Poker Terms: The Poker Glossary

Understanding poker terms is vital if you’re looking to communicate properly while you play and improve your skills. Check out our glossary for any words you’re unfamiliar with when you’re playing the best casino games at the finest online sites that our team recommends.

2E: Geometric bet sequence that involves betting a percentage of the pot on two streets.

2+2: Value of two 2 cards added together

3-bet: Third bet in a round. 

3E: Three equal bets.

4th (Fourth) Street: Fourth community card dealt on the board in Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

5th (Fifth) Street: Fifth card dealt in a hand of stud poker, or the final card dealt in a flop game. 

6-Max: Table where a maximum of six players can be seated.

6th (Sixth) Street: Fourth up card dealt to a player in seven-card stud and the fourth round of betting.

7-2 Game: Poker casino games where players are specifically looking to win with the hand 7-2 offsuit (a 7 of one suit and a 2 of another suit).

8-or-Better: Specific rule in Hi-Lo variations like Omaha Hi-Lo or Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, where a qualifying low hand must consist of five different cards, each ranked eight or lower, to split the pot with the best high hand

9-Max: Maximum of nine players at a table.

Action: According to poker terms lists, action refers to the moves or decisions made by players during a game

Add-On: Additional purchase made by a player to increase their chip stack

Ai-ya! (哎呀 in Cantonese): Expresses surprise, frustration, or dismay, similar to Oh no! or Oops! in English.

Alley-Oop: New or high-class play.

All-In: Player bets all their remaining chips on a single hand, well-known when it comes to Texas Hold’em poker terms.

Alternate: Substitute or alternative option.

Angle: Using a clever or deceptive tactic to gain an advantage.

Ante: One of the basics of poker you’ll need to learn. Forced bet put into the pot by each player before a hand is dealt.

Any Two Cards (ATC): Hand where a player is willing to play with any combination of two cards.

App Game: Game available on a mobile device through an app.

As Played: How a hand was played during the course of a game.

Backdoor Draw: An excellent poker term for beginners, this is where a player needs both the turn and the river cards to complete a hand.

Backer: Someone who financially supports a player in poker.

Bad Beat: Where a player with a statistically strong hand loses to an opponent with a weaker hand that improves dramatically.

Bad Beat Story: A betting term in poker that references a tale told by a player recounting a bad beat they suffered.

Badugi: In this variant, players aim to end up with the lowest-value hand. 

Balanced Range: Strategy where a player mixes up their plays with both strong and weak hands.

Bankroll: Total amount of money a player has for gambling.

Bankroll Management: Strategy of managing one’s bankroll by deciding how much to wager and when to stop.

Barrel: To continue betting on subsequent streets after the initial bet.

Beat Into the Pot: When a player is forced to add money to the pot due to the actions of others.

Behind: Being in a losing position in a hand relative to an opponent.

Bet: To put money into the pot during a hand.

Bet Sizing: Amount of money a player chooses to bet.

Big-Bet: Term used to describe a large wager.

Big Blind: Forced bet placed by the player sitting two seats to the left of the dealer.

Big Blind Ante: Variation where the big blind player also posts the ante.

Big O: Poker variant similar to Omaha.

Big Slick: Nickname for an Ace and King (unsuited or suited) hand in Texas Hold’em.

Bink: Hitting a card that completes a player’s hand.

Blank: Card that doesn’t improve anyone’s hand.

Blind: Forced bet that players must place before the cards are dealt.

Blind Level: Increasing small and blind bets in a tournament.

Blind Out: When you lose all your chips after you post your blinds without having enough of a hand to stay in the game. 

Blocker: Player’s hand that diminishes the chance of their opponent getting a good hand.

Block Bet: Tiny bet made to discourage opponents from betting big.

Blue Line: Line showing how much you have won or lost in real time.

Bluff: One of the most famous of all poker terms, this refers to attempting to deceive opponents into folding stronger hands.

Board: Community cards.

Board Texture: Composition of the community cards.

Bomb Pot: Special hand where everyone is required to contribute an additional bet.

Bot: A poker term for beginners, who will still be playing virtual games a lot, a bot is a computer program designed to play poker automatically.

Bottom Pair: Hand that consists of the lowest possible pair on the board.

Bounty: Reward or cash prize for eliminating a player in a poker tournament.

Box: Area where the dealer handles the deck of cards in a casino.

Boxed Card: Card that is exposed accidentally.

Break: When play is paused.

Broadway: Straight hand of the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.

Brick: Card that doesn’t help improve your hand.

Brick and Mortar: Refers to a physical, land-based casino as opposed to an online one.

Bubble: Sage in a tournament just before the payout starts, where players are eliminated without any prize money.

Buck: Slang for a $100 bill.

Bullet: Nickname for an Ace in poker.

Burn: Discarding the top card of the deck before dealing community cards in poker to prevent cheating.

Bust: Another one of the best-known of all poker terms, it means losing all your chips.

Button: Small disc that marks the dealer position in poker.

Buy-In: Amount of money required to enter a tournament or cash game.

Buy the Button: To win the right to be the dealer or assume the button position.

Cage: Area in a casino where money is exchanged for chips and vice versa.

Call: To match the current bet made by another player, a popular Texas Hold’em poker term.

Call-In: When a player calls the final bet of a hand.

Calling Clock: This poker term refers to a timer used to give a player a limited amount of time to act.

Calling Demon: Someone who frequently makes calls with weak hands.

Cap: Maximum number of raises.

Capped Range: Where your range of possible hands is limited because you have already shown weakness.

Cards: Cards that get dealt.

Carnival game: Casino game with straightforward rules and fast action.

Case: Last card of a specific rank.

Cash: Physical money.

Cash game: A common poker term, this is a game where you gamble with real money.

Cash out: Converting chips back into money.

Chase: To keep betting on a hand to try and improve it.

Check: To pass the action to the next player without placing a bet while still remaining in the hand.

Check back: When a player checks in a betting round and then returns to the hand on the next round without betting.

Check-Raise: Strategy where a player first checks then raises after the opponent bets.

Chip: Physical token representing money.

Chip Dumping: Unethical strategy where one player intentionally loses chips to another player.

Chip Leader: Player who currently has the most chips.

Chip Race: Process in tournaments where smaller denomination chips are exchanged for larger denomination ones.

Chip Runner: Casino employee who is responsible for delivering chips to players during a game or tournament.

Chop: One of the more advanced poker terms, where players agree to split the prize pool or chips equally.

Clean: Player who is winning without cheating.

Click: Small bet made to test an opponent’s hand or force them to make a decision.

Clean Out: To lose all of your chips or money.

Client: Software or application that a player uses to connect to an online poker room.

Cold Call: To call a bet when you have not previously participated in the current betting round.

Cold Deck: Situation where a series of hands are dealt unfavourably to a player.

Collusion: When two or more players secretly work together in a poker game to cheat and share information about their hands to gain an advantage.

Colour up: Process of exchanging lower-denomination chips for higher-denomination chips.

Community Cards: This card term in poker refers to the shared cards dealt face-up on the table in games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha, which are used by all players.

Condensed Range: Where a player plays fewer hands but plays them more aggressively, narrowing their potential hand range.

Connector: Two consecutive cards of any suit.

Continuation Bet (C-Bet): Bet made by the player who took the lead in the betting during the previous round, usually on the flop, to continue their aggression regardless of the board cards.

Cooler: Situation where two players have very strong hands, but one player has a hand that is just slightly stronger.

Counterfeit: When a card on the board changes the value of a player’s hand, usually by improving an opponent’s hand while making the player’s hand weaker.

Cover: To have enough chips to be able to withstand losing a big pot.

Crack: To defeat or break a strong hand.

Cripple the Deck: To have a deck so biased towards certain hands that it is effectively limiting the potential hands players can make.

Crying Call: Call made with a weak hand, often when a player is unsure if they are beaten but feels compelled to call due to the size of the bet or pot odds.

Cut: Act of dividing the deck before the cards are dealt.

Cutoff: Position one seat to the right of the button in a poker game.

Dark: This is a poker term and phrase that refers to when a player makes a game decision without seeing the community cards or the cards dealt to others.

Dead Card: Card that is no longer in play.

Dead Hand: Hand that is no longer in play.

Dead Money: Money contributed to the pot by a player who has no chance of winning.

Deal: Distributing the cards to players.

Deal On: To be included in a hand or game.

Dealer: Person or software that is responsible for dealing the cards and managing the betting round.

Deck: Standard set of 52 playing cards.

Deuce-to-Seven: Lowball poker game variant where players aim to make the lowest possible hand.

Defend: To call or raise in order to protect a hand from being bullied out of the pot.

Dirty Stack: Stack of poker chips that is not properly sorted or is mixed with chips of different denominations.

Dog: A betting term in poker that is short for underdog, a dog is a player that is least likely to win a hand.

Dominated Hand: Hand that is likely to lose to another player’s hand, even if it is a strong hand.

Donkey Bet: Term used to describe a bet made by an inexperienced or poor player.

Double Board: Variant in poker where two sets of community cards are dealt.

Down: Refers to a hand being dealt or a round of play in a poker game. A down can also mean losing a hand or a period of losing in the game.

Down Card: Card that is dealt face down, hidden from other players.

Downswing: Where a player consistently loses chips or hands.

Double: To multiply one’s money or chips by two, either through doubling a bet or winning a large pot. A double up usually refers to doubling one’s stack in tournament play.

Draw: Hand where a player is waiting for specific cards to complete a winning hand.

Drawing Dead: Situation where a player is drawing to a hand, but even if they hit their desired cards, they cannot win. 

Dry Side Pot: Side pot created when one or more players have fewer chips than the rest.

Dynamic Board: Poker board that is in constant flux or changing, where the community cards create many potential hand possibilities and strategies can shift depending on the turn or river cards.

Edge: Advantage.

Effective Stack: The tiniest stack of chips.

Empty the Clip: Going all-in.

Entry: Process/cost of entering a game. 

Equilibrium: Where players’ strategies are balanced.

Equity: Amount of the pot that a player is expected to win based on the strength of their hand and the odds of improving it.

Equity Calculator: Tool or software that helps you calculate the expected equity of a hand.

Equity Protection: Strategy/play aimed at protecting a player’s equity.

Equity Realisation: How much of your equity in a hand you realise by the end of the hand. 

Equity When Called (EWC): Expected equity a player has in a hand if they are called by an opponent is described by the EWC poker term.

Exploitative Play: Strategy where a player identifies and takes advantage of an opponent’s weaknesses or tendencies. 

Expected Value (EV): Concept in poker and other gambling games that calculates the average expected outcome of a decision.

Face: Visible side of a card.

Face-Up: Card dealt with the face showing.

Fade: Avoiding a certain outcome.

Family Pot: Situation in which multiple players are involved in a hand, with several calling or raising.

Fast Fold: This is a term in poker that refers to a feature in some online games that allows players to fold their hand quickly and immediately move on to the next hand without waiting for the betting round to finish.

Fast Play: Playing aggressively.

Felt: Cloth surface on the poker table.

Festival: Poker tournament series.

Field: Total number of players in a poker tournament.

Final Table: Last table in a poker tournament.

Find: Refers to discovering a good hand to make a profitable play.

Fish: Derogatory term for a weak or inexperienced player in poker. 

Fixed Limit: Betting structure in which the amount that can be bet or raised is fixed for each round. 

Flat Call: Calling a bet without raising.

Flick In: Making a small, quick bet or raise.

Flip: Term used when two players have all-in bets and the winner is determined by the outcome of a coin-flip-type situation.

Flip-and-Go: Poker tournament format where players are dealt a hand and immediately play out a flip with a set of predetermined cards.

Float: Strategy of calling a bet, typically on the flop or turn, with the intention of taking the pot away later if the opponent shows weakness.

Floor: Tournament director or casino staff member who enforces the rules and resolves disputes at the poker table.

Flop: First three community cards dealt face-up in Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Flush: Hand consisting of five cards of the same suit but not in numerical order. 

FML: Acronym for F*** My Life, used to express frustration when things go wrong.

Fold: Another common poker term, it means to discard your hand and forfeit your right to continue playing in the current round.

Fold Equity: Potential for an opponent to fold to a bet or raise. 

For-Profit Player: Player who plays poker with the intention of making a profit as opposed to a recreational or casual player.

Foul: Violation of the rules in a poker game.

Four-Flush: Situation where a player has four cards of the same suit, and they are hoping to hit a fifth card of the same suit on the river to complete a flush.

Four-Liner: Describes a situation where four consecutive cards appear on the board.

Four of a Kind: Hand containing four cards of the same rank. 

Free Card: Card that is dealt without a bet being made.

Freeroll: Poker tournament where players can enter without paying a fee. 

Freeze-Out: Type of tournament where players are eliminated when they run out of chips.

Full House: Hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

Fun Player: Player who participates in poker primarily for enjoyment rather than for profit.

Galfond$ (Galfond Bucks): An advanced poker term, this is virtual chips or credits given to players in certain online poker promotions or challenges, often named after professional player Phil Galfond.

Gap hand: Hand where there’s a gap between two consecutive cards in rank.

Geometric growth: Pattern of growth where the increase is exponential.

Get there: When a player hits their needed card to complete a drawing hand.

GG: Short for good game.

Gin: Term used in other card games (like Gin Rummy) but sometimes used in poker to describe hitting a needed card on the river to complete a strong hand.

Go South: When a player’s stack of chips begins to decline.

Gray market: Poker games or markets that operate outside of official or regulated jurisdictions

Grind: Consistently playing poker, often in a low-stakes, high-volume manner, with the goal of slowly building a profit over time.

Grinder: Someone who plays poker for a living.

Game Theory Optimal (GTO): Strategy in poker that aims to make your decisions unexploitable by opponents, balancing value bets, bluffs, and other actions in an optimal way.

Guarantee: Fixed amount of prize money that is promised for a poker tournament.

Gutshot Draw: Drawing hand where a player needs one specific card in the middle of their hand to complete a straight.

Hand: Set of cards dealt to a player consisting of hole cards and community cards.

Hand History: Record of past hands played, including details like the cards dealt, bets made, and final outcome.

Heads-Up: Where only two players remain in a hand or tournament.

Hero: Player being referred to in a specific situation, often in relation to a decision they are making, e.g., Hero calls.

Hero Call: Call made by a player with a weak hand

High Card: Value of the highest card in a hand when no other combination (like a pair or straight) is made, determining the strength of the hand.

High hand: Strongest hand at the table at a given moment.

Hijack: Another lesser-known entry when it comes to poker terms and phrases, this means a position at the poker table, typically two seats to the right of the button.

Hit-and-Run: Strategy where a player wins a big pot and immediately leaves the table to lock in their profit.

Hold’em (Texas Hold’em): Popular variant of poker where players are dealt two hole cards, and five community cards are dealt face-up for all players to share.

Hole camera: Camera used in televised poker that shows each player’s hole cards to the viewers.

Hole cards: Two private cards dealt to each player in Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Hollywood: Describes a player who pretends to agonise over a decision or delay their actions for dramatic effect, often used to mislead opponents.

Home Game: Casual poker game played in a private setting, such as at home, typically with friends and family.

Horse: Rotation of five different poker games (Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Seven-card Stud, and Eight-or-better).

House: Casino or poker room hosting the game, responsible for running the game, dealing, and taking a rake.

Heads-Up Display (HUD): Software tool used by online poker players that overlays data on their screen, showing stats on their opponents’ tendencies and actions during play.

ICM (Independent Chip Model): Mathematical model that calculates the value of tournament chips based on their equity in future payouts.

Implied Odds: Potential odds of winning a hand based on the current pot and the expected future bets, not just the current odds.

In Action: Player who is actively involved in a hand.

Incomplete Information: Situation in poker where a player does not have access to all the information about the hand.

Indifference: Situation where a player is equally happy with either choice (e.g., folding or calling), typically due to neutral expected value.

Induce: This poker term means to encourage an opponent to take a specific action.

In-Position: When a player acts last during a betting round.

Inside Straight Draw: Draw where a player needs one specific card in the middle of their hand to complete a straight.

In the Money: When a player has reached the payout stage of a tournament, ensuring they win a prize.

IRL (In Real Life): Situations or events in the real world.

Jackpot: Large prize.

Jackpot Sit and Go: Type of Sit and Go tournament with a chance to win a large jackpot, typically triggered by hitting a rare hand or event during the game.

Jam: To go all-in with your chips

Jedi Mind Tricked: Playful term for when an opponent is manipulated into making a poor decision, usually through psychological tactics or a well-timed bluff.

Kicker: Highest card in a hand that is not part of a combination (like a pair or straight), used to break ties between hands of the same rank.

Ladder: Where players are competing for prize money, with the payout increasing as you move up in rank.

Late Registration: Ability to join a tournament after it has started.

Lay Down: To fold a hand.

Lead: To be the first player to bet in a betting round.

Leak: Mistake or weakness in a player’s game strategy that leads to losing chips over time.

Liquidity: Availability of money or chips in a poker game.

Limp: To call the big blind instead of raising

Line: Sequence of actions (bet, call, raise, etc.) a player takes during a hand, often used to describe their overall strategy.

Linear Range: Hand range that consists of strong hands.

Live: This term in poker describes a hand or card that can still win.

Lobby: Area in an online poker room where players can find games to join, view available tournaments, and manage their accounts.

Lojack: Position at the poker table, one seat to the right of the hijack, which is still considered an early position.

Loose: Player who plays many hands and frequently calls or raises.

Loose Aggressive (LAG): Player who plays many hands and is aggressive with betting and raising.

Lowball: Variation of poker where the lowest hand wins.

Main Event: Most prestigious tournament in a series.

Main pot: Central pot in a hand where players are competing for the primary prize, excluding side pots.

Make-Up: Remaining amount a player owes to a backer or staking agreement.

Maniac: Player who plays extremely aggressively and often makes large bets or raises with a wide range of hands, regardless of strength.

Mark-Up: Premium added to a player’s buy-in when selling a portion of their action in a tournament or cash game.

Match the Stack: Where players are required to buy-in for the same amount as the player they are sitting next to.

MDF (Minimum Defence Frequency): Percentage of hands a player needs to defend against an opponent’s bet to avoid being exploited.

Mechanic: Someone who cheats in poker.

Meet-up Game: Poker card term that specifies a live poker game where a group of players from a specific online community or group gather in person to play.

Mental Game: Psychological aspect of poker.

Micro-Stakes: Low-stakes poker games.

Milestone Satellite: Satellite tournament where players can win entries to larger events by achieving certain objectives.

Misclick: Accidental action in an online game.

Misdeal: When the dealer makes an error in the dealing process, which may require the hand to be re-dealt.

Missed Blind: When a player fails to post their blind bet on time.

Mississippi Straddle: Where a player, typically in the under-the-gun (UTG) position, posts a blind bet that is equal to the big blind, and the action starts to their left.

Mixed Games: Poker games that rotate between different variations.

Mixed Strategy: Playing style where a player uses a combination of different tactics to make their actions less predictable.

Moneymaker Boom: Surge in poker’s popularity following Chris Moneymaker’s victory in the 2003 WSOP Main Event.

Monsters Under the Bed: A term used to describe paranoia or overthinking situations, where a player is worried that an opponent might have an exceptionally strong hand, even when it’s unlikely.

Monte Carlo Simulation: Statistical method used to model and simulate poker outcomes.

Muck: To discard your hand face down, either voluntarily or when required by the dealer.

Multi-Table Playing: Playing at more than one table simultaneously.

Multi-Table Tournament: Tournament format where players compete at multiple tables until they are narrowed down to a final table.

Multi-Way: Hand where more than two players are involved in the action.

Mystery Bounty: Type of tournament where players can win a bounty prize for eliminating other players, with the value of the bounty hidden until the player is eliminated.

Nickel: $5 chip, often used as a reference for small stakes or a low buy-in.

Ni: Short for nice.

Nit roll: Used to describe a sequence of hands played extremely conservatively.

Node: Decision a player has to make in a hand.

Node-lock: Method used in poker solvers to fix certain actions or decisions, preventing them from being changed during analysis.

No-limit: Type of poker game where there is no cap on the amount a player can bet or raise at any time.

Nosebleeds: Refers to the highest-stakes poker games.

Nuts: Best possible hand at any given time, meaning no other hand can beat it (e.g., a Royal Flush is the nuts in Texas Hold’em).

Odds: Probability of a specific event occurring in a poker hand.

Offsuit: Refers to two cards of different suits, such as a 7♠ and a 9♦.

Omaha: Community card game where each player is dealt four hole cards and must use exactly two of them combined with three of the five community cards to make the best hand.

OMC (Old Man Coffee): Derogatory poker card term for a player who is very tight and plays passively.

On Their Backs: Situation where a player is forced to show their cards.

One-Chip Rule: If a player throws one chip into the pot, it’s considered a full bet, even if it’s a smaller denomination than intended, unless explicitly clarified.

One-Gap: Two cards that are one rank apart.

One Player to a Hand: Each hand can only be played by one person.

Online Poker: Poker played over the internet.

Open: To be the first player to bet in a round or to have a hand that is still playable with a chance to improve.

Open-Ended: Draw that can be completed with one of two cards at either end of a straight.

OPM (Other People’s Money): Refers to playing with someone else’s money.

Orbit: Full round of play at the table, during which each player has acted once in every position.

Out: Card that can improve a player’s hand and give them the best possible hand.

Out of Position: When a player has to act before others in a betting round.

Out-of-Turn: Where a player acts before it’s their turn to do so, which can lead to penalties or readjustments in the betting round.

Overbet: Bet that is larger than what is typical or expected for the size of the pot.

Overcall: To call a bet when you are already in the pot and another player has made a raise.

Overcard: Card that is higher than any card on the board.

Overlay: Where the prize pool exceeds the total buy-ins.

Overpair: Pocket pair higher than any of the community cards.

Pair: Two cards of the same rank is indicated by this poker term.

Passive: Where a player tends to call rather than raise or bet.

Pat: Hand that is complete and doesn’t need any more cards to improve.

Pay Jump: Situation in a tournament where players move up a prize tier after another player is eliminated.

Payoff: To call a bet with a hand that isn’t necessarily strong but hoping to be correct.

Pay-out: Distribution of prize money to tournament players based on their finishing positions.

Peel: To call a bet with the intention of seeing one more card.

Percentage Payout: Percentage of the total prize pool that each player will receive based on their position in a tournament.

Pick Up: To be dealt a strong hand or to win a pot that was contested by multiple players.

Piece: Share of another player’s action in a tournament or cash game.

Pit: Area in a casino where poker and other table games are played, or a reference to the dealer’s position in a casino game.

Pitch: Act of throwing cards into the centre or mucking them in a live game.

Play the Board: Situation where a player uses all five community cards to make their best hand.

PLO (Pot-Limit Omaha): Variant of Omaha where players can bet up to the amount in the pot

Pocket Pair: Poker term for hands consisting of two cards of the same rank dealt to a player.

Poker: Popular card game played in various forms.

Polarised Range: Range of hands that consists of both very strong hands and very weak hands.

Position: Player’s location relative to the dealer button.

Post: Put chips into the pot before the start of a hand.

Post-Flop: Phase of the hand after the first three community cards are dealt in Texas Hold’em or Omaha.

Pot: Total amount of money or chips wagered by players in the current hand.

Pot-Committed: Where a player has invested so much of their stack in the pot they feel compelled to continue regardless of their hand strength.

Pot Control: Where a player keeps the pot size manageable, often by betting or raising modestly, to avoid risking too much with a marginal hand.

Pot Limit: Poker betting structure where the maximum bet a player can make is the current size of the pot.

Pot Odds: Ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a contemplated call.

Preflop: Betting round that occurs before the community cards (flop) are dealt.

Price: Cost of a call, raise, or bet in terms of how much it costs to continue in the hand relative to the potential payoff.

Prize Pool: Total amount of money or prizes available in a poker tournament, distributed based on finishing positions.

Pro (Professional): Someone who plays poker professionally. 

Progressive Bounty: Type of bounty tournament where the value of the bounty on each player increases as they eliminate others.

Protect: To bet or raise in order to protect a strong hand from being outdrawn.

Punt: Slang for making a big, reckless, or speculative bet.

Push: Go all-in or bet your entire stack of chips.

Push/Fold: Strategy used in tournament play, especially in short-stack situations, where a player goes all-in (push) or folds without limping or calling.

Put On: To assign a range of possible hands to an opponent.

Quads: Poker hand term that indicates four cards of the same rank, also known as four of a kind.

Quarter: In some poker variants, a player may win a quarter of the pot, meaning they win a small portion.

Rack: Container or tray used to hold poker chips during a game.

Ragged: Describes a hand or board that has few strong or coordinated cards.

Rail: Area around the poker table where spectators watch the game.

Railbird: Spectator watching a poker game.

Rainbow: Board in poker where the community cards all have different suits, reducing the chances of a flush.

Raise: To increase the current bet in a round of betting.

Rake: Fee taken by the house or casino from the pot in a cash game or tournament.

Rakeback: Form of bonus where a player gets a percentage of the rake they pay back as a reward.

Random Card Theory: Idea that poker hands are determined by the random distribution of cards and are not influenced by any external factors.

Random Number Generator (RNG): Online poker software that shuffles and deals cards randomly.

Randomised Prize Pool: Prize pool structure where the payout amounts are randomly distributed among the winners.

Range: The set of hands a player could potentially have. Print out a cheat sheet when you’re just starting out so you always know what you’re dealing with. 

Range Advantage: When a player holds a better range of hands than their opponent in a given situation.

Range Bet: Bet made with a range of hands rather than one specific hand.

Rank: Value of a card or hand.

Razz: Variant of Seven-Card Stud where the goal is to make the lowest possible hand.

Read: Process of analysing an opponent’s actions or behaviour to determine their hand or strategy.

Real-Time Assistance: Software tools or services that provide players with advice or assistance during a live game.

Rebuy: Act of buying more chips in a tournament after losing your stack.

Reciprocality: Players’ decisions being influenced by the actions of others.

Rec(reational) Player: Player who plays poker for fun and entertainment, as opposed to a professional player.

Red line: Graph in online poker showing a player’s performance from non-showdown pots.

Re-Entry: Tournament format that allows players to re-enter after being eliminated.

Reg(ular) player: Player who frequently enjoys poker.

Regulated market: Market where poker games are subject to government regulation.

Replayer: Tool or software used to review and replay poker hands.

Represent: Act of playing in a way that suggests to opponents that you have a certain hand.

Re-Raise: Raise made after another player has already raised in the same round.

Resulting: Outcome of a hand or a series of decisions based on a player’s actions and betting strategy.

Reverse Implied Odds: Odds that a player will lose more money if they continue with a hand.

Riffle: Method of shuffling cards by splitting the deck into two halves and interweaving the cards together.

Rigged: Game or situation where the results are manipulated or unfair. You don’t have to worry about whether games are rigged or not when you play at our recommended casinos.

Ring Game: Cash game where players buy in with real money and can leave or join at any time.

Rive: To split or tear apart.

Rock: Player who is extremely tight and only plays premium hands.

Roll: Refers to the process of adding chips to a player’s stack, or sometimes to a lucky streak in the game.

Rolled Up: Where the player is dealt three of a kind on the first three cards.

Rounder: Player who is skilled at poker.

Royal Flush: Poker hand term relating to the highest possible hand in poker, consisting of A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit.

Run It Twice: In cash games or tournaments, a player and their opponent may agree to run the remaining community cards twice to reduce variance and potentially split the pot.

Runner: Term used to describe a card that comes on the turn or river.

Run-Out: Sequence of community cards revealed after the flop, turn, and river, affecting the final hand outcome.

Satellite: Type of tournament where the prize is entry into a larger tournament.

Scare Card: Card that makes a hand stronger.

Scoop: To win both the high and low portions of the pot.

Second Pair: Where a player holds the second-highest pair on the board.

See: To call a bet.

Semi-Bluff: Bet or raise made with a hand that may not be the best but can potentially improve.

Session: Continuous period of playing poker

Set: Three-of-a-kind made with a pocket pair and one matching community card.

Shark: Highly skilled player who makes money from less-experienced players.

Sharp (or Card Sharp): Skilled poker player, often someone who plays with deceptive strategies.

Short stack: Player with a small amount of chips relative to the blinds or other players.

Short the Pot: Not contributing enough chips to a pot.

Showdown: Final phase of a hand where players reveal their cards to determine the winner.

Showdown Value: Value of a hand that is strong enough to win at showdown without needing to bet further.

Shuffler: Device or person responsible for mixing the cards before dealing.

Shut Down: Stop playing aggressively and start folding or playing more passively.

Side Pot: Separate pot created when one or more players are all-in and others continue betting.

Sit-and-Go: Tournament that starts as soon as a required number of players have registered.

Site: Website where poker games are played.

Sklansky: Refers to David Sklansky.

Slow Play: Playing a strong hand passively.

Slow Roll: Deliberately taking extra time to reveal a winning hand.

Small Blind: Forced bet placed by the player sitting immediately to the left of the dealer button.

Snap: Quick decision.

Snipe: To sneakily bet or raise at a time when an opponent is least expecting it, often with a weak hand.

Soft: Describes a game or opponent who is weak or inexperienced.

Soft-Play: When players intentionally avoid playing aggressively against friends or people they know.

Solver: Tool used to find optimal poker strategies.

Splash Around: To play loosely and aggressively.

Splash the Pot: Tossing chips into the pot in an unorganised manner.

Split Pot: Pot divided among two or more players who have tied hands.

Spot: Payer’s position at the table or the opportunity to make a profitable play.

Stable: Group or organisation of poker players, often managed by a professional or experienced player.

Stack: Total number of chips a player has.

Stack to Pot Ratio: Ratio of a player’s stack size to the pot size.

Stakes: Level of betting in a game.

Stand-Up Game: Variation where a player must stand up if they lose a hand, with the last seated player winning. 

Static Board: Community board that doesn’t change much.

Steel Wheel: Lowest possible straight flush in poker, consisting of A, 2, 3, 4, and 5, all of the same suit.

Stop-and-Go: Player calls a raise pre-flop and then pushes all-in on the flop.

Straddle: Voluntary blind bet placed before the cards are dealt.

Straight: Poker term for hands consisting of five consecutive cards of any suit.

Straight flush: Hand consisting of five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Streamer: Player who broadcasts their poker games live.

Stream Game: Poker game being broadcast live by a player.

Street: Round of betting

String Bet: Illegal action where a player makes multiple motions to put chips into the pot in a single bet.

Strip: Discarding or removing cards

Stuck: Being in a losing position.

Stud Poke: Slang term for a hand in Seven-Card Stud poker.

Suit: Category of a card, such as hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades.

Suited: Cards of the same suit, like two hearts or two clubs.

Sweat: Watching or supporting a friend or player in a poker game.

Table: Area where players gather

Table Stakes: Players can only bet with the chips they have in front of them at the start of the hand.

Tank: To take a long time to make a decision.

Target: Player seen as the most vulnerable or profitable target for making bets or bluffs.

TDA: Tournament Directors Association, an organisation that sets and standardises poker tournament rules.

Tell: Physical or behavioural cue that can give away a player’s hand strength. The most common tells in poker are changes in betting patterns, facial expressions, body language, or voice tone.

Thin: Making a bet or call with a marginal hand that is unlikely to win.

Three of a Kind: Hand containing three cards of the same rank.

Tight: Playing style where a player only plays strong hands and avoids marginal ones.

Tilt: Emotional frustration that leads a player to make poor decisions.

Time: Formal request for more time to think about a decision in a poker game.

Time Game: Game where time is a factor in making decisions.

To Go: Amount needed to match a bet or raise, or the amount a player has to call.

Toke: Tip given to the dealer.

Top and Bottom: Hand containing the highest and lowest cards from the community cards.

Top Pair: Hand where a player holds a pair made with the highest community card.

Top Set: Set where the player holds three of a kind with the highest possible card on the board.

Top Two: Hand containing the top two pairs on the board.

Top Up: To add more chips to a player’s stack, especially in tournaments.

Tournament: Structured poker competition with a set start time and a goal of accumulating chips until the last player remains.

Tournament Clock: Tournament device to manage levels, blind increases, and time limits for each round.

Tournament Director (TD): Person responsible for overseeing a poker tournament’s rules, structure, and operations.

Tournament Fee: Fee paid to enter a tournament, separate from the buy-in.

Toy Game: Game that is seen as less serious.

Top Pair, Top Kicker (TPTK): Hand with the highest pair on the board and the highest unpaired card in the player’s hand.

Triple Barrel: When a player bets on the flop, turn, and river.

Triple Draw: Variation of lowball poker where players can draw new cards up to three times.

Trips: Hand with three of a kind.

Turn: Fourth community card in Texas Hold’em and Omaha, dealt after the flop.

Two Pair: Two sets of pairs made up of two different ranks.

Under the Gun: Player who acts first in a round of betting

Underdog: Player or hand statistically less likely to win than an opponent’s hand.

Underground Game: Private poker game, usually illegal, that operates outside the formal regulation of casinos.

Unique: Cards belonging to you.

Up Card: Card that is visible to all players.

Up-Stuck: Describes a player ahead in the session but still behind their original starting stack or investment due to later losses.

Value: Bet or play made with a hand that is likely to be the best.

Value Bet: Bet made with a strong hand.

Value Own: When a player makes a value bet that ends up hurting their hand or strategy.

Value Panic: When a player makes a value bet in an attempt to extract chips but ends up overvaluing their hand, fearing it might not be as strong as it is.

Value Town: Situation where a player makes a bet with a strong hand and their opponent calls with a weaker one, putting the player in value town because they’ve maximised the value of their hand.

Variance: Natural fluctuations in poker results due to luck or chance.

Video poker: Variation of five-card-draw poker where players play against a machine not a person.

Vig: Short for vigorish, the commission or fee taken by the house.

Villain: Opponent in a hand.

 Voluntarily Put Money In Pot (VPIP): Statistic that show the percentage of hands a player plays by calling or raising.

Wake Up: When a player gets a surprisingly strong hand.

Wash: Method of shuffling cards by mixing them face-up and face-down.

Well: Where a player is in a very favourable position with a strong hand.

Whale: Wealthy player who plays poker at higher stakes.

Wheel: Straight hand consisting of Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the lowest possible straight in poker.

Whiff: When a player misses a draw.

Wired: Refers to holding a pocket pair, like wired tens for pocket tens.

World Series of Poker (WSOP): Most prestigious and well-known series of poker tournaments

Wrap: Hand with multiple straight possibilities.

Yahtzee: Hitting a rare or improbable hand, often with a surprising or lucky outcome.