Glossary of Poker Terms - T

T

table stakes

See main article: table stakes.

tag

A "tight aggressive" style of play in which a player plays a small number of strong starting hands, but when in pots plays aggressively.

tainted outs

Cards that improve a hand so that it is better than the other current hands, but simultaneously improve other hands even more. See also outs.

tell

A tell in poker is a detectable change in a player's behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player's assessment of his hand. A player gains an advantage if he observes and understands the meaning of another player's tell, particularly if the tell is unconscious and reliable. Sometimes a player may fake a tell, hoping to induce his opponents to make poor judgments in response to the false tell. See main article: tell.

texture

How well coordinated the community cards are to one another. This is used to estimate your relative hand strength: a pocket pair, for example is of a higher value when the texture is uncoordinated (also known as a dry board), as it reduces the probability that someone has hit a stronger hand like a straight or a flush. See also dry board and wet board.

third man walking

A player who gets up from his seat in a cash game, after two other players are already away from the table, is referred to as the "third man walking". In a casino with a "third man walking rule", this player may be required to return to his seat within 10 minutes, or one rotation of the deal around the table, or else his seat in the game will be forfeited if there is a waiting list for the game.

three bet, three betting, 3-bet, 3bet

To be the first player to put in a 3rd unit of betting. For example, if Bob opens for $10, and Mary raises to make the bet $20, if Ted also raises to make the bet $30, this is to "three bet". (Before the flop, 3-betting means re-raising the first raiser.)

three of a kind

See main article: three of a kind. Also "trips", "set".

three pair

In a seven card game, such as seven-card stud or Texas hold 'em, it is possible for a player to have 3 pairs, although a player can only play two of them as part of a standard 5-card poker hand. This situation may jokingly be referred to as a player having a hand of three pair. Note that in Omaha hold 'em, it is possible to "have" 4 pair in the same manner.

tight

1. To play fewer hands (and thus fewer weaker hands) than average for the game or for the player normally. See loose/tight play. Compare to "loose", "aggressive", "passive".
2. Having a tight is also slang for a "full house".

tilt

Emotional upset, mental confusion, or frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy, usually resulting in poor play and poor performance. See main article: tilt. Compare with 'steam'.

to go

The amount that a player is required to call in order to stay in the hand, "Alice was deciding whether to call now it was $50 to go."

toke

In a brick and mortar casino, a toke is a "tip" given to the dealer by the winner of the pot. Tokes often represent a large percentage of a dealer's income.

top kicker

In community card poker games, top kicker is the best possible kicker to some given hand. Usually it would be an Ace, but with an Ace on the board it would be a King or lower.

top pair

In community card poker games, top pair is a pair comprising a pocket card and the highest-ranking card on the board. Compare second pair, bottom pair.

top two

A split two pair, matching the highest-ranking two flop cards.

trap

See slow play.

trey

A 3-spot card. Casino personnel refer to the 3♣ as the "trey of clubs."

trips

When one of a player's hole cards in Texas hold 'em connects with two cards on the board to make three of a kind. This differs from a "set" where three of a kind is made when a pocket pair connects with one card on the flop to make three of a kind.

turbo

A turbo is a type of tournament where the blind levels increase much faster than in standard play.

turn

The turn or "turn card" or "fourth street" is the fourth of five cards dealt to a community card board, constituting one face-up community card that each of the players in the game can use to make up their final hand. See also flop and river.