Glossary
Lexicon of terms used in Poker Toolkit and poker in general.
📚 General Poker Terms
A-C
A-Game Your best level of play. State where you play optimally with maximum focus, strict discipline and rational decisions.
Aggro (Aggressive) Playing style characterized by frequent bets and raises rather than calls. An aggro player puts pressure on opponents.
Ante Mandatory bet that all players place before cards are dealt (especially in tournaments). Added to the blinds.
B-Game Correct but not optimal play level. Slight drop in concentration or occasional small mistakes.
Bankroll (BRM) Capital dedicated to poker. Bankroll management (BRM = Bankroll Management) consists of only playing stakes adapted to your capital to minimize risk of ruin.
BB (Big Blind)
- Big blind (mandatory bet placed by the player 2 positions to the left of the dealer)
- Unit of measurement (e.g., "open 2.5bb" = raise 2.5× the big blind)
Bet Initial wager in a betting round (before an opponent has bet).
Bluff Bet or raise with a weak hand hoping to make a better opponent hand fold.
Bluff-catcher Moderately strong hand that can only beat bluffs. Used to catch opponent bluffs in marginal spots.
Board Community cards in the center of the table (flop, turn, river). Example: "Board Kh 9s 2d 7c As".
BTN (Button / Dealer) Most advantageous position - acts last post-flop. The "button" rotates clockwise after each hand.
C-bet (Continuation Bet) Post-flop bet by the pre-flop raiser to "continue their aggression". Standard strategy to apply pressure.
C-Game Degraded play - tilt, fatigue, total loss of focus. Must be avoided absolutely (goal: 0% of time).
Call Match an opponent's bet without raising.
Check Pass your turn without betting (only if no bet has been made before you).
Combo (Combination) A specific poker hand. Example: "AsAh" is one combo of AA. There are 1326 possible combos in Texas Hold'em (169 different hands).
Pot odds Ratio between the bet to call and the total pot. Determines if a call is profitable. Example: Pot 10bb, bet 5bb = 3:1 odds (need 25% equity to call).
D-G
Draw Incomplete hand that needs improvement to win. Examples: flush draw (4 cards of same suit), straight draw (4 consecutive cards).
EV (Expected Value) Average gain of an action over the long term. A +EV action is profitable, -EV is losing. The goal is to maximize EV of each decision.
Equity Probability of winning the pot at a given moment. Example: AA vs KK pre-flop = 82% vs 18% equity.
Flop The first 3 community cards revealed at the same time.
Flush 5 cards of the same suit (hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs). Example: Ah Kh 9h 7h 2h = flush to the Ace.
Fold Discard your hand and abandon the pot. No chance of winning the pot.
Fold equity Probability that the opponent folds. A profitable bluff requires sufficient fold equity.
GTO (Game Theory Optimal) Theoretically perfect strategy based on game theory. Impossible to exploit but sometimes non-optimal against imperfect players.
H-M
Hero-call Call with a marginal hand estimating that the opponent bluffs enough. Requires good range reading.
HUD (Heads-Up Display) Display of statistics on opponents (VPIP, PFR, etc.) in real time. Prohibited on some sites.
Implied odds Potential future gains beyond the current pot. A draw with implied odds can justify a call even with bad pot odds.
ISO (Isolation) Raise after a player has limped to play heads-up against them in position.
Leak Recurring error that costs money. Examples: calling too much OOP, overvaluing top pair, tilting after bad beat.
Limp Just call the big blind pre-flop (no raise). Generally considered weak.
MTT (Multi-Table Tournament) Tournament with multiple tables. Players are eliminated until only one remains (winner-take-most).
N-R
Nuts Best possible hand in a given situation. Example: On board Ah Kh Qh, the nuts is JhTh (straight flush).
OOP (Out Of Position) Playing out of position = acting before the opponent. Informational disadvantage.
Overbet Bet > pot. Example: pot 10bb, bet 15bb. Used to polarize your range (very strong or bluff).
Overpair Pocket pair higher than all board cards. Example: QQ on board JT3.
PFR (Pre-Flop Raise %) Statistic: percentage of hands raised pre-flop. Measures aggressiveness.
Pot Total bets in the center of the table. The winner takes the pot.
Range Set of hands a player can have in a situation. Example: "UTG opening range: AA-88, AK-AJ, KQs".
Raise Increase the current bet (at least 2× the previous bet).
River 5th and last community card. Last betting round.
S-Z
SB (Small Blind) Small blind (mandatory bet placed by the player to the left of the dealer). Generally 50% of the BB.
Set Three of a kind made with a pocket pair + one board card. Example: 77 in hand, board A73 = set of 7s.
Showdown Revealing cards after the last betting round to determine the winner.
Squeeze 3-bet after an open + call(s). Puts pressure on multiple players.
Stack Total chips of a player. Example: "I have a stack of 100bb".
Straight 5 consecutive cards. Example: 9-8-7-6-5.
Tilt Negative emotional state that leads to bad play (after bad beat, losing streak, etc.). Main mental leak.
TPTK (Top Pair Top Kicker) Top pair with the best possible kicker. Example: AK on board A73 = top pair (Ace) + top kicker (King).
Turn 4th community card revealed after the flop.
Underdog Player/hand less favored in equity. Opposite of favorite.
UTG (Under The Gun) First position to speak pre-flop (to the left of BB). Most disadvantageous position.
Value bet Bet with a strong hand hoping to get paid by worse.
VPIP (Voluntarily Put In Pot %) Statistic: percentage of hands played voluntarily (excluding blinds). Measures loose/tight play.
📖 Special Notations
Cards
| Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| As | Ace of spades |
| Ah | Ace of hearts |
| Ad | Ace of diamonds |
| Ac | Ace of clubs |
| Kh | King of hearts |
| Qd | Queen of diamonds |
| Js | Jack of spades |
| Ts | Ten of spades |
| 9h | Nine of hearts |
Hands
| Notation | Meaning | Number of combos |
|---|---|---|
| AA | Pair of Aces | 6 |
| AK | Ace-King (all variants) | 16 |
| AKs | Ace-King suited (same suit) | 4 |
| AKo | Ace-King offsuit (different suits) | 12 |
| AA-JJ | All pairs from AA to JJ | 24 |
| AK+ | AK and better (AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK) | 70 |
| A2s+ | All suited Aces from A2s to AKs | 52 |
Ranges
| Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AA-22 | All pairs |
| AK-AJ | AK, AQ, AJ (all variants) |
| AKs-ATs | AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs (suited only) |
| 76s-54s | Suited connectors from 76s to 54s |
| KQs, KQo | KQ suited AND offsuit |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About the Glossary
How to read range notation "AA-JJ, AK, AQs"?
This range contains:
- AA-JJ: All pairs from AA to JJ inclusive (AA, KK, QQ, JJ) = 24 combos
- AK: All variants of AK (AKs + AKo) = 16 combos
- AQs: AQ suited only = 4 combos
Total: 44 combos
What's the difference between "equity" and "EV"?
- Equity: Probability of winning the pot (e.g., 45%)
- EV (Expected Value): Average gain taking into account pot odds, bet sizes, and all possible scenarios
Example:
You have 30% equity on the river
Pot: 10bb, opponent bets 5bb
Pot odds: 15:5 = 3:1 → need 25% equity to call
You have 30% > 25% → EV+ (profitable call)Equity alone is not enough - you must combine it with pot odds to calculate EV.
💡 Missing term?
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We will add the most requested terms to the glossary.