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Soft playing is a form of in an attempt to gain an advantage at the poker table. In short, it is when a player takes less aggressive lines when playing against players they like.

For example, the player might check instead of betting or call instead of raising when they have a strong hand but don’t want to play back against their friend.

Poker range refers to the set of hands that either you or your opponent can have at any give time.

For example, if a tight player your raise, you could assign them a narrow range of AA, KK, QQ, AK.

Knowing your opponent’s poker range will help you figure out the strength of their hand on any given board texture.

In the video below, Daniel Negreanu explains poker ranges in more detail.

Short deck poker (also known as six-plus hold’em) is a poker game where the 2’s through to 5’s are removed from the deck.

This variant became popular in the high stakes live cash games in Asia. In the video below, Tom Dwan explains Short Deck Poker.

Rakeback is promotional offers from affiliates that work for online poker sites whereby a percentage of the is returned to the player.

A “standard” Rakeback offer typically ranges from 20% to 40%, but with that said sometimes online poker players can get an even better deal.

For example, if you rake $100 in one month, you will get $40 with a 40% Rakeback deal.

Also known as “Backing”, Poker Staking is when an investor (“the backer or staker”) puts up money to a poker player (“the horse”) by providing the necessary to play with in exchange for a percentage of the profit.

A “standard” poker staking deal is usually a 50/50 split of the winnings and the backer typically assumes all of the risk. Any money the horse loses is on the backer.

Staking deals can be found everywhere in the live and online poker world, from the cash games online to some of the biggest live poker tournaments like the Main Event. Continue reading →

Pot-limit Omaha is a variation of the popular poker game known as Omaha Hold ’em. Sometimes referred to as PLO, the game has enjoyed a recent boost in popularity in Europe, the United States and online. The term “pot limit” refers to the fact that the size of any bet cannot exceed the total pot size.

Although similar to the popular poker variant of Texas Hold ‘em, Pot Limit Omaha requires a different strategical approach, with only the best hands likely to win. Players are dealt four cards in the hole instead of two but can only use two of them to make a hand. This changes the dynamic of the game when the next cards are revealed, as there is a higher number of possible hands available. It also means that players tend to stay in the game until the flop more often, prompting big increases in the pot size. Continue reading →

Video poker is an online version of the popular card game based on traditional five-card draw poker. It is played on a console that looks similar to a traditional slot machine with a display screen connected to an internal processor.

The game is very popular today and can be found in prominent positions throughout casinos and online platforms.

Players must begin by placing a bet. They are then dealt a hand just like in a five-card draw game and can discard one or more in exchange for new ones. If the hand matches one or more of the winning combinations listed in a paytable, the machine pays out. Continue reading →

The “starting hand” are the initial two hole cards that you and your opponents are dealt in Texas Holdem.

When a player “folds” their cards, it means they give up.

Alligator blood is one of the oldest poker terms, originating from the Deep South of the USA. The term refers to the tenacity and resilience of alligators to take the big blows and still keep fighting on. A player with alligator blood is one who refuses to give up, whether they are winning or losing. They fight on in the face of defeat when they are down and ceaselessly attack their opponents when they are up.

Poker games packed with alligator blood can be some of the most competitive and cutthroat of them all. Players with alligator blood can wear down the opposition, even when the cards are against them, and frustrate other players with their ‘never say die’ attitude. ‘Alligator blood’ is a strong idiom that is not only inspired by the reality of the prehistoric swamp-dwellers, but also has some solid science behind it. Continue reading →