betting
Keep Them Honest
To keep them honest is to call a bet, usually at the end of a hand, so that your opponent cannot bluff you every time. You call to make him show a real hand sometimes.
Kick It
To kick it means to raise. You kick it when you make a larger bet after someone has bet.
Kill
A kill, or kill blind, is an oversized blind, usually twice the big blind, which also doubles the betting limits. A half-kill raises the blind and limits by 50 percent. A kill can be voluntary or mandatory.
Lay Odds
To lay odds is to give favorable odds to an opponent. You risk more than you can win.
Lead
To lead is to be the first to bet in a round. The word is also used for the player who is currently ahead, and for the player who made the last bet or raise in the previous round, and so 'has the lead'.
Limit
Limit is a betting structure in which the size of bets and raises is fixed. In a limit game, a player cannot bet any amount; he must bet the set size. It is the opposite of no-limit.
Limit Poker
Limit poker is poker in which the size of every bet and raise is fixed. Players can only bet the set amount for the round, not any amount they choose. It is also called fixed-limit poker.
Limit Stakes
Limit stakes are a betting structure in which the largest bet and raise on each round is fixed in advance. Stakes such as $2/$4 describe the bet size on the early and late streets.
Limp
To limp is to enter the pot before the flop by only calling the big blind instead of raising. A player who does this is a limper. It is usually seen as a passive and weak play.
Line
A line is the whole plan of a hand: the series of actions that a player takes on each street. For example, a bet on the flop, a bet on the turn and a check on the river is a line.
Little Blind
The little blind is the first and smallest blind bet, also called the small blind. It is posted by the player left of the button.
Live Blind
A live blind is a blind or dark bet that gives the player the option to raise, even if nobody else raises. It is also known as the option.
Main Pot
The main pot is the first pot, which all players have contributed to before any side pots are created because a player went all in.
Meet
To meet is to call. A player who meets a bet puts in the same amount to stay in the hand.
Missed Blind
A missed blind is a forced blind bet that a player did not post because he was away from the table when it was his turn. Many rooms require him to pay it before he can play again.
Mississippi Straddle
The Mississippi straddle is a type of straddle made by the player on the button, instead of the player under the gun. The straddler acts last before the flop, and then the action starts after him.
No‑Limit
No-limit is a betting structure in which a player may bet any amount of chips he has at any time, up to his whole stack. It is the most popular form of Texas Hold'em.
One-Chip-Behind
One-chip-behind means betting or raising almost your entire stack while keeping one chip unbet. Unless you have declared all-in, that chip remains available for a later decision.
One‑Chip Rule
The one-chip rule says that a player who puts a single chip in the pot, when facing a bet, is making a call and not a raise, unless he says 'raise' first. It applies even if the chip is of a higher value than the call.
Open
To open is to be the first player to bet in a betting round. Before the flop it means to be the first to raise. An open raise is the first raise in the pot.
Open Limp
An open limp is entering the pot before the flop by only calling the big blind when nobody else has entered. You are the first player in, and you do not raise.
Open‑Shove
An open-shove is a first raise before the flop that is an all-in. The player pushes all his chips when nobody has raised yet.
Option
The option is the right of the big blind, or a straddler, to check or raise when nobody has raised before the action returns to him. It is the last chance to act before the flop.
Over the top
Over the top means to raise after a bet and one or more raises have already been made. It is a re-raise that puts pressure on the opponents and often shows a very strong hand.
Overbet
An overbet is a bet that is larger than the current pot. For example, a bet of 24 into a pot of 12 is an overbet.
Overblind
An overblind is a blind that is larger than the normal big blind, usually posted by a player in a special situation, such as after winning a pot in a kill game. It raises the stakes of the hand.
Overcall
An overcall is a call after another player has bet and at least one other player has already called in the same round. You are calling behind a caller.
Payoff
A payoff is a call of a bet, usually on the last round, with a hand that is not expected to be the best. The caller pays off the bettor.
Play Back
To play back is to raise or re-raise another player's bet. It is a way to answer aggression with aggression.
Play Behind
Play behind means that a player has extra chips or cash that is not in play, but available to use during the game. It is allowed in some cash games.
Play Fast
To play fast is to play aggressively: to bet and raise instead of checking and calling. It is often used for strong hands, to build the pot.
Play Over
To play over is to play in a seat when its occupant is absent. A player may take over the hand or the seat for a short time.