To all of you who are new to the the poker world, I would most certainly advise that you read up on the "Poker Lingo" glossary. Poker has its own terminology, and by going through the glossary will help you understand the terms used when playing.
Lets get started with Poker Lingo:
3-Bet - To make the 2nd raise in poker (It is reffered to as 3-bet because the blinds are techinically the first bet). e.g. in limit - Hulk+1 calls, Superman1 raises, Spiderman3-betse.g. in no-limit - Hulk+1 calls $1, Superman1 raises to $5, Spiderman-raises to $18
3xBB / 4xBB - to raise before the flop 3 or 4 times the big blind. This is known as the "standard" raise. e.g. The blinds are 50/100; a 3xBB raise would be 300.
Aces up - Two pair, one of which is Aces. e.g. You hold A7, board is A74, you have Aces up.
All-in/AI - That moment when your chips are in the middle and your fate is resting with the poker gods.
Bad Beat - this refers to losing a hand when you were the strong odds favorite to win. ie - an example of a bad beat would be holding pocket Aces against a player holding pocket 2's, and your opponent ends up beating you by hitting another 2 on the last card. Visit the Play-By-Play Examples to view an example of a bad beat.
Bankroll/BR - The amount of cash you have available to pursue your poker dreams! All professionals seperate their bankroll from their normal spending money.
Bankroll Management - Properly managing the amount of money you have for poker with the stakes you play. e.g. You have a bankroll of $1000, so you only play $.25 - $.50 or less until you have enough money to move up stakes. You would never play at $5 - $10 where you could lose it all in a single hand.
Belly-Buster - This is also known as an inside straight draw or gut shot. See "Gut Shot".
Big Slick - refers to holding an Ace and King as your two private (pocket) cards.
Big "Chick" - Refers to holding an Ace and Queen as your two pocket cards.
Blinds - Texas Holdem Poker uses what's called a "blind" structure, meaning that two people on the table must post a bet prior to seeing their cards. Since they are forced to bet without seeing their cards, they are playing "blind", thus the name of those bets are called "blinds". There are two blinds, the big blind and the small blind. The small blind position must post half the minimum bet and sits immediately to the left of the dealer. The big blind must post the full minimum bet, and sits immediately to the left of the small blind, two seats to the left of the dealer. As the deal rotates around the table, each player takes turns posting the small blind and the big blind bets. This blind structure forces the action on the table since there will always be a pot to win. So, for example, if you are seated at a $1-2 limit holdem table, the small blind must post $.50 and the big blind must post $1 bet. As play rotates around the table, each player may choose to call that $1 bet, raise, or fold. When it's the small blind's turn, that player only needs to call $.50 to play the hand.
Board - The board refers to the community cards that are dealt face up on the table. In Texas Holdem, there will ultimately be five community cards on the "board". The board does NOT include the two private card dealt to each player. So, if someone were to say, "the board plays", the player means that the five community cards make his best poker hand and he is not using any of the two private cards dealt to the player.
B.O.C./boc - Ballin' Out of Control. BOC is the culture and attitude of most FTR'ers.
Bubble - The period just before the paid places begin. e.g. The last 4 in a SnG that pays 3 places.
Button - Also called the "Dealer Button", this is a white puck (usually with the word "Dealer" on it), that signifies the dealer's position on the table. The dealer's position is significant because he is the last player to act for that hand. The Dealer Button rotates around the table, so each player takes turns being "on the button".
C-Bet/cBet/Continuation bet - To make a follow-up bet on a flop after you have raised pre-flop. e.g. Hulk raises 4xbb with Superman and the bb calls. Flop comes 2 6 9 rainbow, bb checks and Hulk bets even though he didn’t improve his hand because he raised preflop.
Capping - To make the final raise in a round of betting at limit poker (4 bets). e.g. Hulk+1 calls, Superman1 raises, Siderman 3-bets, CO Caps
Check-raise - the act of checking a hand, in hopes of luring your opponent to bet, so that you may then raise over him and build a bigger pot to win.
Donk/Donkey - Someone who is very bad at poker.
Donk Bet - When you lead into the preflop raiser and take away their contiuation bet. e.g. Villain raises 4xbb preflop and you call in the sb. Instead of checking you lead out taking away their betting opportunity. This is referred to as a donk bet because it is a play many bad players make (although the bet in itself can have its advantages).
DUCY - Do You See Why? (Forum/Internet acronym)
Expected Value/EV - The long term effect of making certain decisions. Can be either negative (-ev) or positive (+ev). e.g. Constantly calling raises w/ 93o is –EV (as in, u keep doing it, u are going to lose money in the long run)
Final Table/FT - The last table of a large multi-table tournament. ahhh .... the promised land!
Float - Calling a bet in order to take a pot down later, kind of like a bluff slowplay or a bluff call. e.g. You call suspected continuation bets on the flop in the hopes that the bettor will give up his unimproved Jake and check on the turn. You then bet and hopefully take the pot away from the preflop aggressor. We are floating over the other guys flop bet looking for an opportunity to take the pot.
Flop - In Texas Holdem, each player has two cards dealt to them, and then share five community cards. These five community cards, however, do not all get dealt at the same time. There are rounds of betting at certain intervals during the deal. After the first two cards are dealt to each player, there is a round of betting. Then, three of the five community cards are dealt at one time on the board. This is what's known as the "flop" - the first three cards being dealt on the board. The fourth card is called the "turn", and the final, fifth card is known as the "river".
Flush Draw - a hand where you have 4 of the 5 cards needed to make a flush. For example, if you are holding two clubs, and the board flops two more clubs, you would be holding a flush draw. You would need to draw an additional club to complete the flush.
Fold Equity/FE - The value you get from the times your opponent(s) folds. Fold Equity = (% of the time your opponent folds) * (the amount of money you win when he folds i.e. the pot size)
Fourth Street - see "Turn".
Fifth Street - see "River".
FYP - Fixed your post (Forum/Internet acronym). Usually if you make a mistake someone will change your words and type FYP letting you know.
FWIW - For what it's worth (Forum/Internet acronym).
Gut Shot - a hand where you have 4 of the 5 cards needed to make a straight, but your 4 cards are not "connected" or in sequential order, so you need a single card in the middle of your straight to complete the straight. ie - you are holding 5 6, and the board shows 7, 9, 10. At that moment, you have a gut shot, only the 8 will make your straight. This type of hand is also known as an "inside straight draw" or a "belly-buster straight draw".
Gap Concept - Gap Concept dictates that you need a stronger hand to call a raise with than you do to open the raising yourself. The difference between the strengths is called the “gap”. E.g., most people would raise with a hand like KJ if folded to them but would be reluctant to call a raise with it.
Hand History/HH - The transcript of a specific hand or complete tournament, usually obtained from the specific online site.
Heads-Up/HU - One on one play, usually the final two at the end of a tournament
HUD/PAHUD - (Poker Ace) Heads Up Display. A program that uses the information in your PokerTracker database to provide relevant, customized stats on your opponents and displays them as an overlap to the table you are playing on, such as how often they enter a pot, how often they raise etc. Very helpful for multi-tabling.
IMHO - In My Humble (or Honest) Opinion (Forum/Internet acronym).
Implied Odds - Implied Odds refers to the odds or percentage of making your winning hand compared to the odds or percentage of the bet you must call compared to the POTENTIAL size of the pot.
In Position - Having position on your opponent; being able to act last postflop. e.g. Hulk raises and you call on the button and will be in position for the rest of the hand.
In the Money/ITM - Landing the paid places in a tournament.
Independent Chip Model/ICM - Works out your stack as a % of the prize pool and works out the EV of decisions based thereon.
Inside Straight Draw - Also known as a belly-buster straight draw gut shot straight draw. See "Gut Shot".
Kicker - the kicker refers to your tie-breaking card. For example, if I am holding an Ace and King, and the board shows Ace, 5, 8, 2, 6 - I would have a pair of Aces with a King kicker. My opponent may have an Ace also, but with a weaker kicker, in which case I will win the showdown.
LAGG/LAgg/LAG - Loose aggressive; a player at your table who plays more hands than average and plays them aggressively.
Leak - A hole or shortcoming in your game. Usually a fairly small mistake, but one in which you are ‘leaking’ chips – most notable is completing from the SB (largely because of the discount price) with moderate to poor holdings looking miracle flops.
LHE - Limit Hold‘em
Limp - to limp into the hand refers to calling the minimal bet, the big blind, to play your hand.
Line Check - You post a hand you played and then ask people to comment on how you bet (or the line you took) on each street.
M - From Harrington on Hold ‘Em; your M represents your stack relative to the size of the blinds and antes. e.g. you have a 1500 stack and the blinds are 100/200 – your M is 1500/(200+100) = 5. e.g. 2, there are 8 players left in a tournament and the blinds are 100/200 w/ a 25 ante. Your 1500 stack is now 1500/(200+100+25*8)=3, M=3.
Maniac - A maniac is a player who plays ultra-aggressively, making big bets on poor cards, throwing his money around in the hopes of winning by bluffing and intimidation. A maniac can be a difficult player to play against, but may also be a big source of profits.
meh - A sign of indifference, typically used on internet forums.
Muck - the act of folding one's hand without showing your cards.
NIL - A gambler who is afraid to gamble, or a tight player at the table.
NLHE - No Limit Hold‘em
Nuts or Nut Hand - the Nuts or Nut hand is the best possible hand at that particular moment. For example, if I am holding the Ace and Jack of hearts, and the flop brings the 2, 6, 9 of hearts, I would be holding the "nut" hand or just the "nuts" - there is no hand that I can lose to at this moment. Of course, the nut hand can change as the fourth and fifth cards come out (a straight flush). The highest possible straight or flush is often called the "nut" straight or "nut" flush.
OOP - Out of Position, being first to act postflop.
Open Limp - Being the first person in the pot preflop, but not raising.
Out of the Money/OTM - The opposite of ITM! Placing outside of the places that pay in a tournament.
Outs - The number of "outs" refers to the number of cards in the deck to make your winning hand. For example, if I have a flush draw (4 suited cards), I have 9 outs to make my flush since there are a total of 13 cards of each suit.
Pocket Rockets - also known as American Airlines, refers to holding two Aces as your private, pocket cards.
Poker Tracker/PT - A database program that keeps track of how many hands, your profits, and much more for online poker. Very helpful (and almost necessary) for documenting your progress.
Position - What spot you are in as the button moves around the table.UTG = Under The Gun, MP = Middle Position, HJ = HiJack, CO = Cut Off, BTN = Button, SB = Small Blind, BB = Big Blind
Pot Odds - Pot Odds refers to the odds or percentage of making your winning hand compared to the odds or percentage of the bet you must call compared to the CURRENT size of the pot.
Push - To push or move all–in. Literally; push all of your chips into the middle.
pwn/pwned - Slang from own/owned. When someone outplays or otherwise outclasses someone else. "You got pwned."
QFT - Quoted for truth (Forum/Internet acronym).
Rake - This is the commission the house takes from every pot. The rake can be set dollar amounts or a percentage of the pot, depending on the casino.
Rebuys & Add-ons/R&A - A tournament which allows you to re-buy (usually restricted to the first hour) if you lose all your chips or drop below your starting stack and also addon after the rebuy period is over.
River - The "river" is the dealing of the fifth and final card of the five community cards dealt in Texas Holdem. The "river" is also known as "Fifth Street". The river card is the fifth and final card on the board. See "Flop".
Return on Investment/ROI - The net profit you made divided by the money you invested to make that profit (the sum of all your buy ins). e.g. If you played 10 $10+1 sngs and won $150, then you risked 10x11=$110 and your net profit was $40. So your ROI will be 40/110 = 36%.
Set - Three of a kind when your pair matches one of the community cards. e.g. You have 55 and the flop brings 4 5 A, you now have a set of 5s. (One of the strongest hands on NLHE.)
Semi-bluff - The act of betting on your hand when your hand is not made yet. ie - you have four cards to a straight or flush and you make a bet or raise a bet - even though you do not have a strong hand now, you have a chance of bluffing your opponent out of the pot or hitting the card that will complete your winning hand.
Ship It - - Same as "send it." Phrase exclaimed by the winner of a big pot. Most often exclaimed via the chat box of an online poker game. Has sarcastic, obnoxious overtones and could infuriate your opponent!
Short-handed - A short-handed game refers to a table that has few opponents. A table of 2-6 players (as opposed to a full table of 10) would be considered a short-handed game.
Sit 'n' Go Power Tools/SNGPT - A Program that allows you to work out EV in situations of a SnG.
Slow-play - The act of intentionally under-playing a very strong hand in the hopes of tricking your opponent into thinking that he has you beat, which leads to your opponent betting more in later rounds. ie - holding pocket Aces and just checking or calling on the first round of betting to show weakness, in hopes of luring your opponent into more aggressive play later and a larger pot.
Smooth Call - A smooth call is the act of just calling a bet or raise with a very powerful hand in order to conceal your strength and keep all the attention on the initial raiser.
Standard - Said by someone who thinks the particular hand doesn’t need much discussion; it was played standard. (Many times the word standard can be said sarcastically in reply to a bad beat).
STBY - Sucks to be you. Often said when people post bad beats (Forum/Internet acronym).
Stone Cold Bluff - This is the act of betting your hand with no real possibility of winning the hand if your bet is called. Unlike the semi-bluff, where you still have the potential to make a winning a hand, the stone cold bluff is not relying on the cards, but on your opponent folding.
Stop ‘n’ Go - A move whereby you call a raise, but you are first to act on the flop and you push all-in regardless. Usually where you will probably get called by a better hand if you push pre-flop or you are going to get called anyway, but you may get that better hand to fold if they miss the flop or may have just enough money to make a better hand fold.
Suited Connectors - Holding two cards that are of the same suit and sequentially ordered. ie - 8, 9 of spades.
TAGG/TAgg/TAG - Tight aggressive; someone who is tight with their starting hands but always plays them aggressively. Can also be known as solid.
Tilt - This terms refers to a player who is angry, upset, or emotionally unstable, impacting his poker game in a negative manner. For example, a player who just suffered a "bad beat" may go on "tilt". A player on tilt will often play erratically and more aggressively than his usual tendency.
ToP - The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky.
TP - Top Pair.
TPGK - Top Pair, Good Kicker. e.g. you hold KQ or KJ and the board reads K 5 7
TPTK - Top Pair, Top Kicker. e.g. you hold AQ and board shows Q 9 3
Trips - Also known as a three-of-a-kind.
Turn - The "turn" is the dealing of the fourth card of five community cards dealt in the game of Texas Holdem. The "turn" is also referred to as "Fourth Street". The turn card would be the fourth card on the board. See "Flop".
VP$IP%/VPIP - Voluntary Put Money in the Pot %. A category on Poker Tracker which demonstrates how often you play outside of the blinds (quite literally, how often you voluntarily – as oppose to compulsory – put money into the pot).
W$SD - Won $$ at Show Down %. Poker Tracker’s way of showing you how much cash you win at show down.
WtSD - Went to Show Down %. A further Poker Tracker category which demonstrates how often you go to showdown.
x BB/100 = Winrate expressed as Big Bets per 100 hands played. e.g. You have played 50,000 hands with a bb/100 of 5 which earned you $10,000.
So there are a list of the ones I have compiled so far..I will add on to the list as time goes by or if I do come across more new lingos! Have fun, enojy the game!
Cheers...
