Poker glossary: M
15 poker terms starting with M. Each entry has a clear definition, a worked example, and links to related concepts.
Made Hand
A made hand is a hand that already has showdown value without needing future cards to complete. Top pair, two pair, sets, straights, and flushes are all made hands; the contrast...
Main Pot
The chips every active player matched equally, capped at the shortest all-in stack. The all-in player can still win it; excess chips form side pots.
Maniac
A maniac is an extremely loose-aggressive player who enters far too many pots and applies pressure on every street without the hand selection or postflop discipline of a control...
Medium Stack
Medium Stack (20-50 BB) in No-Limit Texas Hold'em
Merged Range
A merged range mixes strong hands and moderately strong hands when betting or raising. It includes hands that can be called for value, not only the absolute nuts. You use hands...
Micro Stakes
Micro stakes are the lowest real-money cash-game limits, almost always online, where blinds run from about $0.01/$0.02 up to roughly $0.05/$0.10. Common shorthands like 2NL, 5NL...
Middle Position
Middle position (MP) sits between early and late seats at the table. You act after early-position players, so you see their actions before deciding. That extra information impro...
Min-Raise
A min-raise is the smallest legal increase over the current bet in a betting round. For example, with a 100-chip big blind, the min-raise is to 200 chips (an increase of 100). T...
Minimum Defense Frequency (MDF)
Minimum defense frequency (MDF) is the share of your range you must continue with — call or raise — to keep an opponent from profitably bluffing any two cards. It is the defende...
Missed Draw
A missed draw occurs when you fail to complete a straight or flush by the river. In No-Limit Hold'em this often follows a call on the flop or turn hoping to hit a later card. Mi...
Mixed Frequency
Mixed frequency is the percentage split a strategy uses when the same hand or range class takes more than one action. If a hand calls 60% of the time and folds 40%, those number...
Mixed Strategy
A mixed strategy means deliberately varying your actions-fold, call, or raise-with specific hands. In poker, a "range" is the set of hands an opponent could hold; mixing stops t...
Monotone Board
A monotone flop shows three community cards of the same suit (e.g., K♥ 7♥ 2♥). It sharply increases the number of made flushes and flush draws on the board. Equity is your hand'...
MTT (multi-table tournament)
An MTT is a multi-table tournament: a single poker event with one buy-in and a fixed start time, played across many tables that get consolidated as the field shrinks. The format...
Multiway Pot
A multiway pot occurs when more than two players contest the same pot. More opponents increase the chance someone connected with the board or holds a strong draw. You must consi...