Poker Glossary

74 Poker Terms Defined In Plain Language, From Private Club Poker And Live Room Operations To GTO Strategy. Every Term Has Its Own Page, With The Answer First And Links To The Terms Around It.

Smarter.Poker Is Play Credit Only. Club Chips Have No Cash Value And Diamonds Are A Promotional Rewards Currency, So Terms That Describe Real-Money Practice Elsewhere Are Defined Here As Industry Vocabulary.

Club Poker

The Vocabulary Of Private Online Poker Clubs, Unions And Agents.

  • Club AgentA Club Agent Is A Person Who Recruits Players Into A Private Online Poker Club And Looks After Them There, Managing Their Chip Requests And Questions For The Club Owner.
  • Club Chips Versus DiamondsOn Smarter.Poker, Club Chips And Diamonds Are Two Separate Currencies.
  • Club IDA Club ID Is The Unique Number Or Code That Identifies A Private Online Poker Club Inside A Poker App.
  • GPS And IP RestrictionGPS And IP Restriction Is A Table Security Setting That Blocks Players Who Are Physically Close Together, Or Who Share An Internet Address, From Sitting At The Same Table.
  • InsuranceInsurance Is An Optional Side Bet Offered In Some Club Games When Players Are All In Before The River.
  • Poker UnionA Poker Union Is An Alliance Of Private Online Poker Clubs That Share One Pool Of Tables, So Members Of Every Club In The Union Can Play Each Other And Games Run At More Stakes And Hours.
  • RakebackRakeback Is A Rebate Of Part Of The Rake A Player Pays, Returned By The Room, Club Or Agent As A Loyalty Incentive, Often As A Fixed Percentage Each Week.
  • Run It TwiceRun It Twice Is An Agreement Between All In Players To Deal The Remaining Board Cards Two Times And Split The Pot, With Half Going To The Winner Of Each Run.
  • SettlementSettlement Is The Periodic Reconciliation Of Chip Balances In A Club Or Union, Usually Weekly, When Wins, Losses, Rake Shares And Agent Balances Are Totaled And Zeroed For The New Period.
  • Time BankA Time Bank Is A Reserve Of Extra Seconds An Online Player Can Draw On After The Normal Action Clock Runs Out, For A Difficult Decision.

Live Room

How A Live Poker Room Seats, Moves And Rewards Its Players.

  • Bad Beat JackpotA Bad Beat Jackpot Is A Progressive Prize Paid When A Very Strong Hand, Such As Four Jacks Or Better, Loses At Showdown To An Even Stronger Hand.
  • Bomb PotA Bomb Pot Is A Special Hand In Which Every Player Puts An Agreed Amount Into The Pot Before The Deal And The Hand Skips Preflop Betting, Going Straight To The Flop.
  • Chip-UpA Chip-Up, Also Called A Color Up, Is When A Tournament Removes Its Smallest Chip Denomination Once The Blinds No Longer Need It And Exchanges Those Chips For Larger Ones.
  • CompA Comp, Short For Complimentary, Is A Reward A Poker Room Or Casino Gives Players For Time Played, Such As Food Credits Or Points Toward Merchandise.
  • High Hand PromotionA High Hand Promotion Pays A Bonus To The Player Who Makes The Best Qualifying Hand During A Set Period, Such As The Highest Hand Of Each Hour Where Quads Or Better Qualify.
  • Must-Move TableA Must-Move Table Is A Second Table Of The Same Game That Feeds A Main Table.
  • StraddleA Straddle Is An Optional Blind Bet, Usually Twice The Big Blind, Posted Before The Cards Are Dealt By The Player To The Left Of The Big Blind.
  • Table BalancingTable Balancing Is Moving Players Between Tables So Each Table In A Tournament Or Cash Game Stays Close To The Same Number Of Players.
  • WaitlistA Waitlist Is The Queue A Poker Room Keeps For Each Game, Such As 1/3 No Limit Hold'em, So Players Are Seated In Order As Seats Open.

Basics

The Mechanics Every Hand Of Hold'em Is Built On.

  • BlindsBlinds Are Forced Bets Posted Before The Cards Are Dealt By The Two Players To The Left Of The Button: The Small Blind And The Big Blind, Which Is Usually Twice As Large.
  • Dealer ButtonThe Dealer Button Is The Marker That Shows Which Player Acts Last In Each Betting Round After The Flop.
  • Effective StackThe Effective Stack Is The Smaller Of The Stacks Between Two Players In A Hand, Because Nobody Can Win Or Lose More Than That Amount From The Other.
  • RakeRake Is The Fee A Card Room Or Club Takes From Each Pot Or Tournament Entry To Pay For Running The Game, Usually A Percentage Of The Pot Up To A Cap.
  • ShowdownShowdown Is The Moment After The Final Betting Round When The Remaining Players Reveal Their Cards And The Best Five Card Hand Wins The Pot.

Preflop

Opening, Re-Raising And Calling Before The Flop.

  • 3-BetA 3-Bet Is The First Re-Raise Before The Flop, Made Over An Open Raise.
  • 4-BetA 4-Bet Is A Re-Raise Over A 3-Bet Before The Flop.
  • Cold CallA Cold Call Is A Call Of A Raise By A Player Who Has Put No Voluntary Chips Into The Pot Yet, Such As Flatting An Open From The Button.
  • Isolation RaiseAn Isolation Raise Is A Raise Over One Or More Limpers, Sized To Push The Other Players Out So The Raiser Can Play Heads Up Against The Limper, Who Is Often The Weakest Player At The Table.
  • RFI (Raise First In)RFI, Short For Raise First In, Is The First Voluntary Raise When Every Player Before You Has Folded.
  • SqueezeA Squeeze Is A 3-Bet Made After One Player Has Opened And At Least One Other Player Has Called.

Postflop

Betting Lines And Board Reading After The Flop.

  • Backdoor DrawA Backdoor Draw Is A Draw That Needs Both The Turn And The River To Complete, Such As Holding Two Hearts On A Flop With One Heart.
  • BarrelA Barrel Is A Bet On A Later Street After Betting The Street Before.
  • Board TextureBoard Texture Describes How The Community Cards Interact.
  • C-Bet (Continuation Bet)A C-Bet, Or Continuation Bet, Is A Flop Bet By The Player Who Made The Last Raise Before The Flop.
  • Donk BetA Donk Bet Is A Bet Made Out Of Position Into The Player Who Had The Betting Lead On The Previous Street, Before That Player Can Continue Their Aggression.
  • OverbetAn Overbet Is Any Bet Larger Than The Pot.
  • Probe BetA Probe Bet Is A Bet From The Out Of Position Player On The Turn After The In Position Player Checked Back The Flop.
  • Semi-BluffA Semi-Bluff Is A Bet Or Raise With A Hand That Is Probably Behind Now But Has Real Outs To Improve, Such As A Flush Draw Or An Open Ended Straight Draw.
  • Slow PlaySlow Playing Means Checking Or Calling With A Very Strong Hand Instead Of Betting Or Raising, So The Opponent Stays In And Keeps Betting.
  • Thin Value BetA Thin Value Bet Is A Bet With A Hand That Is Only Slightly Ahead Of The Hands That Will Call, Such As Second Pair Against An Opponent Who Calls With Weaker Pairs.
  • TrapA Trap Is A Line Designed To Induce Bets From An Opponent While Holding A Monster Hand, Usually By Check Calling Or Check Raising Rather Than Leading.
  • Value BetA Value Bet Is A Bet Made Because Worse Hands Will Call It Often Enough To Show A Profit.
  • Wet BoardA Wet Board Is A Flop Or Turn With Many Straight And Flush Possibilities, Such As J T 9 With Two Hearts.

Math

The Numbers Behind Every Call, Bet And Fold.

  • ComboA Combo Is One Specific Way To Hold A Starting Hand, Counting Suits.
  • EquityEquity Is Your Share Of The Pot Based On How Often Your Hand Would Win If All Remaining Cards Were Dealt With No Further Betting.
  • EV (Expected Value)Expected Value, Or EV, Is The Average Result Of A Decision If It Could Be Repeated Many Times.
  • ICM (Independent Chip Model)ICM, The Independent Chip Model, Converts Tournament Chip Stacks Into Shares Of The Remaining Prize Pool.
  • Implied OddsImplied Odds Are The Chips You Expect To Win On Later Streets When Your Draw Completes, Beyond What Is Already In The Pot.
  • MDF (Minimum Defense Frequency)Minimum Defense Frequency, Or MDF, Is The Share Of Your Range You Must Continue With So That An Opponent's Bluff Cannot Profit Automatically.
  • OutsOuts Are The Unseen Cards That Improve Your Hand To The Likely Winner.
  • Pot OddsPot Odds Compare The Size Of A Call With The Pot You Could Win.
  • Reverse Implied OddsReverse Implied Odds Are The Chips You Expect To Lose On Later Streets When You Make Your Hand But An Opponent Has Made A Better One.
  • SPR (Stack To Pot Ratio)SPR, The Stack To Pot Ratio, Is The Effective Stack Divided By The Pot At The Start Of A Street, Usually The Flop.
  • VarianceVariance Is The Spread Of Results Around A Player's Expected Value.
  • VPIPVPIP, Short For Voluntarily Put Money In Pot, Is The Share Of Hands A Player Calls Or Raises Before The Flop.

Theory

Game Theory, Ranges And How Strategies Are Built.

  • BlockerA Blocker Is A Card In Your Hand That Reduces The Number Of Combos Of A Particular Hand Your Opponent Can Hold.
  • Exploitative PlayExploitative Play Deliberately Departs From A Balanced Strategy To Win More Against A Specific Opponent's Mistakes, Such As Bluffing More Against A Player Who Folds Too Often.
  • Fold EquityFold Equity Is The Extra Value A Bet Or Raise Gains From The Chance That The Opponent Folds.
  • FrequencyFrequency Is How Often A Player Takes An Action In A Given Spot Across Their Whole Range, For Example Betting 65 Percent Of The Time On A Particular Flop.
  • GTO (Game Theory Optimal)GTO, Or Game Theory Optimal, Describes A Strategy That Cannot Be Exploited, Because No Opposing Strategy Can Win Against It In The Long Run.
  • In Position (IP)In Position, Or IP, Means Acting After Your Opponent On Every Postflop Street.
  • Linear RangeA Linear Range, Also Called A Merged Range, Is A Betting Range Built From The Strongest Hands Downward With No Gap, Such As Every Pair From Aces Down To A Middle Pair.
  • Mixed StrategyA Mixed Strategy Plays The Same Hand In Different Ways At Set Frequencies, For Example Betting A Hand 60 Percent Of The Time And Checking It 40 Percent.
  • Nash EquilibriumA Nash Equilibrium Is A Set Of Strategies In Which No Player Can Gain By Changing Their Own Strategy While The Others Stay The Same.
  • NodelockingNodelocking Is A Solver Technique That Fixes One Player's Strategy At A Decision Point, For Example Forcing A Player To Bet Too Often, And Then Recomputes The Best Response For Everyone Else.
  • Nut AdvantageNut Advantage Means One Player's Range Holds More Of The Strongest Possible Hands On The Current Board Than The Opponent's Range Does.
  • OOP (Out Of Position)Out Of Position, Or OOP, Means Acting Before Your Opponent On Each Postflop Street.
  • Polarized RangeA Polarized Range Is Made Of Very Strong Hands And Bluffs, With Few Medium Strength Hands In Between.
  • RangeA Range Is The Full Set Of Hands A Player Could Hold In A Given Spot, Based On Their Position And Every Action So Far.
  • Range AdvantageRange Advantage Means One Player's Whole Range Has More Equity On The Current Board Than The Opponent's Range.
  • Sizing TellA Sizing Tell Is Information Leaked By The Size Of A Bet, Such As A Player Who Bets Small With Medium Hands And Large Only With The Nuts.
  • TiltTilt Is An Emotional State In Which Frustration, Anger Or Overconfidence Leads A Player To Make Worse Decisions Than Usual, Such As Calling Too Wide After A Bad Beat.
  • Under-DefenseUnder-Defense Is Folding Too Often When Facing Bets, Which Lets An Opponent Profit By Betting Any Two Cards.
  • VillainVillain Is Poker Slang For The Opponent In A Hand Being Discussed, While Hero Is The Player Telling The Story.

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Free To Play. 18+. Diamonds And Chips Have No Cash Value.