intermediate
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.
Snapped Off
To get snapped off is to have a good hand beaten. A player whose strong hand loses to a better one has been snapped off.
Snow Job
A snow job is a successful bluff. The player has made opponents believe that he has a strong hand and wins the pot.
Soft Seat
A soft seat is a seat or game that is favorable because of the lack of skill at the table. The other players are weak, so it is easy to make money.
Soft-Play
Soft-play is a form of collusion in which a player does not bet or raise as he normally would, to avoid winning money from a friend or partner. It is cheating and is forbidden in cardrooms.
Solid
A solid player is a player who makes good decisions based on logic and probability. He does not take unnecessary risks, plays conservatively when needed and follows a disciplined strategy.
Spew
To spew is to give away chips by playing too many hands and betting or calling too much, usually while angry. A player who spews makes many bad plays in a row.
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.
Spot
A spot is a specific decision point in a hand, such as 'a spot where you face a river bet in position'. Players say 'spot' to name a situation that they want to study or discuss.
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.
Squeeze Play
A squeeze play is a re-raise bluff, usually a three-bet, made after one player has raised and one or more players have called. It tries to make all of them fold, because they have shown less strength by calling.
Stack-to-Pot Ratio (SPR)
Stack-to-pot ratio, or SPR, is the ratio of the effective stack to the size of the pot. It tells you how many pots are left to bet, and strongly affects strategy.
Stake
A stake is the amount of a player's buy-in, or the amount of money that he is willing to play with in a session. It can also mean money given by a backer.
Staking
Staking is an arrangement in which a backer pays for a player's buy-ins in exchange for a share of his winnings. The player plays with the backer's money and does not risk his own.
Steal
A steal is a raise, usually before the flop and from a late position, with the intention of making the others fold and winning the blinds. The hand used for the raise does not need to be strong.
Steal Position
Steal position is the next to last or the last position at the table, where players have the best chance to steal the blinds. In modern language, it is the cutoff and the button.
Steal Raise
A steal raise is a raise from late position, made to reduce the number of opponents or to win the pot without a fight. It is usually made with a hand that is not very strong.
Steal the Antes
To steal the antes is to win a small pot that contains only the antes, by betting with a weak hand and making the other players fold. It is the version of the steal in games with antes.
Steal the Blinds
To steal the blinds is to raise before the flop with a weak hand, in the hope that all other players fold and you win the small and big blind without a fight.
Steam
Steam is another word for tilt: a state of anger or frustration after a loss in which a player makes poor decisions. A player in this state is said to be steaming.
Steamrolling
Steamrolling means re-raising so that other players must call two bets instead of one. It is an aggressive way to put pressure on the opponents.
Steel The Blinds
To steel the blinds means to win only the blinds by bluffing, usually by raising from late position so that the blinds fold. It is another way of saying 'steal the blinds'.
Steel Wheel
A steel wheel is a straight flush from ace to five, A-2-3-4-5 of one suit. It is the lowest straight flush but still beats four of a kind.
Stop and Go
A stop and go is a play in which a player calls a raise before the flop and then bets the flop himself, out of position, instead of checking to the raiser. It is also used for calling and then pushing all in after the flop in tournaments.
Straddle
A straddle is an optional extra blind bet posted before the cards are dealt, usually by the player under the gun, normally twice the big blind. It raises the stakes for the hand, and the straddler often acts last before the flop.
Strategic Bluff
A strategic bluff is a bluff made with a longer-term goal. For example, a player bluffs to give the impression that he is loose.
Stuck
Stuck means that a player is losing in a game. 'I'm stuck $300' means that he has lost $300 in the session.
Swap
A swap is an agreement between players in a tournament to exchange a percentage of each other's winnings. It reduces variance, because both players share in the other's success.
Tank
To tank is to think for a long time about a decision. A player who tanks takes minutes to decide, often when facing a big bet.
Tap
To tap is to bet all of your money in one bet in a no-limit game. A player who taps puts in all his chips.