Glossary

The dealer seat. Acts last after the flop, the most profitable seat at the table.

Forced bets (small + big) that start the pot before cards are dealt.

When you act. “In position” = after your opponent, “out of position” = before.

All the hands someone could hold in a spot. You play against ranges, not exact cards.

The first raise before the flop, when nobody has entered yet.

A re-raise over the first raise (the blind counts as the first bet).

A voluntary blind, usually twice the big blind, posted in the dark before the deal. Buys the last preflop action.

The re-raise over a 3-bet. Usually says premium — or a bold bluff.

The larger forced bet, one seat left of the small blind. Also the standard unit for stack sizes (bb).

The smaller forced bet, left of the button. The worst seat postflop — first to act, half a bet already in.

Just calling the big blind preflop instead of raising. Usually weak — it invites the field in cheap.

The betting round before the flop, on your two hole cards alone.

A small forced bet from everyone before the deal, on top of the blinds. Sweetens the pot, widens ranges.

A re-raise after one player raises and others call. The callers are trapped between you and the raiser.

Calling a raise having put no money in yet. Often the start of a leak — flatting hands that should raise or fold.

Continuation bet. The preflop raiser bets again on the flop.

Check first, then raise after your opponent bets. A trap with teeth.

A bet made to get called by worse hands.

A bet made to make better hands fold.

A bluff with a draw behind it: folds win now, outs win later.

The side card that breaks ties between equal pairs.

The best possible hand on a given board. Nothing beats it, only ties it.

The first three community cards, dealt face up together. Where most hands take shape.

The fourth community card. Bets usually double here; draws get expensive.

The fifth and final community card. No more cards to come — it’s showdown or fold.

Betting every chip you have. You can’t be forced out, but you can’t bet more either.

Three of a kind using a pocket pair plus one board card. Hidden and powerful.

Three of a kind using one hole card and a pair on the board. Like a set, but easier for others to read.

An inside straight draw: one specific rank fills it. Four outs, roughly 8% per card.

A pocket pair higher than every board card. Strong, but vulnerable on coordinated boards.

Two adjacent cards of the same suit (like 8♥7♥). Small now, but they make the straights and flushes that stack people.

A draw needing both turn and river to complete. Faint odds, but free equity that adds up.

A bet larger than the pot. Maximum pressure — used with the nuts and with air, rarely in between.

The end of the hand: remaining players reveal, best hand wins the pot.

How connected and suited the community cards are. Wet boards hit ranges hard; dry boards miss them.

Underplaying a monster to disguise it and trap. Cute, but it often just lets opponents draw cheap.

Your share of the pot right now: how often your hand wins if it checks down.

Unseen cards that improve you to the likely best hand.

The price of a call: what you pay versus what the pot pays back.

Game-theory-optimal: a balanced strategy no opponent can exploit. The unbluffable baseline.

The money you expect to win later if you hit, on top of what’s already in the pot.

The value of the chance your bet makes a better hand fold. What turns a draw into a semi-bluff.

Independent Chip Model: in tournaments chips aren’t cash, so survival has value and you fold spots you’d call for money.

The smaller of the two stacks in a pot — the most either player can actually win or lose.

Stack-to-pot ratio: stack ÷ pot at the flop. Low SPR means commitment; high SPR rewards implied odds and skill.

Expected value: the average chips a decision wins or loses over the long run. Poker is chasing +EV.

The swings. How far results stray from the average before the long run bails you out.

Playing worse because you’re upset. The most expensive word in poker.

To fold without showing, or to toss losing cards at showdown.

A hand you’re doomed to lose money with: strong, but running into stronger. Not a mistake, just variance.

Losing as a big favorite when your opponent hits a long shot. Poker’s cruelest coin flip.

The house’s cut of each pot. Small per hand, huge over a session.

A spot where you can’t lose but might win — same hand now, extra outs to scoop. Also, a tournament with no buy-in.