Poker Sharps

Poker Glossary

Every term a poker sharp needs to know — from pot odds to ICM, explained in plain language with real examples.

73 terms

3
3-Bet (3-Bet, 3-бет, Resubida)
The third bet in a sequence: the blinds are bet 1, the open raise is bet 2, and the re-raise is bet 3.
3-betting to 9-10 bb against a 2.5 bb cutoff open isolates the pot and denies equity to the blinds.
4
4-Bet (4-Bet, 4-бет)
A re-raise made against a 3-bet, representing supreme preflop aggression and polar strength.
4-betting pocket Queens (QQ) or Ace-King (AK) to 22-25 bb against an aggressive 3-bettor.
6
6-Max (6-Max, Шорт-хендед)
The standard online cash game table format seating a maximum of six players, fostering faster action and wider opening ranges.
Transitioning from full ring to 6-max requires widening preflop ranges and preparing for increased positional variance.
A
Aggression Factor (AF) (AF, Aggression Factor, Фактор агрессии)
A tracking ratio measuring postflop aggression: (Bets + Raises) / Calls. An AF below 1.5 indicates passivity; above 3.5 indicates extreme aggression.
An opponent with an AF of 0.8 is extremely passive; when they raise your river bet, your top pair is almost certainly crushed.
B
Bad Beat (Bad Beat, Бэд-бит)
Losing a pot when all the money went into the middle as a massive mathematical favorite (e.g. 80%+ equity).
Getting all-in on the flop with top set against a gutshot straight draw and seeing the opponent hit their 4-outer on the river.
Big Blind (BB) (BB, Big Blind, Большой блайнд, Ciega Grande)
The seat posting the full forced bet preflop. Acts last preflop, but first on all postflop streets when heads-up against later positions.
Because 1 bb is already invested, the BB receives favorable pot odds to defend a wide range against button opens.
Block Bet (Block Bet, Блок-бет, Apuesta de Bloqueo)
A small defensive bet made out of position on the river designed to name your own price to see a showdown and prevent a larger bet.
Betting 20% pot on the river with second pair stops the opponent from firing a 75% pot bet that you would struggle to call.
Board Texture (Textura do Bordo, Текстура борда, Textura de la Mesa)
The specific arrangement of community cards regarding suits, ranks, and connectivity, dictating which player has range advantage.
A flop of As-Kd-Qc is broadway-heavy and favors the preflop raiser, whereas 8h-7h-5c favors the big blind defender.
Break-Even Percentage (Ponto de Equilíbrio, Точка безубыточности, Punto de Equilibrio)
The success rate required for a bet, raise, or call to produce zero expected profit. For bluffs: Risk / (Risk + Reward).
A half-pot bluff of $50 into a $100 pot must succeed 50 / (50 + 100) = 33.3% of the time to break even.
Button (BTN) (BTN, Botão, Баттон, Botón)
The premier position in poker. Acts last on every postflop street, conferring maximum informational advantage and wide opening capabilities (40-45%).
Playing on the button generates the highest winrate (bb/100) across all poker positions.
Buy-In (Buy-In, Бай-ин, Entrada)
The fixed amount of money required to purchase a stack of chips for a cash game table or tournament entry.
In standard NL100 cash games, a 100 bb full buy-in is $100.
C
Calling Station (Calling Station, Телефон, Estación de Pago)
A passive recreational player who routinely calls bets with weak pairs and draws, rarely raising or folding.
Never bluff a calling station; widen your value-betting range and extract maximum chips with made hands.
Capped Range (Range Limitado, Капнутый диапазон, Rango Capado)
A range that cannot contain the strongest possible holdings (nuts) because the player would have raised or bet earlier with them.
When the big blind only calls a 3-bet, their range is capped because they would have 4-bet AA, KK, and AK.
Check-Raise (Check-Raise, Чек-рейз)
Checking out of position and then raising after an opponent bets, shifting aggressive initiative back to the defender.
Check-raising the flop with strong value (sets, two pair) and balanced semi-bluffs (combo draws) puts immense pressure on c-bettors.
Cold Call (Cold Call, Колд-колл)
Calling a bet or raise without having previously invested chips in the pot, often capping your perceived range.
Cold calling a 3-bet out of the big blind with pocket jacks usually caps your range, as you would 4-bet AA and KK.
Condensed Range (Range Condensado, Конденсированный диапазон, Rango Condensado)
A range containing predominantly medium-strength hands, bluff-catchers, and second-pair type holdings, lacking absolute nuts or pure air.
A player who checks behind on the turn after calling a flop bet often holds a condensed range of medium pairs.
Continuation Bet (C-Bet) (Continuation Bet, Aposta de Continuação, Контбет)
A bet made on the flop by the player who took the initiative by raising preflop, continuing their perceived range strength.
Open-raising preflop and betting 33% pot on an Ace-high dry flop is a standard high-frequency c-bet.
Cooler (Cooler, Кулер)
An unavoidable poker hand where two players hold monster hands and all the money goes in regardless of skill level (e.g. KK vs AA).
Flopping a King-high flush and running into the Ace-high flush is a standard cooler that requires zero self-blame.
Cutoff (CO) (CO, Катофф)
The seat directly to the right of the button. One of the most profitable positions at the table, allowing a wide opening range of 26-28%.
Opening in the Cutoff puts heavy pressure on the blinds while only needing to get through the button.
D
Delayed C-Bet (Delayed C-Bet, Отложенный контбет, C-Bet Retrasada)
Checking back the flop as the preflop raiser, then betting the turn when checked to, targeting opponents' capped check-folding ranges.
Checking back with Ace-Queen on an 8-5-2 flop and then betting 60% pot when the big blind checks an innocuous turn card.
Donk Bet (Donk Bet, Донк-бет)
A bet made out of position into the player who had preflop aggression on the previous street, defying standard checking protocol.
Calling preflop from the big blind and leading into the button on an 8-7-6 flop that connects heavily with the defending range.
Dry Board (Bordo Seco, Сухой борд, Mesa Seca)
A community card board with disconnected cards and different suits offering few straight or flush possibilities.
Flops like K-8-2 rainbow or A-7-2 rainbow are classical dry boards where low c-bet sizings (25-33% pot) thrive.
E
Equity (Equidade, Эквити, Equidad)
Your mathematical share of the pot based on your probability of winning at showdown against the opponent's range.
Pocket Aces (AA) hold approximately 82% equity preflop against King-Queen offsuit (KQo).
Expected Value (EV) (EV, Valor Esperado, Матожидание)
The average amount of chips or money an action wins or loses over infinite identical repetitions. Positive EV (+EV) is profitable; negative EV (-EV) loses money.
A play that wins $100 60% of the time and loses $50 40% has an EV of (0.60 * 100) - (0.40 * 50) = +$40.
F
Float (Flutuar (Float), Флоат, Flotar)
Calling a flop bet in position with a weak holding with the explicit intention of bluffing on the turn or river when the bettor checks.
Calling a c-bet on a dry K-7-2 rainbow board in position, then betting when the preflop raiser checks the turn.
Fold Equity (Equidade de Dobra, Фолд-эквити)
The additional equity gained when there is a chance an opponent will fold their cards in response to your bet or raise.
Semi-bluffing on the turn has value from both your showdown equity (making your flush) and your fold equity (getting the opponent to lay down top pair).
Full Ring (Full Ring, Фулл-ринг)
A traditional table format seating nine or ten players, demanding tight preflop ranges and extreme positional discipline.
Full ring games feature lower variance and tighter early-position ranges compared to 6-max.
H
Heads-Up (HU, Heads-Up, Хедз-ап)
A poker game or final tournament confrontation contested between exactly two players, demanding hyper-wide ranges.
Playing heads-up requires opening 70-80% of hands on the button and defending the big blind relentlessly.
Hero Call (Hero Call, Хиро-колл)
Calling a significant river bet with a marginal, bluff-catching holding based on a read or mathematical deduction that the opponent is over-bluffing.
Calling an all-in bet on the river with Ace-high after identifying that all completed missed draws can only win by bluffing.
Hero Fold (Hero Fold, Хиро-фолд)
Folding an objectively strong hand (such as a full house or high flush) when evidence or line analysis proves the opponent holds the absolute nuts.
Folding an Ace-high flush on an uncapped paired board when a passive regular raises all-in on the river.
Hijack (HJ) (HJ, Хайджек)
The seat two positions to the right of the button. Opens slightly wider than UTG as fewer players remain to act behind.
A standard 6-max Hijack opening range comprises roughly 18-20% of starting hands.
HUD (Heads-Up Display) (Heads-Up Display, HUD)
Software overlay that displays statistical frequencies (VPIP, PFR, 3-Bet, AF) directly next to opponents' seats in real-time.
A player with a HUD stat line of 45/8/2 is immediately identified as a passive calling station ready to be value bet relentlessly.
I
ICM (Independent Chip Model) (Independent Chip Model, ICM)
A mathematical model that translates tournament chip stacks into their real monetary equity based on tournament payout structures.
Under ICM on the final table bubble, risking chips carries a higher penalty than the reward of gaining them, forcing tight ranges.
Implied Odds (Odds Implícitas, Потенциальные шансы банка)
The estimated future chips you expect to win on later betting streets if your drawing hand hits, compensating for insufficient direct pot odds.
Facing a bet on the flop with a flush draw requiring 25% equity while having 18%, implied odds justify the call if you can win another bet on the river.
In Position (IP) (IP, Em Posição, В позиции, En Posición)
Acting after your opponent on a betting street. Grants the crucial advantage of seeing the opponent's action before making your own decision.
Playing hands in position allows you to realize more equity, pot control with medium hands, and extract thin value.
Isolation Raise (Iso-Raise) (Isolation Raise, Изолейт-рейз)
Raising after one or more players have limped, aiming to play heads-up in position against the weak recreational limper.
Raising to 4-5 bb on the button over a single limp forces the blinds out and isolates the limper.
K
Kelly Criterion (Critério de Kelly, Критерий Келли, Criterio de Kelly)
A mathematical formula that determines optimal bet and bankroll sizing to maximize geometric bankroll growth while preventing ruin.
Poker sharps typically use Fractional Kelly (Quarter Kelly) to reduce portfolio volatility during extreme downswings.
L
Linear Range (Range Linear, Линейный диапазон, Rango Lineal)
A range containing the best possible hands down to a chosen threshold, with no gaps or separate bluffing clusters.
An early position opening range is linear: it opens the top 15% of all starting hands without adding speculative bluffs.
Loose-Aggressive (LAG) (Loose-Aggressive, LAG, Лузово-агрессивный стиль)
An advanced playing style that opens and plays a wide range of hands with relentless postflop pressure and sharp hand reading.
Skilled LAGs use position and postflop skill to outplay tighter opponents in pots they technically entered with marginal hands.
M
Minimum Defense Frequency (MDF) (Minimum Defense Frequency, Frequência Mínima de Defesa, Минимальная частота защиты)
The percentage of your range you must defend (call or raise) to prevent an opponent from profitably bluffing with any two random cards. Formula: MDF = Pot / (Pot + Bet).
Facing a pot-sized bet ($100 into $100), MDF is 100 / (100 + 100) = 50%. You must defend at least 50% of your range.
Monotone Board (Bordo Monótono, Одномастный борд, Mesa Monótona)
A board where all three flop cards share the exact same suit, drastically compressing equities and requiring cautious play without the suited Ace.
On an Ah-8h-4h flop, having no heart in your hand severely caps your ability to continue aggressively.
N
Nit (Nit, Нит)
An excessively tight player who only enters pots with premier hands and only commits chips postflop with near-nuts.
Steal nits' blinds relentlessly, and immediately fold when they raise you on the turn or river.
O
Open Limp (Limp Inicial, Опен-лимп)
Entering an unopened pot preflop by merely matching the big blind instead of raising. Considered a major amateur leak.
Open limping from UTG allows the blinds and button to enter cheaply and denies you the ability to win the pot preflop.
Out of Position (OOP) (OOP, Fora de Posição, Вне позиции, Fuera de Posición)
Acting first on a postflop betting street. Forced to make decisions under informational asymmetry, lowering realized equity.
Hands played out of position systematically under-realize their theoretical equity by 10-15%.
Outs (Outs, Ауты)
The unseen cards remaining in the deck that will improve your hand to a likely winning combination.
Holding four suited cards on the flop gives you 9 outs to complete a flush (13 cards of the suit minus 4 already seen).
Overbet (Overbet, Овербет)
A bet larger than 100% of the current pot size, applied with a polarized range to maximize value from nuts and leverage fold equity.
Betting $250 into a $150 pot on the river to polarize your range and force opponents into tough bluff-catching decisions.
P
PFR (Preflop Raise) (Preflop Raiser, PFR)
The percentage of hands in which a player enters the pot with a raise preflop, measuring preflop aggression.
A healthy TAG stat profile displays a close correlation between VPIP and PFR, such as 24/20.
Polarized Range (Range Polarizado, Поляризованный диапазон, Rango Polarizado)
A betting range consisting exclusively of very strong value hands and bluffs, with medium-strength hands omitted (checked or folded).
River overbetting ranges are typically polarized: monster hands like full houses and busted draws converted into bluffs.
Pot Odds (Odds do Pote, Шансы банка, Odds del Bote)
The ratio of the current pot size to the cost of a contemplated call. Determines the mathematical equity required to break even on a call.
If the pot is $100 and opponent bets $50, you must call $50 to win $150. Your pot odds are 50 / (150 + 50) = 25%.
Push or Fold (Push/Fold) (Push/Fold, Пуш-фолд)
A simplified tournament strategy used when short-stacked (<12-15 bb) where the only profitable preflop options are going all-in (push) or folding.
With 10 bb remaining in an MTT, open-raising small is mathematically inferior to pushing all-in or folding.
R
Rainbow Board (Bordo Rainbow, Радужный борд, Mesa Arcoíris)
A flop containing three different suits, eliminating all immediate flush possibilities and keeping board play primarily rank-driven.
A flop of Kd-8s-3c is a rainbow board where opponents cannot have made flushes or strong four-card flush draws.
Rake (Rake, Рейк)
The scaled commission fee taken by a poker room from each cash game pot or tournament entry fee.
At microstakes (NL2-NL10), rake can exceed 8-10 bb/100, requiring a tight preflop strategy to beat the rake barrier.
Rake Cap (Cap de Rake, Кэп рейка, Límite de Rake)
The maximum dollar amount of commission a poker room will collect from a single pot, regardless of pot size.
A $3 rake cap on a $500 pot means only 0.6% of the pot is raked, making large pots far more profitable than small ones.
Rakeback (Rakeback, Рейкбек)
The percentage of paid rake refunded back to the player as a reward, forming a crucial component of overall winrate.
Receiving 40% rakeback transforms a break-even 0 bb/100 grinder into a solid 3-4 bb/100 winner.
Reverse Implied Odds (Odds Implícitas Reversas, Обратные потенциальные шансы)
The risk of losing additional chips on future streets when your draw completes but your opponent makes a superior hand.
Chasing a bottom-end straight or small flush draw carries high reverse implied odds because higher straights or flushes dominate you.
Risk of Ruin (RoR) (RoR, Risco de Ruína, Риск разорения, Riesgo de Ruina)
The mathematical probability that a player will lose their entire poker bankroll before reaching their financial target.
With a 30 buy-in bankroll and a winrate of 2 bb/100, RoR can exceed 10%. Increasing to 60 buy-ins drops RoR below 1%.
Rule of 2 and 4 (Regra do 2 e 4, Правило 2 и 4, Regla del 2 y 4)
A mental shortcut to approximate equity: multiply outs by 4 on the flop (turn + river to come), or by 2 on the turn (river only to come).
With 9 flush outs on the flop: 9 * 4 = ~36% equity. On the turn: 9 * 2 = ~18% equity.
Runout (Runout, Ранаут)
The sequence of board cards dealt on the turn and river following the flop, shaping the final hand hierarchies.
A brick runout (unconnected low cards) preserves preflop range advantages, whereas high card runouts shift the dynamic.
S
Semi-Bluff (Semiblefe, Полублеф, Semifarol)
Betting or raising with an unfinished hand (draw) that currently has little showdown value but significant equity to improve to a winner.
Raising the turn with a nut flush draw: you can win immediately via fold equity or win at showdown when the flush hits on the river.
Shot Taking (Shot Taking, Вылазка на лимит выше (Шот), Subida de Nivel)
Temporarily playing a higher stake with a strictly allocated budget (e.g. 3-5 buy-ins) to test field strength and accelerate bankroll growth.
Taking a 5-buy-in shot at NL50 while maintaining an NL25 bankroll, with a mandatory step-down rule if the 5 buy-ins are lost.
Slow Play (Slow Play, Слоуплей, Pasar la mano)
Playing a monster hand passively (checking or smooth-calling) to disguise its strength and induce bluffs from aggressive opponents.
Checking a flopped full house in position against a hyper-aggressive opponent allows them to barrel all three streets.
Small Blind (SB) (SB, Small Blind, Малый блайнд, Ciega Pequeña)
The seat between the button and big blind that posts a mandatory forced bet. Plays out of position against all players postflop.
Sharps frequently open-raise or 3-bet from the SB rather than flatting to mitigate positional disadvantage.
Squeeze (Squeeze Play, Сквиз)
A 3-bet made after an open-raise and one or more callers, leveraging the dead money in the pot.
Raising to 12 bb from the big blind after an open from UTG and two callers extracts massive profit from their capped calling ranges.
Stop-Loss (Stop-Loss, Стоп-лосс)
A predetermined monetary limit (e.g. 3-4 buy-ins) that triggers an automatic session shutdown to prevent catastrophic emotional losses.
Enforcing a 3-buy-in daily stop-loss ensures you never give back multiple weeks of winrate in a single bad evening.
Straddle (Straddle, Страдл)
An optional voluntary blind bet posted preflop by the player to the left of the big blind before cards are dealt, effectively doubling the stakes.
A straddle turns a $1/$2 game into a $1/$2/$4 game, instantly cutting effective stack depths in half.
T
Thin Value (Valor Fino, Тонкое вэлью, Apuesta por Valor Fino)
A value bet made when your hand only narrowly beats 50-55% of the opponent's calling range, maximizing winrate at high risk.
Betting a third pair on a blank river because the recreational opponent will hero-call with Ace-high or lower pairs.
Tight-Aggressive (TAG) (Tight-Aggressive, TAG, Тайтово-агрессивный стиль)
A disciplined poker style characterized by playing select starting hands selectively and betting or raising aggressively when involved.
The TAG archetype is the cornerstone of winning micro and low-stakes online cash games.
Tilt (Tilt, Тильт)
A state of emotional frustration or mental compromise leading to irrational, aggressive, or bankroll-destroying poker decisions.
Recognizing early symptoms of tilt and executing an immediate session quit protocol is a hallmark of a professional sharp.
U
Under the Gun (UTG) (Under the Gun, УТГ)
The position directly to the left of the big blind, acting first preflop and facing the highest risk of being dominated.
In 6-max, a disciplined sharp plays a tight opening range of approximately 14-16% from UTG.
V
Value Bet (Aposta por Valor, Вэлью-бет, Apuesta por Valor)
A bet made with a hand that expects to be called and win against worse hands more than 50% of the time when called.
Betting top pair with top kicker on the river targeting calls from second pair or weaker kickers.
Variance (Variância, Дисперсия, Varianza)
The statistical measure of how far actual poker results deviate from expected value due to short-term luck and card distribution.
A winning player running 15 buy-ins below EV over 20,000 hands is experiencing standard poker variance.
VPIP (Voluntarily Put in Pot) (Voluntarily Put Money In Pot, VPIP)
The percentage of hands in which a player voluntarily puts money into the preflop pot, excluding posted blinds.
In 6-max No-Limit Hold'em, a solid TAG player maintains a VPIP between 20% and 26%.
W
Wet Board (Bordo Conectado, Дровяной борд, Mesa Mojada)
A highly coordinated board featuring connected ranks and matching suits, generating multiple straight and flush draws.
Flops like Jh-Th-9s require larger bet sizing (66-75%+) to deny equity and charge drawing hands.
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