Poker Lingo

The 40 words you'll meet at the table — positions, hand strength, actions, strategy. Each one defined in a single plain-English sentence. In the Nash app, this is the Lingo trophy grid you fill in as you play; here it's the public glossary version.

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01 · 6 termsBasics

Position #: Where you sit relative to the dealer button. Decides when you play each round.
Preflop #: Before any community cards come out — the first betting round.
The flop #: The first three shared cards dealt face-up after the preflop betting.
The turn #: The fourth shared card. Comes after the flop, before the river.
The river #: The fifth and final shared card. Last betting round before showdown.
Big blind #: The forced bet of one unit posted before cards. Also the unit chip stacks are measured in (bb).

02 · 8 termsPositions

UTG under the gun #: First to play before the flop. Tight seat, five players still to act.
MP middle position #: Second to play. Half the table has folded, half hasn't.
CO cutoff #: The seat right before the button. Second-best preflop seat.
BTN the button #: Best seat in poker. Plays last every round after the flop.
SB small blind #: Pays half a big blind before cards. Plays first every round after the flop.
BB big blind #: Pays one big blind before cards. Defends the widest range.
In position #: Playing last on every round after the flop — the biggest built-in edge in the game.
Out of position #: Playing first on every round after the flop. You decide without seeing what they do.

03 · 8 termsHand strength

Top pair #: Your hole card paired the highest card on the board. Common strong-but-not-great hand.
Overpair #: Your pocket pair is bigger than every card on the board. Usually a strong hand.
Set #: A pocket pair plus a matching board card — three of a kind, hidden in your hand.
Trips #: Three of a kind made with one card in your hand and a pair on the board. Visible to opponents.
Kicker #: The side card that breaks ties when two players have the same pair.
Suited connector #: Two cards of the same suit and one rank apart, like 9♥8♥. Makes straights and flushes.
Flush draw #: You have four cards of one suit, hoping for a fifth. About 1 in 5 to hit by the river.
Postflop #: Every betting round after the flop arrives — flop, turn, and river play.

04 · 8 termsActions

Open-raise #: The first voluntary raise of a hand. Also just called an open.
3-bet #: A re-raise of someone's first raise. Aggressive — usually with strong hands or planned bluffs.
4-bet #: A re-raise of a 3-bet. Very aggressive — premiums or planned bluffs only.
C-bet continuation bet #: You bet the flop after raising before it. Most common postflop play.
Check-raise #: You check, then raise after the other player bets on the same round. Strong, often tricky.
Cold call #: Calling a raise without already having chips in the pot.
Squeeze #: 3-betting after an open and one or more callers. Puts pressure on the whole field at once.
Donk bet #: When the preflop caller bets first into the preflop raiser. Usually a weak move.

05 · 10 termsStrategy

Range #: All the different hands a player could possibly have, weighted by how likely each is.
Equity #: Your chance of winning the hand against an opponent's range, shown as a percentage.
Fold equity #: How often the other player will fold to your bet. The second way a bet can win the pot.
Pot odds #: The smallest chance of winning that makes a call profitable, based on bet size vs pot size.
EV expected value #: Your average return from a decision if it were repeated many times.
Bluff #: Betting or raising with a hand that probably can't win at showdown, hoping they fold.
Semi-bluff #: Bluffing with a hand that can still improve to win — like a flush draw — so you have two ways to win.
GTO game-theory optimal #: A balanced strategy that can't be beaten on average by any counter-strategy.
Exploit #: Deviating from balanced play to take advantage of a specific mistake an opponent makes.
Multiway #: A pot with three or more players still in it. Tightens correct play across the board.

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Definitions are easier to remember when they're attached to a hand you actually played. The Nash Daily Five is built around this — every term is taught the first time it appears, then collected in your personal Lingo grid as you go.

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