Poker Terms

This poker glossary will give you definitions of a list of terms, abbreviations and acronyms that are commonly used in poker. Poker terminology can seem daunting to new players. Our guide to the terms you need below will help you through the learning curve and get you talking like a poker pro in no time!

1-10

6MAX

6 maximum players

A

ABI

Average buy-in

Ace in the hole

Having an Ace card in the two cards you were dealt.

Action

(1) Opportunity to act. If a player appears not to realize it's their turn, the dealer will say "Your action."

(2) Bets and raises. "If a third heart hits the board and there's a lot of action, you have to assume that somebody has made the flush."

Add-on

In tournament play an opportunity to purchase additional chips regardless of your chip stack. This is usually offered only once after the first break/end of the rebuy period. The add-on usually offers more chips per dollar than the original buy-in and rebuys.

Adding-On/Add-On Period

"Adding On" to a tournament stack during the "Add-On" period (in a re-buy tournament)

AF

Aggression Factor

AI

All in

AIPF

All in pre-flop

All-in

to have all your chips in the middle; [to move] to bet everything you have left.

American Airlines

Slang for a pair of aces, most commonly used when a player in Texas Hold'em has pocket aces.

Ante

A small bet that increases in increments with the blinds. It usually begins mid-way through a tournament to build the pot.

ATC

Any Two Cards

Ax

Ace with a 2nd card

B

B&M

Brick and Mortar, a brick and mortar casino is a real casino, made from...

Backdoor

a draw that requires two cards in a row to complete, e.g. having three of one suit on the flop in hold 'em means you have a backdoor flush draw: you will have a flush if two more of that suit come on the turn and the river.

Bad beat

losing a hand that you were a (big) favorite to win, "I suffered a really bad beat when I moved all-in with my pocket aces and John hit his runner-runner flush."

Bankroll

The overall amount of money that a player has available to wager.

BB

1. Big Blind, the person two steps left of the dealer has to put an amount of money before the cards are dealt. This amount is usually (but not always) twice the size of the small blind (SB).

2. Big Bet, most limit poker games double the bet sizes on the last betting round(s). The larger bet sizes are called "big bets." See also SB.

B/C

Bet and Call

BDFD

Backdoor Flush Draw

BDSD

BDSD

Bet

to put money into the pot. Only used for the first person who does it during a betting round; the others either "call", "raise" or "fold".

B/F

Bet and Fold

Big blind special

When the player sitting in the big blind position hits a good flop or wins a hand despite holding bad cards.

Big Slick

A nickname for AK.

Bingo Poker

A poker game where the players have no skill, and rely on pure luck to win any given hand.

Blank

a card that didn't help you and likely won't help anyone else.

Blind

1. The amount of money that is put into the pot before the cards are dealt, "I raised from the button, hoping to steal the blinds."

2. Also used to refer to the person who had to put in the money, "the big blind re-raised".

3. Also used to refer to the relative position (which is almost the first two after the dealer), "I don't play QJo from the blinds."

Bluff

betting or raising a hand you believe to be weaker than that of your opponent, with the intention of getting them to fold their stronger hand. see also semibluff.

Board

the shared cards in Hold'em and Omaha, e.g. the flop, turn, and river. "the board paired, giving me a full house against his flush."

Boat

A hand that consists of three of a kind and a pair, e.g. A-A-K-K-K. If two people both have full houses, the one with the higher trips win. Also known as a full house. "I flopped a boat, and decided to slowplay it."

Bot

A computer program that plays poker online with little or no assistance from a person.

Bottom Pair

A pair with the lowest card on the flop.

Bounty

A cash prize rewarded for eliminating players from a tournament.

Bring in

A forced bet in stud games.

Broadway

An ace-high straight (10, J, Q, K, A non-suited). A Broadway is the highest straight in poker.

Bubble

The last spot in a tournament before payouts begin or the person who finishes in that spot.

Bullets

1. Aces;

2. Refers to how many times a player has bought re-entry into a tournament

Burn

The top card that is discarded from the deck is referred to as the burn card and is discarded to safeguard against players accidentally seeing the top card.

Bust, Go Bust, Busted

1. When a bluffing player is called and loses the pot.

2. Could also refer to getting a great hand busted by a player on the come.

3. To lose or have lost all of one's chips, money, or bankroll

Button

in live games, a little marker shows who's currently the dealer. This person has the advantage to always act last (not in Stud). A person can be said to be "on the button", as in "I was on the button and looked down to see pocket nines in the hole."

Buy-in

1. The amount of money you put in for chips at the poker table. "My usual buy-in at a $10/$20-table is $600."

2. The cost or entry fee of a tournament, "The main event at the WSOP has a $10,000 buy-in."

Buying the button

When your bet or raise makes all players that are in later position than you to fold, giving you last position (a huge advantage). "My raise on the flop bought me the button, so I could take the free card on the turn."

C

Call

To match someone else's bet, as opposed to raise or fold. "He went all-in, and with the odds I was getting, I had to call despite probably having the worst hand."

Calling Station

A weak-passive player who calls a lot, but doesn't raise or fold much.

Cap

To put in the last raise permitted on a betting round, typically the third or fourth raise.

Case

The last card of a certain rank in the deck. For example if 3 Q's are already in the game the 4th Q is the case queen.

Cash game

a regular poker game for cash, that you can join or leave at any time, as opposed to a tournament.

Catch

to get one of the cards you needed to win the hand, "I caught the 9 on the river, giving me the nut straight."

Center Pot

The first pot created during a poker hand, as opposed to one or more "side" pots created if one or more players go all-in. See also "main pot."

Chase

to call with the worst hand, hoping to improve. Synonymous to drawing, but is often used in a derogatory sense, to mark someone as desperate. "You just keep chasing those inside straights, kid - it will bust you eventually."

Check

to check the option of betting - can only be done if you're first to act, or if no one else has yet bet (in which case you either need to call, raise or fold). "On the river, I knew he wouldn't call with a worse hand, so when he checked, I just checked behind."

Check-call

when you check, a player acting behind you bets, and you call their bet

Check-fold

when you check and then fold after a player acting behind you bets

Check-raise

when you check, someone else bets behind you, and then you raise when the action gets back to you. "I checkraised him on the flop with my top pair."

Chip dumping

A form of collusion between two or more players – usually by deciding to go all-in early. The winner ends up with all the chips from the other colluders increasing the chance of cashing. The winnings are then split among the colluders.

Chip leader

The player currently holding the most chips in a tournament.

Chop

An agreement by all players remaining in a tournament to divide the remaining money in the prize pool according to an agreement that is determined based on their current chip stacks.

CK

Check

CO

see cut-off in this online poker glossary.

Cold streak

when someone is getting a bad run of cards, they are said to be on a cold streak, "I won a lot of hands early on in the tournament, but then I went on a cold streak and eventually had to go all-in with rags to survive."

Cold-call

when one person bets, another raises and you call both the bet and the raise, you are said to be cold-calling. This is usually done only with monster hands or very powerful draws, as most other holdings should usually be either raised or folded at these times. "John raised pre-flop from under the gun, and I cold-called with my KQ-suited."

Collusion

A form of cheating involving two or more players.

Combo Draw

having straight and flush draws at the same time

Complete Hand

A hand that is defined by all five cards - a straight, flush, full house or straight flush.

Connector

A Hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are one apart in rank. Examples: KQ, 76.

Continuation bet

A bet made after the flop by the player bet first before the flop.

Cooler

when two very strong hands are involved in a big pot (e.g., KK gets coolered by AA when AA wins)

Counterfeit

To make your hand less valuable because of board cards that duplicate it. Example: you have 87 and the flop comes 9-T-J, so you have a straight. Now an 8 comes on the turn. This has counterfeited your hand and made it almost worthless.

Cowboys

Slang for a pair of kings, most commonly used when a player in Texas Hold'em has pocket kings.

CR

see check-raise

Crack

To beat a hand - typically a big hand. You hear this most often applied to pocket aces: "Third time tonight I've had pocket aces cracked."

Cripple

As in "to cripple the deck." Meaning that you have most or all of the cards that somebody would want to have with the current board. If you have pocket kings, and the other two kings flop, you have crippled the deck.

Cut-off

the seat just to the right of the button is called the cut-off. This is the second-to-last position in hold'em.

D

Dead

adjective referring to a tournament chipstack that is undefended, or a space on a tournament table that is empty but considered to be occupied in terms of position of button and blinds

Dead Man's Hand

1. two pair: Aces and Eights (black suits);

2. given this name due to speculation that it was the hand that Wild West legend Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was murdered at the poker table.

Dead Money

1. An inexperienced player who has little to no chance of winning;

2. Money in the pot that was contributed by players no longer in the hand

Dead outs

Outs which improve Hero's hand, but at the same time give the Villain a stronger hand. For example, if a card completes Hero's straight, but gives a flush to the Villain.

Dealer

The player in a poker game who actually (or theoretically) is dealing the cards. When a professional dealer (casino or cardroom) or automated dealer (online) is present - it is necessary to identify the player who would be dealing the cards because the blinds and the betting action are to the left of the dealer. This is done by utilizing a marker called a dealer button which travels around the table in a clockwise manner, moving to the next player after each hand is completed.

Deuce

poker players' way of saying "a two,", e.g. "the deuce of hearts came on the turn." Also see trey in this poker glossary.

Dime

Dime is a common slang term used in gambling and other activities that are involved heavily with money. A dime refers to one thousand dollars.

Dog

the person with the lowest chance of winning hand, "when he called my all-in and showed a higher set, I was a 43-1 dog to win; only the remaining five could help me".

Donk

1. A bad player; commonly also used to describe a good player who suddenly did something stupid - "I played that hand like a complete donk."

2. To unexpectedly bet - "I donked the ace on the turn, hoping that the player who raised the flop would fold."

Donk Stack

A tournament stack won by dumb luck and open to prey

Double-up

When a player goes all-in and is called by a bigger stack, and wins the hand, thus doubling their stack

Draw/drawing

to call bets with a hand that is unlikely to be the best at the moment, but has chances of improving. "I flopped a straightdraw, but on the turn, I realized my opponent was drawing as well, so I raised him on the river and he folded."

Drawing dead

when no remaining cards can give you the best hand, you are said to be drawing dead. "I hit my straight on the river, but the big blind had flopped the nut flush, so I had been drawing dead the whole time."

Dry pot

A side pot with no money created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent, but not raised.

E

Effective Stack

The actual number of chips played for in a hand between players with unequal stacks. i.e. One player has a 12,000 chip stack and the other player has a 6,000 chip stack. The effective stack is 6,000 since that is the most that either player can win in the hand.

EP

Early position

Equity

Your share/value of a pot. If the pot contains $100, and you have a 50% chance of winning it, you have $50 equity in the pot.

EV

Expected Value

Expected Value

the average outcome in terms of chips or money earned when taking into account the probability of certain events

Extra Blind

Another blind put in by a player just entering the game, returning to the game, or otherwise changing his position at the table. See also "blind" and "post.

F

Fake Think

This is when a player makes it appear they are thinking long and hard about a decision for a given hand, when in truth, the decision is already made, they are just acting as part of some greater purpose.

Family Pot

A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players call before the flop.

FD

Flush Draw

FE

Fold Equity

Fifth street

The last card dealt up in Hold 'em or Omaha (also known as the river), and the third card dealt up in 7-card stud.

Fish

A common (derogatory) term for bad players. By the same token, good players are sometimes called sharks, because they prey on the fish.

FL

Fixed Limit

Flat call

To just call a bet instead of raising.

Float

Calling a bet in order to take a pot down later.

Flop

1. The first three community cards in Texas Hold 'em and Omaha that are dealt face up at the same time (followed by the turn and the river). "The flop showed a king, a nine and a deuce, so unless someone had a set, I believed my pair of kings to be good."

2. The verb used to describe hitting a hand on the flop: "I flopped the nut flush - now I just needed to keep the opponents in the hand so they could pay me off."

Flush

A hand that consists of cards that are all of one suit. A flush is better than a straight but worse than a full house.

Fold

to surrender the cards and no longer have a stake in the current hand

Fold Equity

The extra value you get from a hand when you force an opponent to fold.

Four-bet (4bet)

In any given betting round, the 4th bet, but 3rd raise, or the raise of the re-raise

Four-of-a-kind

Exactly what i sounds like: For instance 2-2-2-2-7 is a four-of-a-kind hand. The only hand that beats four-of-a-kind (or quads) is a straight flush.

Fourth street

The fourth card dealt in stud poker, and the card after the flop in Texas Hold 'em and Omaha (where it is also known as the turn).

FR

A full ring game (generally 9 or 10 seats in No Limit Hold'em)

Free card

When everybody checks and the next card is dealt without any bets going in, that is called a free card. "I checked, intending to checkraise the preflop raiser with my vulnerable top pair. Unfortunately, he checked behind and I ended up giving a free card which gave my opponent a flush draw."

Freeroll

1. When a player has at least half the pot won in a Hi/Lo split game, and is now drawing to win the other, he can be said to be on a freeroll.

2. Similarly, if two players with AKs get all their money into the pot before the flop, but one of them flop three to a flush, he is on a freeroll: He can't lose, but he can win it all.

3. Sticking with the "can't lose, but can win it all" definition, there are popular online tournaments that are provided by either the poker rooms themselves or by other poker sites where it costs nothing to enter. These tournaments are essentially a marketing tool, and are called freeroll tournaments but commonly known only as freerolls.

Freeze-out

The most common form of tournament. Once you've lost all your chips, you're out. As opposed to re-buy tournaments.

FT

Final Table

Full house

A hand that consists of three of a kind and a pair, e.g. A-A-K-K-K. If two people both have full houses, the one with the higher trips win. Also called a boat.

G

Grinder

A grinder is a player who "grinds out" a profit over the long haul. This player is not a showboat or a loose cannon but rather does what it takes to make even a modest profit over the long term.

Guarantee

a tournament prize pool in which a certain amount is guaranteed to be paid out by the House

Gutshot

Drawing to a straight with one of the middle cards missing, e.g. if you have 9-7 in the hole in Hold 'em, and the flop shows 6-10-A, an 8 would give you a straight. This is called a gutshot straight draw (also inside straight draw). "Because there were so many people in the hand, I easily got the odds to continue with my gutshot."

H

Hand history

The written history of a hand (or hands) played (on the internet).

HE

Common acronym for Hold 'em.

Heads-up

When there are only two players at the table, they are said to be playing heads-up. "Johnny and I got heads-up after Tim lost with his pair of jacks to my pocket queens."

A hand where everyone has folded except for two people is sometimes called a "heads-up pot". "I suspected Johnny was attempting to steal the blinds, so I three-bet him, hoping to isolate him and take the pot heads-up with him."

Heater

Another term for a hot streak

HH

Hand History

High-card hand

A hand without a pair, straight or flush, is called a high-card hand. For instance, having AQ on a K-8-7-5-2 board is having ace-high.

Hi-jack

The seat just to the right of the cut-off, two off the button.

Hole, hole cards

the cards that are dealt face-down to you in hold'em and stud.

HORSE

Holdem, Omaha/8, Razz, Stud, Stud Eight or better

Hollywood

To take extra time to make a decision and act like you don’t know what you are doing, or that you are not sure of your hand; usually to try to trap your opponent

Hooks

Slang for a pair of jacks, most commonly used when a player in Texas Hold'em has pocket jacks.

Hot streak

Catching great cards and winning big pots due to statistical fluctuation (no, hitting your flush draw three times in a row is not skill). Also known as a rush. The opposite to cold streak.

House

The entity that is the host of the game, usually a casino or poker room.

HPFAP

Common acronym for David Sklansky's and Mason Malmuth's book Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players.

HR

Hourly Rate

HU

Acronym for heads-up.

HUD

Heads Up Display

I

ICM

Independent Chip Model

Implied Odds

Pot odds that do not currently exist, but may be included in your calculations because of bets you expect to win if you hit your hand.

In the money, ITM

To place high enough in a poker tournament to win prize money.

Inside straight draw

Drawing to a straight with one of the middle cards missing, e.g. if you have 9-7 in the hole in Hold 'em, and the flop shows 6-10-A, an 8 would give you a straight. This is called an inside straight draw (also see gutshot).

J

Jam

To move all-in in a no-limit (or pot-limit) game.

Jackpot

A special bonus paid to the loser of a hand if he gets a very good hand beaten. In Hold'em, the "loser" must typically get aces full or better beaten. The jackpot is usually funded with money removed from the game as part of the rake.

K

Kicker

A hole card which does not formally change the rank of a hand is called a kicker. In Hold 'em, holding KT on a board of K-J-6, you are said to have a pair of kings with a 10 kicker. If someone else also has kings, it's the size of the kicker that decides who wins. "I decided to raise. There was a definitive chance that he was bluffing, and even if he wasn't, I still had 3 outs to pair my kicker and take down the pot."

L

Lag, LAG, LAGG

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

2. A loose aggressive player

LAP

Loose Passive Player

Laydown

A tough choice to fold a good hand if you think your opponent has you beat.

Lead

1) The player first to bet took the lead, or lead out.

2) To have the best hand at the moment.

Leak

A systematic mistake that a poker player makes is called a leak. This is because the mistake is costing him (leaking) money in the long run. "One of my biggest leaks was to constantly be folding overcards in a big pot on the flop."

LHE

Acronym for Limit Hold 'em.

Limp

To just call the big blind instead of raising it is known as a limp. "There were three limpers to me on the button, and I decided to raise with my pair of jacks."

Live Blind

A forced bet put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. The "live" means those players still have the option of raising when the action gets back around to them.

Lock

A hand so strong that it's either impossible or at least wholly unlikely that it can lose no matter what comes on the coming streets. Having a lock on the pot means that it's time to figure out how to extract the most money out of the other players.

Lojack

slang term for the seat before the hijack and after UTG+2

Loose

A player who calls bets with weak hands or when he doesn't have the odds to justify it. The opposite of tight.

LP

Late Position

Luckbox

a player who gets lucky frequently

M

Made hand

A hand with more than high-card value, e.g. pair or up. Usually used as the opposite of a draw: "I checkraised the flop with my flushdraw figuring I could get my opponents to lay down if they missed, but when Johnny made it three bets to go, I was sure he had a made hand."

Maniac

Popular way to describe someone who seemingly bet or raise with any hand. "I really wanted to isolate the maniac, but unfortunately the big blind decided to come along too. This was a problem for me, because he had been playing very tightly so far, and I was afraid that he had me beat."

Micro-Limit

Usually $.25-.50 and lower are referred to as "micro-limit" online.

Misdeal

When an un-fixable error is made while dealing, the hand is declared a misdeal, all cards returning to the deck to be re-shuffled and re-dealt.

Mixed Deal

Receiving hole cards of different suits, see also Offsuit

Monster

A very big hand

Move in

betting all your chips on one hand, see also All-in.

MP

Middle Position, or the players in the 3 to 5 seats off the button at a full table.

MTT

Multi-table tournament.

Muck

To fold your cards – or can be referring to the actual pile of discarded cards.

N

NFD

Nut Flush Draw

Nickel

$500

Nit

A tight-passive player that does not take risks and is typically easy to read

NL, NLHE

No-limit Hold 'em.

No-Limit

A version of poker in which a player may bet any amount of chips that he has when it is his turn.

Nuts (the Nut hand)

Someone who has the best possible hand is said to be holding the nuts.

Nutshot (Nutterball)

A gutshot (inside) straight draw to the nuts.

O

O8

Omaha 8-or-better (Hi/Lo split)

OESD

Open Ended Straight Draw

OESFD

Open Ended Straight Flush Draw

Offsuit

Two cards of different suits. Popularly denoted "o", as in AKo.

On the come

To bet or call with a draw. "On the flop, I thought he might be betting on the come with a flush draw. When the third heart came on the turn, I was willing to lay my pair down, but he checked, and folded when I bet."

OOP

Out Of Position

Open

To bet first.

Open-ender/open-ended

a straight draw where a straight can be made if a card on either side of the sequence of 4 cards is drawn from the deck

Open limp

Being the first person to call preflop, but not raise.

OPP

Opponent

OS

Off Suit

Out

Even if you currently do not have the best hand, there may be ways for you to get the best hand at the table. A card that will give you that hand is called an out. If you have no outs, you are said to be drawing dead.

Outrun

To beat. Example: "Sarah outran my set when her flush card hit on the river."

Overcall

On the river (or 7th street in Stud), someone bets and another person calls, you have to have a very strong hand to make an overcall, or to be the second person to call the first person's bet. It's possible that the person who bet is bluffing, but he who called first cannot possibly be bluffing - he has to have something. "The first player bet straight into my nut flush on the river, and I had to choose between raising him, or to call him and hope for overcalls by the three players yet to act behind me."

Overcard, Overcards

Cards that rank higher than the cards on the board. For example, if the board shows 10 5 3, and you have AK, you hold overcards

Overlay

When the amount of buy-ins in a guaranteed tournament does not cover the guaranteed amount. In the case of an overlay, the House pays the difference of the buy-ins and guarantee.

Overpair

A pocket pair higher than any card on the flop.

P

Paint

Any face card.

Pair

Two-of-a-kind. A pair is beaten by two pair, and can only in turn beat a high-card hand.

Passive

A style of play characterized by checking and calling.

PF

Pre-flop

PFR

Pre-flop Raise

PFR%

Pre-flop Raise Percentage

PL

Pot Limit

Play the Board

When the best possible 5-card hand you can make in Hold’em are the 5 cards on the board.

PLHE

Pot-limit Hold 'em.

PLO, PLO8

Pot-limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha 8-or-better.

Pocket pair

when you have a pair in the hole in hold'em, "I had pocket jacks, but had to fold when the flop came A-K-7 suited."

Pocket Rockets

Having Ace/Ace as your hole cards

Position

The turn in the betting order. Being in first position means that you act first on this betting round, and being in last position means you act last. Having position, or being last to act, is a tremendous advantage.

Pot

The money that is up for grabs. The player who shows down the best hand at the end, or who can make all the others fold, wins the pot.

Pot Odds

The amount of money in the pot compared to the amount you must put in the pot to continue playing.

Pot-Committed

A situation where you are essentially forced to call the rest of your stack because of the size of the pot and your remaining chips.

Pot-Limit

A version of poker in which a player may bet up to the amount of money in the pot whenever it is his turn to act.

PP

Pocket Pair

Pre-flop

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

Push

To go all-in.

Q

Quads

See four-of-a-kind in this poker glossary.

R

RA

Rebuy/Addon

Rag

A small card, or insignificant card. "I started making serious money from poker when I learned not to play Ace-rag from early positions."

Rail

The spectator area of a poker room or game.

Rainbow

When the cards on the board are all of different suit, it is said to be rainbow. "The flop came A-K-5 rainbow" means that the ace, the king and the five were all of different suits.

Raise

To bet more than the previous person to act. "It was folded to me in the cut-off, and so I raised with a mediocre hand, hoping to steal the blinds."

Rake

The money that a poker room (or poker site) charges per pot. It's usually a small percentage of the pot, 5% or so. It varies between different rooms and sites, though, and you should look into how much it costs you to play at the site you're currently at.

Rakeback

A percentage of a player's rake paid returned to that player on a weekly or monthly basis as part of an online poker site's rewards program, see also Rake The Rake

Rank

The numerical value of a card (as opposed to its suit). Example: "jack," "seven."

Read

Having a read on someone means that you've picked up on something significant about the way he likes to play his hands. "From a read I picked up earlier, I knew that he slowplayed trips on the flop, so his bet did not mean that he had the case 8. Instead, he was likely either semi-bluffing a draw or he was betting a small pocket pair. I raised."

Rebuy

1. An option to buy back into a tournament after you've lost all your chips.

2. In a cash game, buying back into the game after "busting".

3. In tournaments re-buy is a format where rebuying is available in a limited time frame and may be restricted in number and limited by the size of your chip stack.

Represent

Your actions can be said to represent a hand. For instance, if you raise you are said to represent strength. What you choose to represent can either be honest (representing what you have) or deceiving (hiding your hand, or representing another hand). "Since I had raised preflop, he had no reason to believe I was bluffing when I checkraised him on the turn when the ace hit to represent that I had one. Unfortunately, the donk didn't fold, so it ended up costing me another 2BB on a stupid bluff."

Re-raise

If you bet, someone raises you and you raise their raise, you are said to be re-raising.

Ring game

As opposed to a tournament or a satellite, a ring game is played directly for money. Compare to cash game.

River

The last card dealt up. This is the fifth street in Hold 'em and Omaha, and the 7th street in stud.

Rock

A very tight player is often called a rock because they don't get out of line. When a rock raises, you better have a strong hand to call or re-raise him.

ROI

Return on Investment

Rolled Up

To be dealt three of a kind as your first three cards in a stud game. "I was dealt rolled up queens."

ROW

Rest of the World

Royal Cards

See also Face Cards.

Royal Flush

Flush involving the 10, J, Q, K A of the same suit

Runner-runner

Catching two cards in a row that you need for a hand is called catching (or needing) runner-runner. An example of this is having three cards to a flush on the flop - you need to hit runner-runner cards of the same suit in order to make your flush.

Running Good/ Running Bad

A stretch of good or bad luck with the cards. Also see Hot Streak / Cold Streak respectively.

Rush

A prolonged winning streak. See also Hot Streak.

S

S&G, SNG

Sit and Go tournament

Sandbag

Synonymous to checkraising someone. Sandbag has a slightly negative feel to it, and is usually used by people who feel that there's something unethical about this play. See also Slow Play.

Sandwich

To trap someone (or be trapped yourself) between two raisers. This can get very expensive for the person who is sandwiched.

Satellite

A tournament in which the prize is a free entry into another (larger) tournament.

SB

1. Small Blind, the person one step left of the dealer has to put an amount of money before the cards are dealt. This amount is usually (but not always) half of the size of the Big Blind.

2. Small Bet, how much you're allowed to bet in the first rounds of limit poker.

SC

Suited Connectors

Scarecard

A card which likely completed someone's draw. If you have been (falsely) representing a draw to this hand, a bet when the scarecard falls can win you the pot.

Scoop

To win both the Hi and the Lo in a split game is called to scoop.

Semi-bluff

Betting or raising on the come. The idea behind this tactic is that the combined chances of you hitting your draw and your opponent folding makes it profitable.

Set

A pair in the hole that gives you three-of-a-kind with something on the board.

SF

Stands for straight flush.

Shootout

A poker tournament format where the last remaining player of a table goes on to play the remaining players of other tables until a final table is reached.

Short Stack

A stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played and compared to other's chip stacks.

Shorthanded

A less-than full table. A full table is usually 9-10 players, so anything less than that can be considered shorthanded. A common form online is the sixmax table (where there are only six seats).

Shove

Yet another way of saying all-in.

Showdown

The point at which all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over and determine who has the best hand.

Side pot

When there are three or more players in a pot, and one of them is all-in a sidepot is (or can be) created by the other two players. Since the player who is all-in is not entitled to win more of his opponents' stacks than he has pushed in himself, his opponents can gamble for the sidepot created by their surplus.

Sit and go

A poker tournament with no scheduled starting time that starts whenever the required number of players have joined the tournament. )Usually nine or ten players).

Sit Out, Sitting Out

To take a break from a cash table (removing one's chips from play and not paying blinds or being dealt cards, but possibly retaining one's seat), or not being present (seated) at a tournament table and paying blinds from a chip stack - (this is a frequent occurrence online).

Slow Play

To check and call with a made hand, instead of betting or raising. Most often used as a way to trick opponents into thinking your hand is weaker than it really is.

Smooth call

Calling a bet or a raise, instead of raising yourself with strong hands.

SnG

Sit And Go (or Sit'n'Go). A form of online tournament where it starts as soon as all the seats are filled. The most common form is the one-table SnG.

Soft-Play

To go easy on another player at the table (e.g., not betting or raising against him).

Splashing the pot

In brick and mortar poker, when a player drops their chips into the pot in an unorganized manner which wouldn't allow the other players to confirm the player is contributing the proper amount. Usually considered to be in poor taste!

Split Pot

A pot that is shared by two or more players because they have the same winning hand.

SSHE

Small Stakes Hold 'em, a book by Ed Miller, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth.

Stakes

The amount one buys in for and can bet.

Steal

When it is checked to someone in late position who raises preflop in Hold 'em, he may be on a steal - raising with a worse-than-usual hand, because of the added possibility of him picking up the blinds uncontested.

Straddle

When someone posts a big blind plus a raise in the first position after the BB. This is volountarily, and quite frankly, stupid. Some people do this because they like to gamble, but there's no good reason (except maybe to cheaply create a wild and loose image at the table you're sitting at) to ever post a straddle.

Straight

A hand where the five cards have consecutive values, e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 or 10-J-Q-K-A, or A-2-3-4-5. A straight can not go "over the ace", however, as in Q-K-A-2-3.

Straight draw

Having 4 cards to a straight.

Straight flush

The strongest hand in poker. A straight with all the cards in the same suit.

STT

A single table tournament.

Stuck

Someone who has lost money is said to be stuck. "I was going to leave sooner, but I was stuck $130, and I wanted to get some of that money back."

Suckout

When someone draws against the odds (or draws at all, really) to beat your hand and hits, you are the victim of a suckout. It is also sometimes used about a person, "You're suck a suckout!".

Suit

The suit of a card in the deck: Clubs, Spades, Hearts or Diamonds.

Suited

When cards all share a suit, they are said to be suited. "the flop came 678-suited. Someone had to have a strong draw, but it wasn't me - I folded."

T

Table Stakes

Almost impossible to find a game which is not table stakes these days, Tables stakes means a player can only win or lose the amount of money they have in play at the beginning of the hand.

TAG

1. Tight Aggressive player

2. Playing in a Tight Aggressive style

Tank

Become quiet and pensive for a time while making a decision.

Tell

A mannerism or a quirk in someone's behavior that signals the strength of their hand. The person giving the tell is not aware of what he's doing. It can be a slight shake of the hand, or the way he holds his good cards (as opposed to his bad ones), etc.

Texas Penny

$100

Third street

The first face-up card in Stud.

Three-bet

In limit poker, this is when someone has bet, someone else raised him, and it's now being raised once again. It's someone synonymous with reraise.

Three-of-a-kind

A hand where three of the cards have the same value. This hand is stronger than two pair, and weaker than a straight.

Tight

Someone who plays only good hands and tosses his hands when he doesn't have the goods, is said to play tight.

Tilt

1. Going on tilt or tilting is when for one reason or another, you're not thinking straight. The most common reason for this to happen is that you've had a series of bad cards, or been the victim of a bad suckout. Your judgment gets clouded, and you begin playing cards that you should fold, for the wrong reasons.

2. To play wildly or recklessly usually after a series of losses.

Toke

A tip for the dealer from the player who just won the pot.

Top kicker

In community card poker games the best possible kicker to some given hand.

Top Pair

A pair with the highest card on the flop.

Top Set

The highest possible trips.

Top Up

Buying chips on a cash table to bring one's chip stack up to the table limit.

Tournament

As opposed to cash games. A tournament can have any number of entrants, and any number of buy-in, but once started, you're there until you've either been knocked out or won.

TPFAP

TPTK

Top Pair Top Kicker

Trap

When you slowplay a big hand in order to get someone else to bet at it big (typically making someone bluff at the pot), you've set a trap.

Trey

What poker players call a 3.

Trips

See three-of-a-kind in this poker glossary.

Turn

The fourth community card in Hold 'em and Omaha, after the flop and before the river.

Two pair

A hand like A-Q-Q-6-6. Two pair of matching cards. This hand is stronger than one pair, and weaker than three-of-a-kind.

U

Under the gun

The position at the table just left of the big blind, e.g. the first person to act pre-flop in Hold 'em and Omaha.

Underdog

A person or hand not favored to win a pot.

UTG

Abbreviation meaning under the gun.

V

Value bet

A bet made by a player who wants it to be called.

Variance

A measure of the up and down swings your bankroll goes through.

Vig/Vigorish

See also Rake

VP, VPIP

Voluntarily Put Money In Pot

W

W

Won Money at Showdown

WA/WB

Way ahead / Way behind

Weak Ace

Having an ace with a low ranked card.

Wheel

The lowest straight - A-2-3-4-5. In O8, this hand is likely to win both the Hi and the Lo, because it's the lowest possible hand, while simultaneously having very strong high-hand potential.

Window Card

The first card turned over when showing the flop in Texas Hold’em, or the door card in Stud.

Wired Pair

Dealt hole cards that are a pair.

WLLHE

Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em, a beginner's book by Lee Jones.

WPT

The World Poker Tour.

WR

Win Rate

WSD

Went to Showdown

WSOP

The World Series of Poker.

Z

Zero Sum

Any game in which the players odds of winning are exactly equal to their odds of losing.