POKER TERMINOLOGY

BACKDOOR: Refers to the possibility of catching strong cards on the turn and river; completing a hand using both the turn and river cards consecutively.

BARREL: Refers to betting as an aggressive action (usually in succession). When consecutive betting occurs by one player, the 1st barrel is on the flop, the 2nd on the turn, and the third on the river.

BLOCKER: A card held by a player or on the board that makes it less likely (or impossible) for an opponent to hold the same. For example, if player A is on a club flush draw and player B is holding a club, then Player B has a flush blocker in their hand.

BOARD: Refers to the five community cards that are face up on the table (when one is playing the board, it means that the best five cards in a player’s hand are all five of the community cards).

BLUFF: A bet or raise with a relatively weak hand with the objective of getting opponents to fold a better hand.

BLUFF CATCHER: A hand that can beat all of your opponent’s bluffs, but not their value hands. Usually a hand that is not good enough to bet for value yourself.

BUTTON: Refers to the position that holds the dealer button. This is a desirable spot because the button is last to act which gives an informational advantage.

CARD REMOVAL: The effect that our hand has on the possible combinations of hands that our opponents can hold. 

CONNECTORS: Cards of consecutive rank (like 6 & 7 or 7 & 8)

CONTINUATION BET (C-BET): A bet made on the flop by the original preflop raiser

CUTOFF POSITION: Position at the table immediately right of the dealer button

DONK BET: A bet made by an out-of-position player that was not the last aggressor in the previous betting round and who simply called the opponent’s bet on the previous street.

DOUBLE / TRIPLE BARREL: Double barrel is betting both the flop and the turn. Triple barrel is betting all three streets post flop.

DOUBLE-GUTTER: Two inside straight draws that give the same number of outs as an open-ended straight draw. (example: a flop of K-9-7c while you are holding J-10; Any Q and any 8 complete your straight).

DRY BOARD: Describes a board texture where not many possible draws exist (like 2c, 7s, Qh).

DRY SIDE-POT: This occurs when a player is all-in, but the remaining players have yet to make a side-pot.

EARLY POSITION: Refers to the three players sitting to the direct left of the button: small blind, big blind, and under-the-gun.

EFFECTIVE STACK: the smallest of all the stack sizes in play. (i.e. you are heads up on the flop and you have 500 and your opponent has 400. The effective stack is 400)

EQUITY: The percentage share of the pot that belongs to a player, given the board at that time.

FLAT: To call a bet.

FLOATING: Calling a bet with a weak hand with the intention of possibly bluffing later.

GEOMETRIC BET SIZING: Optimal bet sizing that is the same for each street as represented in percentage of pot in order to be all-in by the river. Can be effectively used in polarized spots. E.g.–

Effective stack size 40bbs
Flop (12bbs in pot)  you bet 6bbs or 50% pot

Effective stack size 34bbs
Turn (24bbs in pot) you bet 12bbs or 50% pot

Effective stack size 22bbs
River (48bbs in pot) you bet 22bbs all in or roughly 50% pot

GUTSHOT: (inside straight draw). A straight draw that can only be filled by 4 cards as opposed to 8.

HERO CALL: Making a call with a relatively weak hand in an effort to pick off a bluff.

HIJACK POSITION: The position at the table two players to the right of the dealer button.

IN-POSITION: The desired position that allows a player to act last.

ISOLATION RAISE: A raise designed to isolate a weak or out of position opponent in order to push everyone else out of the pot and get heads-up with the desired opponent.

LATE POSITION: Refers to the three players sitting in the Hijack, Cuttoff, and Button positions.

LIMP: To just call the big blind amount (calling the minimum bet).

MONSTER DRAW: A hand with a multitude of draws that if hit will likely result in the winning hand.

MONSTER HAND: A very big hand that is most likely the best hand on any given street.

NIT: A derogatory term describing a player that plays too tight.

THE NUTS: The best possible hand (given the board)

OPEN: To be the first to make a raise.

OPEN-ENDED (UP & DOWN) DRAW: A straight draw with four consecutive cards whereby the player needs one additional card on either side to complete the straight (example: a flop of J-4-5 while holding 6-7).

ORBIT: A full rotation of the blinds going around the table.

OUTS: Any unseen card(s) that would improve a player’s hand.

PREMIUM HAND: Strongest grouping of hands. (i.e. AA preflop, nut flush or nut straight on the river)

RANGE: Likely holding of a poker player as evident according to the information present (position, personality, and actions made).

REPRESENT: Attempt by a player to give the illusion of holding a hand the opponent should be afraid of losing to.

SEMI-BLUFF: Betting in an attempt to take the pot with aggression but having outs in case the bet is called.

SLOW PLAY (TRAPPING): Employing a passive tactic (checking/calling) to disguise the strength of one’s hand.

SPEECH PLAY: Talking to your opponent in order to either gain information or to manipulate their decision-making in your favor

STRADDLE: A blind bet made by the player immediately to the left of the big blind (in the amount of twice the big blind) that allows this player to act last before the flop.

STREET: A card that is dealt on the board in a particular betting round (flop, turn, and river are all different streets).

SQUEEZE PLAY: When a player makes a three-bet raise over an initial raise that has been called by one or more players. It is an effort to win preflop or at least isolate either as a bluff or for value.

SUITED CONNECTORS: Cards of the same suit and consecutive rank (like 5h & 6h).

THREE-BET: A re-raise of a raise.

UNDER THE GUN: The player to the direct left of the big blind; the position at the table that acts first post-flop (post-turn & river).

VALUE BET: A bet by a player holding a perceived winning hand designed to be called in order to extract more chips from opponents.

WET BOARD: Describes a board texture where lots of draws (i.e. straight, flush, or both) are possible, and the cards are very interconnected.