Poker Glossary | Poker Exploit Guide

🔍

Basic Actions

Ante

A mandatory small bet posted by all players before the hand begins. Common in mid-to-late tournament stages. Antes increase the pot size and raise the EV of stealing blinds.

Ex: With a 100-chip ante on a 9-handed table, the total antes alone add 900 to the pot, making steal attempts much more profitable.

Blind Small Blind / Big Blind

Forced bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer before any cards are dealt. The Small Blind (SB) posts half, and the Big Blind (BB) posts the full blind amount. They initiate pot building each hand.

Ex: With SB 50 and BB 100, the minimum call preflop is 100 (the BB amount).

Pot

The total amount of chips in the center of the table, accumulated from all bets and calls. The winner of the hand takes the pot. Pot size is the standard reference for bet sizing.

Ex: If three players each call 100, the pot is 300. A 33% pot-sized bet would be 100.

Flop

The first three community cards dealt face-up simultaneously after preflop betting. The flop is the starting point for postflop strategy, dramatically changing hand strength.

Ex: On a flop of A♥K♦7♣, the preflop raiser has a range advantage, making a c-bet a high-frequency play.

Turn

The fourth community card dealt face-up after the flop betting round. Pot odds change here, and equity calculations for draws become critical. Often called "fourth street."

Ex: If you have 9♠8♠ on the flop, a 7♠ on the turn creates a monster draw: open-ended straight + flush draw.

River

The fifth and final community card. No more cards come, so draws either complete or become worthless. Also called "fifth street." The river is where bluffs and value bets are most consequential.

Ex: If your flush draw misses on the river, your semi-bluff loses all draw equity and only succeeds if your opponent folds.

Showdown

After all river betting ends, remaining players reveal their hole cards. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. You can win without a showdown if all opponents fold.

Ex: If you're called on the river, a showdown is required. If your opponent folds to your bet, you win without showing cards.

All-in

Betting all of your remaining chips. Once all-in, you can win only the chips you're eligible for (side pots form if opponents have more chips). The remaining cards are run out at showdown.

Ex: With a 50BB stack facing a 100BB all-in, you can only call 50BB. The remaining 50BB forms a side pot others can contest.

Check

Declining to bet on your turn, passing the action to the next player. Only possible when no one has bet before you in the current street. Can be used to disguise hand strength or control pot size.

Ex: On the flop as BB, checking allows you to see how the BTN acts before committing chips.

Call

Matching an opponent's bet or raise to stay in the hand. Compare your hand's equity against the pot odds to determine if calling is +EV.

Ex: Opponent bets 100 into a 200 pot. Pot odds = 100/(100+200) = 25%. If you have more than 25% equity, calling is correct.

Raise

Increasing the size of a previous bet. Forces opponents to choose between folding, calling, or re-raising. The fundamental aggressive action that builds pots and applies pressure.

Ex: Opponent bets 100; you raise to 300. They must now commit 200 more to continue, or fold.

Fold

Discarding your hand and forfeiting any chips already in the pot. A correct fold saves chips; an unnecessary fold surrenders value. Long-term profitability depends heavily on folding correctly.

Ex: Facing a river all-in with only middle pair, an EV calculation often shows folding is correct despite being a painful decision.

Bet

The first chip commitment into the pot on a given street (distinct from a raise, which responds to an existing bet). A bet forces opponents to fold, call, or raise, giving you initiative.

Ex: After everyone checks the flop, betting takes initiative and forces opponents to make decisions with imperfect information.

Re-raise / 3-bet

Raising a raise. Called a 3-bet preflop (open = 1-bet, call = 2-bet, reraise = 3-bet). Narrows opponent's range, applies pressure, and takes initiative. A key aggressive tool.

Ex: UTG opens, you 3-bet from BTN. UTG's calling range is now capped to around QQ–, AK–, while you can hold AA/KK.

Check-raise

First checking, then raising after an opponent bets. Used with strong hands to trap opponents or as a semi-bluff with a draw. Signals strength and applies maximum pressure.

Ex: Flopping the nut set, you check to invite the opponent's c-bet, then check-raise to build the pot maximally.

Actions

Open / Open Raise

The first preflop raise, entering the pot without any previous raise. Distinguishes from a limp entry. Range varies significantly by position: ~14% UTG to ~45% BTN.

Ex: UTG opens to 2.5BB with QQ+, AK, AQs. BTN opens much wider (~40–45%) because only two players remain behind.

Limp / Limp-in

Calling the minimum (BB) preflop without raising. A passive play to enter cheaply. Common among fish. Generally suboptimal — raise or fold extracts more value and avoids multiway pots.

Ex: Limping from BTN surrenders the opportunity to steal blinds and plays into multiway pots where hand value diminishes.

Limp Re-raise

Limping preflop and then 3-betting when someone raises behind you. A deceptive trap play typically reserved for premium hands (AA, KK). Easily read by observant opponents, but highly effective vs. aggressive ISO-raisers.

Ex: You limp UTG with AA; a LAG BTN raises; you 3-bet. The BTN's range is wide, so you get a lot of value from their over-adjustments.

Min-raise

Raising to exactly double the previous bet or blind — the minimum legal raise. Gives opponents excellent pot odds to continue. Often signals inexperience or is used as a cheap blocking raise vs. tight opponents.

Ex: Min-raising to 2BB preflop gives the BB 3:1 pot odds to call, making it easy for them to defend with a very wide range.

Straddle

A voluntary blind posted by UTG (or other positions per house rules) for double the BB before cards are dealt. The straddler gets the last preflop action. Increases average pot size and variance.

Ex: In a $1/$2 game with a $4 straddle, all preflop opens now size off the $4 straddle — pot sizes double on average.

Cold Call

Calling a preflop open raise without having posted a blind. Watch for squeeze risk from players behind you. Best done IP with hands that play well in multiway situations.

Ex: Cold-calling UTG from MP with 77 risks a squeeze from CO/BTN, potentially forcing you out of a hand with decent implied odds.

Flat Call / Flat

Calling instead of re-raising with a strong hand to disguise hand strength or keep weaker hands in the pot. Common IP with premiums to induce bluffs on later streets.

Ex: Flatting a 3-bet with KK on the BTN (instead of 4-betting) keeps weaker hands like QQ, AK in the pot, maximizing future value.

Overcall

Calling a bet when one or more players have already called ahead of you. Requires a tighter range than a direct call — earlier callers suggest possible strength, narrowing your implied odds. Multiway pots require stronger hands.

Ex: After two players call a turn bet, overcalling requires you to discount bluffs significantly — your hand needs to be strong enough for a three-way showdown.

Jam / Push / Shove

Colloquial terms for going all-in. Common in tournament short-stack strategy: 10–15BB jam-or-fold ranges are standard. On the river, "jamming" means betting your entire stack for max value or as a bluff.

Ex: With 12BB in a tournament, open-jamming A8o from the CO is standard — min-raising or limping is a mistake at this stack depth.

ISO Raise / Isolate

A raise designed to isolate a limper — especially a fish — and get heads-up. Eliminates other players and gives you position advantage over the weaker player. Typically 3–5BB + 1BB per limper.

Ex: Fish limps UTG, everyone folds to you on BTN; you ISO to 5BB to play heads-up in position against the fish.

Hand Types

Pocket Pair

Two hole cards of the same rank (e.g., 7♠7♣). Hit a set (three of a kind) ~12% of the time on the flop. Deep-stacked against fish, implied odds make set-mining very profitable.

Ex: Holding 7♥7♣ with a 7♦A♠K♣ flop gives you a set — a disguised monster ready to stack opponents with top pair.

Suited (s)

Both hole cards share the same suit. Adds ~3–4% equity vs. the offsuit version due to flush draw potential. Denoted with "s" (e.g., AKs = Ace-King suited).

Ex: A♥K♥ (AKs) has flush draw potential on heart-heavy boards, giving it slightly more playability than A♠K♥ (AKo).

Offsuit (o)

Hole cards of different suits. No flush draw potential, making them slightly weaker than suited equivalents. Denoted with "o" (e.g., AKo = Ace-King offsuit).

Ex: A♠K♥ (AKo) is still a premium hand but has slightly less equity than AKs, especially on wet boards.

Connector

Hole cards of consecutive ranks (e.g., 9-8, J-T). Easy to make straights. Suited connectors (e.g., 9♠8♠) are especially valuable speculative hands for their flush and straight potential.

Ex: 9♠8♠ can make straights and flushes, giving it high implied odds deep-stacked against calling stations.

Nuts

The best possible hand given the current board. With the nuts you can bet/raise for maximum value with no fear of losing. In multiway pots, nut-oriented play is critical.

Ex: On A♠K♠Q♠J♠ board, holding T♠ gives you the royal flush — the absolute nuts.

Drawing Dead

A situation where no card can improve your hand enough to beat your opponent. Your equity is effectively 0%. Continuing to invest chips is a pure loss.

Ex: If your opponent has a full house, your flush draw is drawing dead — even completing the flush won't win.

Outs

The number of unseen cards that complete your draw. Flush draw = 9 outs (~36% equity). Open-ended straight draw = 8 outs (~32%). Gutshot = 4 outs (~17%).

Ex: With a flush draw on the flop, use the "Rule of 4": 9 outs × 4 ≈ 36% chance to complete by the river.

Set

Three of a kind made with a pocket pair plus one matching board card. More concealed than trips and extremely strong. Hit rate: ~12% on the flop (roughly 1 in 8).

Ex: Holding 7♦7♣ on a 7♥A♠K♦ flop, you have a set of sevens — disguised and ready to stack opponents holding top pair.

Trips

Three of a kind using one hole card and two board cards of the same rank. Less concealed than a set since opponents can also use the paired board.

Ex: Holding A♠7♣ on a 7♥7♦2♣ board, you have trip sevens, but others may also have trips (or a full house).

Full House

Three cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank. Beats a flush, loses to four of a kind. In a full house vs. full house situation, the higher three-of-a-kind wins.

Ex: KKK+AA (Kings full of Aces) beats AAA+KK? No — AAA+KK beats KKK+AA. The higher three-of-a-kind always wins.

Straight

Five cards of consecutive ranks in any suits. Beats two pair and three of a kind; loses to a flush. The highest straight is A-K-Q-J-T (Broadway); the lowest is A-2-3-4-5 (Wheel).

Ex: T♠9♥8♦7♣6♠ is a ten-high straight. If the opponent holds J-T, their jack-high straight wins.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit. Beats a straight; loses to a full house. When two flushes clash, the highest card(s) determine the winner. The ace-high flush is the nut flush.

Ex: A♥K♥Q♥8♥3♥ is the nut flush in hearts. No other heart hand can beat it.

Royal Flush

A-K-Q-J-T all of the same suit. The rarest and strongest hand in poker — unbeatable. Probability: approximately 1 in 649,739.

Ex: A♠K♠Q♠J♠T♠ is the Royal Flush of spades. Nothing beats it.

Kicker

The unpaired side card used to break ties when two hands have the same rank combination. A higher kicker wins. Critical for hand selection — weak kickers cost value.

Ex: AK vs. AQ both make a pair of aces on an A-7-3 board. The K kicker beats the Q kicker, so AK wins.

Board

All community cards currently dealt face-up (flop + turn + river). Board texture — dry, wet, paired, monotone — heavily influences postflop strategy and c-bet frequency.

Ex: A♥K♦Q♣J♠T♠ is an extremely wet board — the lowest possible straight is already on board, making strong hands less likely to be ahead.

Strategy

EV Expected Value

The average profit (or loss) from repeating an action infinitely. All poker decisions aim to maximize EV. EV+ = profitable action; EV– = losing action in the long run.

Ex: With a flush draw (36% equity) and pot odds of 25%, calling is +EV because your equity exceeds the required pot odds.

Pot Odds

The minimum equity needed to make a call break even. Formula: Call Amount ÷ (Call Amount + Pot Size). If your equity exceeds pot odds, calling is +EV.

Ex: Pot = 100, bet = 50. Pot odds = 50 ÷ 150 = 33%. A flush draw (~36%) makes calling correct.

Implied Odds

Pot odds extended to include expected future profit if your draw completes. Even when current pot odds are insufficient, high implied odds can justify calling — especially deep-stacked against fish.

Ex: Set-mining with 22 against a deep-stacked fish is profitable despite poor pot odds, because flopping a set often wins a huge pot.

Equity

Your share (win probability) of the current pot. An overpair on the flop has ~80% equity; a flush draw has ~36%. Equity × Pot Size = your expected share.

Ex: An overpair vs. a flush draw on the flop has roughly 64% vs. 36% equity — the overpair is favored but not a lock.

GTO Game Theory Optimal

A theoretically optimal strategy that cannot be exploited regardless of opponent actions. Uses balanced ranges mixing bets and checks. Counterpart to exploit. At micro/low stakes, exploit strategies often yield higher EV than GTO.

Ex: A GTO river bluff frequency is calibrated so that whether the opponent calls or folds, EV stays constant — the opponent cannot gain by adjusting.

Exploit

Intentionally taking advantage of an opponent's leaks or tendencies. Deviate from GTO toward a player-specific strategy. E.g., max value bets vs. fish; heavy stealing vs. nits.

Ex: A fish never folds top pair — so never bluff them. A nit folds to 3-bets 80%+ — so 3-bet them liberally with a wide range.

Value Bet

A bet with a strong hand designed to get called by weaker hands. Large value bets against fish and calling stations are the most important exploit in low-stakes poker.

Ex: With top two pair on the river, betting 150% pot against a calling station extracts maximum value from their weaker holdings.

Bluff

A bet or raise with a weak hand intended to make opponents fold. Without fold equity, bluffs are –EV. Bluff frequency should be heavily weighted toward opponents who fold too much.

Ex: Bluffing nits (who fold 80%+ to 3-bets) is highly profitable. Bluffing calling stations is a money leak.

Semi-bluff

A bluff with a drawing hand that has equity to improve. Dual EV: win immediately if opponent folds, or win later by completing the draw. Superior to pure bluffs because you have backup equity.

Ex: Check-raising a flush draw — if opponent folds, you win now; if they call, you still have ~36% equity to improve and win.

C-bet Continuation Bet

A flop bet by the preflop aggressor, continuing their aggression. Standard frequency: 55–65%. Adjust based on board texture and opponent's Fold to C-bet stat.

Ex: If an opponent folds to c-bets 75% of the time, increase c-bet frequency regardless of your actual hand strength.

Double Barrel

Betting both the flop and the turn as the aggressor. Maintains pressure when an opponent calls the flop c-bet. Turn card selection (good or bad for your range) influences whether to double barrel.

Ex: C-bet A-K-Q flop, then double barrel a 2 on the turn — the blank doesn't help the caller's likely pair/draw holdings.

Triple Barrel

Betting all three streets (flop, turn, river) as the aggressor. Used for maximum value extraction or as a calculated bluff. Commits both players to a large pot.

Ex: With the nut flush, triple barrel at increasing sizes to extract maximum value from opponents holding weaker made hands.

Donk Bet

An OOP player leading into the player expected to c-bet (the preflop aggressor). Can disrupt the aggressor's c-bet strategy. Effective with strong made hands or as a polarized range bet.

Ex: As BB against BTN, donk-betting the flop prevents BTN from c-betting at a favorable size and forces a response to your lead.

Probe Bet

An OOP bet on the turn/river exploiting weakness when the opponent checked back (didn't c-bet). Especially effective against ABC players and nits who slow down on missed flops.

Ex: Opponent checks the flop back (showing weakness) — lead the turn as a probe bet to take the pot or charge draws.

Overbet

A bet larger than the pot (100%+). Used for maximum value extraction against fish/calling stations with near-nuts, or as a polarized bluff. Forces opponents into difficult decisions.

Ex: With the nut flush on a river, betting 150% pot against a calling station extracts far more than a standard-sized bet would.

Polarized Range

A betting range composed of very strong hands (nuts) and bluffs, with few medium-strength hands. Associated with large bet sizes. Forces opponents to make difficult call/fold decisions.

Ex: River overbets are often polarized — opponent must determine if you have the nuts or a bluff, with limited middle-ground options.

Linear Range

A range composed of strong-to-medium hands in a graduated fashion, without bluffs at the bottom. All hands in the range have genuine value. Contrast with polarized.

Ex: A UTG 3-bet range of AA, KK, QQ, AK is linear — every hand is strong, but opponents can narrow your range easily.

Merged Range

A balanced betting range combining strong hands, medium hands, and bluffs. Harder for opponents to exploit than a purely linear or polarized range. The GTO-oriented approach.

Ex: A c-bet range with top pair, middle pair, flush draws, and air combined is a merged range — difficult to adjust against.

Capped / Uncapped

Capped: a range with a ceiling — no nut-strength hands. Uncapped: a range that can contain the nuts. Capped ranges are vulnerable to large bets since they can't hold the strongest hands.

Ex: A preflop caller's range is capped: AA/KK are almost always 3-bet, so they're absent from calling ranges.

Range Hand Range

The set of hands a player might hold in a specific situation. E.g., "UTG open range is roughly TT+, AJs+, KQs." Range-based thinking is foundational to poker improvement beyond the beginner level.

Ex: Thinking in ranges: "Opponent 3-bets from UTG — their range is likely JJ+, AK, so my TT is a fold."

Blocker

A card you hold that reduces the number of strong hand combinations an opponent can have. E.g., holding A♠ means your opponent can't hold nut flush A♠xx. Used to inform bluff and call decisions.

Ex: Holding A♠ on a spade-heavy board as a bluff blocker — opponent has fewer nut flush combos, making your bluff more credible.

Fold Equity (FE)

The value created by the probability that opponents fold to a bet/raise. High FE vs. nits; zero FE vs. calling stations. Never bluff opponents with no fold equity.

Ex: A nit folding 80% to 3-bets gives you enormous fold equity — 3-bet profitably even with mediocre holdings.

SPR Stack-to-Pot Ratio

Remaining stack after the flop ÷ flop pot size. Low SPR (~3) = commit with top pair. High SPR (6+) = need set/strong draw or better to stack off. Determines commitment thresholds.

Ex: SPR of 2 on the flop with top pair top kicker — getting the rest of the money in is almost always correct.

MDF Minimum Defense Frequency

The minimum call frequency to make opponent's bluffs break even. MDF = Pot ÷ (Pot + Bet). Call above MDF vs. over-bluffers; fold more vs. value-heavy players.

Ex: Pot = 100, bet = 75. MDF = 100/175 ≈ 57%. You must defend at least 57% of your range to prevent profitable pure bluffs.

Squeeze

A 3-bet when there's an open raise plus one or more callers. "Squeezes" both the raiser and caller(s). More callers = better pot odds for the squeeze = more powerful play.

Ex: UTG opens, MP and CO call. A squeeze from BTN forces all three players to face a large 3-bet — high fold equity against the callers.

Float

Calling a flop c-bet with a weak hand, planning to bluff if the opponent checks the turn. Works best IP (in position). Exploits players who give up too often on the turn.

Ex: Float BTN vs CO's c-bet. If CO checks the turn, fire a bluff — you've shown that this opponent can be taken off weak hands.

Range Advantage

When one player's overall range is stronger on a specific board. E.g., K72 rainbow gives the PFR a range advantage (BB rarely has KK, K7, K2). Informs c-bet frequency and sizing.

Ex: On K-7-2 rainbow, the preflop raiser holds more Kx combos and sets than the BB, justifying a high c-bet frequency.

Position

UTG Under the Gun

The first position to act preflop (left of BB). The most disadvantaged position — tight range play is essential. Recommended open range: ~13–15%.

Ex: UTG open range: TT+, AJs+, KQs. Limping from UTG is a leak; raise or fold.

MP Middle Position

The group of positions between EP and CO. Slightly wider open range than EP (~18–22%). CO and BTN still have position on you postflop.

Ex: MP adds 99, ATs, KJs to the open range compared to UTG. Still tighter than late position.

CO Cutoff

The seat one before the BTN. Second-best position. Recommended open range: ~26–30%. Only BTN will have position on you postflop.

Ex: From CO, open raising with 77+, A9s+, KTs+, QTs+ is standard and profitable.

BTN Button

The dealer button position. The strongest seat — always IP postflop against all opponents except the blinds. Recommended open range: ~40–50%.

Ex: BTN's wide open range includes suited connectors, small pocket pairs, and weak aces — all profitable due to positional advantage.

SB Small Blind

The seat left of the BTN. Always OOP postflop — one of the worst positions in poker. Avoid limping; raise or fold is the preferred preflop strategy.

Ex: SB vs. BB, the SB plays OOP but gets a discount on their blind. Raise with a wide range or fold outright; limping is generally poor.

BB Big Blind

① The Big Blind position (two seats left of BTN). ② A unit for stack size (e.g., 100BB = 100× the big blind). Always OOP postflop. Defends wide thanks to the price already paid.

Ex: BB has already invested 1BB, so calling vs. BTN steal with a wide range is profitable even with positional disadvantage.

EP Early Position

The group of first-to-act positions (UTG, UTG+1). Most players act behind, requiring tight ranges. Strongest hands only; wide ranges bleed chips over time.

Ex: EP open range: TT+, AJs+, KQs (~15%). Every hand faces 6–7 opponents still to act.

Late Position (LP)

CO and BTN collectively. Act last preflop and postflop against most opponents. Greatest informational advantage — steal, float, and bluff opportunities are maximized here.

Ex: From late position you can profitably open with suited connectors and weak aces that would be losing hands from early position.

IP In Position

Acting after your opponent postflop. Provides an information advantage — you see their action before deciding. Enables easier pot control, more profitable bluffs, and better value extraction.

Ex: IP, you can check back a marginal hand on the turn for pot control, a luxury unavailable OOP.

OOP Out of Position

Acting before your opponent postflop. Decisions made with less information. OOP strategies include check-raises, donk bets, and tighter range selection.

Ex: OOP with a flush draw, check-raising the flop is superior to leading out, as it charges the opponent more and builds the pot.

Player Types

TAG Tight Aggressive

Plays tight ranges aggressively. VPIP 20–28%, PFR 16–22%. The standard winning player archetype. Predictability is its main weakness — 3-bet and float to exploit.

Ex: TAGs fold to aggression often. 3-bet them liberally from position and float their c-bets to bluff the turn.

LAG Loose Aggressive

Wide hand ranges played aggressively. VPIP ~28–40%, PFR ~22–35%. Skilled LAGs are the hardest opponents. Over-LAGs (VPIP 50%+) can be beaten by calling down with strong hands.

Ex: Against a skilled LAG, don't try to out-bluff them. Tighten your calling range and let their aggression pay off your strong hands.

Nit

An extremely tight player who only plays premium hands. VPIP 10–18%. Very high fold equity — stealing is highly effective. When they 3-bet, it almost always means AA or KK.

Ex: A nit 3-betting UTG is so rare that QQ is often a fold. Conversely, their blinds are easy steal targets.

Fish

A loose-passive recreational player. High VPIP, low PFR. Limps many hands, check-calls even with strong hands. The primary profit source in poker. Never bluff them; maximize value bets.

Ex: Fish call with top pair on dangerous boards — bet large for value on all three streets instead of trapping or bluffing.

Shark

A skilled, consistent winner. Quickly identifies and exploits opponents' weaknesses while maintaining an unpredictable, balanced game themselves. Sharks seek fish and avoid other sharks.

Ex: A shark at your table will seat-select to get position on the fish, 3-bet the nit's steals, and call down the maniac with strong hands.

Maniac

An extremely wide, over-aggressive player. VPIP 50%+, PFR very high. High variance but beatable with strong hands. Counter-strategy: call down rather than re-bluff.

Ex: Against a maniac, widen your calling range and call down with top pair or better. Don't try to outbluff them.

Calling Station

A player who calls almost any bet, regardless of their hand strength. Near-zero fold equity — bluffing is pointless. The optimal counter-strategy is large value bets with strong hands, zero bluffs.

Ex: Calling station calling your river overbet with middle pair? Perfect — that's exactly what you want. Never bluff them instead.

Tournament

Bubble

The point just before the prize money (ITM). Players become very risk-averse due to ICM pressure. Short stacks play extremely tight; use this to steal liberally with a chip lead.

Ex: In a 100-player tournament paying top 15, when 16 remain you're on the bubble. Open-shove wide vs. medium stacks forced to fold for ICM reasons.

ITM In the Money

Surviving the bubble and reaching the paid positions. The minimum prize is locked in. After ITM, shift from survival mode toward chip accumulation for deep runs.

Ex: Once ITM, pressure players to fold with aggressive chip accumulation — the survival-at-all-costs mindset should shift to stack building.

Final Table (FT)

The last remaining table (usually 9 players) in a tournament. Prize jumps are large; ICM considerations are paramount. Every elimination significantly increases everyone's equity.

Ex: At the final table, a short stack's all-in requires careful ICM calculation — calling may be chip-EV+, but ICM-EV– if it risks a large prize jump.

ICM Independent Chip Model

A model converting tournament chip counts into real dollar equity based on prize structure. ICM-aware decisions are critical near the bubble and final table — chip EV and dollar EV often diverge.

Ex: ICM says a call may be chip-EV+, but if busting drops you from 4th ($10k) to nothing ($0), the dollar EV may be negative.

Push or Fold

The simplified strategy for very short stacks (~10BB or fewer): either shove all-in or fold preflop. Min-raises, limps, and postflop play are inefficient at these stack depths.

Ex: At 8BB, an open-shove with A9o from the CO is standard push-or-fold play. Limping or min-raising is a mistake.

Short Stack

A stack depth of roughly 20–30BB or fewer. Options are limited; push-or-fold becomes relevant. Postflop decisions simplify — SPR is low, commitment points come early.

Ex: With 20BB, getting all-in preflop with JJ+ and AK+ is often correct — don't try to play complex postflop poker with a short stack.

Deep Stack

A stack of 100BB or more. Implied odds are high; speculative hands (suited connectors, small pocket pairs) increase in value. Advanced postflop skill becomes decisive.

Ex: 200BB deep, suited connectors and small pairs are worth calling 3-bets with — the implied odds from flopping a big hand are enormous.

HUD Stats

HUD Heads Up Display

An online poker tool displaying opponent stats in real time. Used to assess player types via VPIP, PFR, AF, 3-bet%, Fold to C-bet, etc. Enables data-driven exploit decisions.

Ex: HUD shows VPIP 45% / PFR 8% — immediately identified as a loose-passive fish. Shift to value-heavy strategy.

VPIP Voluntarily Put money In Pot

% of hands where a player voluntarily invested chips. Standard: 20–28%. Higher = looser (fish: 40–70%). Lower = tighter (nit: 10–18%).

Ex: VPIP 60% = fish. Never bluff; pile in value bets with any strong hand.

PFR Pre-Flop Raise

% of hands raised preflop. Standard: 16–22%. Higher = more aggressive. A small VPIP–PFR gap indicates few limps (TAG/LAG). A large gap = many limps (fish/passive).

Ex: VPIP 30 / PFR 25 = LAG. Don't try to out-bluff; call down wider with strong hands.

AF Aggression Factor

Aggressive actions (bet + raise) ÷ passive actions (call). Standard: 2.5–3.5. Higher = more aggressive. 5+ leans maniac. Under 1 = passive player.

Ex: AF 0.5 = calling station. Bluffing is pointless; max value bet every strong hand.

WTSD Went To ShowDown

% of flop-seen hands that reach showdown. Standard: 24–28%. Over 40% = calling station. Under 18% = over-folding (too easy to bluff).

Ex: WTSD 45% = don't bluff this player. They call down with weak hands — bet big for value every time.

W$SD Won $ at ShowDown

Win rate at showdown. Standard: 50–55%. Under 40% = calling station (calling too loosely). Over 60% = value-heavy (rarely bluffs, folds too much to aggression).

Ex: W$SD 38% = this player calls too much and loses. Load up on value bets; never bluff.

Other

Tilt

When bad beats or emotional stress cause your game to break down. Judgment suffers; irrational bluffs and calls increase. Bankroll management and mental discipline are essential.

Ex: If you feel yourself tilting, end the session immediately. Continuing while tilted is one of the most expensive mistakes in poker.

Bankroll Management (BRM)

The strategy of playing at appropriate stakes to avoid ruin. Recommended: 20–30 buy-ins for cash games; 50–100+ for tournaments. Moving up too fast is a common leak.

Ex: To play 100BB cash games at $1/$2, a proper bankroll is 20–30 buy-ins ($4,000–$6,000), protecting against variance downswings.

Table Image

How opponents perceive your play style. A tight image makes bluffs more credible; a loose image makes value bets easier to get called. Deliberately manage your image to exploit it.

Ex: After showing down strong hands early, your tight image lets you pull off high-credibility bluffs later in the session.

Tell

An unconscious behavioral pattern revealing hand strength. Live: physical tells (shaking hands, breathing, bet timing). Online: bet-sizing patterns, timing tells, line deviations.

Ex: An opponent who bets fast with weak hands and slow with strong hands has a reliable timing tell you can exploit.

Read

An inference about an opponent's hand or tendencies based on HUD data, betting patterns, and history. Strong reads enable precise exploit decisions beyond default strategy.

Ex: "This player always double barrels missed draws but checks back made hands on the turn — my read lets me fold to their turn bet confidently."

Bankroll

The dedicated funds set aside for poker. Generally recommended: 20–30 buy-ins (2000–3000BB) for cash games, 50–100 buy-ins for tournaments.

Ex: Once your bankroll drops below 20 buy-ins, move down in stakes to reduce risk of ruin.

Variance

Short-term fluctuation in results. Even +EV strategies can produce losing streaks over small samples. Maniacs and wide-range play produce high variance. Proper bankroll management is essential.

Ex: A 60% win-rate player can still experience a 10 buy-in downswing over 1,000 hands — this is normal variance, not proof of a leak.

Set Mining

Calling preflop with a pocket pair specifically to hit a set (three of a kind). Flop hit rate: ~12% (1 in 8). Most profitable deep-stacked against fish with high implied odds.

Ex: Calling a 3-bet with 77 deep-stacked against a fish — if you flop a set, you likely stack them for a huge pot.

Slow Play / Trap

Deliberately checking or betting small with a strong hand to invite opponent bluffs or overbets. Effective vs. maniacs and over-aggressive players. Risky on wet boards (draws possible).

Ex: Flopping quads, checking the flop and turn invites the aggressive opponent to barrel off into your monster hand.

Speculative Hand

A hand weak preflop but capable of making very strong hands by the flop. Suited connectors, small pocket pairs, suited one-gappers. Requires implied odds and stack depth to be profitable.

Ex: 5♠4♠ is a speculative hand — weak preflop but capable of flopping straights, flushes, or two-pair against unsuspecting opponents.

📖 Poker Glossary