Poker Terms Glossary: From Check to All-In Explained

Over a hundred poker terms grouped by situation, so you don't get lost when someone calls a 'squeeze' or a 'check-raise'.Poker has its own vocabulary. A good chunk comes from English and gets adopted as-is across languages — "raise", "fold", "check"; another part has settled translations — "blind" for ciega in Spanish — and the rest is table slang that emerged in some game somewhere and stuck. If you've shown up at a game with experienced players and got lost the moment someone called a "check-raise" or a "squeeze", this article is your quick dictionary so you don't get left out. I've grouped them by category — actions, bets, hands, table, tournaments, slang — so you can read it straight through as a short manual or jump to a term you need. If you don't have the rules down yet, better start with how to play Texas Hold'em, where I explain the full flow of a hand. Basic actions: what you can do on your turn Check Pass without betting and give the turn to the next player. You can only check if nobody has bet in the round. As soon as someone bets, checking is off the table: you have to call, raise or fold. Bet Open the round's first wager. Minimum is usually the big blind. Call Put in exactly the same amount as the last bettor. If someone bet 20 and you call, you put in 20 too. Raise Bet more than the previous bet. Minimum raise is usually equal to the previous bet (if someone bets 10, the minimum raise is to 20). In no-limit, the maximum is your entire stack. Fold Muck your cards and leave the hand. You lose everything you'd already put in and stop playing the hand. No turning back. All-in Bet every chip you have on the table at once. Only available in no-limit and pot-limit. If you lose, you're out of chips (and out of the game, unless it's a tournament with re-entry). Bet types: the jargon of raises 3-bet The third bet of a round. Blinds count as the first "bet", so if someone raises preflop, their raise is the second bet and the next re-raise is the 3-bet. It's a move of strength or a calculated bluff. 4-bet The fourth bet. Same logic: if someone 3-bet your raise, your next re-raise is the 4-bet. Preflop 4-bets usually represent very strong hands — from premium pairs to well-planned bluffs. 5-bet and beyond They exist but are rare. Above a preflop 5-bet in no-limit, someone usually ends up all-in. Check-raise Check intending to make someone else bet and then raise them. A classic aggressive move to extract value or represent sudden strength. Some (rare) house rules forbid it. Continuation bet (c-bet) A bet on the flop made by the player who opened or raised preflop, "continuing" their aggression. Works because most flops don't improve the opponent, so a moderate c-bet takes down plenty of pots. Squeeze A 3-bet when there's already been a raise and at least one "call" in between. Called that because it "squeezes" the original raiser and the callers between two fires. Used carefully in amateur games because people overuse it. Isolation raise A raise designed to leave you with only one or zero callers and clean the table of middle players. Useful when there's a weak player you're trying to face one-on-one. Limp Enter the pot preflop just by calling the big blind, without raising. Traditionally seen as weak play (no pressure applied), though in amateur and home formats you see it a lot. Open / open raise To be the first player to raise preflop. "I open to 6 from the cutoff" = first to raise, with size 6. Cold call Call a raise without having put chips into the hand previously (you're not a blind, you didn't open). Considered a low-level move in modern strategy because it applies no pressure. Donk bet Bet on the flop out of position against the player who raised preflop (instead of checking to them, which would be the natural flow). Historically associated with beginner play ("donk" = donkey), hence the name. Today also used as a calculated tactic in some spots. Strategic concepts: what's cooking in your head Bluff Bet or raise with a hand you know is probably not the best, to force opponents to fold. If they call, you lose the pot and spent chips. If they fold, you take the pot without showing. Semi-bluff Bet with a hand that's probably not the best right now but has potential to improve (flush, straight, etc.). If you force a fold, you win; if they call, you can still improve and win anyway. Value bet Bet with a hand you believe is the best, hoping opponents call with worse. Opposite of the bluff: you're not trying to make them fold, you're trying to make them pay. Bluff catcher A hand that only beats the opponent's bluffs, not their value bets. Calling them implies you're giving them a high probability of bluffing. Pot-committed Situation where you've put so many chips in the pot that folding would be a mathematical disaster. Once the pot reaches a certain size relative to your stack, you have to see it through even if your hand isn't ideal. Equity Your statistical probability of winning the pot given what you have and what you suspect the opponent holds. A hand with 60% equity against the opponent's range is a favourite. Pot odds The ratio of what you have to call to the size of the pot. If the pot is 100 and you have to call 25, your pot odds are 4:1 (paying 1 for a shot at 4). I explain it in detail in pot odds and probabilities. Implied odds Pot odds taking into account not just what's in the pot now, but what you believe you can win in later rounds if you complete your hand. Outs Cards in the deck that can improve your hand to the level you need. If you have a flush draw with four hearts between your cards and the board, you have nine hearts (outs) left in the deck. ICM (Independent Chip Model) A mathematical model that converts tournament chips into expected money. Used for decisions in tournaments where chip value isn't linear (chips won don't equal chips lost). Critical near the bubble and the big payouts. GTO (Game Theory Optimal) Mathematically optimal strategy derived from game theory. Assumes the opponent also plays optimally. Today it's the reference framework for serious study, although almost nobody executes it perfectly. Exploit / exploitative play Opposite of GTO: strategy that adapts to specific opponent leaks to extract more value. Against weak opponents, exploitative play usually yields more than pure GTO. Range The set of possible hands the opponent could be holding given what they're doing. Instead of "what exactly do they have?", you think "what types of hands would do this?". One of the most powerful tools in modern play. Polarised vs. linear A "polarised" range has only very strong hands and bluffs, nothing medium. A "linear" range has all the good hands in order, high to low. Good players choose the type based on what they want to represent. Hands and draws: describing what you have Nuts (the nuts) The best possible hand in a specific situation. If you have "the nuts", no opponent can beat you no matter what they imagine they have. In Texas Hold'em the nuts change every street based on the cards coming out. Second nuts The second-best possible hand. Be careful with it: it feels strong and you almost always only lose to the nuts, but the nuts exist and could be at the table. Kicker The auxiliary card that decides when two players have the same main hand. If both have a pair of kings, the kicker (next highest card) rules. That's why playing A-K is much better than K-7: when the king pairs, your ace kicker beats the seven. Gutshot A straight draw missing one specific card in the middle. If you have 6-7 and the board is 4-9-K, you need exactly a 5 or 8 (depending on how you look at it). Gutshots have only four outs. Open-ended straight draw A straight draw needing one card on either side. If you have 8-9 and the board is 10-J-3, any 7 or any Q completes it (eight outs). It's the strongest straight draw. Flush draw Four same-suit cards waiting for the fifth. Nine outs in the deck. Combined with a straight (a "combo draw") it can reach 15 outs and make you a favourite without a made hand yet. Backdoor A draw needing two cards to complete, usually turn and river. You have "backdoor flush" if you only have three cards of a suit on the flop and need more to come on turn and river. Runner-runner When you complete a hand through the back door, receiving the two cards you needed in succession on turn and river. Very low probability, but usually hurts a lot when it happens to you. Set Three of a kind made with a hole pair plus one card of the same rank on the board. Since two of the three are in your hidden hand, it's very hard for the opponent to read. The Hold'em star hand. Trips Three of a kind made with one of your cards plus a pair on the board. Unlike a set, it's visible: anyone can see the pair on the board and suspect trips. Overpair A pocket pair higher than any board card. You have K-K and the flop comes 9-7-2: your kings are an overpair. Overcard A card in your hand higher than any on the board. If you have A-K and the flop comes 9-7-2, both your A and K are overcards. You have nothing made but you have a top-pair draw. Top pair Pair made with your card and the highest card on the board. If you have K-9 and the flop comes K-7-2, you have top pair (pair of kings). Two pair Two different pairs. Don't overvalue it: on connected boards it loses to straights, on suited boards it loses to flushes, on paired boards it loses to full houses. Set mining / pair mining Strategy of calling preflop with a small pair (say 5-5) hoping to make a set on the flop. Only profitable if pot odds and post-flop stacks justify the investment. Board texture How "dangerous" the community card layout is. A board 9-9-2 of different suits is "dry" (little connection); a board J-10-9 with two of the same suit is "wet" (lots of connection, many dangerous combinations). Connected vs. disconnected A connected board has cards close in rank that allow straights. A disconnected board has cards far apart. Made hand A "made" hand: it's the finished hand, not dependent on future cards. Two pair on the flop is a made hand. Drawing hand A hand "in construction": nothing yet, but with potential for something (flush, straight). Needs to see more cards. Drawing dead To be "drawing dead" is to have no possible card left to win. If your opponent has a royal flush and you have two cards to come, you're going to lose no matter what: you're drawing dead. Table and money: the economy jargon Blind Forced bet paid before seeing cards. In Texas Hold'em there are two: small blind (SB) and big blind (BB). They rotate one seat per hand. Ante Forced bet paid by every player before each hand, in addition to (or in place of) the blinds. Modern tournaments use the "big blind ante", paid only by the BB player but for a larger amount equivalent to everyone's ante. Straddle A voluntary extra "blind" paid by the player immediately to the left of the BB (sometimes more players). Doubles the big blind and forces everyone else to match at least that size. Increases action. Rake Commission the house (casino or online site) takes from each pot as payment for hosting the game. Usually a small percentage (3-10%) with a cap per hand. Time bank Extra time you can "use" when you need to think beyond normal decision time. Standard online and in major tournaments. Stack All the chips you have in front of you at the table. Your stack is the maximum you can bet (and lose). Effective stack In a hand between two players, the smaller of the two stacks. It's the maximum you can win/lose in that specific hand. BB (big blind) as a unit Tournament amounts are usually measured in "big blinds" rather than raw chips. "30 BB" tells you more than "3,000 chips" because you know your value relative to the forced bet. M-ratio Another way to measure your stack: divide it by the total cost of one orbit (SB + BB + antes). If your M is 10, you have 10 orbits without playing before going broke. Useful in tournaments. Side pot Secondary pot created when one player is all-in and others have more chips. The all-in can only win the portion of the pot up to their all-in; the rest stays in play among the others. Chop Split the pot (when there's a tie) or the prize money (when players in a tournament make a deal). Chops in tournaments are very common at final tables: players negotiate to split the prize based on chips, ICM, etc. Tournaments: competition jargon Freezeout Tournament with no rebuys. Lose all your chips and you're eliminated. The purest form of competition. Rebuy Tournament where you can "rebuy" chips during an initial period if you bust (or get very low). After that period it becomes a freezeout. Re-entry Variant of rebuy: instead of buying chips at the same table, they eliminate you and you re-enter the tournament from scratch at a new table. Only allowed in initial levels. Add-on An optional purchase of extra chips at the end of the rebuy period, usually available to all players. Reinforces stacks heading into the freezeout phase. Satellite / qualifier A cheap tournament whose prize is entry (buy-in) into an expensive tournament. Like winning a raffle: spend little, enter a tournament costing thousands. The classic amateur path to million-dollar tournaments. Bubble The point in the tournament when one elimination remains before the money begins. If 100 players cash and 101 remain, you're "on the bubble". The most tense moment of the tournament: nobody wants to fall. ITM (In The Money) Having entered the prize money. Once ITM, you're guaranteed some return. Final table The last nine (or six, depending on the tournament) players standing. Prizes grow exponentially from here. Reaching a final table of a major tournament is every amateur's dream. Heads-up When only two players remain. In a tournament it's the final showdown between the two finalists. Also a format in itself: two players competing with no one else. Shootout Tournament format where you must win your entire table to advance to the next round. No table consolidation like in standard tournaments. Table jargon and mindset Tilt Altered emotional state that leads you to bad decisions. You lose an unfair hand and play worse on the next ones out of anger or frustration. Recognising it and stopping before you burn yourself out is one of poker's most valuable skills. Bad beat Losing a hand that statistically you should have won. It happens, and it hurts. Good players get used to it; bad ones tilt. Cooler A hand where you lose lots of money because your hand is very strong but the opponent's is even stronger (set over set, flush over flush, boat over boat). Difference from the bad beat: in a cooler nobody did anything wrong; the cards just fell against you. Suckout Winning a hand as the underdog who improves on turn or river. The bad beat from the other side. Run good / run bad Being (or not being) lucky over a period. "I'm running bad" = I've had bad cards or bad results for days. Not a complaint: it's a description of variance. Variance The distance between what you "should" mathematically win and what you actually win in a specific period. Long-term it approaches zero; short-term it can be brutal in either direction. Whale A player with lots of money but poor technique. Pros search for them like gold; they're the income source of any cash game. Fish Weak player, whether through inexperience or style. Without the "lots of money" qualifier of the whale. "Find the fish" is the classic advice: if you sit at a table and can't spot the fish in five minutes, you're the fish. Shark Strong player who joins soft games to take money. Opposite of the fish. Reg / regular A regular at a table or site. Usually technically competent; not fish but not sharks either. Nit Hyper-passive and conservative player who only puts chips in with premium hands. Predictable but hard to beat if you can't get them off their pattern. LAG vs. TAG Loose-Aggressive (LAG): plays many hands and aggressive. Tight-Aggressive (TAG): plays few hands but aggressive. They're the two dominant styles in modern poker; the winning LAG is rarer and more profitable, but also harder to execute. Donk A bad player. Disparaging, from "donkey". Also the name of a specific play (donk bet). Hero call / hero fold Calling (or folding) in a very tough spot, based more on intuition than strict math. When you're right, you're "the hero". When you're wrong, you're the donk. Frequently asked questions What's the difference between "fold" and other words for it? None: they're synonyms. "Fold" is the English term used everywhere; some games use local words ("mucking", "tossing it", "pasar y tirar" in Spanish). In professional live play "fold" is used regardless of language. What's a "3-bet"? The third bet in a round. The blind counts as the first, the first raiser's raise as the second, and the next re-raise is the 3-bet. Considered a strength move or a calculated bluff. What does "being on tilt" mean? Being emotionally affected after losing a hand (or several) and starting to make worse decisions out of anger, frustration or fear. Recognising tilt and walking away from the table before burning chips is one of the most useful skills you can develop. What are "the nuts"? The best possible hand in a specific situation. If the board is 9♥ 7♥ 2♣ and you have 8♥ 6♥, you have the nuts: no one can beat you right now. The nuts change every street. What's a "bluff catcher"? A hand you call the opponent with only because you think they're bluffing, not because your hand is genuinely strong. A medium pair on a scary board is the typical example: it's only good for "catching" a bluff, not for winning against value. What does "bubble" mean in a tournament? The moment when one elimination remains for the rest of the players to start cashing. It's the tensest point of any tournament: nobody wants to be "the last one not to cash". From the bubble onwards, decisions change dramatically due to the ICM factor. Why do people say "fish" or "whale"? It's jargon to identify target players. A "fish" is a weak player; a "whale" is a weak player who also brings a lot of money. Pros don't sit at a table without first spotting the fish: they're the real source of profit at any game. Taking it to the table Poker vocabulary picks up fast if you play regularly. What's hardest isn't understanding individual words but recognising when to apply each concept in real time. That only comes from playing many hands and, especially, from watching better players. If you don't have the basic rules down, or you want to understand exactly how to follow a hand from start to finish, it's in how to play Texas Hold'em. And if you want to step into deeper theory, the next thing is to understand why position at the table matters so much and how to calculate pot odds before each decision. For a decent night with friends you don't need to master all this jargon: knowing the basic actions (check, bet, call, raise, fold) and the names of the hands is enough. What's worth having is a deck that feels good when dealing. Bicycle Standard and Tally-Ho are the classics and you can see them all in our poker decks. If you want to put together the evening with criterion, the full kit guide is in how to host a poker night at home.

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	xxs	xs	s	m	l	xl	2xl
US Size	0-0	2-4	4-6	8-10	12-14	16-18	20-22
Bust (in)	30-32	32-34	34-36	36-38	38-40	40-42.5	42.5-45.5
Under Bust (in)	25-26	27-28	28-29	30-31.5	32-33.5	34-36	36-38
Waist (in)	23.5-24.5	25-26.5	27-28.5	29-30.5	31-33.5	34-36.5	37-40

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