All about poker: terms, abbreviations and slang
Hey, before your first game, we really recommend you to get familiar with the basic terms. At least, so you can understand what’s going on. And who knows, maybe you’ll become a pro and start earning money from playing games.
Poker has tons of versions that are famous all around the world. Even in some remote areas of Russia or China, they have their own versions of poker that aren't like the classic one. But we won't go too far and just list a few popular versions.
Poker has tons of versions that are famous all around the world. Even in some remote areas of Russia or China, they have their own versions of poker that aren't like the classic one. But we won't go too far and just list a few popular versions.
Varieties of poker
The most common form of poker
Texas hold'em
The rules are simple: each player is dealt two cards, and then five community cards are revealed on the table. The winner is determined by the best five-card combination.
The second most popular type of poker
Omaha
Here each player receives four cards, and then five community cards are revealed. The combination is made up of two cards in the hand and three community cards
Also known as Draw Poker
Draw poker
Is a game in which each player is dealt five cards and then, after a round of betting, they are given the opportunity to replace cards that they do not want. The number of replacements may vary depending on the type of game.
One of the oldest varieties of poker
Stud poker
The most popular version is seven-card stud. Players are dealt one card face up and two face down. After each round of betting, one card is dealt face up (three more times) and the final card is dealt face down.
More like solitaire than traditional poker
Chinese Poker
Each player is dealt cards, which he places in three rows. For collecting certain combinations, points are awarded, which the losing player must pay.
A variation of Hold'em that uses a shorter deck of cards
Short deck poker
In this version of poker, the lowest card is a six. The rules for forming combinations are slightly different from the traditional ones. For example, in short deck, a straight has more weight than a flush.
Combinations and starting hands
Poker is all about making the best hand. Each hand is made up of 5 cards. The goal is to have a better hand than your opponents. In Texas Hold'em, you use 2 cards that you get right at the start and 5 community cards on the table to make your 5-card hand.
High Card
When there are no matches, the winner is determined by the highest card.
Pair
These are 2 cards of the same value, which can be either completely in the hand or in combination with one card from the table.
Two Pairs
A match with two cards on the board. For example, you were dealt AK, and the board is A-K-9-2-4. Another situation is when you have 77 face down, and the board is 8-5-8-Q-J. You have two pairs: sevens and eights.
Set
Three cards of the same value. For example, you have 22, and the board has 8-5-2-A-K. If two identical cards are shared, the combination is called trips. Example: you hold 67, and the board has 2-4-7-7-A. Your combination is trips of sevens.
Straight
Five cards in a row (suit does not matter). For example, you have 89, and the dealer deals 2-T-5-7-J. Your combination is a straight from seven to jack. Here, the ace plays an unusual role, which is allowed to be both the highest card in a poker combination (T-J-Q-K-A) and the lowest (A-2-3-4-5). However, the combination K-A-2-3-4 is NOT a straight.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit. Values do not matter.
Full House
This is a set (trips) and a pair. For example, you have AJ and the board is A-A-2-7-J. You would have a full house on aces and jacks."
Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same suit.
Straight flush
A combination of a straight and a flush - five cards of the same suit, in order.
Royal Flush
A type of straight flush from ten to ace.
Poker terms
During the game, when opponents discuss situations on the board, you will hear the following poker terms. It is important to understand what they mean.
Blank card (blank) — a card that did not improve the combination
Open-ended straight draw — a situation when you have four cards in a row, and either one from the bottom or one from the top is missing to make a straight. For example, when you have TJ, and the flop opened 8-9-A.
Pocket pair — a pair that was dealt face down
Connectors — pocket cards whose ranks are adjacent, for example: 78 or 89
Overpair — two pocket cards of the same rank, which are higher than all the cards opened on the board. For example, KK on a board of 4-8-T.
Middle pair — a match with the second-highest card opened on the flop. For example, on a 7-6-K board, you have A7, a middle pair of sevens.
Top pair is a pocket card that matches the highest card on the board. For example, on a 7-6-K board, you have AK.
Gutshot is a situation where you are one card short of a straight in the middle. For example, you have 89. And the flop was 5-J-Q.
Backdoor is a situation where both the turn and the river have cards that strengthen the combination. For example, you have AJ. After a 2-6-T flop, the only chance was to get a backdoor straight. For this, a king and a queen must fall on the turn and river.
Draw — not a ready combination
Kicker — a card that determines the winner if two or more participants have collected the same combinations
Nuts — the best of all possible combinations
Overcard — a pocket card (or two) that is higher in rank than all on the table
Flush draw — not yet a ready flush, when one card is missing to collect a combination
Open-ended straight draw — a situation when you have four cards in a row, and either one from the bottom or one from the top is missing to make a straight. For example, when you have TJ, and the flop opened 8-9-A.
Pocket pair — a pair that was dealt face down
Connectors — pocket cards whose ranks are adjacent, for example: 78 or 89
Overpair — two pocket cards of the same rank, which are higher than all the cards opened on the board. For example, KK on a board of 4-8-T.
Middle pair — a match with the second-highest card opened on the flop. For example, on a 7-6-K board, you have A7, a middle pair of sevens.
Top pair is a pocket card that matches the highest card on the board. For example, on a 7-6-K board, you have AK.
Gutshot is a situation where you are one card short of a straight in the middle. For example, you have 89. And the flop was 5-J-Q.
Backdoor is a situation where both the turn and the river have cards that strengthen the combination. For example, you have AJ. After a 2-6-T flop, the only chance was to get a backdoor straight. For this, a king and a queen must fall on the turn and river.
Draw — not a ready combination
Kicker — a card that determines the winner if two or more participants have collected the same combinations
Nuts — the best of all possible combinations
Overcard — a pocket card (or two) that is higher in rank than all on the table
Flush draw — not yet a ready flush, when one card is missing to collect a combination
Game stages
During the game, when opponents discuss situations on the board, you will hear the following poker terms. It is important to understand what they mean.
Preflop — the betting stage when no one has yet seen the community cards, and the players make bets based on the strength of their starting hands and their position at the table
Flop — the betting stage that begins when the dealer opens three community cards (flop)
Turn — the second street, where betting begins when the dealer opens the fourth community card
River — the third street. Betting begins when the dealer opens the fifth community card
Showdown — the opponents' demonstration of their hands on the river if one of them has called the bet or both have played through "check"
Flop — the betting stage that begins when the dealer opens three community cards (flop)
Turn — the second street, where betting begins when the dealer opens the fourth community card
River — the third street. Betting begins when the dealer opens the fifth community card
Showdown — the opponents' demonstration of their hands on the river if one of them has called the bet or both have played through "check"
Actions and bets
It is impossible to imagine the rules of poker without bets - active actions on the part of the players in the hand in order to win the pot. They can be mandatory and voluntary, depending on the type and format of a particular game.
Ante — mandatory bets from everyone. Usually, the ante is equal to one tenth of the big blind.
Blinds — mandatory bets made by players located to the left of the button position. The player sitting immediately behind the dealer places the small blind, the next one - the big blind. These are mandatory bets that are made before the flop, without even seeing your hand.
Donk bet — a bet out of position on late streets of trading against an opponent who showed aggression on the previous street
Call — equalizing the opponent's bet
Continuation bet — continuing aggression on the flop (turn, river) after a preflop raise
Overbet — a bet that exceeds the current pot size
Open raise — the first raise made preflop
Reraise — a subsequent raise
Steal — an attempt to steal the pot (mandatory bets) from late position. The range for such an action is quite wide.
Pot — chips in the center of the table. The pot is made up of mandatory and voluntary bets.
A three-bet (3bet) is another increase in a raise. On the preflop, a simple reraise (second raise) is called a 3-bet, on other trading streets — a third raise. The next one is called a 4-bet.
Isolate — reraise a bet with the goal of staying heads-up with an opponent on subsequent streets
Bet — first voluntary bet on any street
Limp — call a mandatory bet the size of one big pot when no one at the table has yet raised
All-in — bet all in when a person moves all of their chips to the center of the table
Resteal — 3-bet or 3-bet all-in in response to an attempt to steal the pot from late position
Raise — raise a bet
Fold — renounce further participation in the hand when the hand is folded to the center of the table to the dealer
Blinds — mandatory bets made by players located to the left of the button position. The player sitting immediately behind the dealer places the small blind, the next one - the big blind. These are mandatory bets that are made before the flop, without even seeing your hand.
Donk bet — a bet out of position on late streets of trading against an opponent who showed aggression on the previous street
Call — equalizing the opponent's bet
Continuation bet — continuing aggression on the flop (turn, river) after a preflop raise
Overbet — a bet that exceeds the current pot size
Open raise — the first raise made preflop
Reraise — a subsequent raise
Steal — an attempt to steal the pot (mandatory bets) from late position. The range for such an action is quite wide.
Pot — chips in the center of the table. The pot is made up of mandatory and voluntary bets.
A three-bet (3bet) is another increase in a raise. On the preflop, a simple reraise (second raise) is called a 3-bet, on other trading streets — a third raise. The next one is called a 4-bet.
Isolate — reraise a bet with the goal of staying heads-up with an opponent on subsequent streets
Bet — first voluntary bet on any street
Limp — call a mandatory bet the size of one big pot when no one at the table has yet raised
All-in — bet all in when a person moves all of their chips to the center of the table
Resteal — 3-bet or 3-bet all-in in response to an attempt to steal the pot from late position
Raise — raise a bet
Fold — renounce further participation in the hand when the hand is folded to the center of the table to the dealer
Table positions
There are no experienced players who do not know poker slang. It concerns positions and the course of the game. On the preflop, the first action is taken by the player who sits next to the big blind. On all subsequent streets, the betting is opened by the person in the small blind position or the one closest to the button when moving clockwise. Let's consider how positions are distributed at the poker table when 9 people are participating in the game.
Early position — the first 2 seats at the table, located immediately to the left of the big blind
The button is the place next to the dealer's chip. This is the best position in poker, since on all streets (except preflop) the button has the final word in the betting round.
The small blind is the place immediately to the left of the dealer. It implies a forced bet. Usually it is equal to half of the big blind
Middle position — 3 seats to the left of the players sitting in the early position
Big blind — a seat clockwise from the small blind position. Also implies a mandatory bet, but of a larger size — 1 big blind.
Cutoff — a seat to the right of the dealer
The button is the place next to the dealer's chip. This is the best position in poker, since on all streets (except preflop) the button has the final word in the betting round.
The small blind is the place immediately to the left of the dealer. It implies a forced bet. Usually it is equal to half of the big blind
Middle position — 3 seats to the left of the players sitting in the early position
Big blind — a seat clockwise from the small blind position. Also implies a mandatory bet, but of a larger size — 1 big blind.
Cutoff — a seat to the right of the dealer
Abbreviations and acronyms
ABC poker is a game with a standard strategy, when a player does not make rash moves or expensive bluffs
VOD is a video on poker created for educational purposes. It can be paid or free
VPIP is an indicator in online poker that shows how many hands opponents play.
RNG is a random number generator. It is used for distribution in poker rooms. Some people think that it is rigged. But this is certainly not true.
ITM is an abbreviation for In the money, literally "getting into the money". It means getting into the prizes in a tournament or SNG.
PFR is a preflop raise. The value shows how aggressively opponents play their hands preflop.
MTT is a multi-table tournament
RFI is a raise first in. This is a notation from online poker that shows what percentage of hands the opponent opens with a raise.
HUD is statistical information about the opponents' play, displayed directly on the screen in online poker
VOD is a video on poker created for educational purposes. It can be paid or free
VPIP is an indicator in online poker that shows how many hands opponents play.
RNG is a random number generator. It is used for distribution in poker rooms. Some people think that it is rigged. But this is certainly not true.
ITM is an abbreviation for In the money, literally "getting into the money". It means getting into the prizes in a tournament or SNG.
PFR is a preflop raise. The value shows how aggressively opponents play their hands preflop.
MTT is a multi-table tournament
RFI is a raise first in. This is a notation from online poker that shows what percentage of hands the opponent opens with a raise.
HUD is statistical information about the opponents' play, displayed directly on the screen in online poker
Slang and jargon
Underdog — a hand with low odds of winning. For example, pocket deuces against pocket aces wins only 19% of the time when all-in preflop.
Barrel — another bet from the aggressor on subsequent streets.
Bad beat — a situation when after all-in a weak hand beats a stronger one.
Backer (sponsor) — a person who invests money in a specific player. This is not done for free, but for profit.
Gambling — playing not for profit, but for excitement, at random.
Grinder — a player who plays a lot of MTTs or cash tables on a regular basis.
Implieds — potential chances to make a combination.
Cooler — a situation when several opponents were dealt strong hands, and they could not play differently.
Looseness — the desire to take part in the drawing of many pots.
Maniac — a player demonstrating a super-aggressive (loose) style.
Misclick — an action done by mistake (wanted to raise, but clicked the wrong mouse button and folded).
Nit — a cautious player who plays a very small percentage of starting hands.
Slowplay — a situation when an opponent with nuts or a very strong hand is in no hurry to take active actions, luring others into the hand.
Slowroll — an unethical move when a person pretends to be in agonizing thought and takes a long time to make a decision with absolute nuts or a combination that he could not throw out for a bet.
Snap call — an action that does not require thinking. Instant call.
Straddle — a type of optional bet in a cash game. Most often placed after the big blind.
Streak — a situation when you are lucky or unlucky for a long time. There are two types: an upstreak, when a player wins everything in a row, and a downstreak, when it is not possible to achieve a result.
Tightness is the desire to play a fairly narrow range of starting hands with maximum caution.
Tells are verbal and non-verbal clues from players that allow you to make the right decisions in hands against them.
Tilt is an unstable emotional state of a person caused by a series of lost or won hands. It is characterized by rash actions.
Fish is a weak player who has no experience.
Fold equity is the probability that an opponent will fold his hand in response to our bet.
High roller is a high-limit poker player.
Heads-up is a one-on-one poker game.
Barrel — another bet from the aggressor on subsequent streets.
Bad beat — a situation when after all-in a weak hand beats a stronger one.
Backer (sponsor) — a person who invests money in a specific player. This is not done for free, but for profit.
Gambling — playing not for profit, but for excitement, at random.
Grinder — a player who plays a lot of MTTs or cash tables on a regular basis.
Implieds — potential chances to make a combination.
Cooler — a situation when several opponents were dealt strong hands, and they could not play differently.
Looseness — the desire to take part in the drawing of many pots.
Maniac — a player demonstrating a super-aggressive (loose) style.
Misclick — an action done by mistake (wanted to raise, but clicked the wrong mouse button and folded).
Nit — a cautious player who plays a very small percentage of starting hands.
Slowplay — a situation when an opponent with nuts or a very strong hand is in no hurry to take active actions, luring others into the hand.
Slowroll — an unethical move when a person pretends to be in agonizing thought and takes a long time to make a decision with absolute nuts or a combination that he could not throw out for a bet.
Snap call — an action that does not require thinking. Instant call.
Straddle — a type of optional bet in a cash game. Most often placed after the big blind.
Streak — a situation when you are lucky or unlucky for a long time. There are two types: an upstreak, when a player wins everything in a row, and a downstreak, when it is not possible to achieve a result.
Tightness is the desire to play a fairly narrow range of starting hands with maximum caution.
Tells are verbal and non-verbal clues from players that allow you to make the right decisions in hands against them.
Tilt is an unstable emotional state of a person caused by a series of lost or won hands. It is characterized by rash actions.
Fish is a weak player who has no experience.
Fold equity is the probability that an opponent will fold his hand in response to our bet.
High roller is a high-limit poker player.
Heads-up is a one-on-one poker game.
Glossary of uncategorized terms
Out — a card that is required to complete a combination.
Add-on — additional purchase of chips, which is possible in some MTTs, but only after the end of the period when rebuys are allowed.
Bubble — a stage of MTT when one or more people are eliminated before the prize zone.
Bubble boy — the last player who failed to get into the prizes. After his out, the prize zone begins immediately.
Buy-in — a cash contribution for participation in MTT.
Bankroll — the amount used for the game. In other words, the gaming budget.
Bankroll management — a method of managing your bankroll. If you do not learn how to properly manage your gaming budget, you risk losing all your money even before you learn poker terminology.
Bounty — a reward for knocking out an opponent from the tournament. Paid in knockout tournaments.
Free card — opening the turn or river after everyone has checked, i.e. there were no raises.
Bluff — betting without a strong combination.
Range — a set of cards that the opponent may have.
Coin flip — a situation after going all-in, when the chances of winning are almost equal.
Lick — a weak point in the opponent's behavior, gestures, or strategy. Professionals use leaks to make the right decisions in a hand with a specific opponent.
Multi-tabling — a situation when a regular is playing at several tables at the same time.
Multipot — a pot that 3 or more people are trying to win at the same time.
Semi-bluff — a bluff that has a chance to improve to a strong combination.
Pot control — the desire of one of the opponents not to "inflate" the pot, keeping it small.
Pot limit — a format of poker games that implies limiting the maximum bet to the size of the current pot.
Rebuy — an opportunity to replenish the stock of chips in a tournament.
A regular — a person who participates in many tournaments or cash games, an experienced player. Often this is the name for professionals or "strong" amateurs.
Re-entry — an opportunity to re-register in a tournament by paying the entry fee.
Rake — a certain amount that is collected by the organizer of the game (room, casino) for participation. In MTT, the rake is included in the paid buy-in.
Hand — cards that were dealt face down. This is also the name for a separate hand.
Sizing, bet sizing — the size of the bet.
Satellite — a qualifying stage in which tickets to more expensive tournaments are raffled off. This is a good opportunity to qualify for a competition that you can't play according to your bankroll. The most striking example of successfully passing a satellite is Chris Moneymaker. He won the main tournament of the World Series of Poker (entry to it costs $10,000), having qualified through several satellites. The first one was played for only $39. And the prize for first place was about $2.5 million.
Spin&Go (spins) is a single-table tournament for three opponents, where the prize pool is determined by RNG.
Split-pot (sharing) is a situation when the entire bank (or part of it) is divided between opponents.
Stack is all tournament chips or money that are declared at the table in a cash game. For example, the Sochi casino has its own game currency for cash games C S U (Casino Sochi Unit).
Timebank is the time given to make a decision in the hand.
Street is the next round of betting, which begins after the opening of the flop, turn or river.
Final table is the final stage of MTT, when only one table remains in the game.
Chart is a range of starting combinations and possible actions with them in various game situations.
Chip leader — the player with the most chips in the stack.
Pot odds — the ratio of the current pot size to the amount of chips needed to call the pot.
Any two — any two cards, not tied to a specific range.
Add-on — additional purchase of chips, which is possible in some MTTs, but only after the end of the period when rebuys are allowed.
Bubble — a stage of MTT when one or more people are eliminated before the prize zone.
Bubble boy — the last player who failed to get into the prizes. After his out, the prize zone begins immediately.
Buy-in — a cash contribution for participation in MTT.
Bankroll — the amount used for the game. In other words, the gaming budget.
Bankroll management — a method of managing your bankroll. If you do not learn how to properly manage your gaming budget, you risk losing all your money even before you learn poker terminology.
Bounty — a reward for knocking out an opponent from the tournament. Paid in knockout tournaments.
Free card — opening the turn or river after everyone has checked, i.e. there were no raises.
Bluff — betting without a strong combination.
Range — a set of cards that the opponent may have.
Coin flip — a situation after going all-in, when the chances of winning are almost equal.
Lick — a weak point in the opponent's behavior, gestures, or strategy. Professionals use leaks to make the right decisions in a hand with a specific opponent.
Multi-tabling — a situation when a regular is playing at several tables at the same time.
Multipot — a pot that 3 or more people are trying to win at the same time.
Semi-bluff — a bluff that has a chance to improve to a strong combination.
Pot control — the desire of one of the opponents not to "inflate" the pot, keeping it small.
Pot limit — a format of poker games that implies limiting the maximum bet to the size of the current pot.
Rebuy — an opportunity to replenish the stock of chips in a tournament.
A regular — a person who participates in many tournaments or cash games, an experienced player. Often this is the name for professionals or "strong" amateurs.
Re-entry — an opportunity to re-register in a tournament by paying the entry fee.
Rake — a certain amount that is collected by the organizer of the game (room, casino) for participation. In MTT, the rake is included in the paid buy-in.
Hand — cards that were dealt face down. This is also the name for a separate hand.
Sizing, bet sizing — the size of the bet.
Satellite — a qualifying stage in which tickets to more expensive tournaments are raffled off. This is a good opportunity to qualify for a competition that you can't play according to your bankroll. The most striking example of successfully passing a satellite is Chris Moneymaker. He won the main tournament of the World Series of Poker (entry to it costs $10,000), having qualified through several satellites. The first one was played for only $39. And the prize for first place was about $2.5 million.
Spin&Go (spins) is a single-table tournament for three opponents, where the prize pool is determined by RNG.
Split-pot (sharing) is a situation when the entire bank (or part of it) is divided between opponents.
Stack is all tournament chips or money that are declared at the table in a cash game. For example, the Sochi casino has its own game currency for cash games C S U (Casino Sochi Unit).
Timebank is the time given to make a decision in the hand.
Street is the next round of betting, which begins after the opening of the flop, turn or river.
Final table is the final stage of MTT, when only one table remains in the game.
Chart is a range of starting combinations and possible actions with them in various game situations.
Chip leader — the player with the most chips in the stack.
Pot odds — the ratio of the current pot size to the amount of chips needed to call the pot.
Any two — any two cards, not tied to a specific range.
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