Poker Glossary (Terms & Definitions)

When you're playing poker and making the best decisions your knowledge allows, you are said to be playing your A game.

A straightforward, basic TAG strategy involving playing only premium starting hands, playing them aggressively, and typically folding to aggression postflop without a strong made hand.

The value of a hand in a vacuum, the overvaluing of which can often get inexperienced players in trouble. For example, 43s on a 33KQ9 board is a hand with a high absolute value (trips), but facing heavy action is likely to be beat by better trips (e.g. A3s), a straight, or a full house.

Often abbreviated AX, indicates hold'em hole cards featuring an ace with a random side card. When the side card is small, the hand is frequently referred to generically as "A-rag".

A hand with so little value it is highly unlikely to win at showdown. Such hands are sometimes bluffing candidates, hence the expression "I went all in with air" indicates committing all one's chips on a pure bluff.

Committing all of your chips in a single bet or raise.

Poker variant in which each player is dealt seven cards, then passes a total of three to one or more neighbors. Some variants, such as "Pass The Trash", involve discarding two cards to leave a five-card hand.

Typically an ambiguous or disruptive action taken by a player in order to elicit additional information or provoke an action that is to their advantage. For example, a player may check out of turn intentionally when holding a monster, hoping to induce an opponent to bet. Such shenanigans cover a spectrum from poor etiquette to rule violations. Punishment, if any, depends on severity of the infraction, house rules, and competence of the floor.

Abbreviation. "Any Two Broadway" cards.