Poker terms and lingo, explained

103 Texas Hold’em terms, the jargon included, grouped by what they describe rather than alphabetically, because "what does 3-bet mean" is easier to answer next to "4-bet" than next to "tilt". 10 of them are ranges, and for those the definition comes with the range itself. Pick a word below to jump to it.

Which words describe the seats and the table?

Almost every seat name is really a description of when you act. Learn the order and the names explain themselves.

Button also BTN, the dealer button
The button is the seat that acts last on every street after the flop, marked by a small disc that moves one seat left each hand. Acting last means acting with the most information, which is why the button opens more hands than any other seat. The positions guide explains what that is worth.
Button, 6-max 100bb, everyone folded to you. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldRaise 3

40.5% of hands continue, raising to 3bb.

Dealer
The person who deals the cards. In a casino that is a paid employee who never plays; the button marks which player would be dealing in a home game, which is why the two words get used for the same seat.
Small blind also SB
The small blind is the seat directly left of the button, and the smaller of the two forced bets it posts before the cards are dealt. It acts first on every street after the flop, which makes it the worst seat at the table. Why both blind seats lose money, and what to do about it.
Small blind, 6-max 100bb, everyone folded to you. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldCallRaise 3

55.8% of hands continue, 29.7% by calling, raising to 3bb.

Big blind also BB
The big blind is the seat two to the left of the button, and the larger forced bet, usually double the small blind. Because that money is already in, the big blind gets a discount on calling a raise that nobody else at the table gets. It is also the unit every stack and bet is counted in.
Blinds
The two forced bets posted before any cards are dealt, by the two seats left of the button. They exist so that folding every hand costs something. "What are the blinds?" is the first question to ask about any cash game, because the stakes are named after them.
Under the gun also UTG
Under the gun is the first seat to act before the flop, directly left of the big blind. Everyone else still has to speak after you, so it opens the fewest hands of any seat.
Under the gun, 6-max 100bb, first to act. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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FoldRaise 2.5

17.5% of hands continue, raising to 2.5bb.

Hijack also HJ
The seat two to the right of the button, so called because it acts before the cutoff and button and can "hijack" their chance to steal the blinds. At a six-handed table it is the second seat to act.
Cutoff also CO
The seat directly right of the button. It is the second-best seat at the table: only the button acts after it, and it opens nearly as wide.
Position also in position, out of position
Position is where you sit relative to the other players in a hand. You are in position when you act after your opponent on each street, and out of position when you act before. Acting last is worth money, because you see what everyone else does before you decide.
Orbit
One full rotation of the button around the table, so that every seat has posted each blind once. At a six-handed table, an orbit is six hands.
Ante
A small forced bet paid by every player at the table before the deal, on top of the blinds. Common in tournaments, rare in cash games. It puts more dead money in the pot and makes tight play more expensive.
Straddle
A voluntary third blind, posted before the deal by the player left of the big blind, usually for double the big blind. It is optional, it makes the game bigger, and no rule of good play requires it.
6-max also full ring, 9-handed
A table with a maximum of six players. Full ring, or 9-handed, seats nine. Fewer seats means the blinds come round more often and every seat opens wider, which is why 6-max charts and full-ring charts disagree.
Effective stack
The smaller of the two stacks in a hand, because that is the most either player can win or lose. If you have 300 big blinds and your opponent has 40, the effective stack is 40 and the hand plays as a 40 big blind hand.
Big blinds as a unit also 100bb, bb
Poker measures stacks and bets in big blinds rather than in money, so that a $1/$2 game and a $5/$10 game can be discussed with the same numbers. A "100bb stack" is 100 times the big blind: $200 in the first game, $1,000 in the second.

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What are the parts of a hand called?

A hand of Hold’em is one deal from the blinds to the showdown. These are the words for the pieces.

Hole cards also pocket cards
The two cards dealt face down to each player. Only you can see yours, and they are yours for the whole hand.
Board also community cards
The five cards dealt face up in the middle of the table, shared by everyone. They arrive in three stages: the flop, the turn and the river.
Preflop
The first betting round, after the hole cards are dealt and before any community cards. It is the one street you play in every single hand, which is why it is the street worth studying first.
Flop
The first three community cards, dealt together, and the betting round that follows them.
Turn also fourth street
The fourth community card, and the betting round after it.
River also fifth street
The fifth and final community card, and the last betting round. Whatever happens on the river, there are no more cards to come.
Burn card
A card the dealer discards face down before dealing each street, so that the top card of the deck cannot be read or marked. It is never seen and never played.
Showdown
The end of the hand, when the remaining players reveal their cards and the best five-card hand wins the pot. The hand rankings decide who that is.
Muck
To fold your cards face down without showing them. The muck is also the pile of discarded cards; a hand that touches it is dead.
Kicker
The side card that breaks a tie between two hands of the same rank. If both players hold a pair of aces, the one whose other card is higher wins on the kicker.
The nuts
The best possible hand given the cards on the board. If the board is K-9-4 with two hearts and you hold two kings, you have the nuts for now; a heart on the turn might change that.
Draw also flush draw, straight draw, gutshot
A hand that is not yet made but can become strong if the right card arrives. A flush draw needs one more card of its suit. An open-ended straight draw can be completed at either end; a gutshot needs one exact rank in the middle.
Outs
The cards still in the deck that would complete your draw. A flush draw has nine outs, an open-ended straight draw eight, a gutshot four. Count them and you can estimate your chance of hitting; the pot odds guide shows how.

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What do the actions mean?

There are only five things you can do at a poker table. The rest of these words describe when you do them and what came before.

Check
To pass the action to the next player without betting, which you can only do when nobody has bet yet on this street. Tapping the table means the same thing.
Bet
To put chips in the pot when nobody else has on this street. Once someone has bet, the other players can only call, raise or fold.
Call
To match the current bet and stay in the hand.
Raise
To increase the current bet. Everyone who wants to continue must now match the new, larger amount.
Fold
To give up your hand and any chips you have already put in the pot. Folding is the most common action in poker and, played well, the most profitable one.
Limp
To enter the pot preflop by just calling the big blind rather than raising. Most seats should never limp; the small blind is the one exception, as its chart shows.
Open also raise first in, RFI
To make the first raise of the hand when everyone before you has folded. Also called raising first in, or RFI. Every seat has its own opening range, and the chart library holds all of them.
Cutoff, 6-max 100bb, everyone folded to you. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldRaise 2.5

28.5% of hands continue, raising to 2.5bb.

3-bet
A 3-bet is the first re-raise before the flop. The big blind counts as the first bet and the open as the second, so the re-raise is the third, which is where the name comes from. The chart shows a button facing a cutoff open: the calls are one colour, the 3-bets another. Every facing-a-raise spot.
Button facing a cutoff open, 6-max 100bb. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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FoldCallRaise 7.5

16.8% of hands continue, 5.2% by calling, raising to 7.5bb.

4-bet
A 4-bet is a re-raise of a 3-bet: the fourth bet in the sequence. Here the button opened, the big blind 3-bet, and the chart is what the button does next. Every facing-a-3-bet spot.
Button facing a big blind 3-bet, 6-max 100bb. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldCallRaise 29.5

16.0% of hands continue, 11.2% by calling, raising to 29.5bb.

5-bet
A 5-bet is a re-raise of a 4-bet, and at 100 big blinds it is almost always all in. The chart is a button that 3-bet a cutoff open and is now facing the 4-bet. Every facing-a-4-bet spot.
Button facing a cutoff 4-bet, 6-max 100bb. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldCallAll-In

11.4% of hands continue, 9.8% by calling, raising to AIbb.

Cold call
To call a raise when you have no money in the pot yet. The big blind calling a raise is not a cold call, because its blind is already in; the button calling the same raise is.
Cold 4-bet
A 4-bet made by a player who was not involved in the open or the 3-bet. Two players have already shown strength, so almost everything folds and the range that continues is very narrow. Every cold 4-bet spot.
Big blind facing an under-the-gun open and a hijack 3-bet. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldRaise 21

3.2% of hands continue, raising to AIbb.

Squeeze
A 3-bet made after someone has opened and at least one other player has called. The caller is squeezed between the raiser and you, and often folds hands they were happy to call with, which is why a squeeze is wider than an ordinary 3-bet. Every squeeze spot.
Big blind after an under-the-gun open and a hijack call. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
Raise 14FoldCall

19.8% of hands continue, 14.3% by calling, raising to 14bb.

Defend
To call or raise from the blinds when someone tries to steal them, rather than folding. The big blind defends more than any other seat because its money is already in the pot and it gets the best price on a call.
Big blind facing a button open, 6-max 100bb. PlusEV solver data, exported 2026-09-03
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A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldCallRaise 14

35.2% of hands continue, 20.8% by calling, raising to 14bb.

Steal
To raise from a late seat, usually the cutoff, button or small blind, with the aim of winning the blinds without a fight. Not every late raise is a steal, but every late raise gets called one.
Isolate also iso-raise
To raise after one or more players have limped, so that you end up heads-up against the weakest of them with position. The raise is the isolation; the limper is the target.
Continuation bet also c-bet
A bet on the flop by the player who raised before the flop, whether or not the flop helped them. It continues the story the preflop raise started, which is where the name comes from.
Check-raise
To check, let an opponent bet, and then raise. It is the standard way to build a pot from out of position with a strong hand, and a common bluff for the same reason.
Donk bet
A bet into the previous street's aggressor by a player who acts first. The name is unkind and the play is more respectable than it sounds; solvers do it from certain boards.
All in also shove, jam
To bet every chip you have. Once all in, you cannot be forced to fold and you cannot win more from any one opponent than you had in front of you.
Min-raise
The smallest raise the rules allow, which is a raise equal to the previous bet or raise. Facing a bet of 10, a min-raise is to 20.
Overbet
A bet larger than the pot. Used with the strongest hands and the best bluffs, and almost nothing in between.
Slow play also trap
To play a strong hand passively, checking or calling rather than betting, to keep opponents in the pot or induce a bluff. Setting a trap means the same thing.

Back to all terms

What do the numbers mean?

Every decision in poker is a price against a probability. These are the words for both halves.

Pot odds
The price a bet offers you: what a call costs against what the pot pays. Facing $50 into $100 you pay $50 to win $200, so you need to win one time in four to break even. There is a working pot odds calculator and the two-step method behind it.
Implied odds
Pot odds adjusted for the money you expect to win on later streets if you hit your draw. They stretch a close fold into a call when the draw is hidden and the opponent will pay you off. They do not turn a bad price into a good one.
Equity
Your share of the pot if the hand were played out to the end with no more betting, which is the same as how often your hand wins. A flush draw on the flop has about 35% equity against a made hand.
Expected value also EV, +EV, -EV
What a decision earns on average if you could make it a thousand times. A play with positive expected value, or +EV, wins money over the long run even when it loses this hand. Every strategy question in poker reduces to which option has the highest EV.
Fold equity
The value a bet gains from the times your opponent folds. A bluff has no equity when called and a lot of fold equity, which is the whole reason it can be profitable.
Variance
The gap between what your win rate says you should have and what you actually have. Poker has a great deal of it: a solid winner loses money over a 50,000-hand stretch about one time in nine. The variance calculator puts numbers on it for your own game.
Standard deviation
The measure of how much your results swing per hundred hands, usually written in big blinds per 100. Around 90 for 6-max no-limit. Your tracking software reports it directly.
Win rate also bb/100
How much you earn on average per hundred hands, in big blinds. A win rate of 5 bb/100 in a $1/$2 game is $10 per hundred hands. It takes far more hands than most players expect to know your win rate with any confidence.
Buy-in
The amount you sit down with. In cash games, one buy-in usually means 100 big blinds, and bankrolls are counted in buy-ins.
Bankroll
The money set aside for poker, kept separate from money you need for anything else. How many buy-ins a bankroll needs depends mostly on your win rate, which is what the bankroll section of the variance calculator works out.
Risk of ruin
The probability of losing your whole bankroll, given your win rate, your standard deviation and how many buy-ins you hold. A marginal winner with a small roll has a high one.
Rake also rakeback
The fee the house takes from each pot, usually a percentage up to a cap. Rakeback is a portion of it returned to the player as a reward for volume.
Downswing
A stretch of losing that is larger than a normal bad session. Every winning player has them, and a 20 buy-in downswing over 50,000 hands is ordinary for a 5 bb/100 winner, not a sign that something is wrong.
Combinations also combos
The number of distinct ways a hand can be dealt. There are six combinations of any pocket pair, four of any suited hand, twelve of any offsuit hand, and 1,326 in total. Ranges are measured in combinations because a suited hand is a third as likely as an offsuit one.

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What do the strategy words mean?

These are the words that come up in study rather than at the table. Most of them describe what a range looks like.

Range
The set of every hand a player could hold given how they have played so far. You never know an opponent's two cards; you play against their range. Your own range is every hand you would take a given line with, and a chart is a picture of one.
Preflop chart also range chart
A 13 by 13 grid showing what to do with every starting hand from a given seat in a given situation. Pairs run down the diagonal, suited hands sit above it, offsuit hands below. The chart library has one for every spot, and the guide explains how to read them.
GTO also game theory optimal
A strategy that cannot be exploited: whatever an opponent does, they cannot make it lose. It is a baseline, not a way to win the most. Against a bad player, deviating from it on purpose wins more. Full explainer.
Solver
Software that computes the game theory optimal strategy for a given situation. Solvers are where modern ranges come from, and they are excellent at looking up answers and poor at teaching you to produce them at the table.
Exploitative play
Deviating from the unexploitable strategy to take advantage of a specific mistake an opponent is making. Against someone who folds too much, you bluff more. It wins more than GTO against that opponent and loses to a good one.
Mixed strategy also frequency
Taking two different actions with the same hand, some of the time each, so that an observant opponent cannot read your holding off your action. A cell split between two colours on a chart is one. How to play one at the table.
Value bet
A bet made with a hand you expect to be best, to get called by worse. The opposite of a bluff, and where most of the money in poker is made.
Bluff also semi-bluff
A bet with a hand that cannot win at showdown, made so that better hands fold. A semi-bluff is the same bet with a draw behind it: if the fold does not come, the card still might.
Polarized also linear, merged
A range made of very strong hands and bluffs, with nothing in the middle. The opposite is a linear or merged range, which is simply the best hands down to some cutoff. Big bets tend to come from polarized ranges.
Blocker
A card in your hand that makes it less likely an opponent holds a particular hand, because you hold one of the cards they would need. Holding the ace of spades on a three-spade board blocks the nut flush.
Tight and loose
How many hands a player enters pots with. Tight players play few, loose players play many. It says nothing about how they play them; that is the next entry.
Passive and aggressive
How a player plays the hands they enter. Passive players check and call; aggressive players bet and raise. Tight-aggressive, or TAG, and loose-aggressive, or LAG, are the two winning combinations. Loose-passive is the one that pays for everyone else.
Regular also reg, recreational player
A regular is a player who is in the game often and usually plays it seriously. A recreational player is there for fun and plays less often. The slang for a weak recreational player is a fish; it is not a word to use at the table.
Leak
A repeated mistake that costs money over time, usually one the player cannot see. Defending the big blind too wide is the most common preflop leak. Finding yours is what a training app is for.

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What does the table talk mean?

The words players use about luck, about each other and about the hand that just happened.

Tilt
Playing badly because you are upset, usually after losing a big pot. Recognising it is the first skill; leaving the table is the second.
Bad beat
Losing a hand you were a heavy favourite to win, after the money went in. Every player has a story; the useful response is to check that the money went in well and move on.
Cooler
A hand where both players hold something so strong that all the money was always going in, and one of them was simply dealt the better one. Kings against aces preflop is the classic. Nobody played it wrong.
Suck out also rivered
To win a hand you were losing by catching one of your few remaining outs, usually on the river. Being rivered is having it happen to you.
Run good and run bad also heater
To be on the right or wrong side of variance for a stretch. A heater is a run of winning. Neither says much about how well you are playing; the variance calculator shows how large a normal one is.
Short stack and deep stack
A short stack is well under the standard 100 big blinds; a deep stack is well over it. Stack depth changes the correct strategy more than most players realise, which is why every chart states the depth it was built for.
Chip leader
The player with the most chips at the table or in the tournament.
Tank
To take a long time over a decision. "In the tank" is where you are while you do it.
Angle shooting
Using a technically legal action to gain an unfair edge, such as pretending to fold or deliberately mis-stating a bet. Not cheating by the rules, and treated as cheating by the players.
Hero call
Calling a big bet with a weak hand because you believe the opponent is bluffing. Named for how it feels when it works.
Set and trips
Both are three of a kind. A set is a pocket pair that matched one card on the board; trips is one card in your hand matching a pair on the board. A set is far better hidden, which is why the words are kept separate.

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What are the hand nicknames?

Most nicknames are for pocket pairs and the biggest ace, because those are the hands people talk about afterwards.

Pocket rockets also bullets, American Airlines
Two aces. The best starting hand in Hold’em.
Cowboys also King Kong
Two kings.
Ladies
Two queens.
Fishhooks also hooks
Two jacks, from the shape of the letter.
Big Slick
Ace-king. Strong, and the most overplayed hand in poker because it is a draw to a pair, not a made hand.
Snowmen
Two eights.
Sailboats
Two fours.
Crabs
Two threes.
Ducks
Two twos, from the shape of the number.
Presto
Two fives, an old online-forum joke that outlived the forum.
Dead man’s hand
Aces and eights, the two pair Wild Bill Hickok is said to have held when he was shot. Nobody agrees on the fifth card.
Doyle Brunson
Ten-two, after the hand he won two World Series of Poker main events with, in 1976 and 1977.
The hammer
Seven-two offsuit, the worst starting hand in Hold’em. Played, when it is played, for the story.

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How do you make these automatic?

Knowing what a squeeze is and squeezing the right hands at the table under a clock are different skills, and only the second one makes money. The PlusEV trainer deals the spots on this page back to you, scores each decision against the range, and keeps returning to the ones you get wrong. If you would rather read first, start with the positions guide, then the blinds, then the chart library.