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%.