Poker Glossary
Master the language of poker with our comprehensive glossary. From GTO concepts to strategic terminology.
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Blocker
A card in your hand that reduces the likelihood of your opponent holding certain hands.
Bluff
A bet or raise made with a weak hand intended to get opponents to fold better hands.
Bluff Catching
Calling an opponent's bet with a marginal hand specifically because you believe they are bluffing.
Board Texture
The composition and connectedness of community cards affecting range advantages and betting strategies.
Bubble
The period in a tournament just before reaching the money, characterized by extreme ICM pressure.
Button
The dealer position, the most advantageous seat at the table with last action postflop.
C
C-Betting
A continuation bet made on the flop by the preflop aggressor, continuing the betting momentum.
Card Removal
The effect of holding specific cards on the possible combinations opponents can have.
Check-Raise
Checking with the intention of raising after an opponent bets, often indicating strength or as a bluff.
Condensed Range
A range composed primarily of medium-strength hands with few very strong or weak holdings.
Cutoff
The seat directly to the right of the button, the second-best position at the table for postflop play.
D
E
Equity
The percentage chance a hand has of winning the pot if the hand were to go to showdown.
Equity Realization
The percentage of a hand's raw equity that can actually be realized through to showdown, affected by position and playability.
EV
Expected Value, the average amount won or lost per decision over the long run.
Exploitative
A strategy that deviates from GTO to take advantage of specific opponent mistakes and tendencies.
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G
Game Tree
A complete map of all possible decision points and outcomes in a poker hand, used by solvers to compute optimal strategies.
Geometric Sizing
A bet sizing strategy that builds the pot consistently across multiple streets to reach an optimal all-in size by the river.
GTO
Game Theory Optimal play, a theoretically unexploitable strategy that maximizes expected value against perfect opponents.
I
ICM
Independent Chip Model, a mathematical model that calculates real-money equity based on chip stacks in tournaments.
Implied Odds
The potential future winnings from later streets that justify a current call, beyond immediate pot odds.
In Position
Acting last in a betting round, providing an informational advantage over opponents who act before you.
Indifference
A game theory principle where optimal play makes opponents indifferent between their available options.
M
MDF
Minimum Defense Frequency, the percentage of hands you must defend to prevent opponents from profitably bluffing any two cards.
Mixed Strategy
A game theory concept where the optimal play involves randomizing between different actions with specific frequencies.
Multi-Way Pot
A pot with three or more players, requiring significant strategic adjustments from heads-up play.
N
Nash Equilibrium
A solution concept where no player can improve their outcome by unilaterally changing their strategy.
Node Locking
A solver technique that fixes certain strategic actions to model specific opponent tendencies.
Nut Advantage
When one player's range contains more of the strongest possible hands (nuts) than their opponent's range.
P
Polarized Range
A range composed of very strong hands and bluffs, with few medium-strength hands.
Position
Your seat location relative to the dealer button, determining the order of action in each betting round.
Pot Odds
The ratio between the current pot size and the cost to call, used to determine if calling is mathematically correct.
Probe Bet
Leading out on a later street after the previous aggressor checked back, seizing initiative.
R
Range
The spectrum of possible hands a player could hold in a given situation.
Range Advantage
When one player's range contains more combinations of hands that connect with a particular board than their opponent.
Reverse Implied Odds
The potential future losses when making a hand that loses to a better hand, the opposite of implied odds.
Risk Premium
The additional equity required to make a decision correct when accounting for uncertainty, variance, or ICM considerations.
S
Semi-Bluff
A bet or raise with a drawing hand that has equity to improve, combining fold equity with hand equity.
Short Stack
Playing with a stack significantly smaller than the table average, requiring push-fold strategy adjustments.
Showdown Value
A hand strong enough to win at showdown without improvement, affecting betting and checking decisions.
Solver
Software that computes GTO strategies by analyzing all possible actions across the complete game tree.
SPR
Stack-to-Pot Ratio, the effective stack size divided by the current pot, influencing strategic decisions.
Squeeze
A preflop re-raise when facing an initial raiser and one or more callers, applying maximum pressure.
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