betting
Post
To post is to put in a required bet, such as a blind or an ante. A player who has to post is making a forced bet.
Pot
The pot is the total of all the chips that players have bet in a hand. The winner of the hand takes it. In pot-limit games, saying 'pot' means that you bet the size of the pot.
Pot Committed
Being pot committed means that you have already put so many chips in the pot that folding is no longer sensible, because the pot is large compared with the chips you have left.
Pot-Limit
Pot-limit is a betting structure in which a player can bet or raise any amount up to the current size of the pot. The most popular pot-limit game is Omaha, known as PLO.
Probe Bet
A probe bet is a bet made out of position on the turn or river after the preflop raiser had the chance to make a continuation bet on the previous street but checked. It probes for weakness.
Proposing Bets
Proposing bets are side bets between players that are not related to the outcome of the hand. They are bets on something else, such as a card or an event.
Protection Bet
A protection bet is a bet made with a strong but vulnerable hand to make opponents with draws fold or pay a high price. It protects your hand from being outdrawn.
Push
To push is to bet all your chips, going all in. The word also describes a pot that is tied or split between players, so nobody wins more than their own bet.
Pushing Bets
Pushing bets is an agreement between players to return bets to each other when one of them wins a pot in which the other plays. It is also called saving bets and is a form of collusion.
Putting on the Heat
Putting on the heat means to pressure the other players by betting aggressively.
Raise
To raise is to increase the size of an existing bet in the same betting round. A raise is made after someone has bet, and it forces the others to put in more chips to stay in the hand.
Raise Blind
To raise blind is to raise without looking at your cards. In some games, it is a bet made in the dark, before the cards are seen.
Re‑raise
A re-raise is a second raise in a round of betting, made after an initial raise. Before the flop, it is also called a three-bet.
Represent
To represent is to play as if you hold a specific hand, whether you actually have it or not. For example, a large bet on an ace-high board represents an ace.
River C‑bet
A river c-bet is a continuation bet on the river by the player who raised before the flop and bet the flop and the turn. It is the third barrel, also called a triple barrel.
Round of Betting
A round of betting is a period when players have the chance to bet, check, call or raise. It ends when the last bet or raise has been called, or when all players have checked.
Run a Pot
To run a pot is to win a hand by bluffing through the hand, with more than one bet. The bettor bets several streets and wins with no best hand.
See
To see is to call. In the old style, a player says 'I see your bet' when he matches it.
Sell
To sell a hand is to bet less than the maximum with a very strong hand in a spread-limit game, in the hope that more players will call. It is a form of underplaying.
Semi‑Bluff
A semi-bluff is a bet or raise made with a hand that is not the best now but has a good chance to improve, such as a flush draw. It can win in two ways: the opponent folds, or the draw comes in.
Shove
To shove is to push all your chips into the pot, going all in. It is also called a jam or a push.
Side Bet
A side bet is any bet made outside the pot. It is a bet between players that does not change the poker hand, or a bet on the side of the game.
Side Pot
A side pot is a separate pot created when a player goes all in and other players keep betting. The all-in player can only win the main pot, and the side pot is contested only by the remaining players.
Single Raised Pot (SRP)
A single raised pot, SRP, is a pot in which one player raised before the flop and everyone else just called, without a re-raise. It is the most common kind of pot.
Slow Play
A slow play is a way of playing a strong hand weakly, by checking or calling instead of betting or raising, to hide your strength and win more chips. It is the opposite of fast-playing.
Small Blind (SB)
The small blind is a forced bet posted before the cards are dealt by the player sitting to the left of the dealer button. It is usually half the size of the big blind.
Smooth Call
A smooth call is a call in a spot where a raise was also possible, especially with a strong hand. The player calls quietly, instead of re-raising, to hide the strength of his hand. It is also known as flat calling.
Snap Call
A snap call is a call made immediately, without thinking. It usually shows that the caller has a very strong hand, or that he has already decided what to do.
Splash the Pot
To splash the pot is to throw chips into the pot in a careless way, so that the dealer cannot count how much has been bet. It is against the rules and etiquette of most card rooms and home games.
Splitting Blinds
Splitting blinds is an agreement between the small and big blinds, when nobody else has entered the pot, to take back their blinds and skip the hand. It is also called chopping.
Spread-Limit
Spread-limit is a betting structure in which a player may bet any amount within a range, such as $2 to $6, on every round. It lies between fixed-limit and no-limit poker.
Squeeze
Squeeze has two meanings. It can be to look at your cards by slowly bending them back, or to re-raise before the flop after one raise and one or more calls. The second is also called a squeeze play.