Positions, Blinds, and Preflop
Seats, blinds, preflop action, opening ranges, 3-bets, squeezes, and positional advantage.
3-bet
A 3-bet is a re-raise of an opening raise: open, raise, re-raise. It signals strength, sets the pot size you want, and pressures the opener into harder preflop and postflop choi...
3-Bet Pot
A pot built on a preflop raise plus a re-raise: tighter ranges, a bigger pot, and harder postflop decisions than a single-raised pot.
4-bet
A 4-bet is the fourth distinct raise in the pre-flop betting round. The typical sequence: an open raise (first raise), a 3-bet (re-raise), then the 4-bet (another re-raise). Bec...
6-Max
Short-handed No-Limit Hold'em with up to six seats. Pots go heads-up faster, blinds cycle quicker, and ranges open up at every position compared with full-ring.
Action Order
Before cards are dealt, the two players left of the dealer button post the small blind and big blind. The big blind is usually twice the small blind. These forced bets seed the...
Big Blind
The Big Blind is a mandatory bet posted by the player two seats to the left of the dealer button before cards are dealt. The dealer button marks the player who acts last on late...
Big Blind (BB)
The forced bet posted two seats left of the dealer button, and the chip-stack unit you measure your stack in. The BB acts last preflop and defends widely.
Blind Defense
Calling or 3-betting from the big blind to keep openers from stealing for free. Better pot odds let you defend wide, especially against late-position raises.
Blind vs Blind (BvB)
Blind vs Blind (BvB) occurs when only the Small Blind (SB) and Big Blind (BB) remain in the hand. Those forced bets create a live pot and incentivize contesting with marginal ha...
Blinds
In No-Limit Texas Hold'em two forced bets, the small blind and big blind, seed the pot. They are posted by the two players immediately left of the dealer button (the marker show...
Button
The Button marks the player with the table's positional advantage and indicates the nominal dealer. This rotation ensures every player eventually posts the Small Blind (SB) and...
Closing the Action
"Closing the action" means the betting round ends because no other players remain to act. A betting round is a cycle of checks, bets, calls, raises, or folds. The round ends whe...
Cold Call
A cold call is calling a raise when you haven't voluntarily invested in the pot this betting round, aside from the blinds. It differs from calling additional chips after you hav...
Complete
Calling from the small blind to make up the chips needed to match the big blind preflop. The small blind already has half a bet posted, so completing only adds the difference.
Cutoff
The Cutoff sits immediately to the right of the dealer button and acts just before it. The button marks the nominal dealer and, after the flop, acts last. Because you act late i...
Early Position
Early position (EP) means the seats immediately after the blinds at a full-ring table: UTG, UTG+1, and UTG+2. Players in EP act early on every post-flop street and therefore mak...
First In
"First in" is the first voluntary chip contribution to the pot after the forced blinds. The player to the left of the big blind acts first; that seat is called "under the gun" (...
First to Act
"First to act" names the player who makes the opening decision in a betting round. Preflop in No-Limit Texas Hold'em, this player sits immediately to the left of the big blind a...
5-bet
A 5-bet is the fifth raise in a preflop sequence: open, 3-bet, 4-bet, then 5-bet. At 100bb cash it's almost always all-in, but at deeper stacks it can be a sized re-raise. The r...
Flat-Call
A flat-call is matching an opponent's raise pre-flop without re-raising. Players use it to control pot size, keep their range disguised, and gather information. Example: the cut...
Full Ring
Full ring is No-Limit Hold'em played nine- or ten-handed - the opposite of 6-max. More seats mean tighter early ranges, slower blinds, and more multiway pots.
Hijack
The seat two to the right of the button. Late enough to widen opens and steal blinds, but the cutoff, button, and blinds still act after you.
In Position
Acting after your opponent on every postflop street. The information edge lets you bet thinner for value, bluff with better data, and control the pot with marginal hands. The bu...
In Position (IP)
"In Position" (IP) means you act after your opponent on a betting street. Acting last lets you see your opponent's bets, checks, or raises before deciding to bet, raise, call, o...
Iso-Raise
An iso-raise (isolation raise) is a preflop raise made after one or more players limp, meaning they just call the big blind. The raiser aims to isolate a single opponent, usuall...
Late Position
Late position means the seats that act near the end of each betting round: the Cutoff (seat before the dealer Button) and the Button. Acting after most opponents matters because...
Limp
"Limping" means entering the pot by calling the big blind instead of raising. The big blind is the forced bet posted by the player two seats left of the dealer. Limping is a pas...
Limp-Call
A limp is entering the pot by calling the big blind instead of raising when first to act. Limp-calling is when a player limps and then calls a later raise rather than folding or...
Limp-Raise
A limp-raise is a two-step preflop line: limp first, face a raise behind you, then re-raise instead of folding or calling. It is the rare aggressive twin of the limp-call, used...
Lowjack
The fourth seat to act preflop in a 9-handed game, sitting between Under the Gun and the Hijack. Open tighter than late position; five players still act after.
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...
Open-Limp
An open-limp is a limp made when you are first into the pot preflop, calling the big blind instead of raising or folding. The limp action itself just means matching the big blin...
Open-Raise
An open-raise is the first voluntary pre-flop raise after the blinds are posted. It builds the pot, seizes initiative, and shapes how many opponents you face.
Opening Range
An opening range is the set of starting hands a player will raise with when they are first into the pot — when nobody before them has voluntarily called or raised. The set is ti...
Out of Position
Out of position (OOP) means you act before opponents on betting rounds, with less information. Acting first increases the chance of being outplayed because you can't see opponen...
Out of Position (OOP)
A player is out of position (OOP) when they must act before their opponent on a betting round. The player who acts after you is in position (IP). Acting later gives IP extra inf...
Overlimp
An overlimp is calling the big blind preflop after at least one player has already limped. It is the second (or later) limp into the pot, not the first one. Example: under-the-g...
Position
Position describes a player's seating order relative to the dealer button and determines who acts when. The dealer button marks action: players to its left act earlier, players...
Preflop
The preflop round is the betting before any community cards are dealt in No-Limit Texas Hold'em. Players see only their two hole cards, note position, and choose to fold, call,...
Preflop Raiser
A preflop raiser makes the first increased bet during the preflop betting round, before community cards. This action sets the hand's immediate tone and forces opponents to call,...
Raise First In
Raise First In (RFI) means being the first player to voluntarily raise the pot preflop. Players commonly call that an open raise. In No-Limit Texas Hold'em, where bet sizes are...
Raise-or-Fold
Raise-or-fold is a straightforward preflop philosophy: instead of routinely calling, you usually raise or fold. Flat-calling means calling an open without re-raising; limp means...
RFI
Raise First In (RFI) means opening the betting round with a raise when no one else has entered the pot. Don't limp or wait for other action; opening raise forces opponents to ca...
Set-Mining
A speculative preflop call with a small pocket pair, hoping to flop three-of-a-kind. Profitable only when stack depth gives roughly 10:1 implied odds.
Small Blind
The small blind (SB) is the forced bet posted by the player left of the dealer button. Players post it before cards are dealt. The small blind is typically around half the size...
Small Blind (SB)
The Small Blind (SB) sits immediately to the left of the dealer button. The SB posts a mandatory bet before cards are dealt, usually about half the Big Blind. For example, in a...
Squeeze
A 3-bet after one player has opened and at least one other has called. Both have to fold for the play to print, so size larger than a standard 3-bet to deny them profitable calls.
Steal
A steal is a preflop raise aimed mostly at winning the blinds and antes uncontested. Players often use less-than-premium hands, aiming to take the pot without seeing the flop. T...
Straddle
A voluntary blind raise posted before cards are dealt, almost always twice the big blind from Under the Gun. Functions as a third blind, doubles the effective stakes, and the pl...
UTG
UTG (Under the Gun) sits immediately left of the big blind. UTG acts first in the preflop betting round, deciding to fold, call, or raise without seeing others' choices. Acting...