Forty-eight short entries grouped by what you are trying to understand. Use the topic links, or your browser’s Find command, to look up a word without reading everything.

For viewers of standard 52-card no-limit Texas hold'em. All hands, stacks, payouts, and graphics on this page are fictional teaching examples, not footage or results from Nolan's vlog.

Seats and stack sizes

BB / big blind
A forced live wager; also the unit used to compare stack sizes. BB can label a seat.
SB / small blind
The forced wager immediately before the big blind in the seating order.
BTN / button
The marker defining nominal dealer position, not a guarantee of last action preflop.
UTG
The first preflop acting position after the blinds at a table with more than two players.
CO / cutoff
The seat immediately before the button.
HJ / hijack
The seat two places before the button.
Effective stack
For two players, the smaller relevant stack, limiting what they can contest against each other.
IP / OOP
In position means acting after an opponent on a street; out of position means acting before.

See seats and order of action with examples. Terminology reference.

Betting language

Check
Pass without adding chips when there is nothing to call.
Call
Match the outstanding wager, or call all-in for the amount available.
Fold
Give up the hand and any claim to its pots.
Raise to / by
“To” gives the new total wager; “by” gives the increment over the previous wager.
Three-bet / 3-bet
A reraise. Preflop the big blind counts as bet one. Not a three-times sizing rule.
Jam / shove
Informal terms for betting or raising all-in.
Limp
Call the big blind preflop instead of opening with a raise.
Check-raise
Check, then raise a bet when the action returns.

See bets and calls with examples. Terminology reference.

Cards and boards

Hole cards
The two private cards dealt to a hold'em player.
Board
The shared community cards.
Street
A betting stage: preflop, flop, turn, or river.
Suited / offsuit
Hole cards with matching suits / different suits. AKs means suited; AKo means offsuit.
Kicker
An unpaired side card used in comparing the best five-card hands.
Set / trips
Both are three of a kind; a set uses a pocket pair, trips uses a board pair and one matching hole card.
Overpair / top pair
A pocket pair above every board rank / a pair matching the highest board rank.
Rainbow / two-tone / monotone flop
Three different suits / two cards of one suit / all three cards of one suit.

See hand comparisons with examples. Terminology reference.

Draws and analysis

Draw
A holding needing further cards to complete a combination such as a straight or flush.
Gutshot / open-ended
A straight draw missing an internal rank / one with either end available. Winning outs still need checking.
Range
Possible holdings assigned to a player, often with weights. It is a model, not hidden-card knowledge.
Equity
The expected share of a pot under specified hands or ranges and future cards, including ties.
Pot odds
The price of a call relative to the pot; a simple break-even percentage uses call ÷ final pot.
Blocker
A known card that removes some otherwise possible opponent holdings.
C-bet / continuation bet
Commonly a flop bet by the preflop raiser. The label does not establish hand strength.
Value bet / bluff
A wager seeking calls from worse hands / seeking folds from better hands; some bets serve multiple purposes.

See odds and assumptions with examples. Terminology reference.

Tournament context

Ante / BBA
A forced pot contribution separate from live blinds; BBA means big-blind ante.
Bubble / ITM
The boundary before a payout threshold / in the money, qualifying for a payout.
Pay jump / min-cash
The increase between payout levels / the smallest scheduled cash award.
Re-entry / bullet
Another permitted paid entry / informal language for an entry or attempt.
Freezeout
An event allowing no re-entry or rebuy.
Satellite
A tournament awarding entry or tickets to another event under its prize structure.
Bounty
An elimination-related prize; eligibility and award mechanics depend on the format.
Bagging
Recording and securing a stack for a later stage; not proof of a payout.

See tournament context with examples. Terminology reference.

Reading the story

Hero / villain
Analysis labels for the focal player and opponent. “Villain” is not a character judgment.
Showdown
Comparing remaining eligible hands after betting ends.
Main pot / side pot
Separate pools contested by players with different matched contributions.
Runout
The remaining community cards as they are dealt.
Double-up
Informal description of approximately doubling a stack, often through a called all-in.
Cooler / bad beat
Informal labels for strong-hand collisions / losing after being favored. Neither proves correct play.
Tank
Take time over a decision. An edit does not establish how long the actual decision took.
Reconstructed hand
An account rebuilt from notes, memory, or footage; estimates should remain identified.

See watching the story with examples. Terminology reference.

Abbreviations change between commentators. A number such as “25 BB” is a stack measurement; “BB calls” names a position. When a caption is unclear, check the scene or ask about that specific timestamp rather than guessing.

References and limits

PokerStars Learn: terminology; PokerStars: rules and structures; WSOP: hand terms; PokerStars: tournament types; Upswing Poker: effective stacks; Upswing Poker: pot odds.

References checked October 5, 2026. Explanations and examples are written for this site. Event structures and house rulings can differ; this is not a tournament rulebook or a guarantee of profitable play. External references may contain commercial offers; no account or purchase is needed to read this guide.

Published . Prepared with AI assistance. Use learning materials away from live play; follow the event's device and assistance rules.