Action
It is a player's turn to decide what move to make. 2. Loose, is the term for a game with a lot of raises.
A-Game
A poker player is playing to the best of his ability, i.e. playing his A-game. 2. The name for a game played on the highest possible.
ABC Player
Used to describe a player who is very predictable. Usually plays tight, follows the advice of the poker books he has read to the letter.
Ace (A)
The highest-ranking card in most poker games, playing as both high (in straights like A-K-Q-J-T) and low (in wheel straights A-2-3-4-5)
Ace in the Hole
If at least one of the hole cards dealt to the player is an Ace.
Ace Out -
A commonly used term for the situation where someone wins with an Ace high card. This may be because the opponent had an even weaker card on the show, or bluffed to discard his right hand.
Ace-to-Five Lowball
The collective name for poker variations where the winning hand is the lowest-value combination of cards, also known as 5432A wheel. The Ace is the lowest valued card hand, rows and suits do not count.
Ace-to-Six Lowball
The collective name for poker variations where the winning combination is the lowest valued card combination, which is 6432A.In comparison to the previous example, the straight counts here so 5432A may not be the best hand.
Ace-High
A five-card poker card combination that does not contain a pair or better, but does contain an Ace. (A similar variation is used for King-High, Queen-High, etc.)
Aces and Spaces
A five-card poker hand combination that contains two aces and three other worthless cards. 2. For poker varieties that use more than two hole cards, a hole card combination that contains a pair of aces but the other cards are worthless, so there is no chance of making good draws, low or high combinations.
Aces Full
A full house that contains three aces and a pair.
Aces Over
Two pairs, one of which is an Ace. Usage: aces over tens: AA-TT two pair
Aces Up
Two pairs, one of which is an ace.
Aces Wired
Two aces in hand. Other commonly used names: Bullets, American Airlines, Eyes of Texas
American Airlines
Pair of Aces as a starting card. (AA)
Acey-Deucey
1st A2 in hand. 2. Two pair, AA-22.
Act
To make a particular move ( bet, call, check, fold or raise ) at the appropriate time. 2. The player acts to deceive the opponent.
Action card
A community card that matches the cards in the hand of at least two players, and raises are initiated because of it. For example, an Ace on the flop when two players have an Ace.
Action Spot
The central part of the poker table where the players place their raises.
Active Player
A player who is involved in the fight for a particular pot. If there are side pots, a player who is all-in may be active in some pots but not in others.
Add-on
For tournaments, a rebuy that everyone is eligible for, regardless of chip position. This is usually only allowed once, at the end of the rebuy period. An add-on is more chips per dollar invested than buy-ins and rebuys.
Advertising
A method of deception. The presentation of cards after an obviously bad play or a successful bluff in order to give the opponents a false impression of the player's style and knowledge. The player may also seek to show only good cards, which may make opponents believe that he rarely bluffs.
Aggressive
A style of play characterized by a lot of raising and re-raising.
All-In
If a player puts all his chips in the pot, he is all-in.
All-In Over the Top
After a raise by an opponent, the player puts all his chips into the pot.
All-In protection
A term used in online poker rooms to describe protection in the event of Internet disconnection. If there is a breakdown in communication between the player and the server during a hand, the player will act as if he is all-in. His hand remains, but no further action is taken. At the end of the hand, if he has the winning hand, he wins the pot that existed when the all-in protection went into effect. Intentional use of all-in protection is cheating and is penalized by the house. Not all online poker rooms use it. In many cases, the player's hand is folded when there are connection problems.
Alternate Straight
A five-card combination made up of every other card. For example 6,8,10, Q, A A hand not recognized under official poker rules. Used in private clubs with their own rules. It is stronger than a normal straight because it can occur in fewer combinations. Other names: skip straight, Dutch straight
Ammo
The amount of chips held by a player.
Angle
An action that is possible under the rules, but ethically questionable, to improve the outcome.
Anna Kournikova
Ace-King (AK) Looks good, but rarely wins. :)
Ante
A small bet that all players must place before each hand. In Texas Hold'em, usually only in the late stages of tournaments or deep-stack cash games.
Apple
The largest grassroots game in a poker club.
Argine
Queen of clubs. An anagram of the Latin word regina (queen).
Around the Corner Straight
A five-card combination of consecutive cards, a special kind of straight that includes K-A-2. Not a recognized hand under official poker rules. Used in private clubs with their own rules. It is stronger than the normal straight because it can occur in fewer combinations.
Asian Games
Former name for California games.
As Nas
A Persian card game from which poker is derived.
Average pot, AvgPot
In English, average pot. Shows the amount of average pots won at a poker table over the last few hands. There are two main ways of calculating this: 1. 2. When the un-called raise is not counted in the pot from which the average is calculated.. In the second case, the average pot values displayed in the online poker room will be lower for the same style of play. The values will differ especially in NL games.
Ax, AX
Two cards, one of which is an ace. The other can be anything but is likely to be a low value card.
Air
nothing. Used for a worthless, weak card.
Ante off
If a player is not at the table during the tournament, the antes, small blinds or big blinds are taken off in the same way to keep the tournament fair to the other players.
AIPF
All-in preflop, i.e. when one or more players go all-in preflop.
Auto-rebuy
A commonly used setting in online poker whereby in cash-game games, if a player loses chips, they are automatically re-bought by the client, while in tournament poker, they are automatically re-registered for the tournament.
Ace-King (A-K) - ""Big Slick""
Premium unpaired starting hand that dominates weaker Ace-x hands but requires careful postflop play
Ace-Queen (A-Q) - ""Big Chick""
Strong but vulnerable hand that dominates A-J and below but faces reverse implied odds against A-K/AA
Ace-Jack (A-J) - ""Ajax""
Tricky hand due to kicker issues - dominates A-T but crushed by A-Q/A-K/pocket pairs
Ace-Ten (A-T) - ""Johnny Moss""
Marginal hand that looks stronger than it is - often folded in early positions
Ace-Rag
Ace with weak kicker (A-2 to A-5) - typically folded from early positions
Ace-Proof
Hand that cannot be beaten by Ace-high (e.g., any pair > A-K high)
Ace-Deuce (A-2) - ""Doyle Brunson"" (PLO)
Valuable in Omaha Hi-Lo for nut low potential (A-2-3-4-5)
Ace-Five (A-5) - ""Wheel""
Best possible low hand in A-5 lowball (5-4-3-2-A)
Ace-High Flush
Flush with Ace as highest card (nut flush if no higher cards possible)
Ace-X Suited
Ace with any suited card (e.g., A♥ 4♥) - gains value from flush potential
Aces Cracked
When pocket Aces lose postflop (occurs ~20% vs. random hands)
Ace-High Straight
"Broadway" (T-J-Q-K-A) - highest possible straight
Ace-High Nut Low
Best possible low hand in split games (A-2-3-4-5)
Ace-Under
Weak Ace hands like A-4 offsuit - often need to fold to aggression
Ace-Spotting
Observing how opponents play Ace-high hands for tells/patterns
Ace-Ware
Being cautious with Ace-high hands to avoid overplaying
All-In Bluff
Shoving entire stack with weak hand to force folds - high risk/reward
Angle Shoot
Deceptive but legal play to mislead (e.g., string betting, ambiguous actions)
Action Bet
Bet designed to generate action rather than pure value
Auto-Bet
Reflexive betting pattern that becomes predictable (leak)
Atomic Bluff
Extreme, high-stakes bluff (often all-in with trash)
Anti-Bluff Bet
Small value bet made to prevent opponent bluffs
A-Bomb
Massive unexpected bluff to shock opponents
Ace-High Hero Call
Calling big bet with just Ace-high based on bluff read
Aggro (Aggressive)
Player who frequently bets/raises rather than calling
Action Freak
Player who loves high-variance pots (often recreational)
Assassin
Skilled player who systematically exploits weaknesses
Awareness
Ability to read opponents, dynamics, and situations
ATM
Weak player ("cash machine" for skilled opponents)
Amateur Leak
Common recreational player mistakes (e.g., overplaying A-x)
Auto-Pilot
Playing without sufficient attention/adaptation
Adjustment
Modifying strategy based on opponent tendencies
Away
Player temporarily absent from table (affects dynamics)
At Risk
Chips that could be lost before elimination
Average Stack
Median chip count in tournament (guides strategy)
All-In or Fold (AOF)
Format where players can only shove or fold
Airlock
Bubble period before cashing in tournaments
Ace-to-Five (A-5) Lowball
Variant where lowest hand wins (5-4-3-2-A best)
Ace-to-Six (A-6) Lowball
Alternate lowball ranking system
Anaconda
7-card stud pass-and-draw game
All-In Equity
Expected value when all-in (vs. pot odds)
Adjusted Range
Modifying hand ranges based on opponent tendencies