Glossary of Poker Terms

• 3-Bet – The term that refers to the third bet of a round of betting. For example, preflop, the blinds are the 1-bet, the first raise is the 2-bet, and if someone raises that bet it’s a 3-bet.
• Bad Beat – A hand where a player loses a hand to a weaker hand due to bad luck.
• Bankroll Management – A strategy used to stop players from going broke during unlucky periods.
• Blinds – A forced bet that must be paid before the cards are dealt, they are paid by two players located to the direct left of the dealer buttons’ position.
• Bluff – A bet that is made to try and get our opponent to fold a better hand.
• Big Bet – The size of bet used in the later betting rounds (turn and river) in Fixed Limit poker games, it is twice the size of the big blind.
• Big Blind – The larger of the two forced blind bets, posted by the player sitting two positions to the left of the dealer. Usually twice the value of the small blind.
• Broadway – High cards that include Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.
• Buyin – The amount of money it costs to enter a poker game.
• Call – The action for when a player matches a bet (or big blind) in order to continue in the hand.
• Card Dead – When a player gets a run of bad hands.
• Check – The action for, when not faced with an opposing bet, the player passes the action to the next player without making a bet. Only the big blind can check in the preflop round.
• Connectors – A hand that consists of two closely connected cards, for example 87.
• Continuation Bet – A bet you make on the flop as the preflop aggressor.
• Cooler – When a good hand is beaten by an even better hand.
• Double Suited Flop – A flop where two of the three cards are of the same suit.
• Downswing – A term used to describe the unfortunate side of variance, where you observe results that are lower than your expected results.
• Dry Board – A postflop board that doesn’t allow our opponent much opportunity to have a good hand or draw. An example of a dry board is K82 rainbow.
• Equity – The percentage of the pot we are entitled to, for example if we have AA against KK and go all-in preflop, we have 80% equity.
• Fixed Limit – A variant of betting structure in poker games that only allows players to bet one big bet at a time.
• Flop – The name for the first three community cards that are dealt.
• Fold – The action for discarding your hole cards and exiting from the current hand.
• Full Ring – A game of poker with seven to 10 players, in online poker it is usually nine players.
• Heads Up – A game of poker with exactly two players.
• Hole Cards – The two cards dealt face down to each player at the table which only that player may use to make the best five card hand.
• In Position (IP) – Being the last to act in a poker hand.
• Limp – When a player calls the big blind
• Loose Aggressive Strategy – A strategy for Texas Hold’Em that focuses on playing a lot of hands in an aggressive manner.
• Monotone Flop – A flop where all three cards are of the same suit.
• Multi-Table Tournament – A poker tournament consisting of more than one table of players, biggest example is the World Series of Poker Main Event.
• No Limit – A variant of betting structure in poker games that allows players to bet any amount they have available during any point in the hand.
• Outs – The number of cards left in the deck that improve our hand to the best hand.
• Out of Position (OOP) – Being the first to act in a poker hand.
• Overcards – Two hole cards, or one community card, that is higher than the highest card on the board. An example would be hole cards of AQ on a flop of J72.
• Pocket Pairs – Hole cards that both have the same value, for example if you have a pair of eights in your hole cards.
• Postflop – The section of a poker hand played after the flop has been dealt.
• Postflop Aggressor – A postflop aggressor is someone who has raised preflop and been called.
• Pot Limit – A variant of betting structure in poker games that allows players to bet up to the value of the current pot during betting rounds.
• Preflop – The part of a hand that takes place before the flop is dealt.
• Rainbow Flop – A flop where all three cards have different suits.
• Raise – The action for when, faced with an opposing bet (or big blind), a player bets more than that raise to force an opponent to make the next decision.
• Range – A selection of hands that you or your opponents play in any given situation.
• River – The name for the fifth and final community card that is dealt.
• Semi-bluff – A bet or raise made when you have no made hand, but a good draw that has a chance of improving to a very good hand.
• Set – A hand where you have trips using a pocket pair.
• Short Handed – A game of poker with between three and six players. More action oriented than Full Ring.
• Showdown – The final action in a poker hand, where two or more players have completed the last round of betting. The remaining players turn their hole cards face up to determine who has the best five card hand.
• Sit and Go – A tournament that doesn’t have a scheduled start time, and begins once the required amount of players register.
• Small Bet – The size of bet used in the first two betting rounds in Fixed Limit poker games, it is equal to the size of the big blind
• Small Blind – The smaller of the two forced blind bets, posted by the player seated directly to the left of the dealer. Usually half the value of the big blind.
• Tight Aggressive Style – A strategy for Texas Hold’Em that focuses around playing a small number of hands aggressively. Also referred to as TAG.
• Tilt – An emotional state that causes a player to play in a sub optimal way.
• Turn – The name for the fourth community card that is dealt.
• Value Bet – A bet that is used to get a worse hand to call.
• Upswing – A term used to describe the fortunate side of variance where you observe results that are higher than your expected results.
• Variance – The term used to describe the role of luck in poker.
• Wet Board – A wet board is a board that contains more opportunity for our opponent to have a good hand or a draw. An example of a wet board is 79T double suited.
• Winrate – The amount you win, on average, over a certain number of hands. Usually expressed in big blinds per 100 hands (bb/100).