Poker glossary

The bigger of the two forced bets, posted by the player two seats left of the dealer. Stacks and bets are measured in big blinds (e.g. '40 BB deep').

The smaller forced bet, posted by the player directly left of the dealer button. You've already put money in, but you'll act first on every street after the flop.

The price you're being laid to call: the bet you must call relative to the total pot after you call. If you must call 1 BB to win 4 BB, you're getting 4-to-1 and need ~20% equity to break even.

Your share of the pot right now — the percentage of the time your hand wins if all remaining cards are dealt and nobody folds.

The cards still in the deck that improve you to the likely best hand. A flush draw has 9 outs; multiply outs by ~2 per street for a rough equity %.

Where you act relative to others. Acting last (in position) is a huge edge — you see what everyone does before you decide.

When betting is done and remaining players reveal their hands to decide the winner. Many hands end before showdown when everyone else folds.

Betting or raising with a hand that can't win at showdown, to make a better hand fold.

Betting a strong hand to get called by worse — the opposite of a bluff. Every river bet should be one or the other.

The smaller of the two stacks in a pot — the most you can actually win or lose against that opponent. Commitment and sizing decisions hinge on it, not the bigger stack.

Chips in the pot that no active player is fighting for — from the blinds, antes, or players who folded. The more dead money, the more profitable it is to steal.

The best possible hand on a given board. 'Drawing to the nuts' means your draw makes the unbeatable hand — the safest draw to commit with.

The side card that breaks ties when two players hold the same pair. A-K vs A-Q on an ace-high board — the king kicker wins the pot.

The extra chips you expect to win on LATER streets when you complete your draw. They justify calls that raw pot odds don't — best with hidden hands and deep stacks.

The value a bet gets from making your opponent FOLD. A semi-bluff combines fold equity (they fold now) with the equity of hitting your draw (you win when called).

Having made the last aggressive action — usually the preflop raiser. It lets you keep betting (barreling) and credibly represent strength on later streets.

A hand where two very strong holdings collide and someone loses a big pot almost unavoidably — a set into a higher set. Not a mistake, just variance.

The first voluntary raise in a hand (Raise First In). Your opening range should widen the closer you are to the button.

Just calling the big blind preflop instead of raising. Usually a leak — it lets everyone in cheaply and surrenders the initiative.

The third bet preflop — a re-raise of someone's open. Used for value with premiums and as a bluff with hands that play well when called.

A re-raise of a 3-bet. At most stacks this represents a very strong range or a deliberate bluff.

Calling a raise (and possibly a 3-bet) without having already invested chips this street. Often weaker than 3-betting or folding.

Calling or raising from the big blind to contest a steal. You get a discount (you've already posted), so you defend fairly wide — but out of position.

3-betting after an open AND one or more callers. The extra dead money makes it especially profitable as a bluff.

The full set of hands a player could have in a spot. Good players think in ranges, not single hands.

The dealer position — last to act on every postflop street and the best seat at the table. You open widest and steal most from the button.

Seats named by when they act: UTG (under the gun) is earliest, then MP/LJ/HJ, the Cutoff (CO), the Button (BTN), and the blinds. Later position = a wider, more profitable range.

Raising to play heads-up against a weak limper — denying others a cheap look and attacking a player who's already shown weakness.

A late-position raise aimed mainly at winning the blinds and antes uncontested. The button and cutoff steal widest; antes make it even more profitable.

Just calling a raise instead of re-raising. It keeps weaker hands in your opponent's range but often plays a bloated pot out of position — frequently a 3-bet or fold is better.

A bet on the flop by the player who raised preflop, continuing their aggression — whether or not the flop helped them.

Checking, then raising after an opponent bets. A powerful move for both value and bluffs, especially out of position.

Calling a bet with a weak hand intending to take the pot away on a later street, often when in position against a c-bet.

How the community cards interact — dry (e.g. K-7-2 rainbow) favours the preflop aggressor; wet/connected boards hit callers and draws.

A hand that isn't made yet but can improve — a flush draw or straight draw. Drawing hands prefer to see cards cheaply or to be the aggressor (semi-bluff).

Betting a draw: you can win now if they fold, or improve to the best hand if called. The best kind of bluff.

Keeping the pot small with a medium-strength hand by checking, so you don't bloat the pot in a marginal spot.

A betting range made of strong value hands and bluffs, with little in between — typical of big bets and raises.

A bet larger than the current pot. Used with a polarised range (the nuts or a bluff), usually on the turn and river, to maximise pressure and value.

A card in YOUR hand that removes combos from your opponent's range. Holding the ace of spades blocks their nut flush — making your bluff more credible.

An inside straight draw — one specific rank completes it (4 outs, ~16% by the river). Weaker than an open-ender, but a fine semi-bluff for the extra equity.

A straight draw open at both ends (8 outs, ~31% by the river). A strong draw — usually worth betting as a semi-bluff.

A draw that needs BOTH the turn and river to complete (e.g. a backdoor flush). Weak alone, but it adds equity and gives you extra cards to barrel.

Both are three of a kind. A SET is a pocket pair that hits a third card on the board — hidden and very profitable. TRIPS is one hole card plus a pair on the board — more obvious, weaker kicker.

A hand that's already complete (a pair or better), as opposed to a draw. Made hands want to bet for value and protection rather than check.

Flop suit textures: rainbow = three different suits (no flush draw), two-tone = two of a suit (a flush draw is live), monotone = all one suit (flushes already possible).

Leading into the previous street's aggressor before their expected c-bet. Usually a leak, but a planned donk range can be strong on boards that hit the caller.

Whose range is stronger on a given board. The preflop raiser usually has it on high, dry boards — which is exactly why c-bets work so well there.

Independent Chip Model — the math that converts your chip stack into real-money equity. Because pay jumps aren't linear, chips you can lose are worth more than chips you can win, so you play tighter near the money.

The stage just before the money. Short stacks tighten up to survive, so big stacks can apply huge pressure and steal relentlessly.

With a short stack (roughly under 15 BB) your best play is usually all-in or fold preflop, because there's no room to play after the flop. Nash charts tell you which hands to shove.

Your stack divided by the blinds and antes per orbit — how many rounds you can survive folding. A low M forces action.

Each elimination near the money increases everyone's payout. 'Laddering' is surviving past others to climb pay tiers — central to ICM decisions.

The effective stack divided by the pot on the flop. Low SPR means you're committed with top pair; high SPR rewards skill and implied odds.

Small forced bets from every player (or a single big-blind ante) that grow the pot and reward stealing — they make preflop aggression more profitable.

The last table of a tournament (usually 8–9 players). Pay jumps are largest here, so ICM pressure peaks — avoid flips with the big stacks and bully the medium ones.

The extra equity you need to call off your stack under ICM versus straight chip-EV. Near the bubble it can be huge — a call that's fine for chips becomes a clear fold for real money.

You COVER an opponent when your stack is bigger, so you can bust them without busting yourself. This is the source of a big stack's bubble power.

Formats that let you buy back in after busting (within a window). They encourage looser early play, since busting isn't final.

Voluntarily Put money In Pot — the % of hands you choose to play preflop. A measure of how loose or tight you are; ~20-27% is solid in most formats.

Pre-Flop Raise % — how often you raise preflop. The gap between your VPIP and PFR shows how passive you are (lots of calling) vs aggressive.

How often you re-raise preflop when given the chance. Too low and you're exploitable; a healthy number shows you're fighting back, not just folding or flatting.

Tight-Aggressive and Loose-Aggressive — two winning styles. A TAG plays fewer hands but bets them hard; a LAG plays more hands with relentless pressure.

An extremely tight player who only plays premium hands. Easy to read: when a nit bets big, believe them — and steal their blinds freely.

A player who calls far too much and rarely folds. Stop bluffing them — just bet your value hands relentlessly.

(Bets + Raises) ÷ Calls — how aggressive a player is postflop. A high AF fires a lot; a low AF is passive and calls too much. Adjust by bluffing the passive, trapping the aggressive.

How often a player who saw the flop reaches showdown. High WTSD = sticky/station (value-bet them); low WTSD = folds too much to pressure (bluff them more).

A hyper-aggressive player who raises and bluffs constantly. Tighten up, stop bluffing them, and let them barrel into your strong hands.

Playing emotionally — usually too loose and aggressive after a bad beat. Spot a tilting opponent and value-bet them thin; recognise it in yourself and take a break.