Poker glossary

Put chips in when no one has bet on the current street. Increasing an existing bet is a raise.

Increase the total amount wagered on the current street above the existing bet. With a big blind of 200 chips, the first preflop raise must be to at least 400.

Distinguish the minimum permitted size from a profitable size. An undersized reraise gives opponents cheap calls, may fail to narrow the field and can miss value with strong hands. Consider calling ranges, position, player count and effective stacks.

The minimum total is the current highest total plus the previous full raise increment. If a raise goes from 400 to 1,200, the next minimum is 2,000. That is a rule-based minimum, not a recommendation. Distinguish a 2 BB MTT open from later 3-bets and 4-bets. An all-in smaller than a full raise may not reopen raising for players who have already acted.

Pay the additional amount needed to match the opponent’s wager.

Enter preflop by calling another player’s raise before voluntarily putting chips into the pot. For example, UTG opens to 2.5 BB and CO calls 2.5 BB on their first action. It also includes a third player calling after an open and a 3-bet. This differs from defending a blind or calling a 3-bet after your own open. Check position, sizing and players behind, because a squeeze or a 4-bet from the original raiser can follow.

Pass the action without betting when you owe no additional chips.

Check on the next street before its board cards are revealed. For example, after preflop betting ends, the player first to act on the flop taps the table before seeing the three cards.

A player may intend to project confidence or influence the opponent, but gives up the opportunity to choose a bet after seeing the board. Strong hands can remain in the checking range, but ordinary checking after seeing the cards can achieve that too. Beginners should build the habit of looking at the board before deciding.

Give up the right to contest the pot in the current hand.

Wager all your remaining chips. This can be a bet, raise or call. Check your total contribution for the street, including chips already committed.

Push: another term for moving all-in. It is common in short-stack discussions such as ‘push 10 BB’ or ‘push/fold’, but is not limited to short stacks or preflop play.

Jam: a conversational term for moving all-in, as in ‘jam the river’ or ‘3-bet jam’. It is used in strategy explanations as well as commentary.

Both push and jam usually describe an all-in bet or raise. There is no strict division between one being a technical term and the other slang; the wording does not change the rules or hand strength.

Example: when everyone folds to your BTN and you wager your last 10 BB, you can call it an all-in, push or jam. When matching someone else’s all-in, ‘call the all-in’ clearly identifies your action.

Check, then call an opponent’s bet on the same street.

Example: heads-up from the BB, you hold K♠J♦ on K♥7♣2♦. With 6 BB in the pot, you check, BTN bets 2 BB, and you call 2 BB.

It is useful with hands such as top pair that can call, but may fold out weaker hands and get called mostly by stronger hands if raised. It retains bluffs and keeps the pot smaller than raising, especially against wide betting ranges.

The decision depends on range and size. Top pair does not mean you must call every street.

Check, then raise an opponent’s bet on the same street.

Example: heads-up from the BB, you hold 7♠7♦ on K♥7♣2♦, making a set. In a 6 BB pot, you check, BTN bets 2 BB, and you raise to 8 BB. That 8 BB is your total for the street, not an additional 8 BB.

A strong hand such as a set can get more chips from top pairs or draws. With A♠5♠ on K♠7♠2♦, a check-raise can instead be a semi-bluff with flush potential.

There are more opportunities against opponents who bet frequently after checks. If they check back, you cannot raise and may give a free card, so account for the opponent, board and stacks. The sizes above are practice examples.

Check after the opponent checks while you are in position; also called checking behind. Heads-up, this ends the betting round: the next card comes on the flop or turn, or showdown follows on the river.

Example: BTN holds 9♠9♦ on K♣J♦7♠4♥2♣ and BB checks. If BB can have 88 or ace-high but would fold those hands to a bet and call mainly with kings or jacks, checking back preserves showdown value without turning a winning hand into an unsupported bluff.

Another example: A♠5♠ on a K♠9♦2♠ flop and Q♥ turn. If the opponent checks and is unlikely to fold to a bet, checking back can see the river without investing more. A draw does not force a semi-bluff.

Betting remains an option if weaker hands will call. Checking back earlier streets gives the opponent a free card too; consider the board, range and number of players.

Enter by matching the big blind without raising. From the small blind, this usually means adding 0.5 BB.

The first preflop raise. Counting the big blind as the first bet makes the open a 2-bet.

A reraise over an open-raise. The name does not mean three times the size.

A reraise over a 3-bet.

A reraise over a 4-bet. It is often all-in in a 100 BB example, but the term itself does not mean all-in.

A 3-bet made with a range wider than only premium hands, partly to win through folds. For example, BTN reraises A5s (A♠5♠) against a CO who opens widely and folds often to 3-bets. The ace removes some AA and AK combinations. ‘Light’ does not mean a small size.

A 4-bet that includes the aim of making opponents fold, rather than only premium value hands. For example, after opening BTN, you might reraise A5s (A♥5♥), or sometimes AQo (A♠Q♦), against a BB who 3-bets widely and often folds to 4-bets. These are not automatic 4-bets; position, opponent and stacks matter.

A 5-bet with a bluff component. It needs evidence such as frequent 4-bet bluffs and excessive folds to 5-bets. An opponent playing many hands alone is not sufficient justification.

Usually a raise from CO, BTN or SB in an unopened pot, aiming to make the remaining players fold and win the blinds and antes.

Example: everyone folds to BTN, who opens Q♠9♠ to 2.5 BB. If SB and BB fold, you win 0.5 BB from SB + 1 BB from BB + a 1 BB ante = 2.5 BB without seeing a flop; your own 2.5 BB comes back.

In tournaments, blinds and antes reduce your stack while you wait, and blind levels rise over time. Select opportunities where opponents are likely to fold rather than waiting only for premium hands.

Adjust your hands and frequency against frequent calls or 3-bets behind. Stealing does not mean raising every hand.

Raise to make other players fold and try to play heads-up against a chosen opponent, especially a limper. Example: CO limps for 1 BB and BTN raises AQs (A♠Q♠) to 4 BB total. If both blinds fold and only CO calls, BTN plays heads-up in position. Heads-up play is not guaranteed. The 4 BB size is an example; adjust for opponents and player count.

A 3-bet after an open and at least one call. Example: HJ opens to 2.5 BB, CO calls, and BTN reraises QQ (Q♠Q♥) to 11 BB total. It can build a pot with a strong hand or win the chips already committed by making opponents fold. The 11 BB size is an example; adjust for position, player count and stacks.

Respond to a bet or raise by calling or reraising. Big-blind defense includes calls and 3-bets against an open.

A bet of 50% of the pot before the bet. For example, bet 10 BB into 20 BB.

The reference is the pot immediately before betting, not the 30 BB pot after the 10 BB bet.

Heads-up, an ordinary 10 BB call makes a 40 BB final pot, so required equity is 10 ÷ 40 = 25%. Further payments, side pots and rake need separate consideration.

A bet of 100% of the pot before betting. For example, bet 20 BB into 20 BB.

Heads-up, an ordinary 20 BB call makes 20 + 20 + 20 = 60 BB, so required equity is 20 ÷ 60 ≈ 33.3%. Further payments, side pots and rake need separate consideration.

This is a size description, not a claim that a pot-sized bet is best in every situation.

A bet larger than 100% of the pot before betting. Betting 30 BB into 20 BB is a 150% overbet; sizes are expressed as pot percentages such as 125%, 150% or 200%.

Overbets can be value bets or bluffs. A large bet is not automatically a bluff: check ranges, board and remaining stacks.

Heads-up, an ordinary 30 BB call makes 20 + 30 + 30 = 80 BB, so required equity is 30 ÷ 80 = 37.5%. Further payments, side pots and rake need separate consideration.

Seek profit by getting weaker hands to call. Raises can be for value too. For example, AA can win chips from an opponent’s weaker pair.

A bet or raise intended to make a better hand fold. It needs a realistic chance that the opponent will fold.

Pure bluff: a bluff with little chance of winning when called. Example: betting 6♣5♣ on a K♠Q♦J♥8♣2♠ river to fold out one pair. No cards remain to improve your hand. Whether to attempt it depends on the opponent’s range and the preceding action.

Semi-bluff: a bluff that can improve to a strong hand on a later card. Example: betting 8♠9♠ on A♠6♠2♦ can win through a fold or by making a flush when called. Having a draw does not mean you must bet.

The distinction is whether more cards can improve the hand after a call. On the river, there is no draw-completion semi-bluff. In both cases, identify the better hands you want to fold.

A range centered on strong value hands and bluff candidates, with little medium-strength content. For a 1.25-pot river bet, for example, combine nut-strength hands with bluffs that block strong calls. Betting medium pairs too large often folds out weaker hands and gets called only by stronger ones.

A bet using the same size mainly for strong value and bluffs, often with a large size such as 75% pot or more. For example, a 12 BB river bet into 10 BB can combine full houses with bluffs blocking nut flushes. A large bet is not simply ‘strong’; its rationale involves the top of the opponent’s range and your value/bluff composition.

A bet by the player who bet or raised on the previous street, especially a flop bet by the preflop raiser. It can be for value or as a bluff. Opening preflop does not mean you must c-bet.

Bet the turn after a flop bet was called. A common example is the preflop raiser c-betting the flop and continuing on the turn. It can be for value or as a bluff.

Example: BTN opens A♠K♦ and BB calls. On K♣7♥2♠, BB checks, you bet and BB calls. Betting again after BB checks the 3♦ turn is a double barrel, potentially getting value from weaker kings.

For a bluff, ask whether the turn favors your range and which hands will fold. Do not bet automatically because you bet the flop; with showdown value, consider checking.

Bet the river after flop and turn bets were called. It spans all three postflop streets and can be for value or as a bluff.

Example: BTN opens K♠K♦ and BB calls. The board is K♣7♥2♠, then 3♦, then 9♣. BB checks each street. After your flop and turn bets are called, betting your set again on the river is a value triple barrel. Choose a size that a pair of kings or two pair can call.

For a bluff, identify which stronger hands can fold after calling twice. No next card can improve a river draw, and the extra risk can be substantial. Two previous bets do not require a third: consider tendencies, sizing and showdown value.

Most commonly, a flop lead into the last preflop raiser by a player who called that raise.

Example: BTN opens to 2.5 BB, BB calls, then BB bets the flop. This is a donk bet. In a multiway pot, what matters is betting before the last raiser, not who called last.

On the turn or river, calling the opponent’s previous bet or raise and then leading into them is also a donk bet. If the previous street checked through, the lead is instead distinguished as a probe bet.

This is an action taken in the correct order, not acting out of turn. Nor is it necessarily poor play; its use depends on the board and both ranges.

A postflop bet made first from out of position, particularly by someone who was not the previous aggressor.

‘Lead’ describes betting first. ‘Donk’ adds the condition that the bet is into the player who bet or raised on the previous street. A donk bet is one kind of lead, not an entirely separate action.

Example: BTN opens, BB calls, then BB bets the flop: both a lead and a donk bet. If both check the flop and BB bets the turn, that is also a lead, but in this sequence it is a probe.

Leading alone does not tell you whether the bet is value, a bluff or a good decision.

In this introduction, an out-of-position bet on the next street after the original raiser declined to c-bet and checked back the flop.

Example: BTN opens, BB calls, BB checks the flop and BTN checks back. BB then bets the turn: a probe bet.

The distinction is whether the opponent bet the previous street. Leading after calling that bet is a donk; leading after a check-back is a probe.

It can seek value or folds. Do not assume a check means weakness; consider remaining pairs, draws, slow-plays and the next card.

Bet the entire available range, not just strong hands, often using a small size. Strictly it means all hands; practical simplified strategies may use the term for betting nearly all hands.

Example: UTG opens to 2.2 BB and BB calls. On A♠Q♦8♣, UTG can have more strong ace- and queen-containing hands such as AA, QQ, AQ, AK and AJ. UTG may therefore use a 25–33% pot bet not only with strong aces and sets, but also with underpairs such as 66. The rationale is the whole range’s advantage, not 66 being strong by itself. Mixing 66 into the same small sizing can put pressure on weak 8x holdings, small pocket pairs and missed hands.

This illustrates a concept, not a fixed solution. Frequencies depend on stacks, player count, suits and defense. A small bet is not necessarily a range bet, and this example does not require betting every hand.

A small bet, usually from out of position with a medium-strength hand, seeking thin value and reducing how often the hand faces a large opposing bet. It is often used on the river.

The opponent can raise, so a cheap showdown is not guaranteed. Consider why you are betting small, how to respond to a raise and which strong hands share that size. Distinguish this bet from a card ‘blocker’ that removes opponent combinations.

The smallest full raise permitted by the rules: current highest total plus the previous full raise increment. If BB 100 is raised to 300, the next minimum is 500. Subtract chips you already put in when calculating your additional payment.

An undersized reraise offers cheap calls and may not narrow the field. Even with a strong hand, it can miss value against an opponent willing to pay more. Avoid automatically making a deep-stack 3-bet the minimum.

A minimum raise is not always bad: a 2 BB MTT open or some shallow-stack spots can be reasonable. Distinguish opening from reraising and adapt to position, player count, depth and opponent.

Your seat and action order relative to the button. The order differs preflop and postflop. Acting later lets you observe opponents before deciding.

The player whose hand or decision is being examined in a poker explanation or hand review.

Hero’s opponent in a poker explanation. It usually identifies the particular opponent whose hand or range is being analyzed, even when other players are present.

In this guide’s eight-handed table, UTG and UTG+1. Acting early preflop leaves more players behind, so opening ranges are usually tighter. An early-position player can still be in position postflop, as in UTG versus BB.

UTG means Under the Gun, normally the seat left of the BB and first to act preflop. UTG+1 and UTG+2 are the next two seats. This guide labels six-handed seats UTG, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB, and nine-handed seats UTG, UTG+1, UTG+2, LJ, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB. Different table sizes leave different numbers of players behind UTG, so the ranges need not be the same.

In this guide’s eight-handed table, MP (equivalent to LJ) and HJ (hijack). Naming conventions can differ.

MP means middle position, LJ lojack and HJ hijack. HJ is immediately before CO; LJ is immediately before HJ. This guide’s eight-handed order is UTG, UTG+1, LJ, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB. The source reference’s MP is displayed as LJ.

PokerLift labels the first seat UTG six-handed, HJ five-handed and CO four-handed. In a literal first-to-act sense, five-handed HJ or four-handed CO may sometimes be called UTG elsewhere.

In this guide, CO (cutoff) and BTN (button). Many players act before these seats, and unopened pots often allow wider opens. BTN acts last postflop, but CO is out of position against BTN, so late position does not always mean in position.

CO is the cutoff, one seat before BTN. BTN is the button (dealer position) and acts last postflop. Both are late positions.

Small blind and big blind. With three or more players, SB always acts first postflop; in an SB-versus-BB pot, BB acts later. In heads-up play, SB is also BTN, so SB/BTN acts first preflop and last postflop. Distinguish a full-table hand in which only SB and BB remain from a hand dealt to only two players.

Acting after the opponent postflop. You can observe checks and bet sizes before deciding and can manage pot size more easily. BTN is IP against UTG, while UTG is IP against BB. This relationship differs from the early/late-position seat categories.

Acting before the opponent postflop. You decide with less information, and checking still leaves the possibility of facing a bet. BB is OOP against BTN; even though CO is late position, it is OOP heads-up against BTN.

The player who first raised (opened) preflop. If UTG raises to 2.5 BB and BTN calls, UTG is the original raiser. An opening range can contain AA, KK and AK; it is generally tighter and stronger from UTG than BTN. The opener does not always have a strong hand, and postflop advantage depends on the board and opposing range. Distinguish the first raiser from the last: if BTN 3-bets UTG’s open, UTG is the original raiser and BTN is the last raiser.

A player who called a bet or raise. An earlier caller is someone who has already called before your turn.

The total chips collected in the middle during the hand.

BB means big blind. As a unit, it is one big blind’s worth of chips: if 1 BB is 100 chips, 10 BB is 1,000. As a seat label, BB identifies the big-blind position, normally last to act preflop before further raises.

A compulsory contribution separate from the blinds. It does not count toward a call. When the BB pays a single amount on behalf of the table, it is called a big-blind ante.

An ante paid by the BB on behalf of all players, separately from the regular blind. This guide uses 1 BB.

The amount of a bet or raise. Distinguish ‘8 BB total’ from ‘8 BB more’.

The chips a player holds. The remaining stack means chips not yet wagered.

Heads-up, the smaller stack limits how much the two players can wager against each other. If you have 50 BB and the opponent 30 BB, the effective stack is 30 BB. With three or more players, the amount contestable differs by opponent and side pots may arise.

A deep stack contains many chips relative to the big blind. With a 200-chip BB and 20,000 chips, you have 100 BB. There is no universal cutoff, but deep stacks leave room for bets across multiple streets.

A big stack has more chips than other players at the table or in the tournament. It is not exactly synonymous with deep: 30 BB can be big at a table averaging 10 BB without being 100 BB deep.

If you have 100 BB but the opponent has 15 BB, the effective stack against that opponent is 15 BB. Deeper play increases the value of position and nut-making potential, while requiring care about losing an entire stack with one pair.

Few chips relative to the blinds. There is no universal threshold; this guide uses roughly 15 BB, 10 BB and 5 BB or less as reference depths. Depth affects how you combine shoves, ordinary raises, calls and limps.

Stack-to-pot ratio: the remaining effective stack divided by the pot. With 8 BB left and a 5.5 BB pot, SPR is about 1.45. A lower ratio means fewer bets are needed to reach all-in.

A player’s cards or their combination, usually the two hole cards in this guide. ‘One hand’ can also mean a complete deal from the initial cards to awarding the pot.

Suits are ♠, ♥, ♦ and ♣. Two cards of the same suit are suited (s); cards of different suits are offsuit (o).

s means suited, o offsuit and T ten. 55+ means 55 through AA; A8s+ means A8s through AKs.

Two starting cards of adjacent ranks, such as AK, JT or 65. AKo (A♠K♥) is an offsuit connector; 65s (6♣5♣) is suited. They can develop into straights, but their value depends on rank, suits, position and stacks.

Two adjacent-rank starting cards of the same suit, such as 6♣5♣ (65s). They can make straights and flushes. Low pairs can still lose to higher pairs, so suited connectors are not always playable. Check position, previous action and stacks.

Starting cards with one or more missing ranks between them. The name counts the ranks in the gap.

One-gapper: QTo, with J between Q and T.

Two-gapper: J8s, with T and 9 between J and 8.

Three-gapper: T6s, with 9, 8 and 7 between T and 6.

Wider gaps generally make straights less likely. Suits, card ranks, position and stack depth still change the value of each hand.

A set of possible hands. Do not assume an opponent holds one exact hand.

An especially strong starting hand. This guide marks AA, KK, QQ, AKs and AKo as premiums. It does not mean always moving all-in regardless of opponent or stack depth.

An informal name for a weak starting hand with poor potential, often low, disconnected and offsuit, such as 72o (7♣2♦) or 83o (8♠3♥). Folding is standard in many situations, but you can check in the BB when no additional payment is needed. There is no fixed universal list.

Two hole cards of the same rank, such as J♠J♥ or A♠A♦. They necessarily have different suits.

In a normal random deal from 52 cards, after the first card there are 3 matching-rank cards among 51 remaining. The chance of any pocket pair is 3 ÷ 51 ≈ 5.88%, or one in 17 hands on average.

For a particular rank such as JJ, the chance is 6 ÷ 1,326 ≈ 0.45%, or one in 221 on average. These are averages, not guaranteed intervals. PokerLift’s boosted recommended-hand training uses different dealing probabilities.

Rarity does not make all pairs equally strong. Higher pairs are stronger preflop, while the board and opponent’s actions change their postflop value. The introductory lesson on choosing hands and folding compares four starting-hand types.

The high ranks T, J, Q, K and A. A Broadway hand contains two of these cards. Broadway also names the ace-high straight T-J-Q-K-A.

The five cards revealed in the middle that all players may use: three on the flop, one on the turn and one on the river. Combine them with your two hole cards to select the best five-card hand.

A board with limited suit and rank connectivity and relatively few draws, such as A♣7♦2♠. Dry does not mean strong hands are impossible; sets and two pair can exist. Betting still depends on ranges and player count.

A board supporting many flush or straight draws and possible strong made hands, such as J♠T♠9♦. Turn cards can readily change relative hand strength. Wet does not automatically mean bet large.

A board, typically a flop, whose cards all have different suits, such as A♣7♦2♠. There is no ordinary flush draw on a rainbow flop, but matching turn and river suits can complete a backdoor flush.

A flop with two cards of one suit, such as A♠8♠3♦. A player holding two cards of that suit has a flush draw, which can complete on a later matching card.

A flop with three cards of the same suit, such as A♠T♠9♠. Two spades in hand already make a flush; one spade makes a flush draw. If a fourth spade reaches the board, a single spade in hand can make a flush. Watch for opponents holding a higher card of that suit.

A board containing several high Broadway ranks: A, K, Q, J and T. A♠K♦Q♣ is a typical flop. Usage may refer to all-high-card boards; there is no universal numerical threshold.

High-card starting hands readily make pairs or strong draws, so preflop range interaction matters. ‘Broadway’ alone can also mean an ace-high straight, but this board does not automatically give everyone a straight.

Top pair uses a hole card matching the board’s highest rank. An overpair is a pocket pair higher than every board rank.

A card higher than the pair or board rank being compared—for example A or K against 99, or a hole-card Q on 9-6-2. This is different from Broadway, which names high ranks in general.

One hole card above the board’s highest rank is one overcard; two distinct ranks above it are two overcards.

One hole card ranks above the board’s highest card. With A♠8♥ on J♣7♦2♠, only the ace is higher than the jack.

An ace on the next street makes top pair, but does not guarantee victory. If both distinct hole-card ranks exceed the board, you have two overcards. The comparison can also be to an opponent’s pair, so check the reference point.

Both distinct hole-card ranks exceed the board’s highest rank. With A♠Q♥ on J♣7♦2♠, both ace and queen are above jack.

There are six remaining aces and queens, each making top pair, but not necessarily six winning outs: the opponent may hold two pair or better, or also improve. One card above the board is one overcard; a pocket pair such as QQ is an overpair.

A holding that can make a straight, flush or another hand with future cards. A flush draw needs one more card of the required suit; a straight draw needs a completing rank. Completion is not guaranteed.

On the flop, a draw needing both turn and river cards to complete. With A♠K♠ on Q♠7♥2♦, both later cards must be spades to make a flush. The completion probability is low; distinguish it from a one-card draw.

A draw with several strong improvement paths, such as a straight draw combined with a flush draw. With J♥T♥ on Q♥9♥2♣, an 8 or K makes a straight and a heart makes a flush. Do not double-count overlapping outs, and check whether a completed hand can still lose.

Completing a hand by receiving the needed cards on both turn and river, or a holding requiring that two-card sequence. It is used much like backdoor.

With A♥7♥ on K♥9♣2♦, a 4♥ turn and J♥ river complete a runner-runner flush. A heart on only one of those streets is insufficient.

This differs from an ordinary flush draw with four cards of one suit already available on the flop. Requiring both cards makes completion less likely.

A straight draw completed by either end rank. With 8-9 on 6-7-K, a 5 makes 5–9 and a T makes 6–T. Normally there are four fives and four tens: eight outs. The simple completion chance is about 31.5% when both turn and river are seen, or about 17% for the next card alone. Separately check for completing cards that lose to a flush or higher straight.

A draw with two inside ranks that complete a straight. With 8-9 on Q-T-6, a 7 makes 6–T and a J makes 8–Q. Normally four sevens and four jacks give eight outs, the same count as an open-ender. Account for visible cards, flush possibilities and cards that lose to a higher straight.

Cards that improve your chance of winning. If four cards of one suit are visible between your hand and the board, there are normally nine of that suit left. Do not count completing cards as winning outs if they leave you behind a stronger hand.

A side card used to compare hands of the same rank.

A relationship such as AK versus AQ, where matching the shared rank often still leaves one hand behind because of its kicker.

The effect of your cards removing specific possible opponent combinations. Holding AQ removes some combinations of AA, QQ and AK, for example.

How easily a hand can make decisions and realize profit after the flop. It depends on strong-hand and draw potential, position and opposing ranges.

The ability to win the pot at showdown without making the opponent fold. It particularly describes hands that may not comfortably get called by worse after betting, but can still win by checking.

Example: BTN holds 9♠9♦ on K♣J♦7♠4♥2♣, and BB checks. If BB’s range contains 88 or ace-high, checking back can win at showdown.

Why it matters: if weaker hands fold to a bet and mainly kings or jacks call, betting gains little. Do not turn an already winning hand into an unsupported bluff; compare the value of checking.

Avoid unnecessarily inflating the pot with medium pairs. Consider checking after a check and calling a bet based on its size and range. Showdown value does not mean you must call.

Value-betting can work when worse calls, and bluffing can work if enough better hands fold. Earlier streets also involve the cost of giving draws a free card, so do not always check.

An advantage in the average strength of the whole range. On an ace-king board in UTG versus BB, UTG may have more strong aces and AK. It does not mean your particular hand is necessarily ahead.

The ability to hold more of the board’s strongest or near-strongest hands than the opponent. It differs from range advantage, which describes average strength. Judge the exact advantage from both ranges and the board.

A-K-Q-J-T of the same suit.

The highest possible straight flush.

Five consecutive ranks of the same suit.

The highest top card wins.

Four cards of the same rank, also called quads.

Compare the four-card rank. If all four are on the board and shared, compare the fifth card, or kicker.

Three cards of one rank plus two of another.

Compare the three-card rank first, then the pair if needed.

Five cards of one suit.

Compare ranks from highest downward. Suits themselves have no ranking.

Five consecutive ranks, regardless of suits.

Compare the highest card. An ace is usually high but can play below 2 in A-2-3-4-5, the lowest straight, called five-high. A straight cannot wrap around the ace as Q-K-A-2-3.

Three cards of the same rank.

Compare that rank first, then the kickers from highest downward.

Both are three of a kind. A set uses a pocket pair plus one board card; trips uses one hole card plus a board pair. The names do not by themselves determine which hand is stronger. Trips are more visible because the board is paired, while a set is more concealed and may win substantial value from top pair or two pair. With trips, the other hole card may determine the winning kicker.

Two separate pairs.

Compare the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.

Two cards of the same rank.

Compare the pair first, then the other three cards from highest downward.

No stronger hand category is present.

Compare all five cards from highest downward.

The betting round after the two hole cards are dealt and before the first three community cards are revealed.

Play from the flop onward, collectively covering flop, turn and river decisions.

The first three community cards are the flop, the fourth is the turn and the fifth is the river. The betting rounds at those stages use the same names.

Play between two players. At a two-player table, SB is also BTN and acts first preflop, then last postflop. The term also describes a multi-player table’s pot with only two participants; in that case, the original button and seat-based action order remain unchanged.

Three or more players contesting a pot. Postflop, count the players still in the hand, not the table’s capacity. Strong opposing hands are more likely than heads-up, and a bluff must make every opponent fold.

The remaining players reveal their hands to determine the winner.

Intentionally delay revealing an obviously winning hand at showdown, making an opponent think they won or wait through unnecessary drama. The term can also describe pretending to agonize over calling an all-in with a hand that cannot lose.

It is considered poor etiquette. The term does not criticize genuinely necessary decision time or checking the winner. Distinguish it from strategic slow-playing with checks and calls.

Return hole cards face down to the dealer; the pile of discarded cards is also called the muck. When folding, wait for your turn and slide both cards forward quietly and low, face down. This avoids revealing your holding.

If everyone else folds, you can win without showing. At a non-all-in showdown, if all other players muck without ever tabling a hand and you alone retain a live hand, you need not show. Protect your cards until the winner is confirmed.

Once an all-in is called and all betting action is complete, all remaining players table both cards. Showing is also required to claim a win or tie by comparing hands. Follow the adopted TDA/house rules and staff directions for requests to see hands and related rulings.

Split the pot after a tie. The best five cards, including kickers, must be equal in strength—not merely share a hand category. If a royal flush is on the board, for example, the players remaining at showdown split the pot.

Everyone except the BB folds, so the BB wins the pot without further action.

A fee taken from pots by the operator, typically in cash games. Higher rake makes marginally profitable calls less attractive. It differs from a tournament entry fee. This guide’s 100 BB heads-up reference material includes rake; check each chart’s assumptions.

A format where players bring chips and play until a scheduled time or number of hands; also called a cash game. Unlike a tournament, players can add chips and continue after losing their stack. PokerLift’s ring-game standings use final stack minus total chips brought into the game.

Acting before your turn. An out-of-turn action may be binding if the intervening action does not change. Saying ‘fold’ while the player ahead is still deciding can reveal information. Tell the dealer immediately rather than trying to undo it yourself.

A hole card accidentally turns face up or becomes visible to others. If a card slips face up while you lift it, notify the dealer rather than hiding it. Follow house rules and the dealer’s ruling; do not reveal a hand only to one selected player.

Tournament staff can set a remaining decision time after a player has taken a long time. Politely ask the dealer from your seat to call the clock.

About two minutes is a learning reference for considering a request, not a fixed TDA waiting rule. Staff decide whether reasonable time has passed. Under the source curriculum’s TDA 2026 Rule 31, an approved request generally allows up to 25 seconds plus a 5-second countdown. On expiry, a hand facing a bet is dead; otherwise it is checked. House rules and staff rulings take precedence.

A shot clock times each action from the outset; time-bank extensions depend on the venue. It is different from a tournament clock showing time left in the blind level.

The tournament lesson on clock requests explains the procedure.

Poker Tournament Directors Association, an organization promoting consistent tournament rules and procedures. Many tournaments internationally adopt TDA rules.

The adopted edition and house modifications vary by venue. Read the event guidance and ask the dealer or floor staff when unsure.

Multi-table tournament. It begins across several tables, which combine as players are eliminated. Appropriate strategy changes with stacks and the payout structure.

A tournament with no buy-in that awards money or prizes. Membership, an invitation or an entry ticket may be required, and separate facility or drink fees can apply; read the event terms.

In a hand, freeroll also describes a player who cannot lose, is guaranteed at least a tie and alone has a chance to win outright. Use context to distinguish the tournament format from the hand situation.

Joining a tournament, or one registration and its fee. Entering an event with a JPY 5,000 buy-in plus a JPY 500 administration fee is one entry. Check the starting stack, registration deadline and fees for that event.

Entry, re-entry, rebuy and add-on serve different purposes. Entry is joining initially; re-entry is joining again after elimination; rebuy/add-on systems add chips while participating.

After losing all chips and being eliminated, pay another entry fee within the permitted period to enter the same tournament again. You receive a new starting stack and an available seat. If an event allows up to two re-entries before late registration ends, returning once after your initial elimination is one re-entry.

Limits, deadlines and starting stacks vary. Distinguish it from a rebuy that adds chips without a new entry after elimination, and check the event rules.

During a specified rebuy period, a participating player pays to add chips. For example, in an event starting at 10,000 chips and allowing a 10,000-chip rebuy during the first 20 minutes, a player with 3,000 remaining buys more.

Some formats allow rebuys only at zero chips or below a specified threshold. This differs from re-entering after elimination with a new starting stack. Always check the permitted count, chip amount and conditions.

An option for a participating player to pay for extra chips at a designated break or level end. For example, everyone may be allowed one 10,000-chip add-on at the first break regardless of their current stack.

Unlike a general rebuy period, an add-on normally happens at a designated moment. Whether it is optional, its size and how often it is allowed vary by tournament.

A fast tournament with shorter blind levels than usual. An event might use 10-minute turbo levels versus regular 30-minute levels, but timings and starting stacks vary. Still faster formats are often called hyper-turbos.

Rising blinds reduce your remaining BB even without losing chips, so short-stack decisions arrive sooner. A 20,000-chip stack is 100 BB when the big blind is 200 chips, but only 20 BB when it is 1,000 chips.

Check your BB more often. As stacks become shallow, focus on stealing, restealing and all-in/fold decisions. When calling to make a set or draw, check that enough effective chips remain to win after improving.

Turbo does not mean play every hand. The foundations are the same for equal stacks, positions and payouts, and ICM still matters near the bubble. Avoid both waiting only for premiums and overbetting from impatience.

The period when players may enter after a tournament has begun. New entries stop at the deadline, so check the advertised cutoff and current big blind. Later entrants often receive fewer BB in their starting stack because the blinds have risen.

All chips held by remaining players divided by their number. With 500,000 chips and 50 players remaining, the average is 10,000. Do not take excessive risks merely to reach average; prioritize your current BB, position and payout situation.

The stage when one more elimination brings the remaining players into the money. If 15 places pay and 16 players remain, the event is on the bubble. Covering stacks can apply pressure, while covered players face a higher cost for marginal all-in calls.

Reaching a guaranteed cash-paying place. In a standard event paying 15 places, the remaining 15 players are in the money.

The bubble is before the money; ITM is afterward. ITM does not necessarily mean net profit: the payout can be less than the entry cost. Pay jumps still matter after cashing.

An expression for reaching a place that awards a prize or entry ticket, sometimes shortened to ‘inpura’ at Japanese poker events. An example is finishing in the top three when each receives entry to a future event.

ITM usually refers to cash prizes and ITP to other prizes, but usage varies by organizer. Check qualification conditions, the reward and how to claim it.

Near the bubble or another key stage, all tables play one hand in step. A table that finishes early waits instead of dealing again, reducing advantages from different table speeds.

Example: an event with 100 entries and 15 paid places starts H4H at 16 remaining. Tables begin a hand around the same time and wait when finished. If multiple players bust in that hand, starting stacks and house rules determine finishes and payouts.

Under the TDA-recommended procedure described in the source curriculum, tables finish the current hand after the announcement and wait; blinds continue to increase. Following an all-in and call, cards or the next board may remain unrevealed until staff direct otherwise. Follow the dealer and floor rather than independently checking neighboring-table results.

A way to express how much more costly losing chips is than gaining the same number in a tournament. A higher factor increases required calling equity. With four remaining and three paid, suppose you have 35 BB, the leader 40 BB, and the others 24 BB and 1.5 BB. Losing a marginal all-in to the leader can eliminate you while the tiny stack remains. A small chip edge may not justify a call, so the threshold exceeds chip-EV requirements. Exact values require all stacks and payouts.

The player with the most chips in the tournament. The leader at one table is the table chip leader. ‘Big-stack leverage’ on the bubble is a strategic advantage from elimination pressure, not a formal right. It can apply to any player who substantially covers everyone still to act. Example: four remain, three are paid; BTN has 80 BB and A5o, SB 8 BB, BB 12 BB, and CO with 40 BB has folded. Open-shoving a weak ace can be a candidate to win through folds. The same shove is not used if BB instead has 75 BB. Adjust for calling tendencies, all stacks and payouts.

The last table of a tournament. Pay jumps and the other players’ stacks are especially important.

A prize awarded for eliminating a player. Bounty tournaments can change all-in and calling decisions compared with ordinary MTTs.

The average gain or loss per decision if the same decision were repeated under identical conditions.

If half the time you win 10 BB and half the time you lose 6 BB, EV = 0.5 × 10 − 0.5 × 6 = +2 BB. A losing result can still follow a good decision.

Positive EV means an average gain; negative EV means an average loss. EV is not the probability of winning.

Chip EV (cEV) measures expected changes in chips. Prize EV ($EV) measures expected eventual prize money. Near the bubble, an action can gain chip EV while losing prize EV.

Independent Chip Model. It evaluates a stack’s prize-money value using the remaining players, their stacks and the payouts. Maximizing chips and maximizing expected prize money are not always the same decision.

Your average share of the pot if the hand runs to showdown. It is often loosely called win probability, but includes your share of tied pots.

Heads-up, with a 40% chance to win, 20% to tie and 40% to lose, equity is 40% + 20% ÷ 2 = 50%. It depends on the opponent’s hand or range and differs from EV, which measures profit.

The profit or advantage gained by making an opponent fold; also used for the possibility of winning through a fold.

If you shove your last 10 BB and everyone folds, you win the blinds and antes without winning at showdown. It relates to fold frequency but is not a number you simply add to showdown equity.

Pot odds relate the additional cost of calling to the pot you can win. Ignoring further investment, required equity is additional call ÷ pot after calling.

If the call costs 2 BB and the resulting pot is 10 BB, the threshold is 20%. In practice, also consider the opponent’s range and whether you can realize your equity.

Judge a call using not only the current pot but also extra chips you may win later, such as after completing a draw. These are pot odds adjusted for possible future winnings.

Example: on the turn, the opponent bets 5 BB into 10 BB. The current-pot calling threshold is 25%. In a practice model where your draw wins 20% of the time, the call loses using that pot alone.

If completing the draw wins an average of 10 BB more, however, EV = 20% × (current 15 BB pot + 10 BB extra) − 80% × 5 BB call = +1 BB. This assumes a completed draw always wins and a miss loses without further investment.

You earn no extra chips if the opponent folds after your draw completes. Check their willingness to pay and sufficient effective stacks; do not assume you always win the rest. Also consider stronger hands that beat your completed draw. Heads-up against an opponent already all-in, no additional winnings are available.

A contest with roughly 50/50 chances, especially a preflop all-in between a pocket pair and two higher cards, such as QQ versus AK.

It is not necessarily exactly 50% each: specific cards and suits change equity. Even a nearly even contest may or may not be a good call depending on pot odds and ICM.

Do not confuse a flip with the flop, the first three community cards and their betting round.

Game Theory Optimal. A strategy combines bets, checks, calls and folds across a range to reduce exploitable imbalances. It does not mean taking the same action with every hand.

A common misconception is that GTO is useful only if everyone follows it. In an ideal two-player zero-sum game, an equilibrium strategy is a baseline that cannot be exploited unilaterally by an opponent changing strategy. It does not guarantee winning every hand or earning the most against every opponent. Do not extend that guarantee unchanged to multiway or raked games.

If an opponent calls too often, reducing bluffs and collecting more value with strong hands can be effective. This is exploitation. Because reads can be wrong, use a sound baseline and adjust according to observed evidence.

GTO study helps provide a foundation against unknown opponents and identify imbalances. PokerLift’s AI coaching is an educational approximation using these principles, not a solver computing exact equilibria or mixed frequencies for every situation.

Software that calculates strategies and their expected values under specified conditions such as player count, stacks and bet sizes. Change the assumptions and the results can change.

Use several actions with specified frequencies for the same hand in the same situation, such as calling 50% and 3-betting 50%. Distinguish solver equilibrium frequencies from rounded teaching frequencies or inferred allocations. This guide identifies the distinction on each chart.

A strategy restricted to going all-in when playing and folding otherwise. It is useful for studying around 10 BB, but ordinary raises, calls and limps can still be effective in some spots. An opening shove range is different from a range that calls someone else’s shove.

Tight players enter with fewer hands; loose players enter with a wider range. A player who enters many pots may still 4-bet only strong hands.

A style that uses relatively frequent bets and raises to contest pots, applying pressure with suitable draws and bluffs as well as strong hands. It does not mean continually betting large: checks and folds still depend on ranges, position and opponents. Tight/loose describes range width; aggressive/passive describes how actively that range is played.

A tendency to check and call more often than bet or raise. These actions can appropriately retain bluffs or control the pot. Habitual passivity, however, can miss value from weaker hands and opportunities to win through folds. It is a separate axis from tight/loose.

Emotions such as anger, impatience or disappointment disrupt normally calm decisions. Shoving a weak hand to ‘win it back’ after a large loss is one example; excessive fearful folding is another.

Pause and check your remaining BB, position and the opponent’s action. If needed, take a short break after the hand in accordance with venue procedures. Avoid insults or throwing cards.

Actual behavioral imbalances can create adjustment opportunities, such as reducing bluffs and emphasizing value against excessive calls. Do not assume an angry-looking player is weak, and do not provoke them.

The tournament lesson on avoiding tilt includes examples and coping strategies.

A substantially favored hand loses after later cards reverse the result. There is no exact equity threshold defining the term.

Example: you hold A♠A♥ against K♣K♦. On the turn board A♦K♠7♣2♥, your set of aces leads, but the remaining K♥ on the river gives the opponent quads.

An unusual loss does not prove the preceding decision was bad. Separate results from decisions rather than tilting to win the chips back.

An informal term for a player who frequently calls with weak pairs or draws and rarely bets or raises. One call does not establish this pattern.

The usual adjustment is fewer bluffs and more value bets against weaker hands. With A♠K♦ on K♥8♣3♦, for example, betting can earn chips from an opponent who calls with KQ, KJ or a pair of eights.

If weak hands also call larger bets, consider larger value sizes. Conversely, a large raise from a player who almost never raises deserves extra weight toward strength. Confirm the pattern rather than labeling someone from one action.

A difficult call with a hand that is not clearly strong, often facing a large bet. A player willing to make these calls may be described as a tough caller.

Example: J♠T♦ on K♣J♦7♠4♥2♣ faces a 10 BB bet into 10 BB. A pair of jacks loses to strong value hands but beats bluffs such as missed draws.

If the opponent overcalls weak hands, bluff less and value-bet more with stronger holdings. If they correctly identify spots where you overbluff, reconsider your betting range and frequency. Do not assume a large bet always makes them fold.

A tough call is not necessarily bad play. Distinguish an evidence-based bluff-catch from unsupported repeated calls, and do not label someone after they catch one bluff.

In a simplified model, MDF is the fraction of your entire range facing a bet that must continue rather than fold so that a pure bluff, which always loses when called, cannot profit automatically. Continuing includes both calls and raises.

The formula is pot before bet ÷ (pot before bet + opposing bet). Heads-up on the river, facing 10 BB into 20 BB, MDF is 20 ÷ 30 ≈ 67%. If the range has 30 equally weighted combinations, think of continuing with 20 and folding 10—not calling this particular hand randomly 67% of the time.

Why? If you fold half the time, a pure bluff wins 20 BB half the time and loses 10 BB half the time, making a profit. Limiting folds to about 33% makes that simplified bluff break even.

Required equity is different. The same call needs 10 ÷ (20 + 10 + 10) = 25%. MDF asks how much of the range continues; required equity asks whether calling this hand is profitable.

The model assumes zero equity for a called bluff and ignores future betting, rake and ICM. Do not apply it unchanged to multiway pots, flop/turn play or raises. Against too few bluffs, fold more rather than making weak calls just to meet MDF.

Folding hands that would profitably call or raise, generally at a higher frequency than a reference strategy such as GTO. This can let opponents profit with bluffs.

Example: Q♠J♦ on Q♥8♣4♦2♠9♥ faces a 5 BB river bet into 10 BB. With no ties, required equity is 5 ÷ (10 + 5 + 5) = 25%. If you correctly estimate 40% equity against the betting range, folding just because you lose more often than win misses profit. The 40% is an assumed calculation input, not a value determined by these cards alone.

Do not respond to fear of overfolding by calling everything. Against very few bluffs, folding more than GTO can be effective. Check sizing, ranges and bluff frequency.

The 25% example is a chip-based river decision with no further betting. On earlier streets, account for future play; near the bubble or final table, include payout and stack-related ICM effects.

A clue to hand strength or intention from movement, gaze, speech or action timing.

Reading opponents: look for deviations from their normal behavior, such as a normally quiet player talking only while betting large, or looking at opponents’ stacks only with strong hands. Quick calls can be clues but do not identify a hand alone. Compare with revealed showdown hands and check for a repeated pattern in the same player.

Avoiding your own tells: watch for grabbing chips instantly only with AA, preparing to fold before your turn with weak hands, or placing chips forcefully only when bluffing. Keep card-checking and chip-handling movements consistent. Take needed decision time without needless tanking every action.

Caution: looking away does not necessarily mean bluffing, and shaking does not necessarily mean weakness. Nerves, health, habits and deliberate acting can look the same. Start with position, ranges, betting lines and pot odds; use tells as supplementary evidence.

Play a strong hand with checks or calls instead of immediately betting or raising large, hiding its strength while retaining opposing bets or allowing improvement. Checking a very strong flop hand to retain bluffs is one example.

It is not always best: free cards can outdraw you and missed bets can lose value. Consider players, board and tendencies. Distinguish it from slow rolling—delaying a clear win’s reveal for effect.

A situation where the remaining additional cost is small relative to the contestable pot and your equity against the range meets the required threshold, making continuation with the remaining chips rational. It is not the feeling that you ‘already paid too much to fold’.

Example: heads-up, the pot before betting is 8,000 chips and you have 1,000 left. The opponent shoves 1,000 and your 1,000 call makes a 10,000 final pot. Required equity is 1,000 ÷ 10,000 = 10%. With no further bets, rake or ICM, and assumed 20% range equity, call EV = 0.20 × 9,000 − 0.80 × 1,000 = +1,000 chips. At 5% equity it is −500, so folding is correct despite the small remaining stack.

Past contributions are sunk costs. Decide using the additional cost and expected return from now. Low SPR makes commitment more plausible, but investing half your stack or having SPR below 1 does not establish it automatically.

Before betting, consider the pot and chips left after a call or raise. In multiway pots check which side pots you can win; in tournaments consider ICM. Reassess if the board or opponent’s range changes.

Short-term results fluctuate because of dealt cards and matchups even when decisions are consistently good. In statistics, variance measures the dispersion of outcomes.

An all-in with 80% win probability still loses 20% of the time. Two independent identical contests are both lost 4% of the time. This does not promise four wins in every five attempts; good play can still produce losing streaks.

Improvement does not eliminate variance. Tournament results can involve many non-cashes and a few large scores. Accept this and review over a longer horizon rather than changing decisions from results alone.

Acceptance does not mean blaming every loss on luck. Review the information available, ranges, required equity and sizing, separating improvable decisions from unavoidable outcomes. Do not play more hands merely to win losses back; take a break when concentration fades.

The hands with which a player checks in a situation. It includes not only weak hands but also pairs seeking pot control and strong hands that want an opponent to bet.

If strong hands always bet and weak hands always check, the opponent can attack checks comfortably. Retaining strong hands enables check-calls or check-raises and protects the whole range: this is strengthening the checking range.

Example: BB calls BTN’s open with 77 and flops a set on K-7-2 rainbow. Checking and then calling or raising a c-bet can be options. This does not mean always slow-play; against little betting or on boards where free cards are dangerous, pursuing value directly can be necessary.

The hands that call a particular bet or raise. It depends on the opponent’s position, size, player count, remaining stacks and payouts.

When facing a small open on the BTN, medium pocket pairs and some suited hands may be candidates. Even with position, the SB or BB can still squeeze, and you may face further bets postflop.

Postflop, a calling range can include pairs that may be ahead, draws meeting required equity, and strong hands that retain bluffs. Raising every strong hand weakens the calling range and invites pressure on the next street.

When an opponent calls, ask which hands would pay that price. Large bets tend to retain stronger hands; small bets can retain weaker pairs. A call alone does not establish weakness.

A board containing at least two cards of the same rank. On T-J-J with K7, the pair of jacks is shared by everyone, so your holding effectively plays as king-high. Consider trips from an opponent holding a jack and full houses such as TT on this board, then decide using the opponent’s range and sizing.

A player who comfortably covers the opponents still to act—not necessarily the overall chip leader—can apply pressure because the elimination risk is unequal.

When to use it: On the bubble, a BTN with 80 BB covers an SB with 8 BB and a BB with 12 BB by a wide margin. Open-shoving selected hands can pressure opponents who want to avoid elimination. You still need both a reason they may fold and sufficient equity when called.

Caution: Check every remaining stack. Do not widen equally against another large stack, a very short stack, frequent callers or an earlier raise. Use smaller opens against deeper opponents too. This is a proprietary approximation, not a solver’s optimal frequency.

Think in terms of all plausible combinations rather than assigning an opponent one exact hand.

When to use it: Start with the position and size your opponent used to enter the pot. Narrow the hands likely to remain after each bet or call. Consider both value hands and bluffs rather than settling on one holding.

Caution: Strong hands can remain in a calling range. Do not treat unseen cards as known.

Separate an advantage in average hand strength from an advantage in the strongest available hands.

When to use it: When your range is stronger on average, a small bet with a wide range may be an option. The player with more nut-strength hands may have room to apply pressure with a large bet. These are different advantages.

Caution: The preflop aggressor does not have the advantage on every board.

Acting later gives you more information about your opponent’s decision.

When to use it: In position, you can see your opponent check or bet before deciding. This often lets you play more hands than when acting first, and makes checking back to see another card without investing more chips easier.

Caution: Out of position, future bets can force you to fold more often even with the same raw equity.

Consider how much of a hand’s theoretical showdown equity you can actually convert into value.

When to use it: Two hands may have the same preflop equity, but a hand that often folds to large postflop bets cannot make full use of it. Consider position and the ability to improve to strong hands before deciding whether a call lets you continue profitably.

Caution: Sufficient equity if you always reached showdown is not enough when you are frequently forced to fold or are dominated.

SPR = the remaining effective stack divided by the pot. It describes how much room is left to invest.

When to use it: With little stack left relative to the pot, a strong one-pair hand can more readily be considered for a large commitment. With deep stacks, putting everything in with one pair carries more risk, so the potential to make nut-strength hands matters more.

Caution: A low SPR is not an automatic all-in. Check the opponent’s range and ICM.

Required equity = the additional call divided by the pot you can contest after calling.

When to use it: Divide the additional cost of calling by the pot you can contest after the call. Compare that threshold with your equity against the opponent’s betting range. A hand that looks strong does not by itself make a call profitable.

Caution: Future bets, equity realization and ICM need separate consideration. A hand ranking is not an equity estimate.

Consider the extra chips you may win after improving, and the losses when you improve but still lose.

When to use it: A call that falls slightly short using the current pot alone may gain value if you can win additional chips after making a strong hand. Check that effective stacks are deep enough and the opponent has hands that will actually pay.

Caution: Future payment is not guaranteed. Low flushes and weak kickers can create reverse implied odds.

A blocker is a card you hold that removes possible opponent holdings. A combination is one specific pair of cards.

When to use it: A hand may be a useful bluff if its cards remove strong calls without removing many folds. Holding an ace reduces the combinations of AA, for example, but also consider suits and the opponent’s action before bluffing.

Caution: An ace alone is not a reason to bluff. Suits and the path through the hand matter.

Use more than one action with the same hand to make your range less predictable.

When to use it: With the same hand, raising can apply pressure while calling can keep weaker hands in. Distributing some strong hands across different actions makes your strength harder to infer from the action alone.

Caution: Two candidate actions do not mean a 50/50 mix. PokerLift does not guarantee exact frequencies or equal EV.

Enter an unopened pot with a raise.

When to use it: Late positions such as the BTN leave fewer opponents behind and offer more opportunities to win the blinds and antes by making everyone fold. Still consider their stacks and tendency to reraise when selecting your hands.

Caution: Adjust your opening range for short stacks behind, reraising tendencies and ICM.

Raise a limper to narrow the field with a strong hand.

When to use it: A larger raise than a normal open can discourage cheap calls after someone limps. Choose the hand and size together, considering the number of limpers and whether you will act first postflop.

Caution: If opponents will not fold, simply raising larger with a weak hand is not the solution.

A linear range starts with the strongest hands and includes medium-strength hands. A polarized range combines strong hands and bluffs while leaving out much of the middle.

When to use it: Against frequent calls with weak hands, prioritize value in your 3-betting range. Against frequent folds, consider bluffs with blockers to strong continuing hands. Adjust for the opener’s position and sizing.

Caution: Position, size and stack depth change the response. Do not make light 3-bets automatically.

Compare reraising, calling and folding when facing a 3-bet.

When to use it: A strong hand can 4-bet for value, but calling can retain the opponent’s bluffs. Consider whether you will have position and whether the additional cost leaves you able to play effectively postflop.

Caution: Defending your own open and cold-entering against another player’s 3-bet require different hand strength.

A 5-bet reraises a 4-bet. Being pot-committed means the pot is large relative to the remaining stack, making continuation more attractive given your equity and the call price.

When to use it: A range that continues to a 4-bet is usually much stronger than an opening range. Before 5-betting, ask whether you can get value when called by that range, and check the pot and remaining stacks.

Caution: With deep stacks, a 5-bet is not always all-in. Check position and the opponent’s remaining chips.

Use the discounted call created by the big blind already posted to defend your range.

When to use it: Having posted 1 BB, the big blind can call a small open for less additional money. The disadvantage is usually acting first postflop. Compare calls with value 3-bets and suitable bluff 3-bets.

Caution: A discount does not justify defending every hand. Player count, sizing and positional disadvantage matter.

Against only the big blind, build your strategy around both raising and limping.

When to use it: If the small blind limps only weak hands, the big blind can raise aggressively. Leaving some strong hands in the limping range creates opportunities to call or reraise.

Caution: With three or more players, the SB acts first postflop. Heads-up, the BTN is also the SB: it acts first preflop and after the BB postflop.

A resteal reraises a steal attempt. A reshove responds to a raise by moving all-in.

When to use it: Against a wide late-position open, a reraise can contest the blinds. With shallow stacks, consider a reshove by weighing the likelihood of folds together with equity when called.

Caution: Avoid weak reshoves against tight early-position opens or opponents who rarely fold.

As stacks become shallow, applying pressure with an immediate all-in becomes an option more often than entering for a small amount.

When to use it: A small raise leaves little behind when stacks are shallow. Compare the benefit of winning immediately with your equity when called, accounting for position, antes and payouts.

Caution: Even below 10 BB, not every situation is a two-choice push/fold decision. Checking in the BB and limping in the SB can remain options.

A continuation bet follows a bet or raise on the previous street; most commonly, the preflop raiser bets the flop.

When to use it: On a flop that fits your range, you may get value from weaker pairs. When betting without a made hand, identify the hands you want to fold and whether a draw gives you a way to improve when called. Opening preflop alone is not a reason to c-bet.

Caution: Do not c-bet every time you open. Reduce frequency on boards favorable to the opponent or in multiway pots, and retain medium showdown value in your checking range.

Bet size changes the opponent’s calling and raising ranges, as well as the bluff frequency needed.

When to use it: A small bet may suit a situation where you want weak pairs to call. Larger sizes can apply pressure with strong value hands and selected bluffs. Start with what you want to continue and what you want to fold.

Caution: Sizing solely by hand strength becomes predictable. Consider the future pot and remaining stacks too.

A polarized range combines very strong hands with bluffs; a merged value range also includes medium-strength hands.

When to use it: Large bets can combine strong hands that perform well when called with bluffs that want a fold. Medium-strength hands may be better preserved by checking and retaining their ability to beat weaker hands.

Caution: Avoid betting medium hands so large that weaker hands fold and only stronger hands call.

Use a small bet with a strong hand, for example, to encourage an opponent to raise.

When to use it: A small open with a strong pocket pair can invite weak calls or a reraise. Postflop, a small bet on a dry board against an aggressive opponent can also leave room for a raise.

Caution: An opponent is not guaranteed to raise. Compare the benefit with the risk of giving weak hands a cheap chance to improve.

Skip a continuation bet on one street and bet the next.

When to use it: If you do not want to build the pot immediately on the flop, checking is an option. Reassess the turn card and the opponent’s check, then consider a delayed c-bet when there is a value or bluff rationale.

Caution: Checking once does not mean you must bluff the next street.

A value bet seeks profit from calls by weaker hands. Thin value targets smaller edges against slightly weaker holdings.

When to use it: Before betting top pair, identify which weaker pairs or kickers will call. Choose a size those hands can pay, and plan whether further value is available on the next street.

Caution: If betting leaves only stronger hands in the pot, consider checking even with a seemingly strong pair.

Make hands with improvement potential fold instead of giving them a free card.

When to use it: A middle pair that is ahead now may lose after giving overcards a free card. Betting can deny that opportunity, but also consider the hands you will face when called.

Caution: Avoid huge bets solely to protect a hand. Check whether you still expect to win when called.

Lead small for thin value while observing the opponent’s response.

When to use it: A small river bet with a medium pair can collect value from slightly weaker hands. It may reduce how often you face a large bet, but the opponent can still raise.

Caution: A cheap showdown is not guaranteed. Plan for raises and include some strong hands.

Work forward from the current bet to the next pot and remaining stacks.

When to use it: When a bet is called, the pot grows and the stacks shrink. To extract value with a strong hand through the river, calculate the next pot and remaining chips before choosing workable sizes on each street.

Caution: Revise the plan if cards or actions change its assumptions. Do not commit the whole stack mechanically.

Keep strong hands in checking and calling ranges rather than reserving those actions for weak hands.

When to use it: If you check only weak hands, the opponent can bet comfortably. Checking some strong hands and responding with calls or check-raises makes relentless aggression harder.

Caution: Do not miss value solely to protect a range. Check the board’s draws and the opponent’s aggression.

Decline to bet when last to act, keeping the pot unchanged.

When to use it: Checking after your opponent checks lets you see the next card without adding chips, or reach showdown on the river. It preserves a medium hand’s ability to beat weaker hands instead of unnecessarily turning it into a bluff.

Caution: Do not check only weak hands. Retain strong hands to respond to later aggression.

Play a strong hand passively to retain the opponent’s bets.

When to use it: With a strong hand on a dry board against an opponent who bets often, checking or calling may keep bluffs in. The aim is to induce another bet instead of forcing a fold with a large bet of your own.

Caution: On draw-heavy boards or against opponents who rarely bet, watch for missed value and the risk of being outdrawn.

Bet or raise a currently weak hand that can improve to a strong one.

When to use it: Betting a draw can win through an immediate fold or by making a strong hand after being called. Weigh both possibilities when comparing bet versus check or raise versus call.

Caution: Do not attack with every draw. Consider nut potential, the number of opponents and ICM.

Use a hand unlikely to win at showdown to make the opponent fold.

When to use it: When your river hand rarely wins at showdown, blockers to strong calls and your preceding actions can help select a bluff. Use the opponent’s range and the bet size to judge whether better hands can realistically fold.

Caution: In a simple one-bet model, the required fold rate is bet ÷ (original pot + bet). The opponent is not guaranteed to fold that often.

Call with a hand that loses to the opponent’s value hands but beats bluffs.

When to use it: If your made hand loses to the value range, a call wins mainly against bluffs. Estimate how many remain and which your cards remove, then compare with the required equity.

Caution: Having a made hand alone does not justify a call. Tighten your calling range against opponents who bluff too little.

Call using position or improvement potential, intending to respond to weakness on the next street.

When to use it: If an opponent c-bets widely but often gives up on the turn, you may call in position and bet after the next check. Prefer some improvement potential, such as backdoors, and plan your response if they bet again.

Caution: Do not simply call with nothing and force a bluff later.

Evaluate chip gains and losses using payouts and elimination risk.

When to use it: Near the bubble or at a final table, losing to a covering stack costs not only chips but future prize opportunities. A call that is slightly profitable in chip EV can therefore be unattractive in prize EV.

Caution: Precise figures require every remaining player’s stack and the payout structure. Effective stacks alone are not enough.

Just before the money, the value lost by elimination differs across stack sizes.

When to use it: A covering player can steal by exploiting another player’s elimination risk; a covered player pays a greater price for losing an all-in call. Check for even shorter stacks and assess how pressure flows across the whole field.

Caution: Big stacks cannot attack without limit. Colliding with another large stack can be expensive.

Even after reaching the money, the size of the next payout increase affects decisions.

When to use it: A large increase at the next finishing position makes elimination costly. But waiting can also miss profitable opportunities. Compare the value of playing a hand with the other short stacks and the payout differences.

Caution: Merely surviving can sacrifice expected value. Consider the value of gaining chips as well.

As the field shrinks, playable ranges widen and one pair gains relative strength.

When to use it: Heads-up, the BTN is also the SB: it acts first preflop and last postflop. Ranges widen against a single opponent, but retain strong hands in limping and calling ranges as well as raising ranges.

Caution: Do not continue using full-table early-position ranges. Account for an unusually tight opponent too.

When several places receive the same prize, securing qualification can matter more than winning extra chips.

When to use it: In a format where all qualifiers earn the same reward, protecting a likely qualification may be worth more than adding chips. Compare your safety with the other short stacks before risking a large confrontation.

Caution: Treat this differently from a standard top-heavy MTT. Check the actual payouts and every player’s remaining stack.

A reward for eliminating an opponent changes the value of entering a pot or calling.

When to use it: A bounty can make a call or entry more attractive than in a normal tournament. Check that you cover the opponent and can actually eliminate them, and how much of the reward is paid immediately.

Caution: PokerLift’s standard MTT and numerical evaluations do not include bounties. Standard ICM alone does not establish an optimal bounty decision.

Adjust away from an equilibrium baseline to target an opponent’s repeated tendencies.

When to use it: You may bluff more against frequent folders and value-bet more against weak calls. Against an underbluffer, folding weaker bluff-catchers can be appropriate. Choose the adjustment that fits the observed tendency.

Caution: Do not infer a player’s entire style from one result. Record the observation separately from your reason for adjusting.

Against frequent betting, retain suitable strong hands and bluff-catchers.

When to use it: If an opponent bluffs too much, check-calling strong hands may retain later bets instead of raising immediately and making bluffs fold. Do not call with everything; mix in value raises too.

Caution: An aggressive player does not necessarily bluff large river raises frequently. Read each situation separately.

Compare revealed hands with the actions that led to showdown.

When to use it: Match a revealed hand to the opponent’s position, entry size and betting line. Repeated evidence under similar conditions lets you refine future range estimates gradually. Do not change your judgment from a single win or loss.

Caution: One result or unusual hand does not invalidate a good decision or define the opponent’s entire range.

A range built from the strongest hands downward, including medium-strength hands. It emphasizes value, for example against an opponent who calls 3-bets widely.

A range combining strong value hands and bluff candidates, with relatively few medium-strength hands. Select bluffs using blockers and the likelihood of an opponent folding.

Raise again after another player has raised. Preflop, reraising an open is a 3-bet; reraising a 3-bet is a 4-bet.

A holding that needs one more card of the required suit to complete a flush. Betting or calling can be options on the flop or turn, but consider whether a completed flush could lose to a higher flush.

A holding that needs one more card of a required rank to make a straight. An open-ended draw completes at either end, while a gutshot needs an inside rank; the number of completing cards differs.

A holding that can improve to more than one strong hand, such as both a straight and a flush. Do not count overlapping outs twice. It can be a semi-bluff candidate that benefits both from folds and from improvement when called.

A hand that did not complete its intended straight or flush. On the river there are no more cards, so choose whether to bluff, check or fold. If the hand retains a pair, consider its showdown value too.

The strongest possible hand on the current board. On the flop or turn, the next card can change which hand is the nuts.

A pair made by matching one of your hole cards with the middle-ranked card on the flop. Showdown value does not justify automatically calling large bets.

Chips already in the pot, particularly contributions from players who have folded. They increase the pot available to win, but the remaining opponents’ ranges still need separate assessment.

The board cards that arrive later, such as the turn and river, or their sequence. Use them to reassess which range has improved.

To have at least as many chips as an opponent. This affects whether you retain chips after losing an all-in and whether you can eliminate the opponent.

The additional equity required above a chip-only threshold because of factors such as ICM. It varies with stacks, payouts and the players involved; it is not a fixed percentage.

Use checks or calls to limit pot growth and preserve medium showdown value. This does not mean you can control the opponent’s bet size.

A raise intended to gain extra chips from calls by weaker hands. A strong made hand is not enough; identify which weaker hands will call.

One specific two-card holding. Before any cards are known, AA has 6 combinations, AKs has 4 and AKo has 12. Your cards and the board remove combinations from the opponent’s range.