Poker Glossary

3-bet

A 3-bet refers to the third bet in a betting round. Here's how it breaks down:

1. The first bet, often referred to as the opening bet or simply the "bet."

2. The second bet, known as the "raise," where a player increases the bet amount.

3. The third bet, or "3-bet," is a re-raise, or a raise of the original raise.

The 3-bet is an aggressive move and is typically used with a strong hand, though it can also be used as a bluffing strategy.

All-in EV

The All-in EV, or All-in Expected Value, is a way to see how much you'd win in poker if all-in pots were split evenly based on each player's odds of winning. In simpler terms, if your 'Amount Won' is lower than your 'All-in EV' winnings, it indicates you were unlucky in the hands where you went all-in.

Continuation Bet

A continuation bet, or simply a "c-bet," is a bet made on the flop by the player who took the lead in the betting on the previous round (usually the player who made the last raise on the pre-flop).

Exploitative Strategy

This is the opposite approach to GTO. An exploitative strategy involves finding weaknesses in your opponents' play and taking advantage of them. Rather than playing a "perfect" strategy like GTO, you're trying to figure out where your opponents are making mistakes and using those mistakes to win more money. It can be more profitable than GTO against weaker opponents but riskier against skilled players who might figure out what you're doing.

GTO Strategy

In poker, GTO, also knwo as Game Theory Optimal, is a playing strategy that makes you as unexploitable as possible. It means mixing up your play in a way that opponents can't find one specific way to beat you. If you play GTO, and your opponents make mistakes, you'll win, but if they play perfectly too, you'll break even. GTO strategy is the opposite approach to the exploitative strategy.

Hand History

Hand history in poker is a record of everything that happened during a particular poker hand. This includes who played, what cards they were dealt, what bets were made, who won, and more. It's like a detailed play-by-play recap of a poker hand. This information can be used later to review and analyze your game, learn from mistakes, and improve your strategies.

Usually poker sites have an option to automaticaly save your hand history in files on your computer. However, on certain sites, such as GG Poker, you might have to request your hand history, which they then send to you through email

Missed Continuation Bet

When you have the chance to make a continuation bet after the flop but choose not to, it's called a Missed Continuation Bet. In other words, if you were the last to raise on the preflop and decide not to bet again after the flop, you've missed your chance to make a continuation bet.

Open Raise

Open raising in poker refers to the act of making the first raise in a betting round. It's called an "open" raise because it's the first voluntary bet after the blinds.

Overbet

An overbet in poker is a bet that is larger than the current size of the pot. For example, if the pot is $100, an overbet would be any bet that exceeds this amount, such as betting $150 or $200.

PFR

PFR, or Pre-Flop Raise, is a term used in poker to describe the percentage of times a player raises before the flop is dealt.

A player with a high PFR percentage is likely to be aggressive, often raising before the flop rather than just calling or folding. Conversely, a player with a low PFR percentage is likely to be more passive, choosing to call or fold instead of raising.

Poker Range

A poker range is the set of all hands a player might have in a specific situation. It's like a mental toolkit that experienced players use to guess what an opponent might be holding. So instead of trying to nail down one exact hand, they'll think about a whole bunch of hands the opponent might have.

Position

In poker, position refers to where a player sits in relation to the dealer. The position determines the order in which players act during a hand. In general, the later your position, the more information you have at your disposal (because you've seen more players act), and the wider range of hands you can potentially play. The best position in poker is the button position (or dealer position).

Regular Player

A regular player in poker is someone who plays the game often, possibly every day or several times a week. They are usually more experienced, especially in contrast to recreational players, who might only play once in a while.

Spot

In poker, a 'spot' refers to a specific situation in the game. This could relate to the player's position, the cards on the board, the betting action, and the player's hand.

Third Barrel

A "third barrel" in poker refers to making a bet on the river after betting on both the flop and the turn. It's the third consecutive bet in a sequence of betting streets, and it typically requires a player to have a strong hand or to be attempting a bold bluff. The term "barreling" in this context comes from the aggressive, continuous nature of the betting, like firing rounds from a gun.

VPIP

VPIP, or Voluntarily Put money In Pot, measures the percentage of hands in which a particular player voluntarily puts money into the pot preflop, i.e. raises or calls.

If a player's VPIP is high (e.g., over 40%), it means they're playing a lot of hands. Conversely, if a player's VPIP is low (e.g., under 20%), it means they're playing fewer hands. For professional players on a 6-max NL Hold'em game, a typical VPIP ranges between 20% and 30%.

Flush draw

A flush draw is a type of hand where you need one card of a certain suit to make a flush.

Combo draw

A combo draw in poker is a type of hand where a player simultaneously has several different draws.

Kicker

A kicker in poker is a term used to describe a card that is not part of the combination but plays a role in determining the winner in situations where two or more players have the same combination.

Board

In poker, the term “Board” refers to the community cards dealt on the Flop, Turn, and River during the course of the game.

Multiway pot

In poker, a multiway pot occurs when more than two players are involved in a hand on the flop.

Dynamic hud

The dynamic HUD displays statistics based on players’ actions in the current hand.

Semi-bluff

A semi-bluff in poker is a move where a player bets or raises with a hand that’s not yet strong enough to be the best hand, but has the potential to improve significantly on subsequent streets.

Fish

In poker, the term “fish” is used to refer to a recreational player who lacks a high level of experience or strategic skills.

Blockers

In poker, blockers are the cards in your hand that reduce the likelihood of your opponent having a specific combination.

Domination

Domination in poker is a situation where one hand has a significant advantage over another.

4-bet

4-bet preflop is the next raise after a 3-bet. Typically, a 4-bet signals a very strong hand, but it can also be used as a bluff.

Second barel

In poker, the second barrel is a consecutive bet on the turn from a player who made a bet on the flop.

Floating

Floating is a tactic where you call a bet on the flop with the intention of taking the pot on later streets, regardless of the strength of your hand.

Nuts

In poker, the term “nuts” refers to the absolute best possible hand in a given situation.

Slow-play

Slow-playing in poker is a strategy where a player intentionally conceals the strength of their hand by taking passive actions (checking or calling) rather than betting or raising, even though they hold a very strong hand.

Delayed continuation bet

“A delayed continuation bet“ is a turn bet made by the preflop aggressor after all players checked on the flop.

Overcard

“An overcard“ in poker is a card with a rank higher than any of the cards on the board.

Equity

“Equity“ in poker is the mathematical expectation of a player's winnings in a specific hand.

Rake

“Rake“ in poker is the commission charged by the poker room for hosting the game. Typically, the rake is taken as a small percentage of each pot in cash games or as a fixed amount from the buy-in in tournaments.

Donk-bet

In poker, “a donk-bet“ is a bet made by a player out of position against a player who took the last aggressive action in the previous betting round.

Win rate

In poker, Win rate is an indicator of the success of the game, usually expressed in the number of big blinds won per 100 hands.

Limp

In poker, a limp refers to calling a bet equal to one big blind preflop when there has been no raise before the player’s turn.

Backdoor draw

In poker, a backdoor draw refers to a situation where a player has a chance to hit a straight or flush, but they would need to improve their hand on both subsequent streets. For example, if a player has one card to a flush on the flop, they would need two more cards of the same suit on the turn and river to complete the flush.

SPR

SPR (Stack-to-Pot Ratio) in poker is the ratio between a player’s stack size and the current size of the pot.

Implied odds

Implied odds in poker is the ratio between the size of the current bet and the amount that can be won in the future by making the best hand.

Pot odds

Pot odds in poker are the ratio of the current size of the pot to the size of the bet you need to call.

Blocking bet

A blocking bet is a small bet made to control the pot size and prevent a larger bet from your opponent.

Outs

Outs in poker are cards that can improve a player's hand to a winning combination.

Cooler

A cooler in poker is a situation where two (or more) players have very strong hands.

Calling stations

Calling stations are players who play a very wide range of hands and love to call bets regardless of the strength of their hand.

Broadway cards

In poker, Broadway cards are those from ten to ace: 10, J, Q, K, A.

Squeeze

Squeeze refers to a preflop 3-bet made after one player has raised and at least one player has called.

Cold call

A cold call in poker is an action where a player who hasn’t previously participated in the betting round enters the hand by calling a bet or raise made by one or more opponents.

Blank card

A blank card in poker is a card that doesn’t impact the flow of the hand: it neither strengthens players’ ranges nor completes draws.

Hero call

A hero call in poker is a call made on the later streets (usually on the river) with a relatively weak hand when the player believes the opponent is bluffing.

Thin value

A thin value bet is a bet made with a medium-strength hand, aiming to extract profit from weaker hands.

Fold equity

Fold equity in poker refers to the likelihood that your opponents will fold to your bet or raise, allowing you to win the pot without a showdown.

Capped range

A capped range in poker refers to a player’s range that excludes the strongest possible combinations.