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Understanding terminology is an essential part of professionalism in any field.
In poker, it matters for several reasons:
- When you are familiar with every term used in a lecture or article, you grasp the coach’s, author’s, or streamer’s ideas more clearly and learn the material faster.
- Knowing the terminology helps train your thinking: you begin to operate with the right concepts. Very often we fail to notice a phenomenon simply because we don’t know its name or only vaguely understand what it means.
That’s why, whenever you come across an unfamiliar poker term, make sure to look up its meaning in a glossary or online. Learning a new discipline always starts with its language. To remember terms better, write each new one down in your own words and keep a personal glossary.
1. Actions During the Game
To make optimal decisions at the table, it is important to know how the main actions — both yours and your opponents’ — are defined. Below are the key betting terms and their distinctions.
Bet
The first wager placed in the pot by one of the players on the flop, turn, or river.
Bet subtypes
Block bet
A small bet made out of position to prevent the opponent from placing a larger bet after our check. If the opponent wants to increase the size of the pot, they must raise.
Bluff bet
A bet made with a weak hand that is unlikely to win at showdown, aimed at winning the pot by forcing the opponent to fold.
Continuation bet / C-bet
A bet made by the player who was the aggressor on the previous betting street.
Delayed c-bet
When the preflop aggressor checks the flop and then bets on the turn.
Donk bet
A bet made out of position into the preflop aggressor before they have the chance to c-bet.
Freeze bet
A small raise of the opponent’s bet, usually on the turn and often with a medium-strength hand or a draw. It is used to seize the initiative and extract value, with the plan to check back on the river.
Min bet
A very small bet, often around one big blind.
Overbet
A bet larger than the current size of the pot (>100%).
Pot bet
A bet exactly equal to the size of the pot (100%).
Probe bet
A bet made out of position on the turn or river against an opponent who had the chance to continuation bet on the previous street but declined.
Value bet
A bet with a strong hand designed to extract additional chips, estimated to have at least 50% equity against the opponent’s continuing range.
Lead bet (Lead)
A bet made by the first player to act on a betting street, usually from out of position.
Protection bet
A bet made when the hand’s equity is roughly 40–55%. In position, this is often replaced with a check for pot control; out of position, a small bet is used, especially on draw-heavy boards, to deny opponents a free chance to realize their equity.
Provocative bet
A small river bet (20–30%) made out of position when the hand’s equity is greater than 60%. It collects value from medium-strength hands that would fold against a larger value bet, while also provoking bluff-raises from weaker holdings.
Information bet
A bet made when equity is about 35–50%, used to narrow the opponent’s range and/or disguise information about our own. It is more often applied out of position to avoid giving up the initiative.
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CALL
To match a previous bet; can be made both preflop and postflop.
Call subtypes
Cold call
To call a preflop raise when we have not previously invested chips in the pot.
Hero call
A call made at showdown with a relatively weak hand against an opponent’s confidently aggressive betting line, based on the assumption that they are often bluffing.
Hot call
To call after we have already invested chips in the pot (for example, after limping or making an initial raise).
Limp
To call the amount of the big blind preflop without raising.
Overcall
A call made against a raise or push when at least one player has already called before us.
RAISE
Preflop — the first increase in the pot, higher than the big blind.
Postflop — a raise of the opponent’s bet.
Types of raises and their features
Open raise
The first raise preflop, larger than the big blind, made by the first player to enter the hand.
Isolation raise (isolate)
A raise after one or more limps to isolate a weaker opponent and play mostly heads-up.
Re-raise
A raise made over an existing raise.
3-bet
The third raise in sequence (counting order, not size). Preflop example: BB → open-raise → 3-bet.
4-bet
The fourth raise in the hand. Preflop it often comes together with an all-in (4-bet push).
5-bet
The fifth raise in the hand. Preflop this is almost always an all-in.
Squeeze
A raise preflop after an open-raise and one or more calls, designed to “squeeze” the callers and take the pot through pressure.
Fold
Fold — to muck the hand. The player refuses to continue and discards the cards.
Check
Check — to pass the action to the next player without betting.
Check behind — a check made after the opponent has also checked.
Push / All-in
Push (all-in) — a wager of all remaining chips in a single action.
2. Mathematical terms in poker
EV (EV bb/100)
The number of big blinds per 100 hands that a player wins not in real chips but as a mathematical measure reflecting expected value in all-in situations. For example, if we go all-in with a 50/50 equity and win, the real bb/100 shows the full chip gain, while EV bb/100 shows only 50%, which corresponds to the mathematical reality.
Upswing
A positive run of probability distribution: we win key hands, receive more coolers in our favor, and win coinflips more often.
Downswing
A negative run of probability distribution: we lose key hands, coolers go against us, and coinflips run poorly.
Variance
The difference between the mathematically expected result and the actual outcome over a long run.
Nash equilibrium
A key concept in game theory. A set of strategies where no player can increase their winnings by changing strategy unilaterally.
In poker, Nash equilibrium is applied in MTT, Sit&Go, and Spin&Go formats to define push/fold ranges with stacks up to 15 big blinds.
Pot odds
The ratio of the current pot to the size of the call.
Implied odds
Potential pot odds: the estimated winnings on later streets if a strong hand is completed.
Expected value (EV)
The expected profit or loss from making a particular decision in a hand.
Equity
The probability of winning a hand, expressed as a percentage.
Fold equity
The probability that an opponent will fold in response to our bet or raise.
SPR (Stack-to-Pot Ratio)
The ratio of the effective stack to the pot size. For example: with a stack of 5000 and a pot of 2500, SPR = 2. If the pot is 5000 and both players have 20,000, SPR = 4.
Chip EV
Expected value of each action in a tournament, expressed in chips. It reflects how much the stack is expected to change after the hand.
RNG (Random Number Generator)
An algorithm that produces a sequence of numbers simulating the random distribution of cards from the deck.
3. Poker tricks
Barrelling
A sequence of bets on consecutive streets (flop, turn, river).
Floating
Calling a continuation bet on the flop (sometimes on the turn) with an unmade hand, intending to win the pot with a bluff on later streets.
Click-raise
A minimum re-raise, usually just doubling the opponent’s bet.
Bluff
Playing a weak hand as if it were strong, without showdown equity.
Semi-bluff
A bet with a hand that is not yet made but has strong potential to improve (for example, a flush draw or straight draw). It combines pressure on the opponent with the chance of hitting at showdown.
Steal
An open-raise from late position aimed at taking the blinds.
Resteal
A raise or push in response to an opponent’s steal, usually from the blinds.
Check-raise
Check first and then raising after the opponent bets.
Slow play
Concealing the strength of a strong hand by playing passively at first, in order to extract more value on later streets.
Fast play
An aggressive line where the player builds the pot quickly with strong hands or favorable board textures.
4. Other definitions in poker
We expand the poker slang dictionary with terms that players often use.
Coinflip
A situation where the chances of winning are close to equal (about 50/50).
Example: pocket pair vs. offsuit overcards (55%–45%) or vs. suited overcards (51%–49%).
Cooler
A hand where one player loses not due to a mistake, but because both have hands strong enough to play identically over the long run.
ROI (Return on Investment)
A measure of tournament profitability. For example, an ROI of 20% means that by investing $1000 in buy-ins, the player earned $200 net profit.
Adjusting
Adapting to the opponent’s play, changing your strategy in response to his actions.
Bubble
The stage right before payouts, when several players bust just short of ITM.
Bankroll
Funds a player sets aside specifically for poker.
Bankroll management (BRM)
A system of handling the bankroll to minimize the risk of ruin.
Backing
When a player is staked by a sponsor (individual or fund) and does not play with personal money.
Bluffcatcher
A hand that beats only an opponent’s bluffs at showdown.
Winrate
A player’s average result in big blinds per 100 hands (bb/100).
Long run
A large enough sample of hands to objectively evaluate a strategy or skill level.
Leak
A flaw or weakness in a player’s game.
Dead money
Chips in the pot from players who have already folded.
Metagame
Strategic adjustments based on subjective factors such as psychology, table dynamics, image, and tendencies.
Main pot
The pot contested by all players in a hand.
Side pot
An extra pot created when one or more players are all-in, and others continue betting.
Split
When players have equal-strength hands, and the pot is divided.
Dry flop
A flop without straight or flush draws.
Tilt
A negative emotional state leading to poor decisions.
Effective stack
The maximum amount that can be contested between two players. If we have 10,000 chips and the opponent has 4500, the effective stack is 4500.
Draw
Playing a hand that has the potential to improve on later streets.
Slowroll
Deliberately delaying the reveal of a winning hand to unsettle an opponent.
Set mining
Calling preflop with a pocket pair in hopes of hitting a set on the flop.
Bad beat (suckout)
A hand where a player wins despite having significantly worse odds.
Range
The spectrum of possible starting hands a player may hold.
Preflop chart
A prepared table showing recommended starting hands by position.
Board
Community cards revealed on the flop, turn, and river.
Dry board
A board with little draw potential.
Paired board
A board containing two cards of the same rank.
Dynamic board
A board where hand equity can shift drastically depending on runouts.
Showdown (SD)
The phase where cards are revealed and the winner is determined.
Edge
A player’s advantage in a situation or overall.
HUD
Software that provides real-time opponent statistics.
Tells
Behavioral cues that reveal hand strength. Online, this includes timing and bet sizing.
Notes
Written observations on opponents, made during play.
Mining
Gathering statistics on players without directly playing against them (banned in most rooms).
Leveling
Adapting play by analyzing the opponent’s level of thinking.
Street
A stage of betting: flop, turn, or river.
Hit
To catch a needed out.
5. Types of combinations in poker
Strong combinations
Straight
Five cards arranged in order. Distinguish between lower straight (e.g. A-2-3-4-5), middle and upper straight (10-J-Q-K-A).
The example shows the lower straight.
| Your cards | Flop |
  |    |
Set
A combination of three identical cards formed by a pocket pair and one matched card on the board.
There is a lower set (for example, 22 on the Q-7-2 board), a middle set and a top set (the top three on the board).
| Your cards | Flop |
  |   |
Flush
A combination of five cards of the same suit.
There are different levels of flush strength:
Nuts flush — senior flush. The player has an ace of the right suit, or the next oldest card, if the ace is already on the board.
2-nuts flush — the second strongest flush. The player has the king of the desired suit, or the second oldest card if the king is on the board.
3-nuts flush — the third strongest flush. The player has a queen of the right suit, or the third oldest card if the queen is on the board.
Full House
A combination of three cards of the same value and a pair. Full house is valued above the set and flush, but inferior to the quads and straight flush.
| Your cards | Flop |
  |  |
Four of a Kind (quads)
A combination of four cards of the same value. Quads is one of the strongest combinations in poker. It can only lose to a straight flush or a royal flush.
| Your cards | Flop |
|  |
Royal Flush
The strongest hand in poker. A sequence of five cards of the same suit from a ten to an ace. This combination is invincible and stands at the top of the poker hierarchy.
| Your cards | Flop |
 |    |
Varieties of pair
There are several types of pairs in poker, each with its own name. These terms are commonly used in strategy materials and in live player discussions.
Two pair
A combination of two pocket cards and two board cards.
Three types are distinguished:
Top two pair — the two highest flop cards form pairs with our pocket cards (see example 1).
Middle two pair — one high and one low flop card form the pairs.
Bottom two pair — the middle and the lowest flop cards form the pairs (see example 2).
| Your cards | Flop |
 |   |
|   |
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than the top card on the board.
| Your cards | Flop |
  |    |
Top pair
A pair formed by one of our pocket cards and the highest card on the board.
| Your cards | Flop |
 |   |
TPTK (top pair top kicker)
A top pair combined with the best possible kicker.
For example, holding A-Q on a board of A-7-4 gives us TPTK.
TPGK (top pair good kicker)
Top pair with a strong, but not maximum kicker. The role of "good kicker" is most often played by K or Q.
Underpair
A pocket pair lower than the highest board card but still stronger than a middle or bottom pair.
| Your cards | Flop |
 | |
Middle Pair
A pair formed by one pocket card and the middle board card.
| Your cards | Flop |
|   |
Bottom Pair
A pair formed by one pocket card and the lowest board card.
| Your cards | Flop |
| |
Weak Pair pair
Any pair formed with the third or fourth highest board card, or a pocket pair that is weaker than most pairs possible on that board.
Unmade hands in poker
Unmade hands are combinations that are not yet complete but have the potential to improve on later streets. These are often called draws.
Flush draw
Four cards of the same suit, one short of a flush.
| Your cards | Flop |
|  |
OESD (Open-Ended Straight Draw)
Four consecutive cards that need one card above or below to complete a straight.
| Your cards | Flop |
| |
Gutshot (gutshot)
An inside straight draw where one card in the middle of the sequence is missing to complete the straight.
| Your cards | Flop |
|  |
Overcards
Two pocket cards higher than the top card on the board.
| Your cards | Flop |
 |  |
Backdoor draw
A draw that requires two specific cards on subsequent streets to complete, such as two suited cards to make a flush. If the right card appears on the turn, the draw becomes live.
| Your cards | Flop |
| |
Double belly buster (Double gutshot)
A special kind of straight draw that simultaneously gives two inside straight draws. This hand typically has 8 outs to improve.
- For example:
| Your cards | Flop |
 |  |
Names of starting hands and card-related terms
Broadway
Starting hands that consist of cards from ten to ace. Broadway hands can be suited or offsuit.
Kicker
A card not directly part of the combination but used to break ties when players have the same hand strength. The higher the kicker, the stronger the final hand.
Connectors
Two pocket cards in consecutive rank. Connectors may be suited or offsuit. Suited connectors are particularly valuable, as they have higher potential to form straights and flushes.
Gap Connectors
Pocket cards separated by one or more ranks.
One-gap — cards are separated by one rank (J9).
Two-gap — cards are separated by two ranks (J8).
Three-gap — cards are separated by three ranks (J7).
Gap connectors have fewer straight-making possibilities than regular connectors but can still be profitable when played correctly, especially if suited.
Nuts
The best possible hand at a given moment. Holding the nuts means no opponent can have a stronger combination.
Premium hands / range
The strongest starting hands or hand ranges (e.g., AA, KK, QQ, AK). These hands generate the most profit over the long run.
Outs
Cards that improve a draw to a made hand. For example, a flush draw usually has 9 outs — the nine remaining suited cards in the deck.
Runout
The sequence of community cards revealed on the flop, turn, and river that complete the final board.
Blank
A card appearing on the board that does not change the situation or improve likely combinations.
A card in our hand that reduces the number of possible combinations for the opponent.
For example, there are 16 possible AK combinations, but if we hold one ace, only 12 remain.
Blockers are commonly used for:
- narrowing the opponent’s range by excluding certain hands;
- selecting hands for bluffing, since holding a key blocker (e.g., an ace in a flush bluff) increases the likelihood the opponent does not hold the nuts.
Learning and understanding poker terminology is essential. Think in the categories these terms describe — this broadens and structures your poker mindset. Such an approach directly influences decision-making quality and will significantly contribute to long-term success in your professional poker career.
