Collusion in poker refers to an unethical practice where two or more players work together secretly to gain an unfair advantage over others. This can include sharing information about their hands, signaling strategies, or coordinating bets to manipulate the outcome of the game. Collusion is considered cheating and is strictly prohibited in all reputable poker games and tournaments.
Color up: The process of exchanging smaller denomination chips for larger ones, often performed during a poker game to reduce the number of chips in play.
Colt 45: A nickname for the starting hand 4-5 in poker, often associated with the gun ‘Colt .45’, highlighting the hand’s potential for surprise or power when played strategically.
Connectivity: The degree to which the cards in a poker hand or on the board are consecutive. High connectivity means the cards are close in rank, increasing the potential for straights.
Counterfeit: A situation in poker where a player’s hand becomes weaker due to the community cards. This often occurs when the board pairs in such a way that diminishes the strength of a player’s previously strong hand.
Crossbook: A side bet between poker players where they compare their profits or losses from playing in the same session, table, or tournament. The player with the higher profits wins the agreed-upon amount from the other player.
Data Mining: In poker, data mining refers to the practice of collecting large amounts of hand histories and player statistics without actively participating in the games. This data is used to analyze opponents’ playing styles and tendencies, often with the help of specialized software, to gain a strategic advantage.
Dead Man’s Hand: A poker hand consisting of two black aces and two black eights, historically associated with the murder of Wild Bill Hickok in 1876.
Dead Money refers to chips in the pot that have been contributed by players who have already folded or are unlikely to win. It can also describe a player who is participating in a game but is considered to have little chance of winning.
Deal Twice: A poker rule allowing players to agree to deal the remaining cards twice, creating two separate boards, typically used to reduce variance in high-stakes games.
Dealer’s Choice: A poker game variant where the dealer for each round selects the type of poker to be played. The dealer can choose from a range of different poker games, offering variety and strategic diversity.
Deception: A strategy used in poker to mislead opponents about the strength of one’s hand, often by bluffing or playing weak hands aggressively, to induce mistakes and increase one’s advantage.
Depolarised: In poker, a depolarised betting range refers to a balanced mix of strong hands and medium-strength hands, as opposed to a polarised range which includes only very strong hands and bluffs. This strategy is used to make opponents uncertain about the strength of the player’s hand.
Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is a lowball poker game where players attempt to make the lowest possible five-card hand. The best hand is 2-3-4-5-7. Players are dealt five cards and can draw up to three times, discarding and replacing cards to improve their hand. Straights and flushes count against a low hand, and aces are always high. Each round of drawing is followed by a round of betting, and the player with the lowest hand at showdown wins.
Deuce-to-Seven Lowball: A poker variant where the lowest hand wins. Aces are high, straights and flushes count against you, making 2-3-4-5-7 the best hand.
Deuce-to-Seven: A poker hand ranking system where the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2, with straights and flushes counting against the hand.
Disconnect Protection: A feature in online poker rooms that protects players from losing their entire stack if they disconnect during a hand. This protection typically allows the hand to be paused or completed without further betting from the disconnected player, ensuring they don’t lose additional chips due to technical issues.
Dolly Parton is a poker slang term for a starting hand consisting of a 9 and a 5. The name is a reference to the famous country singer’s song “9 to 5.” This hand is not particularly strong and is usually not recommended for aggressive play.
Double Board: In a poker game, two separate boards are dealt simultaneously. Players aim to make the best hand on each board, with the pot often split between the winners of each board.
Double Suited: A starting hand in Omaha poker where two pairs of cards share the same suit, increasing the potential for flush draws.
Double-Draw: A poker variant where players have two opportunities to exchange cards to improve their hands before the final betting round.
Draw Down: The act of continuing in a poker hand with the hopes of improving one’s hand by drawing additional cards, typically in games like Texas Hold’em or Omaha.
Draw For Deal: A method used in poker to determine the initial dealer by having players draw cards, with the highest card determining the dealer position.
Draw For Seats: A random process used to assign players to their starting seats at the beginning of a poker tournament or cash game, ensuring fairness and impartiality in seat allocation.
Draw Lowball is a poker variant where players aim for the lowest hand. Each player receives five cards and can exchange cards in a draw round to improve their hand. The best low hand wins, with aces considered low and straights and flushes counting against the hand.
Draw Poker is a poker variant where players receive a complete hand before the first betting round and then have the opportunity to improve their hand by replacing or “drawing” new cards.
Draw Snow: A poker strategy used in bluffing scenarios where a player bets heavily while having a drawing hand, intending to either complete the draw or make opponents fold stronger hands.
In poker, ‘Early Position’ (EP) refers to the players who are seated immediately to the left of the big blind in games like Texas Hold’em. These players must act first in a betting round, which is a disadvantage as they have less information about other players’ actions. Typically, the first three seats are considered early position, where players should play stronger hands due to their positional disadvantage.
Edge (Skill Advantage): The benefit a player holds due to superior skill or knowledge, allowing them to make more profitable decisions compared to less experienced or skilled opponents.
Edge Shot refers to a strategic play in poker where a player attempts to gain an advantage by making a calculated and risky move, often involving bluffing or exploiting opponents’ weaknesses.
Effective stack: The smallest stack size between two players in a hand; it determines the maximum amount either player can win from the other.
Eight or better: A qualification rule in high-low split poker games, like Omaha Hi-Lo, where a low hand must contain cards no higher than an eight to be eligible for winning the low portion of the pot.
Eight-Game: A mixed poker game combining eight different variations including Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw.
Players rotate through each game, typically every six to eight hands, testing diverse skills and strategies.
Empty the clip: A strategy in poker where a player continues to bet aggressively on all streets, potentially bluffing, to force opponents to fold.
English Poker: A variation of poker popular in English-speaking countries, known for its diverse gameplay and strategic depth. It includes many forms like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud, each with unique rules and betting structures.
English Stud is a variant of stud poker, where players are dealt a mix of face-down and face-up cards over multiple betting rounds. The game involves strategic betting based on visible cards and potential hands. Unlike other poker variants, English Stud emphasizes observation and memory, as players must remember previously dealt cards to make informed decisions.
EP (Early Position): In poker, this refers to the seats immediately to the left of the blinds. Players in these positions act earlier in the betting round, which is typically considered a disadvantage due to the lack of information about other players’ hands.
Equilibrium: In poker, equilibrium refers to a state where players have optimized their strategies to the point that no player can benefit by unilaterally changing their approach. This balance ensures that each player’s strategy is a best response to the others, often described as a Nash Equilibrium in game theory.
Equity Denial: The strategy of betting or raising to prevent opponents from realizing their equity in a hand by forcing them to fold before they can see more community cards.
Equity: In poker, equity refers to a player’s chance of winning a hand based on the current situation. It is calculated as a percentage and considers the strength of a player’s cards versus opponents’ potential hands. Understanding equity helps players make informed decisions about betting, calling, or folding.
Equity protection: The strategy of making decisions to preserve the current value of one’s hand in poker. It involves betting or raising to prevent opponents from drawing cards that could improve their hands and diminish one’s likelihood of winning.
Equity realization refers to the percentage of the theoretical equity a player’s hand has against an opponent’s range that is actually achieved by the river, considering factors like position, board texture, and opponent’s actions.
Equity when called (EWC) refers to the percentage chance a poker player’s hand has of winning when an opponent calls their bet. It calculates the player’s equity in the pot after an opponent has committed to the round, considering the current hand strength against potential opponents’ hands.
Even Money: A bet where the potential winnings are equal to the original stake, offering a 1:1 payout ratio.
Exploitative Play is a poker strategy where a player takes advantage of opponents’ tendencies or weaknesses to increase their own winnings. This approach involves adjusting one’s playing style based on observed behaviors, such as betting patterns or psychological cues, to counteract and exploit predictable actions, rather than relying solely on a balanced or equilibrium strategy.
Fake Think: A deceptive strategy in poker where a player deliberately takes extra time to make a decision, giving the impression of having a difficult choice, often to mislead opponents about the strength of their hand.
Fast fold: A poker variant where players can instantly fold and move to a new hand at a different table, increasing the number of hands played per hour.
Felt: The fabric surface of a poker table, often green in color, where the game is played.
In poker, Fifth Street refers to the fifth community card dealt in games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha. It’s also called the River.
First position: The seat immediately to the left of the dealer or button in a poker game, also known as ‘under the gun’ (UTG). This player acts first in the betting round, which can be a strategic disadvantage.
Five Card Draw: A classic poker variant where each player is dealt five cards. Players can exchange up to three cards for new ones from the deck to improve their hand. The goal is to make the best five-card hand after one round of betting and drawing.
Five of a Kind: In poker, a five of a kind is a hand that contains five cards of the same rank. This hand is only possible in games that use wild cards, such as jokers or deuces, and is the highest possible hand, ranking above a royal flush.
Five-Card Stud: A poker variant where each player receives one card face down and four cards face up, with betting rounds after each new card. The goal is to make the best five-card hand.
Fixed Limit: A betting structure in poker where the amount a player can bet or raise is fixed in advance, usually set for each round of betting.
Flip-and-go is a fast-paced poker variant where players start by going all-in immediately, with the winner advancing to a more traditional poker round. This format speeds up the initial stages by quickly reducing the field.
Fold Equity (FE) refers to the potential value gained when a player bets or raises, causing opponents to fold their hands. It is an important concept in poker strategy, as it allows players to win pots without having to show the best hand. Fold equity increases with the aggressiveness of the play and the likelihood that opponents will fold, factoring in their perception of the player’s hand strength and the board texture.
Forced play: A situation in poker where a player must make a bet or raise due to game rules, often seen in games with blinds or antes.
Forward motion: In poker, a forward motion refers to a player’s hand or chips moving towards the betting area, indicating an intention to bet or call. This action can be binding depending on the rules of the game and the specific situation at the table.
Four of a Kind (4oak): A poker hand consisting of four cards of the same rank, plus any fifth card. It ranks above a Full House and below a Straight Flush.
Four of a kind: A poker hand that contains four cards of the same rank and one card of a different rank, which is known as the kicker. Also referred to as ‘quads.’
Fourth Street: The fourth community card dealt in a game of Texas Hold’em or Omaha. Known as the “turn,” it follows the flop and precedes the river. Players make decisions based on their hand’s potential with this additional card.
Free Play: Refers to the opportunity to see the next card in a poker game without having to place a bet, often occurring when everyone checks in a betting round.
Full Ring: A poker game with a maximum of 9-10 players at the table, offering a more conservative style of play compared to shorter-handed games.
Full staking: Full staking in poker refers to a financial arrangement where a backer provides all the buy-ins for a player to participate in poker games. In return, the backer receives a predetermined percentage of the player’s winnings, if any, and absorbs all the losses. This allows players to participate in games without risking their own money.
Game flow refers to the dynamic nature of a poker game, encompassing the pace, player tendencies, and recent events at the table. It influences decision-making and strategy adjustments as players react to changes and patterns in the game.
Game Theory Optimal: A strategy in poker that involves making mathematically perfect decisions in order to be unexploitable by opponents. It is based on game theory principles and aims to balance a player’s range to prevent opponents from gaining an advantage.
Get Full Value: A strategy in poker where a player aims to extract the maximum possible chips from an opponent by betting or raising in a manner that ensures the opponent continues to call or raise with a worse hand.
Gin: In poker, ‘Gin’ refers to an unbeatable hand, often achieved when the turn or river card completes the best possible hand in a given situation.
Go south: A dishonest practice where a player secretly removes chips from the table to reduce their risk, often with the intention of leaving with a profit regardless of the game’s outcome.
GTO, or Game Theory Optimal, is a poker strategy that aims to make your play unexploitable by opponents, balancing bluffs and value bets to maximize expected value against any opponent.
Gypsy: A strategy where a player limps into the pot by calling the minimum bet instead of raising, particularly pre-flop.
Half Kill: A poker rule where the stakes are increased by half when a player wins two consecutive pots in certain games, usually in limit poker. This rule is often used to encourage action and create larger pots.
Hammer: A term used to describe an aggressive betting strategy, often involving large bets or raises to intimidate opponents and force them to fold.
Hand for Hand: A procedure in tournament poker where play pauses at all tables once a player is eliminated at any table. This continues until the tournament reaches the money or a significant milestone, ensuring fairness in the distribution of payouts.
Hand Reading refers to the process of determining what cards an opponent might be holding based on their actions, betting patterns, and available community cards. It involves analyzing information from the game context to narrow down possible hands.
In poker, hand strength refers to the value of a player’s hand based on the poker hand rankings. It determines the likelihood of winning the pot against opponents and is influenced by both the cards held and the community cards on the table. Understanding hand strength helps players make strategic decisions during the game.
Heads Up: A poker situation where only two players are involved in the hand or game. Often occurs at the final stage of a tournament or in specialized heads-up poker games.
HH (Hand History): A record of the actions taken by each player during a poker hand, including bets, folds, and cards shown. Hand histories are often used for analysis and improvement in online poker.
Hi-Lo: A split pot poker variant, typically played in games like Omaha Hi-Lo or Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, where the highest and lowest hands share the pot. The low hand must qualify under specific rules, often needing five cards of rank eight or lower, with no pairs.
High-Low: A poker variant where the pot is split between the highest and lowest hands. Players aim to have the best hand in either category. The low hand must qualify under specific rules, often requiring five cards ranked eight or lower.
Hit and Run: A poker strategy where a player wins a big pot and then immediately leaves the game, often considered poor etiquette.
Hold ’em, often referred to simply as HE, is a popular poker variant where each player is dealt two private cards and must make the best hand using five community cards. The game typically features rounds of betting and strategic decision-making, making it a staple in both casual and professional poker settings.
Holdem Manager 2 (HM2) is a poker tracking software that helps players analyze their gameplay by providing statistics, reports, and hand histories. It offers features such as HUD (Heads-Up Display), player tracking, and session reviews to improve poker performance.
Hollywood: The act of delaying one’s action in poker, such as calling or raising, to give the impression of indecision or weakness, often used as a bluffing tactic.
HORSE is a mixed poker game format involving a rotation of five different poker variants: Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Eight-or-better (Stud Hi-Lo). Each game is played for an equal time period, testing players’ skills across multiple disciplines.
HOSE: A mixed poker game format combining four variants – Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. Players rotate through each variant, typically changing every eight hands, creating a diverse and challenging poker experience.
Hourly Winrate: The average amount of money a player expects to win per hour of play. Calculated by dividing total winnings by the number of hours played, it serves as a measure of a player’s profitability over time.
House Edge: The advantage the casino has over players in a gambling game, often expressed as a percentage of the player’s bet, representing the average loss to the player over time.
HPFAP: Stands for ‘Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players’. A popular poker book by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Ray Zee, focusing on advanced strategies for Texas Hold’em.
HU (Heads-up): A poker situation where only two players are involved, often seen at the end of a tournament or in specific heads-up matches. It requires different strategies than multi-player hands.
HUSNG: Heads-Up Sit and Go is a poker format where two players compete in a single-table tournament. The goal is to eliminate the opponent and win the prize pool. Matches typically feature fast-paced action and require strategic adaptation to the opponent’s playstyle.
ICM (Independent Chip Model) is a mathematical model used in poker to calculate a player’s equity in a tournament based on their chip count relative to the total chips in play and the remaining prize distribution. It helps players make strategic decisions by evaluating the potential value of their chips without considering future game dynamics.
Image refers to the table presence or perception that other players have of you in poker. A player’s image can be tight, loose, aggressive, or passive, influencing how opponents react to their actions and decisions during the game.
In Turn: The fourth community card dealt in a game of Texas Hold’em or Omaha, following the flop. It is also sometimes referred to as “Fourth Street.”
In poker, ‘Indifference’ refers to a strategy where a player makes a decision that yields the same expected value regardless of the opponent’s actions. This concept is often used in game theory to ensure that an opponent is indifferent to their own choices, typically involving mixed strategies to prevent exploitation.
Initiative: A situation in poker where a player is dictating the action by being the aggressor, often through betting or raising, forcing opponents to react.
Insurance: In poker, insurance is a side bet made between players to reduce the risk of losing a large pot. If a player is ahead but fears an opponent might catch a winning card, they can take insurance. The player pays a certain amount to guarantee a payout even if they lose the hand, provided the opponent hits their card.
Intentional Flashing: The act of deliberately showing one or more cards to opponents, usually to convey information, mislead, or for strategic purposes during a poker game.
Isolate: A poker strategy where a player raises with the intention of getting heads-up against a specific opponent, often to exploit perceived weaknesses.
Isolation: A strategy where a player raises to force other players to fold, leaving only one opponent. This is often done to play heads-up against a weaker player.
Most Common
