Reference
Poker Glossary
Clear, no-nonsense definitions of the poker terms that matter for live cash games — SPR, c-bet, 3-bet, pot odds, equity, and more.
SPR (Stack-to-Pot Ratio)
The ratio of the effective stack to the size of the pot, used to gauge how committed you are.
Continuation Bet (C-Bet)
A bet made by the preflop raiser on the flop to continue their aggression.
3-Bet
The third bet in a preflop sequence — a re-raise of the original open-raise.
4-Bet
A re-raise of a 3-bet — the fourth bet in a preflop sequence.
Pot Odds
The price you are getting on a call: the bet you must call relative to the total pot.
Implied Odds
The extra money you expect to win on later streets if you complete your draw.
Range
The full set of hands a player could have in a given situation, rather than one specific hand.
Value Bet
A bet made with a strong hand, hoping to get called by worse hands.
Bluff
A bet or raise made with a weak hand to make a better hand fold.
Position
Acting after your opponents on each postflop street — a lasting strategic advantage.
Equity
Your share of the pot based on your chance of winning the hand.
Overbet
A bet larger than the size of the pot.
Check-Raise
Checking to induce a bet, then raising when the opponent bets.
Exploitative Play
Adjusting your strategy to attack the specific mistakes an opponent is making.
Gutshot (Inside Straight Draw)
A straight draw that needs one specific rank in the middle to complete — only four outs.
Open-Ended Straight Draw
A straight draw with eight outs — a card on either end completes it.
Set Mining
Calling before the flop with a small pocket pair hoping to flop a set and win a big pot.
Blocker
A card in your hand that reduces the number of strong combinations your opponent can hold.
Polarized Range
A betting range made up of strong value hands and bluffs, with few medium-strength hands.
Capped Range
A range with no truly strong hands in it, because those would have been played faster.
Board Texture
How coordinated or dry the community cards are, which shapes correct bet sizing and strategy.
Donk Bet
Leading into the previous street's aggressor instead of checking to them.
Float (Floating)
Calling a bet with a weak hand, planning to take the pot away on a later street.
Squeeze
A 3-bet made after one player has raised and one or more others have called.
Isolation Raise (Iso)
Raising to play a pot heads-up against one weak player, pricing everyone else out.
Straddle
A voluntary blind raise posted before the deal, usually to twice the big blind.
Showdown Value
A hand that can win at showdown without improving, but is too weak to bet for value.
Cooler
A hand where two very strong holdings collide and a big loss is essentially unavoidable.