, particularly in marginal situations.

Webcam – A camera used in certain online poker games, broadcasts, or social poker formats to show players during play.

Wet – Describes a community-card board containing numerous possible draws or strong connections between the cards.

Wheel – The five-card sequence A-2-3-4-5. In standard high poker it is the lowest straight; in Ace-to-Five lowball it is the best possible low hand.

Whiff – To miss a draw or fail to connect meaningfully with the board.

Whipsaw – To be caught between aggressive actions from players on both sides, particularly when facing repeated bets or raises.

White Chip – A chip traditionally associated with a low denomination in casino poker. Although $1 white chips are common in the United States, chip colors and values vary by casino and jurisdiction.

Wild Card – A card that can substitute for another card or rank according to the rules of a particular poker variant.

Win Rate – A measure of poker results over a specified amount of play. Cash-game win rates may be expressed in big blinds per 100 hands, money per hour, or other units.

Window Card – The first card exposed when the dealer spreads the flop in a community-card game.

Winner – The player or hand entitled to all or part of a pot under the rules of the game.

Winning Player – A player whose results show a net profit over the period or sample being discussed.

Wire – In tournament or competition terminology, to lead from beginning to end, as in winning wire-to-wire.

Wired – Traditional stud terminology for a concealed pair among a player’s down cards. The term is sometimes used more broadly for a pocket pair.

Worst Hand – The lowest-ranking or least favorable hand in a particular context. What constitutes the worst hand depends on the poker variant.

Wrap – In Omaha, a straight draw involving more possible straight-completing cards than a standard open-ended straight draw because the player can use different combinations of hole cards with the board.

Wrap Around – A term sometimes used for a straight involving an ace at one end, but standard poker straights do not wrap around from king through ace to two. Aces may normally be high in A-K-Q-J-10 or low in A-2-3-4-5, but not both within the same straight.

Wrong End – The lower end of a made straight or straight draw when a higher straight is possible.

WSOP – Abbreviation for the World Series of Poker, a major series of poker tournaments.

X

X – Poker notation for an unspecified or strategically unimportant card. For example, A-x can represent an ace accompanied by an unspecified second card.

Y

Yahtzee – Informal poker slang sometimes used for a full house, borrowing the name from the dice game Yahtzee.

Yard – Gambling slang for $100.

Yearning – An uncommon informal term for a strong desire to continue playing or enter pots. It is not standard modern poker terminology.

Yellow Zone – In tournament strategy terminology popularized by Dan Harrington, a stack zone defined by a player’s M-ratio. The yellow zone traditionally refers to an M between approximately 10 and 20.

Yes – An affirmative verbal response. This is not generally treated as a distinct poker term, although verbal statements can affect action under house rules.

Yield – An uncommon poker expression for giving up or folding.

Yo-Yo – Informal description of a chip stack or bankroll that repeatedly rises and falls.

Young Gun – Informal term for a talented or successful younger poker player.

Your Action – An expression indicating that it is a player’s turn to act.

Z

Zebra – An uncommon poker slang term sometimes used for a player who alternates between contrasting styles. It is not standard modern poker terminology.

Zero – Having no chips, no equity, or no value in a particular context. The term does not have one specialized poker definition.

Zero-Sum – A situation in which one participant’s gain is exactly offset by another participant’s loss. Individual poker pots are zero-sum among the players before costs, but poker as played with operator rake, tournament fees, tips, and other expenses is negative-sum for the players collectively.

Zig Zag – Informal term for inconsistent or frequently changing patterns of play. It is not a standard technical poker term.

Zombie – An uncommon poker slang term whose meaning varies by game or group. It does not have a widely accepted standard poker definition.

Zone – Informal term for a state of intense concentration or focus. The word also appears in specific tournament strategy concepts such as Harrington’s M-based stack zones.

Zoom Poker – The name used by PokerStars for its fast-fold poker format, in which folding generally moves a player immediately to another hand rather than requiring them to wait for the current hand to finish.

Mastering Poker Terminology

Understanding poker terminology makes it easier to learn the game, follow strategy discussions, read hand histories, and communicate clearly at the table.

Some poker terms have precise definitions, while others are slang or can mean different things depending on the game, poker room, or context. Terms also continue to evolve as new poker formats and strategy concepts develop.

Use this A-Z poker glossary as a reference whenever you encounter an unfamiliar poker term, abbreviation, or expression.