Casino games glossary: poker and blackjack terms explained

Most looked-up terms50 terms

Check (poker)Passing the action to the next player without betting.
Split (blackjack)Separating two cards of the same value into two hands, each with an equal bet.
Insurance (blackjack)An extra bet of half your wager that pays if the dealer has blackjack.
Double down (blackjack)Doubling your bet and taking exactly one more card.
RFI / Open-raise (poker)Being the first to raise when no one has entered the pot.
GTO (poker)The equilibrium strategy: one that loses no matter how the opponent plays.
Bubble (poker)The place just short of the money; bust here and you get nothing.
ICM (poker)A model that converts chip stacks into expected prize money.
EVThe average profit or loss if you repeated the decision.
Nit (poker)An extremely tight player.
Pot (poker)The total chips bet in the hand.
Call (poker)Matching the opponent's bet.
Rake (poker)The fee the house or site takes from the pot.
VPIP (poker)The percentage of hands a player voluntarily puts money in the pot.
Bluff (poker)A bet meant to make better hands fold.
Set (poker)Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one board card.
DealerThe person who deals the cards and runs the game.
Bust (BJ)Going over 21 (a total of 22 or more) and losing.
Surrender (blackjack)Giving up on your first 2 cards for half your bet back.
DAS (blackjack)A rule that lets you double down on hands after a split.
Blinds (SB / BB)Forced bets posted before anyone sees their cards.
Ante / BB ante (poker)An extra forced bet paid by everyone, or by the BB for the whole table.
Raise (poker)Increasing the amount of the opponent's bet.
Fold (poker)Throwing away your cards and leaving the hand.
Bet (poker)The first wager in a betting round.
All-in (poker)Betting all of your chips.
River (poker)The fifth board card, and the final betting round.
Flop (poker)The first three board cards, and the betting round that follows.
Turn (poker)The fourth board card, and its betting round.
Kicker (poker)A remaining card that is not part of the made hand.
StraightFive cards of consecutive rank.
FlushFive cards of the same suit.
Nuts (poker)The best possible hand on that board.
Muck (poker)Throwing away your cards without showing them.
Equity (poker)The chance of winning if all the cards are run out.
Range (poker)The set of hands a player (or you) could have for an action.
TAG (poker)A tight, aggressive player.
Hit / Stand (blackjack)Taking one more card (hit), or stopping without drawing (stand).
House edgeThe house's cut: the average loss as a share of what you bet.
Short Deck (poker)Hold'em with the 2s through 5s removed (36 cards).
Straddle (poker)An optional blind of twice the BB posted before seeing cards.
HORSE (poker)A mix that rotates through the five games H, O, R, S and E.
Position (poker)The edge from acting later, since seat order decides how much you know.
Heads-up (HU)A contest between just two players.
Buy-inThe amount you bring to sit in a game, or a tournament's entry fee.
Player / Banker / Tie (games of chance)The three main baccarat bets.
Roulette (games of chance)A game of betting on the number where a ball stops on a spinning wheel.
Squeeze (poker)A 3-bet after an open and a call.
TiltWhen emotions break down your play.
Royal flushT-J-Q-K-A of the same suit; the best hand.

Poker463 terms

1 in 8, 15-20x (poker)How often a pair flops a set, and the opponent stack you need to call.
10-Game (poker)A mix that adds Badugi and NL 2⁠-⁠7 Single Draw to 8-Game.
2-7 low (poker)The low count where the ace is high and straights and flushes hurt.
2⁠-⁠7 Single Draw (poker)No-limit 2-7 lowball with one draw.
2⁠-⁠7 Triple Draw (poker)A game where you draw up to 3 times to make the lowest 5-card hand.
20-25-30-33-40 (poker)The required equity when the bet is ⅓, ½, ¾, pot, or 2x pot.
25-33-40-50 (poker)The fold rate a bluff needs to break even when the bet is ⅓, ½, ⅔ or pot.
3-bet (poker)A raise against an open-raise.
3-bet or fold (poker)A strategy with no calling range: only 3-bet or fold.
3-bet pot (poker)The CO opens, you 3-bet on the BTN, and the CO calls.
3-flush (poker)A Stud starting hand on 3rd street with 3 cards of the same suit.
3-straight (poker)A Stud starting hand on 3rd street with 3 connected cards.
3-way pot (poker)You open on the BTN and both the SB and BB call.
3B / Fold to 3B (poker)How often a player 3-bets, and how often they fold to a 3-bet.
3rd street (poker)The first Stud betting round, after 2 down cards and 1 up card are dealt.
4-8-9-15 (poker)Outs for a gutshot, an open-ender, a flush draw and a combo draw; ×2 gives your chance to hit on the next card.
4-bet / 5-bet (poker)A raise against a 3-bet, and the raise after that.
4th street (poker)The second Stud betting round, once each player has 2 up cards.
5th street (poker)The third Stud betting round, where big bets start.
6-max / Full ring (poker)Tables of at most 6 players, and tables of 9-10 players.
6th street (poker)The fourth Stud betting round, with all 4 up cards out.
7th street (poker)The last Stud betting round, with the 7th card dealt face down.
8-7-6½-6-5½ (poker)Equities for common preflop all-in matchups.
8-Game (poker)A mix that rotates 6 Limit games plus NLHE and PLO.
A-5 low (poker)The low count where the ace is 1 and straights and flushes do not count.
A⁠-⁠5 Triple Draw (poker)A lowball game with 3 draws where aces are 1 and hand ranks don't count.
A-game / C-game (poker)Your best form and your worst form.
Abstraction (poker)Thinning out bet sizes or cards to reduce computation.
Act out of turn (poker)Acting before it's your turn.
Add-on (poker)A one-time right to buy extra chips at a set point.
AF / AFq (poker)Measures of aggressiveness.
Aggregate report (poker)A summary of strategies across all flops.
Aggressor / PFR (poker)The player who raised last preflop.
All-in (poker)Betting all of your chips.
All-in EV (poker)Results calculated from your equity at the moment of the all-in.
Alpha (poker)How often the opponent must fold for a bluff to break even.
Angle shoot (poker)Trying to gain an edge with misleading actions right at the edge of the rules.
Ante / BB ante (poker)An extra forced bet paid by everyone, or by the BB for the whole table.
Archie (poker)A game that splits the pot between the high and low hands in Triple Draw.
Ax / Kx (poker)An ace or king with any other card.
b / x / c / r / f (notation)Shorthand for lines: b bet, x check, c call, r raise, f fold.
b/b/b (poker)A line that bets the flop, turn and river.
b/b/x (poker)A line that bets the flop and turn, then checks the river if you miss.
b/x/b (poker)A line that bets the flop, checks the turn and bets the river.
b/x/x (poker)A line that bets once on the flop and checks after that.
Backdoor draw (BDFD) / Runner-runnerA draw that completes only if you hit on both the turn and the river.
Backup low (poker)A third low card that backs up your low if it gets counterfeited.
Bad beat (poker)Losing a hand you were far ahead in.
Badacey (poker)A game that splits the pot between Badugi and A⁠-⁠5 Triple Draw.
Badeucy (poker)A game that splits the pot between Badugi and 2⁠-⁠7 Triple Draw.
Badugi (poker)A 3-draw game aiming for the lowest 4 cards of all different ranks and suits.
Bag (poker)Surviving the day and putting your chips in a bag to continue the next day.
Balance (poker)Having the right mix of value bets and bluffs so you don't lose even if read.
Bare ace (poker)An ace with no other card of its suit.
Barrel (double / triple)Betting two or three streets in a row.
BB (poker)The seat left of the SB, which acts last preflop.
bb (unit)A unit that measures chips as multiples of the big blind.
Best response / MES (poker)The strategy that maximizes your EV against a fixed opponent strategy.
Bet (poker)The first wager in a betting round.
Bet 33% / Bet 75% (poker)Two bet sizes: 33% and 75% of the pot.
Bet sizing (poker)How you choose the size of a bet.
Bet-fold (b/f) / Bet-call (b/c)Betting, then folding to a raise (b/f) or calling it (b/c).
Big bet (poker)The betting unit of the later rounds of fixed limit, twice the small bet.
Big Bet Mix (poker)A mix that rotates only No-Limit and Pot-Limit games.
Big O (poker)Omaha Hi⁠-⁠Lo with 5 hole cards.
Big Slick (poker)AK.
Big-pot hand (poker)A PLO hand good enough to build a big pot with.
Blind level / Structure (poker)The steps at which the blinds go up, and how they're designed.
Blinds (SB / BB)Forced bets posted before anyone sees their cards.
Block bet / Blocker bet (poker)A small bet from OOP that limits how much the opponent bets.
Blocker (Draw)In draw games, holding cards your opponent needs.
Blocker / Unblocker (poker)The effect of your hole cards reducing the hands the opponent can have.
Bluff (poker)A bet meant to make better hands fold.
Bluff catcher (poker)A hand that beats only bluffs.
Bluff raise (poker)A raise as a bluff.
Bluff-to-value ratio (poker)The ratio of bluffs to value bets.
Board coverage (poker)Building a range that can hold strong hands on any board.
Board texture (poker)The general name for a board's characteristics.
Bomb pot (poker)A hand where everyone posts a set amount and play starts on the flop.
Borderline hand (poker)A hand near the line where either choice has about the same EV.
Bottom gap / Middle gap / Top gap (poker)Names for where the gap falls in a four-card hand.
Bounty / PKO (poker)A format with a prize on each player you eliminate.
Break (poker)In draw games, discarding the top card of a made hand to draw again.
Brick / Blank (poker)A card that seems to help no one.
Bring-in (poker)A forced bet on 3rd street in Stud, paid by one player chosen by door card.
Broadway (poker)The straight T-J-Q-K-A; also any card T or higher.
Broadway hand (poker)Two cards T or higher.
Broadway rundown (poker)A rundown made of four cards T or higher.
BTN (poker)The button seat, which always acts last after the flop.
Bubble (poker)The place just short of the money; bust here and you get nothing.
Bumhunting (poker)Trying to play only against weak opponents.
Buried pair (poker)In Stud, both cards of your pair are in the hole.
Burn card (poker)A card discarded face down before board cards are dealt, to prevent cheating.
Bust (poker)Losing all your chips and being eliminated.
Button / Dealer button (poker)The marker showing which seat is the dealer.
Button ante (poker)An extra ante paid only by the button, on top of everyone's single ante.
Button freeze (poker)The rule that holds the button when a mix moves from Hold'em to Stud games.
BvB (poker)The SB against the BB.
c-bet (poker)The preflop raiser betting again on the flop.
Call (poker)Matching the opponent's bet.
Call-off (poker)Calling an all-in with most of your remaining stack.
Calling station / Station (poker)A player who won't fold.
Cap (poker)The limit on raises per round, or on the amount bet per hand.
Capped / Uncapped (poker)Whether a range's top end has been cut off.
Card removal (poker)How visible cards change the remaining probabilities.
Cards speak (poker)The rule that the cards shown decide the winner, not what a player declares.
Cash game / Ring game (poker)A format where chips represent real money and you can join or leave at any time.
cEV / $EV (poker)Expected value in chips, and expected value in prize money.
CFR (poker)A method that repeats self-play to approach equilibrium.
Check (poker)Passing the action to the next player without betting.
Check back (poker)In position, checking after the opponent checks.
Check-call (x/c)Checking, then calling the opponent's bet.
Check-fold (x/f)Checking, then folding if the opponent bets.
Check-raise (x/r)Checking, then raising the opponent's bet.
Chip dumping / Collusion (poker)Losing on purpose to pass chips, or players teaming up.
Chip leader / Short stack (poker)The player with the most chips, and a player with few chips.
Chop / Split pot (poker)Dividing the pot on a tie.
Closing the action (poker)When your call ends the betting round.
CO (poker)The seat just before the BTN.
Coin flip / Race (poker)A roughly even contest.
Cold 4-bet (poker)A 4-bet from a player who neither opened nor 3-bet.
Cold call (poker)Calling a raise when you haven't yet put money in the pot.
Combo / Combinatorics (poker)The number of ways a hand can be dealt.
Combo draw (poker)A hand with more than one draw, such as a flush and a straight draw.
Commit / Pot-committed (poker)Having put in so much of your stack that you can no longer fold.
Community card (Stud)In 8-handed Stud, a face-up 7th card in the middle that everyone uses.
Community cards / Board (poker)The five face-up cards in the middle that everyone shares.
Complete (Stud)In Stud, raising the bring-in up to a small bet on 3rd street.
Complete / SB complete (poker)The SB paying the difference to enter the pot as a limp.
Condensed range (poker)A range bunched up in medium-strength hands.
Connected board (poker)A board with close ranks where straights come easily.
Connector / Suited connector (poker)Hole cards of consecutive rank.
Cooler (poker)An unavoidable loss where two strong hands collide.
Counter-exploit / Adjust (poker)When the opponent adjusts back against you.
Counterfeit (poker)When a later card wipes out the value of your hand.
Cover / Covered (poker)Having more chips than an opponent.
Cowboys (poker)KK.
D1 / D2 / D3 (poker)In draw games, a hand that draws 1, 2 or 3 cards.
Dangler (poker)One card with no connection or suit to the other three.
Dead button / Dead blind (poker)Rules for handling the button and blinds when a player leaves.
Dead card (poker)A card that can no longer come out of the deck because it is already visible.
Dead money (poker)Chips put in by folded players or the blinds that no one will win back.
Deal (poker)The remaining players agree on how to split the prize money.
Dealer's Choice (poker)A format where the player on the button picks a game from a list and it's played for one orbit.
Defend (poker)Answering an open from the blinds with a call or 3-bet.
Defending the BB (poker)The BTN opens and you call in the BB (you are OOP).
Delayed c-bet (poker)A c-bet made on the turn after checking the flop.
Dirty outs / Anti-outs (poker)Cards that complete your hand but still lose.
Domination (poker)Sharing a card with the opponent but losing on the kicker.
Donk bet / Lead (poker)A bet from the preflop caller, OOP, before the aggressor acts.
Donkey / Donk (poker)A bad player, or a bad play.
Door card (poker)The first face-up card dealt on 3rd street in Stud.
Double gutter (poker)A draw with two inside gaps that each complete a straight.
Double-suited (ds)A hand with two pairs of same-suit cards.
Down cards / Hole cards (Stud)Cards dealt face down in Stud, seen only by you.
Draw (poker)An unfinished hand that becomes strong with one more card.
Draw (exchange)In draw games, throwing away cards you don't want and drawing the same number from the deck.
Draw chaser (poker)An opponent who calls with any draw and still won't fold on the turn.
Drawing dead (poker)When no card can make you the winner.
Dry board (poker)A board with few draws.
Effective stack (poker)The smaller of the two stacks in a confrontation.
Eight or better (8-or-better)The condition that only five-card hands of 8 or lower qualify as a low.
Eight perfect (poker)The best low among hands topped by an 8.
EP / LP (poker)The general names for the front seats (such as UTG) and the back seats (CO, BTN).
EQR (poker)The share of your equity you actually turn into pot winnings.
Equity (poker)The chance of winning if all the cards are run out.
EV loss (poker)The loss compared with GTO.
Exploit / Deviate (poker)Deliberately shifting from the baseline (GTO) to match an opponent's tendencies.
Exploitability (poker)How much you would lose to a perfect best-responder.
Fast-fold / Zoom (poker)A format where the next hand starts at a new table the moment you fold.
Felted (poker)Having lost your whole stack.
Final table (FT)The last table of a tournament.
Fish / Donk (poker)A weak player.
Fixed limit (poker)A betting structure where bets and raises are fixed to set units.
Flat / Flat call (poker)Choosing to call with a hand that could raise.
Float (poker)A call made with the plan of taking the pot on a later street.
Flop (poker)The first three board cards, and the betting round that follows.
Flush draw (FD) / NFDFour cards of one suit, one away from a flush.
Fold (poker)Throwing away your cards and leaving the hand.
Fold equity (poker)The expected value you gain from the opponent folding.
FPS (poker)Losing money by making overly fancy plays.
Free card raise (poker)Raising the flop, then checking the turn to see the next card cheaply.
Freeroll (poker)A spot where you can't lose, only win.
Freeze (poker)In draw games, calling instead of raising so the opponent doesn't break.
Freezeout (poker)A tournament with no re-entry.
Frequency (poker)How often an action is taken.
Game tree / Node (poker)All the branches of a game, and each branching point.
Gapper (one-gapper)Hole cards with one rank missing between them.
Geometric sizing (poker)Betting the same fraction of the pot each street so you are all-in by the river.
GG / NH / WP (poker)Short for Good game, Nice hand and Well played.
GII (poker)Getting all-in.
Give up (poker)Abandoning a bluff and switching to check or fold.
Going south / Ratholing (poker)Taking chips you've won off the table.
GTO (poker)The equilibrium strategy: one that loses no matter how the opponent plays.
Guarantee / Overlay (poker)A guaranteed prize pool, and the organizer covering the gap when too few enter.
Gutshot / Gutter (poker)A straight draw that completes only with the one missing inside card.
Hand chart / Range chart (poker)A 13 × 13 grid showing how to play each hand.
Hand reading (poker)Narrowing the opponent's range from their actions.
Hand-for-hand (poker)On the bubble, all tables play one hand at a time in sync.
Heads-up (HU)A contest between just two players.
Hero call / Hero fold (poker)Calling on a read alone, or folding a strong hand.
Hi only / High-only hand (poker)In Hi-Lo, a hand or situation that can only win the high.
Hi-Lo / O8 (poker)A game where the best high hand and the best low hand split the pot.
High card (poker)No made hand; compare the highest card.
Hit and run (poker)Leaving the table right after a big win.
HJ (poker)The seat two before the BTN.
Hole cards (poker)The two private cards dealt to you.
Hooks / Fishhooks (poker)JJ.
HORSE (poker)A mix that rotates through the five games H, O, R, S and E.
HOSE (poker)A 4-game mix: HORSE without Razz.
Hourly (poker)Winnings per hour.
HUD (poker)An online tool that shows opponents' stats on screen.
ICM (poker)A model that converts chip stacks into expected prize money.
Image / Table image (poker)How opponents see you.
Implicit collusion (poker)In multiway pots, players unintentionally acting as if colluding.
Implied odds (poker)The extra money you can win after hitting, counted in the call decision.
In position (poker)You open on the BTN and the BB calls (you are IP).
Indifference (poker)Making every action give the opponent the same EV.
Initiative (poker)Control of the hand, held by whoever bet or raised last on the previous street.
Inside wrap (poker)A wrap where your hole cards fill the gaps in the board.
IP (poker)Being able to act after your opponent.
Iso-raise (poker)A raise to get heads-up against a limper.
ITM (poker)Finishing in a paid position.
Jam / Shove / Push (poker)Going all-in.
Kicker (poker)A remaining card that is not part of the made hand.
Ladies (poker)QQ.
LAG (poker)A loose, aggressive player.
LAG / Maniac (poker)The aggressive opponent type (LAG up to maniac).
Late registration (poker)The period when you can still enter after the start.
Leveling (poker)The layers of thinking about what the other player thinks.
LHE / Limit Hold'em (poker)Texas Hold'em with bets fixed to set units.
Light 3-bet (poker)A 3-bet leaning toward a bluff.
Limit / Pot-limit / No-limit (poker)Fixed bet sizes, bets up to the pot, and no cap.
Limp / Open limp (poker)Entering the pot by calling the BB instead of raising.
Limp-raise / Limp-reraise (poker)Limping, then re-raising when someone raises.
Limped pot (poker)A pot that reached the flop with no raise.
Limper (poker)A player who entered the pot by limping.
Line (poker)The plan of actions across streets.
Linear / Merged range (poker)A range made of the strongest hands from the top down.
Linear / Polarized 3-bet range (poker)A 3-bet range taken strongest-first, versus one split into value and bluffs.
Live cards (poker)The cards you need are mostly not showing in other players' up cards.
Lo only / Low-only hand (poker)In Hi-Lo, a hand or situation that can only win the low.
Low possible / No low (poker)A board with three or more ranks of 8 or lower, so a low can be made.
M-ratio (poker)How many orbits of blinds and antes your stack covers.
Made hand (poker)A hand that has already made something.
Maniac (poker)An extremely aggressive player who raises with any hand.
Max exploit / Min exploit (poker)Going all the way, or keeping some insurance.
MDA (poker)Extracting a player pool's tendencies from large hand histories.
MDF (poker)The line beyond which folding lets the opponent's bluffs profit.
Medium (poker)Hands that bet thin value up to twice.
Medium (weak)Weak pairs, such as bottom pair or an underpair, that don't bet.
Merge (poker)Betting a middling hand that is neither clearly value nor a bluff.
Min-cash (poker)The smallest payout.
Min-raise (poker)The smallest raise allowed.
Minimax theorem (poker)In two-player zero-sum games, the best worst-case strategies balance each other.
Mix / Mixed game (poker)A format that rotates through several games in a fixed order.
Monotone / Two-tone / Rainbow (poker)A flop with one, two, or three suits.
Move up / Move down (poker)Moving to higher or lower stakes.
MP (poker)The general name for the middle seats.
MTT / SNG (poker)A multi-table tournament, and a small one that starts once the seats fill.
Muck (poker)Throwing away your cards without showing them.
Multiway (MW)A pot with three or more players.
Nash distance / dEV (poker)How far a solution is from equilibrium; a measure of its accuracy.
Nash Equilibrium (poker)A state where no one gains by changing only their own strategy.
Nit (poker)An extremely tight player.
Nit roll (poker)Showing a winning hand slowly.
NLHE (poker)Texas Hold'em with no cap on bet size.
Node lock (poker)A feature that fixes the opponent's strategy at a given point and re-solves.
Notes (poker)A tally for counting opponents at a live table; 5 seats × 4 counters.
Number one (2-7)The best hand in 2-7 lowball: 7-5-4-3-2, not all one suit.
Nut advantage (poker)Having more of the very strongest hands than the opponent.
Nut flush / Nut straight (poker)The best possible flush or straight on that board.
Nut low (poker)The best low possible on that board.
Nut outs (poker)The number of cards that would give you the nuts.
Nut peddling (poker)Betting only when you hold the nuts.
Nuts (poker)The best possible hand on that board.
OESD (poker)A straight draw that completes at either end.
One pair (poker)Two cards of the same rank.
One-way hand (poker)In Hi-Lo, a hand that can only win one half, high or low.
OOP (poker)Having to act before your opponent.
Open pair (poker)A pair showing among a Stud player's up cards.
Open size (poker)The size of an open-raise.
Option (poker)The BB's right to check or raise when the action reaches them with no raise.
Orbit (poker)One full trip of the button around the table (6 hands at a 6-handed table).
Outs (poker)The number of cards that would give you the winning hand.
Overbet (poker)A bet larger than the pot.
Overbluff / Underbluff (poker)Bluffing more, or less, than GTO.
Overcall (poker)Calling after someone else has already called.
Overcards (poker)Hole cards higher than every card on the board.
Overfold / Underfold (poker)Folding more, or less, than GTO.
Overlimp / Limp behind (poker)Limping after a limper.
Overpair / Underpair (poker)A pocket pair above, or below, every card on the board.
Paired board (poker)A board with two cards of the same rank.
Passive / Aggressive (poker)Calling a lot, or betting and raising a lot.
Pat hand (poker)In draw games, a made hand that doesn't need to draw.
Payout (poker)How the prize pool is distributed.
PFR (poker)The percentage of hands a player raises preflop.
Play the board (poker)When the five board cards are your best hand and your hole cards don't play.
Playability (poker)How easy a hand is to play well in practice.
PLO (poker)Omaha where you must use 2 of your 4 hole cards, with bets capped at the pot.
PLO5 / 5-card PLO (poker)Omaha with 5 hole cards.
PLO6 / 6-card PLO (poker)Omaha with 6 hole cards.
PLO8 (poker)Pot-limit Omaha Hi⁠-⁠Lo.
Pocket pair (poker)Two hole cards of the same rank.
Polarized range (poker)A range split between nut-level hands and bluffs.
Population tendencies / Pool (poker)The average tendencies of the player pool at a given stake.
Position (poker)The edge from acting later, since seat order decides how much you know.
Position, suits, gaps (poker)Three main factors that raise or lower EQR: position, suits, connectedness.
Pot (poker)The total chips bet in the hand.
Pot control (poker)Keeping the pot from getting big with a medium-strength hand.
Pot raise / Pot (poker)In pot-limit, raising the maximum allowed.
Pot-limit (PL)A rule where the maximum bet or raise is the current size of the pot.
Preflop (poker)The betting round right after the deal, before any board cards come out.
Premium (PLO)The top tier of hand shapes in PLO.
Premium hand (poker)The top hands, such as AA, KK, QQ, and AK.
Prime cards (poker)The A-5 cards at the core of a low in Hi-Lo.
Probe bet (poker)A bet from OOP after the opponent skipped the c-bet.
Protected low (poker)A nut low that can be rebuilt even if counterfeited.
Protection / Equity denial (poker)Betting to stop the opponent from drawing out on you.
Pure / Mixed strategy (poker)Always taking the same action in a spot, or mixing actions by probability.
Pure bluff / Air (poker)A hand with no pair and no strong draw.
Push/fold (poker)Playing a short stack with only all-in or fold.
Quarter / Quartered (poker)In Hi-Lo, splitting half the pot again so you get only a quarter.
Rabbit hunt (poker)Looking at the cards that would have come after the hand is over.
Rack (poker)A tray for carrying chips.
Rag (poker)A low-value card.
Rainbow (hand)A PLO hand with four cards of all different suits.
Raise (poker)Increasing the amount of the opponent's bet.
Rake (poker)The fee the house or site takes from the pot.
Rake-adjusted (poker)A solution that accounts for rake.
Rakeback (poker)A refund of the rake you've paid.
Range (poker)The set of hands a player (or you) could have for an action.
Range advantage (poker)Having more equity than the opponent across your whole range.
Range bet (poker)Betting small with your whole range.
Razz (poker)Stud where the lowest 5-card hand from 7 cards wins.
Re-entry / Rebuy (poker)Entering again after busting, or buying more chips.
Read (poker)A guess about an opponent's hand or tendencies.
Rec / Recreational (poker)Someone who plays poker as a hobby.
Redraw (poker)Holding a made hand that can still improve to something better.
Reg / Grinder (poker)A regular who earns by putting in volume.
Regret (poker)The running total of how much better another action would have done.
Rejam / Reshove (poker)Going all-in over a raise.
Relative position (poker)Seat order relative to the aggressor.
Representation (poker)The hand an opponent's up cards and betting make believable.
Required equity / Pot odds (poker)The equity you need to call.
Revenge tilt / Entitlement tilt (poker)Tilt from wanting revenge on one player, or from feeling you deserve to win.
Reverse implied odds (poker)The risk of hitting a second-best hand and losing a lot.
RFI / Open-raise (poker)Being the first to raise when no one has entered the pot.
Risk premium / Bubble factor (poker)The cost of busting.
RIT (poker)After an all-in, dealing the rest of the board twice and splitting the pot.
River (poker)The fifth board card, and the final betting round.
Rockets / Bullets (poker)AA.
Rolled-up (poker)Your first 3 Stud cards are all the same rank.
Rotation (poker)The order of games in a mix, and how often it switches.
Rough (2-7)In 2-7, a hand or draw whose cards are bunched near the top card.
Rough low (poker)A low hand whose cards are bunched near the top card.
RTA (poker)Using a solver or other aid while playing.
Rule of 2 and 4 (poker)Outs × 2 is the chance on the next card; × 4 is the chance by the river.
Rundown (poker)A PLO hand with four consecutive cards.
Runout (poker)How the board cards come out.
Satellite (poker)A qualifier whose prize is entry into a bigger event.
SB (poker)The seat left of the BTN, which acts first after the flop.
Scare card (poker)A card the opponent is afraid of.
Scoop (poker)In Hi-Lo, winning both the high and the low to take the whole pot.
Seat selection (poker)Sitting to the left of a weak player (the side that gives you position).
Second nuts / Nutted (poker)The second-best possible hand, or holding a nut-level hand.
Semi-bluff (poker)A bluff with a draw.
Set (poker)Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one board card.
Set over set (poker)A cooler between two sets.
Set-mining (poker)Calling with a small pair aiming only to hit a set.
Shark (poker)A strong, experienced player.
Ship it (poker)"Send the pot over here." A phrase said when winning.
Short Deck (poker)Hold'em with the 2s through 5s removed (36 cards).
Shot taking (poker)Trying a higher stake when your bankroll has room.
Show / Show one show all (poker)Showing your hole cards.
Showdown (poker)When the players still in the hand turn over their cards to decide the winner.
Showdown value (SDV)The chance of winning at showdown.
Side pot (poker)A separate pot contested only by the players left after someone is all-in.
Simplification (poker)Simplifying sizes and frequencies into something a human can execute.
Single-suited (ss)A PLO hand with one pair of same-suit cards.
Sizing tell / Timing tell (poker)Information leaked through bet sizes and how long a player takes.
Slowplay / Trap (poker)Playing a strong hand weakly so the opponent bets.
Slowroll (poker)Taking your time to show a hand that has clearly won.
Small bet (poker)The betting unit used in the early rounds of fixed limit.
Smooth (2-7)In 2-7, a hand or draw whose cards under the top card are low and spread out.
Smooth low (poker)A low hand whose cards below the top card are low.
Snap call / Snap fold (poker)An instant call or fold.
Snow (poker)A bluff where you stand pat with a weak hand and pretend it's made.
Snowmen / Ducks (poker)88 and 22.
Solution concept / Equilibrium refinement (poker)The definition of a solution, and rules that narrow down equilibria.
Solver (poker)Software that computes equilibrium strategies.
Speculative hand (poker)A hand that wins big when it hits but usually misses.
Spew / Punt (poker)Throwing chips away needlessly.
Spin / Jackpot SNG (poker)A small 3-player tournament whose prize multiplier is drawn at random.
Split pair (poker)In Stud, one card of your pair is face up and one is in the hole.
Spot (poker)A situation that calls for a decision.
SPR (poker)Your remaining stack divided by the pot.
Squeeze (poker)A 3-bet after an open and a call.
SRP / 3BP / 4BP (poker)A pot with one raise, a 3-bet pot, and a 4-bet pot.
Stab (poker)A bet made after the opponent shows weakness by checking.
Stack (poker)The chips you have in front of you.
Stack off / Felt (poker)Betting or losing your whole stack.
Staking / Backing (poker)An arrangement where someone pays your buy-in and you split the winnings.
Stand pat (poker)In draw games, declaring that you draw 0 cards.
Standard (poker)The normal play that anyone would make.
Starting hand (poker)The two cards you are first dealt.
Static / Dynamic board (poker)Boards where later cards rarely (static) or often (dynamic) change who is ahead.
Station / Nit / LAG / Maniac / TAG (poker)Five opponent types: Station (loose-passive), Nit (tight-passive), LAG (loose-aggressive), Maniac (very loose-aggressive) and TAG (tight-aggressive).
Steal (Stud)A complete on 3rd street that uses your door card to win the antes and bring-in.
Steal / Resteal (poker)A late-position open aimed at the blinds, and a 3-bet against it.
Sticky (poker)Tends not to fold once they are in the pot.
Straddle (poker)An optional blind of twice the BB posted before seeing cards.
Street (poker)Each betting round: preflop, flop, turn, and river.
Streets of value (poker)How many streets of value a hand can take.
String bet (poker)Putting chips out in more than one motion.
Strong (poker)Hands that bet for value, such as two pair or better and overpairs.
Strong / Medium / Draw / Air (poker)A way of sorting hands into 4 groups by how you use them.
Stud / Seven-Card Stud (poker)A game with no shared board where you pick 5 cards from your own 7.
Stud 8 / Stud Hi-Lo (poker)A Stud game where the best high hand and the best 8-or-lower low split the pot.
Suckout (poker)The underdog drawing out to win.
Suited / Offsuit (s / o)Whether your two hole cards share a suit.
Sviten Special / Drawmaha (poker)A game where you make both a draw hand and an Omaha hand and split the pot.
T.O.R.S.E. (poker)A mix that replaces the Hold'em in HORSE with 2⁠-⁠7 Triple Draw.
Table balancing / Breaking a table (poker)Moving players from a full table to a short one so table sizes stay even.
Table selection (poker)Choosing a table you can beat.
Table talk (poker)Conversation at the table.
TAG (poker)A tight, aggressive player.
Tank / Clock (poker)Thinking for a long time, and asking for a time limit.
TDA (poker)An association that standardizes tournament rules, and its rulebook.
Tell (poker)Information leaked through gestures or habits.
Texas Hold'em (poker)Poker where you build a hand from two hole cards and five community cards.
The equation (poker)Equity × EQR ≥ required equity; if the left side is larger, continue, and if smaller, fold.
Thin value (poker)A value bet aiming at a narrow edge.
Tight / Loose (poker)Playing few hands, or many.
Time charge (poker)A table fee paid per unit of time instead of from the pot.
Tip / Toke (poker)A gratuity for the dealer.
Top pair / Middle pair / Bottom pair (poker)A pair with the highest, middle, or lowest board card.
Top up / Reload (poker)Buying more chips for your stack.
TPTK / TPGK (poker)Top pair with the best kicker, or with a good kicker.
Trash / Junk (poker)A hand not worth playing.
Tri / 3-card Badugi (poker)In Badugi, a hand with 3 cards of different ranks and suits.
Trips (poker)Three of a kind made with a board pair and one hole card.
Turn (poker)The fourth board card, and its betting round.
Two-way hand (poker)In Hi-Lo, a hand that can win both the high and the low.
Up card (poker)A card dealt face up in Stud.
UTG (poker)The first seat to act preflop.
UTG+1 / LJ (poker)UTG+1 is the seat after UTG; the LJ is the seat just before the HJ.
Value bet (poker)A bet meant to get called by worse hands.
Value-own (poker)Betting for value and only getting called by better hands.
Verbal is binding (poker)The rule that a spoken declaration takes priority.
Villain / Hero (poker)The opponent and yourself, when describing a hand.
VPIP (poker)The percentage of hands a player voluntarily puts money in the pot.
Waiting list / Must-move (poker)The list of players waiting for a seat, and a table whose players are moved to the main game as seats open.
Walk (poker)When everyone folds and the BB wins the blinds without acting.
Wet board (poker)A board with many draws.
Whale (poker)A player who keeps losing big.
Wheel (poker)The straight A-2-3-4-5.
Whiff (poker)Missing the board completely.
Winner's tilt (poker)Getting overconfident and sloppy after winning.
Winrate / bb/100 (poker)Winnings per 100 hands, in big blinds.
Wrap (poker)An Omaha straight draw with many ways to hit.
WTSD / W$SD / WWSF (poker)How often a player reaches showdown, wins there, and wins after the flop.
Zero-sum (poker)A game where everyone's wins and losses add up to 0.

Blackjack51 terms

21+3 (blackjack)A side bet on the poker hand made by your two cards and the dealer's upcard.
3:2 / 6:5 (blackjack)The payout rate when you make a blackjack.
5-card 21 (blackjack)A bonus for a 21 made with 5 or more cards.
Basic strategy (blackjack)A chart of the best action from your hand and the dealer's face-up card.
Bet ramp / Spread (blackjack)A guide to how many units to bet at each TC.
Blackjack (blackjack)A casino game where you try to beat the dealer by getting closer to 21.
Blackjack (natural)A two-card 21: an ace and a 10-point card.
Blackjack Switch (blackjack)Blackjack where you may swap the second cards of your two hands.
Boundary cell (blackjack)A cell where the EV gap between the best and second-best action is small.
Bust (BJ)Going over 21 (a total of 22 or more) and losing.
Chart cell (blackjack)One square of the chart: the best action for a hand against an upcard.
DAS (blackjack)A rule that lets you double down on hands after a split.
Dealer bust rate (blackjack)The chance the dealer busts, by upcard.
Deck estimation (blackjack)Eyeballing how many decks remain from the height of the discard tray.
Double down (blackjack)Doubling your bet and taking exactly one more card.
DU (blackjack)The option to look at your first 2 cards, double your bet, and stand.
DU tie / DU vs BJ (blackjack)What happens to the Double Up portion on a tie or a dealer blackjack.
ENHC (blackjack)A rule where a dealer blackjack also takes your doubled and split money.
Even money (blackjack)Taking 1-to-1 on your blackjack up front when the dealer shows an ace.
Fab 4 (blackjack)A list of four surrender index plays.
Free Bet Blackjack (blackjack)Blackjack where doubles and most splits are free.
H17 (blackjack)A rule where the dealer takes another card on soft 17 (A-6).
Hard hand (blackjack)A hand with no ace, or one where the ace can only count as 1.
Hi-Lo count (blackjack)A counting system that tags cards +1, 0 or −1.
Hit / Stand (blackjack)Taking one more card (hit), or stopping without drawing (stand).
Hole card (BJ) / No hole cardThe dealer's second card, held face down.
Illustrious 18 (blackjack)A list of the 18 most valuable index plays.
Index play (blackjack)Switching away from basic strategy once the TC passes a set value.
Insurance (blackjack)An extra bet of half your wager that pays if the dealer has blackjack.
Lucky Ladies (blackjack)A side bet that pays when your first two cards total 20.
OBO (blackjack)A rule where you lose only your original bet when the dealer has blackjack.
Peek (blackjack)The dealer checking the hole card first when the upcard is an ace or a 10.
Penetration / Cut card (blackjack)How much of the shoe is dealt before the shuffle, and the card marking it.
Perfect Pairs (blackjack)A side bet that pays when your first two cards are a pair.
Pontoon (blackjack)Blackjack played with a 48-card deck, the tens removed.
Push (blackjack)A tie at the same total, with your bet returned.
Push 22 (blackjack)The rule that a dealer 22 makes your remaining hands push.
RC (blackjack)The running total counted with Hi-Lo.
Rescue (blackjack)After a double, taking back the extra bet and ending the hand.
Resplit (blackjack)Splitting again when a split hand receives another card of the same value.
RSA (blackjack)A rule that lets you split again when you get another ace after splitting aces.
S17 (blackjack)A rule where the dealer stands on soft 17 (A-6).
Shoe (blackjack)A box holding multiple decks for dealing.
Soft hand (blackjack)A hand where an ace can count as 11.
Spanish 21 (blackjack)Blackjack played with a 48-card deck, the tens removed.
Split (blackjack)Separating two cards of the same value into two hands, each with an equal bet.
Split aces (blackjack)The hands after splitting A-A.
Surrender (blackjack)Giving up on your first 2 cards for half your bet back.
TC (blackjack)The RC divided by the number of decks remaining.
Unit (u)The basic betting unit.
Upcard (blackjack)The dealer's face-up card.

Video poker24 terms

3 to a royal (video poker)3 of the 5 cards T-J-Q-K-A in the same suit.
3 to a straight flush (video poker)3 cards of the same suit that are nearly consecutive.
4 to a flush (video poker)4 cards of the same suit.
4 to a royal (video poker)4 of the 5 cards T-J-Q-K-A in the same suit.
4 to an inside straight (video poker)4 cards to a straight that complete only with the one missing middle card.
4 to an open-ended straight (video poker)4 cards to a straight that complete at either end, like 8-9-T-J.
Denomination (video poker)The value of one coin.
Discard all (video poker)Throwing away all 5 cards and drawing a new hand.
Double Double Bonus (video poker)Video poker where four aces and four 2s–4s pay big.
EV (VP)How much a hold returns on average, per coin.
Full pay (video poker)The best paytable; for Jacks or Better, 9/6.
High card (VP)A single jack, queen, king or ace.
High pair (video poker)A pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces; the pairs that pay.
Hold / Draw (video poker)Choosing which cards to keep (hold) and replacing the rest (draw).
Jacks or Better (video poker)The basic video poker, where payouts start at a pair of jacks or better.
Kicker (VP)A third high card you don't hold with a pair.
Low pair (video poker)A pair of 2s through tens; it pays nothing.
Max bet (video poker)Betting 5 coins.
Missed EV (video poker)The EV gap from the best hold, added up hand by hand.
Paytable (video poker)The table of payout multiples for each hand.
Return / RTP (video poker)The share of the money bet that comes back on average.
Royal dependence (video poker)About 2% of what comes back is from the royal flush.
Simple strategy (video poker)A 16-step list you check from the top, holding the first pattern that matches.
Video poker (video poker)A machine game: keep some of 5 cards, draw once, and get paid by hand rank.

Table games26 terms

6-Card Bonus (table games)A side bet on the best five-card hand from your three cards plus the dealer's.
AA Bonus (table games)A Casino Hold'em side bet that pays on a pair of aces or better.
Ante (table poker)The first bet you place in table poker, before the deal.
Ante Bonus (table games)An extra payout for a straight or better, whatever the dealer has.
Blind (UTH)In UTH, a required bet equal to the Ante that pays on a straight or better.
Bonus (Texas Hold'em Bonus)A Texas Hold'em Bonus side bet that pays on AA, AK, AQ, AJ or a pair.
Caribbean Stud Poker (table games)A table poker game with five-card hands, no draw and one Raise-or-Fold choice.
Casino Hold'em (table games)A table poker game with Texas Hold'em hands and one decision after the flop.
Copy (table games)A High or Low exactly as strong as the dealer's.
Dealer outs (table games)On the UTH river, the number of cards that would beat you in the dealer's hand.
Fortune (Pai Gow)A side bet paid on your seven cards; it loses below a straight.
Foul (Pai Gow)Splitting so the High is weaker than the Low, which is not allowed.
High hand (Pai Gow)The five-card hand, which must beat the Low.
House way (table games)The fixed way the dealer splits seven cards in Pai Gow Poker.
Joker (Pai Gow)The 53rd card, used as an ace or to complete a straight or flush.
Low hand (Pai Gow)The two-card hand in Pai Gow Poker.
Pai Gow Poker (table games)A table poker game where you split seven cards into a 5-card and a 2-card hand.
Pair Plus (table games)A Three Card Poker side bet paid on your own three cards only.
Play (table games)The bet you add after the Ante to stay in the hand.
Qualify (table games)When the dealer's hand reaches the minimum needed to play.
Side bet (table games)An optional bet placed apart from the main bet.
Table poker (table games)Casino poker games played heads-up against the dealer.
Texas Hold'em Bonus (table games)A Hold'em-style table poker game where you add bets in stages.
Three Card Poker (table games)A table poker game where you and the dealer each get three cards.
Trips (UTH)A UTH side bet that pays when your seven cards make three of a kind or better.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em (table games)A table poker game where you and the dealer compare Texas Hold'em hands.

Games of chance28 terms

Baccarat (games of chance)A card game where you bet on whether Player or Banker ends closer to 9.
Big Road (games of chance)A baccarat road map that moves to a new column when the winning side changes.
Come (games of chance)A second Pass Line bet placed after the point is set.
Come-out roll (games of chance)In craps, a roll made while no point is set.
Commission (baccarat)The 5% taken from Banker wins in baccarat.
Craps (games of chance)A game of betting on the total of two dice.
Don't Pass (games of chance)The craps bet against the Pass Line.
Dragon Tiger (games of chance)A game that deals one card each to Dragon and Tiger; you bet on the higher card.
EZ Baccarat (games of chance)Commission-free baccarat where a Banker win with a three-card 7 is a push.
Field (games of chance)A craps bet on the next roll only.
Hardway (games of chance)A craps bet that 4, 6, 8 or 10 comes as a pair.
Inside bets (games of chance)Bets placed on the number grid, covering a few numbers.
La partage (games of chance)A single-zero roulette rule: even-money bets get half back when 0 comes up.
Natural (baccarat)In baccarat, a first two cards totalling 8 or 9.
Odds (craps)A 0%-house-edge bet added to Pass Line or Don't Pass once the point is set.
Outside bets (games of chance)Bets on many numbers at once, such as red or black and odd or even.
Pass Line (games of chance)The basic craps bet, on the shooter's side.
Place bet (games of chance)A craps bet that a chosen number comes before a 7.
Player / Banker / Tie (games of chance)The three main baccarat bets.
Point (craps)In craps, a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 rolled on the come-out.
Proposition bets (games of chance)Bets in the center of a craps table with big payouts and big edges.
Puck (games of chance)The round marker on a craps table that shows the current stage.
Road map (baccarat)The record of results in a baccarat shoe.
Roulette (games of chance)A game of betting on the number where a ball stops on a spinning wheel.
Seven-out (games of chance)In craps, a 7 rolled before the point.
Shooter (games of chance)The player throwing the dice in craps.
Sic Bo (games of chance)A game of betting on the result of three dice.
Small / Big (games of chance)Sic bo bets on a three-dice total of 4 to 10 or 11 to 17.

General terms33 terms

+EV / −EVA decision that wins over the long run, and one that loses.
BankrollMoney set aside for poker.
BRMChoosing your stakes relative to your bankroll so you don't go broke.
Buy-inThe amount you bring to sit in a game, or a tournament's entry fee.
DealerThe person who deals the cards and runs the game.
Downswing / UpswingA stretch of continued losing, and a stretch of continued winning.
EVThe average profit or loss if you repeated the decision.
Face cardA jack, queen or king.
FloorThe person responsible for ruling on disputes.
FlushFive cards of the same suit.
Four of a kind / QuadsFour cards of the same rank.
Full house / BoatThree of a kind plus a pair.
GrindSteadily putting in volume.
Hand reviewGoing back over hands you've played.
House edgeThe house's cut: the average loss as a share of what you bet.
Payout (X to 1)How much a win pays, written against the amount bet.
Results-orientedThe mistake of judging a decision by its outcome.
ReviewA system that brings back questions you got wrong.
Royal flushT-J-Q-K-A of the same suit; the best hand.
Run good / Run badBeing lucky or unlucky.
SessionA record of your result for one sitting.
Steaming / On tiltBeing on tilt.
Stop-lossA preset limit on how much you'll lose in a day.
StraightFive cards of consecutive rank.
Straight flushFive consecutive cards of the same suit.
SuitThe card symbol: spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs.
Sun runAn abnormal streak of luck.
Table limitThe smallest and largest bet allowed at a table.
Three of a kindThree cards of the same rank.
TiltWhen emotions break down your play.
Two pairTwo different pairs.
VarianceThe spread of results around the expectation.
VolumeThe number of hands you've played.