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Poker Glossary

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Poker terms beginning with a "P"

Pair

Two cards of the same value (2 of Any Color 2 of Any Color to Ace of Any Color Ace of Any Color). E.g., 9 of Spades 9 of Hearts, 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds.

Pass

Pass is another expression for fold. Also see fold.

Passive

A passive play style is one where a player rarely bets or raises but is more inclined to call and check.

Picture Cards

Picture cards are cards with images (faces), i.e., king, queen, and jack. Also known as face cards or royal cards. E.g., King of Hearts, [kq], [kj] and so on...

Pinball Machine

A player who makes a high bet or even goes all-in with a weak hand, out of frustration or anger caused by a bad beat or simply bad play on their part.

Pineapple

A poker variant similar to Texas Hold'em, but players are dealt three hole cards and must discard one after the flop.

PL

PL is the abbreviation for Pot-Limit.

Play Money

Virtually every online poker site offers you the opportunity to play poker with play money instead of real money. It's a good idea to practice this way before making an initial deposit. Keep in mind that others will play more recklessly with play money than with real money.

Playing the Board

When your best hand consists only of the board. Usually ends in split pots unless a player can indeed improve the board with their pocket cards.

Pocket

See pocket cards on this page.

Pocket Cards

Pocket cards are hole cards that are only known to the player. In Texas Hold'em, each player has two pocket cards, in Omaha, there are four. They are also known as hole cards or down cards.

Pocket Pair

If you have a pair in your pocket cards, you have a pocket pair. Also see pocket cards on this page.

Pocket Rockets

Two aces in the pocket cards, for example Ace of Spades and Ace of Hearts. Also called pocket aces or bullets.

Poker Face

A neutral, emotionless expression maintained to prevent giving away any information about one's hand.

Position

The position of a player relative to the dealer. According to poker legend Doyle Brunson, position is the most important aspect of poker. Beginner players often tend to neglect this important factor and pay a high price for their ignorance.

Position Raise

A raise made primarily due to the advantageous position rather than the strength of the hand.

Pot

All the chips wagered by players in a hand are pushed together into the middle of the table to form the pot that everyone is competing for.

Pot Committed

When a player has already invested a large portion of their chips into the pot, making it difficult to fold even with a marginal hand.

Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)

Pot-Limit Omaha is a popular variant of Omaha poker where the betting is limited to the size of the pot.

Pot Equity

The share of the pot that a player is expected to win, on average, if the hand were played out multiple times.

Pot-Limit

In Pot-Limit games, maximum bets are limited by the current number of chips in the pot.

Post-Flop

The stages of a hand after the flop has been dealt, including the turn and river.

Pot Odds

A technique used by experienced players to determine whether they should statistically bet based on the number of outs and the size of the pot. Study our probability page well as it is very important to grasp this as soon as possible.

Pre-Flop

The time between receiving all pocket cards and dealing the flop.

Prize Pool

When you participate in a tournament, the prize pool is the money that all players compete for. Typically, it will consist of all buy-ins.

Protection Bet

A bet made solely to protect your hand against draws. For example, if you have King of Spades King of Hearts in your pocket cards and the flop comes 7 of Hearts 8 of Diamonds Queen of Diamonds, you might want to make a large bet to deter players holding a straight draw or flush draw. If they don't fold, they will at least have to pay dearly for their chance at a draw. When you don't bet, these players can play their draws at no cost or risk.

Push

Push is another way to say going all-in, putting all your chips into the pot.