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4-bet
A 4-bet is a raise over a 3-bet: the second re-raise in the same betting round.
5‑bet
A 5-bet is a raise over a 4-bet: the third re-raise in the same betting round.
8‑Game
8-Game is a poker format that rotates through eight different games at the same table.
Advantage Player
An advantage player is someone who looks for an edge in a game.
Advantage Tool
An advantage tool is any device or method used to cheat, such as a marked card or a holdout machine.
Angle Shooting
Angle shooting is using unethical or misleading tactics, short of cheating, to gain an advantage.
Balance
Balance is playing different hands in the same way so opponents cannot learn much about your cards.
Block Bet
A block bet is a small bet from an out-of-position player meant to stop a bigger bet.
Blocker
A blocker is a card you hold that makes it harder for an opponent to have a certain hand.
Blocking Bet
A blocking bet is a small bet made out of position to discourage a larger bet.
Board Coverage
Board coverage describes how well a range of hands connects with the possible flops, turns and rivers.
Bum Hunting
Bum hunting is seeking out weaker players to play against.
Chip Dumping
Chip dumping is intentionally losing chips to another player, usually as part of collusion.
Collusion
Collusion is cheating in which two or more players cooperate against the rest of the table.
Combos
Combos are the possible combinations of two cards a player can hold, used to estimate an opponent's range.
Crossbook
A crossbook is a bet between players in the same event, in which the loser pays a percentage of the winner's net winnings.
Delay C-Bet
A delayed c-bet is a continuation bet made on the turn after checking the flop.
Double Bluff
A double bluff is bluffing, being called, and then bluffing again on a later street.
Effective Nuts
The effective nuts is a hand that is not the best possible hand but is, in practice, as good as the nuts.
End Strippers
End strippers are cards tapered along their ends, used for cheating.
Equity Denial
Equity denial is preventing an opponent from realizing the equity of their hand by making them fold.
Equity Realization
Equity realization is how much of its raw equity a hand actually wins, after the effect of betting and position.
Exploitative
Exploitative play is deviating from standard strategy to take advantage of an opponent's specific weaknesses.
Exploitative Play
Exploitative play is a strategy that takes advantage of opponents' weaknesses and tendencies.
False Cut
A false cut is a cheating move that looks like a cut but leaves the deck's order unchanged.
Float
A float is calling a bet with a weak hand, planning to take the pot away on a later street.
Game Theory Optimal (GTO)
Game theory optimal, or GTO, is a way of playing poker that cannot be exploited by opponents. A GTO strategy is balanced: even if the opponent knows exactly what you are doing, they cannot make more money against you than they would by playing the same strategy.
Gap Concept
The gap concept is a rule from David Sklansky which states that you need a stronger hand to call a raise than to open with a raise yourself. The reasoning is that when you open, you may win the pot without a fight, while a caller faces a player who has already shown strength.
GTO
GTO is short for game theory optimal, the strategy that cannot be exploited in the long run. Players use the abbreviation for solver-based study and for play based on balanced ranges.
ICM
ICM, the Independent Chip Model, is a method that turns the chips in a tournament into their cash value based on the prizes that remain. It shows that chips are worth less than their face value when the payouts are fixed.
Ideal Edge Odds
Ideal edge odds are the theoretical maximum edge odds, which are impossible to achieve. The phrase describes the best advantage a player could have, in theory.
Leveling
Leveling is thinking about what your opponent thinks you think, and adjusting your play accordingly. It is also called multiple-level thinking. It means looking beyond your own cards to the beliefs of the other player.