The two private cards dealt face-down to each player.

The five shared cards dealt face-up in the center of the table.

The total chips bet by all players in a hand.

Forced bets posted before cards are dealt.

A forced bet all players must post before each hand.

The fee taken by the casino or online site from each pot.

A card discarded face-down before dealing the flop, turn, or river to prevent cheating.

Having fewer chips than the table average. Opposite of deep stack.

Having a large chip stack relative to the blinds (usually 100BB+). Allows for more postflop play.

The smaller stack between two players in a hand. Defines the maximum amount at risk.

The amount required to enter a game or tournament.

A game format with no maximum bet. Players can wager all their chips at any time.

The act of distributing cards to players. Also refers to the start of a hand.

The person who distributes cards. Also refers to the button (BTN) position.

Tokens used in place of cash in poker. Distinguished by various colors and denominations.

The total amount of chips a player has.

Having more chips than the table average. Can apply pressure on other players.

The level of a game indicated by blind sizes. e.g., $1/$2, $5/$10.

A betting round. There are four streets: preflop, flop, turn, and river.

The blind and ante level schedule. Determines the pace of level increases in tournaments.

A cash game format where players can join or leave at any time, unlike tournaments.

A table with 9-10 players. Requires tighter play compared to 6-max.

A player's turn or decision (bet, call, raise, check, fold, etc.).

A player still participating in the current hand (hasn't folded).

The big blind's right to raise when action returns without a raise preflop.

Dedicated funds set aside for poker. Proper bankroll management is key to long-term survival.

The first betting round after receiving hole cards.

The second round when three community cards are revealed.

The third round when the fourth community card is revealed.

The fourth round when the fifth (final) community card is revealed.

When remaining players reveal their cards after the final betting round.

Discard your cards and forfeit the current hand.

Pass action to the next player without betting.

Match the previous player's bet amount.

Place the first wager in a betting round.

Increase the bet above the previous amount.

A re-raise over the initial raise. Preflop, it's the first re-raise over the open.

A re-raise over a 3-bet. Usually indicates a very strong hand or a bluff.

Bet all of your remaining chips.

Entering the pot preflop by just calling the big blind instead of raising.

A voluntary blind bet (usually 2x BB) from UTG before cards are dealt, gaining last action preflop.

A bet made by the preflop aggressor on the flop. A core strategy to maintain initiative.

A bet made out of position into the previous street's aggressor.

A large 3-bet made when there's an open-raise and one or more callers. Pressures the callers.

Calling with a weak hand with the intention of bluffing on a later street.

A bet larger than the current pot size. Typically used with a polarized range.

Calling an opponent's bet almost instantly with little hesitation.

To discard cards face-down without showing. Often done by the loser at showdown.

Calling a raise without having previously put chips in the pot.

Calling with a strong hand instead of re-raising. Often a deceptive play.

A reluctant call made when you suspect you're behind but the pot odds justify it.

Limping preflop, then re-raising after an opponent raises. A trapping strategy.

Making the first raise in a betting round. Also called an open-raise.

Another term for going all-in. Often used when a short stack shoves preflop.

Raising to get heads-up with a weak player (limper). Also called an iso-raise.

Calling or re-raising from the blinds to defend against a steal attempt.

A bet made leveraging positional advantage (IP) rather than hand strength.

Seeing the next card without having to call a bet. Or a play designed to achieve this.

Position to the left of the dealer. Posts half the forced bet.

Position to the left of SB. Posts the full forced bet.

Position to the left of BB. First to act preflop.

Middle of the table. Must consider both early and late positions.

The position directly to the left of the cutoff. On the border between middle and late position.

Directly right of the dealer. A strong late position.

The most advantageous position. Acts last after the flop.

Acting after your opponent. An advantage because you have more information before deciding.

Acting before your opponent. A disadvantage due to less information when making decisions.

Two hole cards of the same rank (e.g. 9♠ 9♥).

Two hole cards of the same suit (e.g. A♠ K♠).

Two hole cards of different suits (e.g. A♠ K♥).

Consecutive hole cards (e.g. 8♠ 9♠). High straight potential.

The side card that breaks ties between same-ranked hands.

The number of remaining cards that can complete your desired hand.

An incomplete hand that can be completed with additional cards.

A straight draw needing one specific card in the middle. 4 outs. Also called an inside straight draw.

A straight draw that can be completed on either end. 8 outs.

Having 4 cards of the same suit and needing one more to complete a flush. 9 outs.

Having both a flush draw and a straight draw simultaneously — a very powerful drawing hand.

A hand with a completed ranking (pair or better). Opposite of a draw.

A hand that is heavily disadvantaged against another. e.g., AQ vs AK — sharing a card but losing the kicker.

Consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g., 7♠ 8♠). Can make both straights and flushes.

The initial two hole cards dealt to a player. The foundation of preflop strategy.

A single round of play from deal to pot award. Also refers to a player's card combination.

A card with the rank of 2. The lowest card in the deck.

When no hand is made, the highest card plays. The weakest possible hand.

Two cards of the same rank. The most basic hand ranking.

Three cards of the same rank.

Five cards of the same suit.

Three of a kind plus a pair. Also called a 'boat'.

Four cards of the same rank. One of the strongest hands in poker.

A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. The strongest possible hand in poker.

The best possible hand given the current board.

Three of a kind made with a pocket pair plus one matching board card.

Three of a kind made with one hole card matching a board pair.

A pocket pair higher than all board cards (e.g. KK on Q-8-3 board).

Pairing your hole card with the highest card on the board.

Pairing your hole card with the middle card on the board.

Pairing your hole card with the lowest card on the board. Opposite of top pair.

Hole cards higher than all board cards (e.g. AK on 9-7-2 board).

A pocket pair lower than the highest board card.

Two pair made with the top two cards on the board.

Having the highest possible kicker. Usually refers to an Ace kicker.

A hand with no pair where the Ace is the highest card.

How the community cards connect with various hand ranges. Affects strategy significantly.

A board with many draw possibilities. e.g., J♠ 8♠ 6♦ — straight and flush draws available.

A board with few draws. e.g., K♠ 7♦ 2♣ — low connectivity and no flush possible.

The highest possible straight: A-K-Q-J-10. Also refers to any card T or higher (Broadway cards).

The lowest possible straight: A-2-3-4-5.

Holding a card that reduces the likelihood of an opponent having a specific hand. e.g., holding A♠ reduces their chance of a nut flush.

A card that doesn't change the board significantly or complete any obvious draws.

A card that could complete a strong hand. e.g., a third suited card on a two-tone board.

Cards ranked 10, J, Q, K, A. Also known as Broadway cards.

A card that doesn't change the board significantly. Same meaning as a brick.

A bet made expecting a weaker hand to call.

A bet with a weak hand intended to make opponents fold.

A bluff with a draw that could improve to the best hand.

Playing a strong hand passively to induce opponent bets.

Checking first, then raising after an opponent bets.

The ratio of the call amount to the pot size. Used to evaluate call profitability.

Pot odds that factor in expected future bets you'll win if you hit your draw.

The percentage chance your hand will win the pot at the current point.

The average profit or loss of a play if repeated infinitely. Positive EV (+EV) means long-term profit.

Raising from late position to take the blinds. Also called a blind steal.

A mathematically balanced strategy that cannot be exploited regardless of opponent play.

The set of all possible hands a player could hold in a given situation.

A value bet made with a hand that's only slightly ahead. An advanced skill to maximize winnings.

The natural ups and downs in results independent of skill. An unavoidable element of poker.

An unconscious behavior or pattern that reveals hand strength. Especially important in live poker.

Mixing value bets and bluffs in the same spots to make your play harder to read.

The expected value gained from making an opponent fold. A key component of bluffs and semi-bluffs.

Plays a narrow hand range aggressively. Widely recommended as the most effective foundational style.

Plays a wide hand range aggressively. Profitable for advanced players but higher risk.

A big-spending recreational player with weak skills. A step above a fish.

A player who consistently plays at certain stakes. Usually has solid fundamental skills.

A style that plays a wide range of hands. Opposite of tight.

A conservative style that plays only a narrow range of hands. Opposite of loose.

A style that frequently bets and raises. Opposite of passive.

A style that mostly checks and calls. Opposite of aggressive.

An extremely loose-aggressive player who raises with almost any hand.

An extremely tight player who only plays premium hands.

Voluntarily Put in Pot. The percentage of hands where a player voluntarily puts chips in. A key indicator of loose/tight tendencies.

An expressionless face that conceals emotions. Essential for hiding tells in live poker.

A player who plays at the highest stakes. Also refers to high buy-in tournaments.

Losing a hand despite being a heavy statistical favorite. e.g., AA vs KK all-in, K hits on the river.

An unavoidable clash of strong hands. e.g., set vs straight, full house vs quads — no one is folding.

A one-on-one situation — either a tournament final or when only two players remain in a hand.

A separate pot created when an all-in player can't match further bets from remaining players.

Hitting the needed cards on both the turn and river to complete a hand.

A flop with all three cards in different suits, making a flush draw unlikely.

A flop where two of three cards share the same suit. A flush draw is possible.

A flop where all three cards are the same suit. A flush may already be made or needs just one more card.

Calling with a marginal hand, reading the opponent for a bluff.

Winning an all-in to double your chip stack.

An agreement to deal remaining community cards twice after an all-in, reducing variance. Common in live cash games.

A situation where you can win but cannot lose. Also refers to a free-entry tournament.

Splitting the pot or prize pool. Either automatic (tied hands) or by agreement in tournaments.

Having invested so many chips that folding is no longer viable relative to the pot size.

Exploiting loopholes in the rules for unfair advantage. Not technically cheating but considered highly unethical.

A prolonged losing period regardless of skill. A natural result of variance.

A prolonged winning period. The opposite of a downswing.

Having no possible card that can win the hand. Even completing a draw still loses.

Winning a hand despite being a significant statistical underdog. Similar to a bad beat.

An all-in situation with roughly 50/50 odds. Typically a pocket pair vs two overcards (e.g., JJ vs AK).

A very weak, unplayable hand. e.g., 7-2 offsuit.

The point just before the money (ITM). Busting here means no prize — the most tense stage of a tournament.

Independent Chip Model. A mathematical model that calculates the real monetary value of tournament chips.

Paying an additional fee to receive a fresh stack of chips during a tournament's rebuy period.

An optional chip purchase available at a specific point (usually the end of the rebuy period).

The last remaining table in an MTT. Usually 9 players (6 in 6-max) compete for the final standings.

A tournament format with no rebuys or add-ons. Once you're out, you're out.

A competition format where all players start with equal chips and play until one remains.

A smaller tournament where the prize is entry into a larger tournament.

A small tournament that starts as soon as enough players register. Usually 6-10 players.

A prize awarded for eliminating a specific player. Used in bounty/knockout tournaments.

A tournament with fast-increasing blind levels. Plays much quicker than standard events.

In The Money. Having reached the prize-paying positions in a tournament.

Intentionally losing chips to a specific player. A form of collusion and cheating.

The player with the most chips in a tournament.

A blind/ante tier in a tournament. Levels increase at set time intervals.

A scheduled rest period during a tournament.