Bad beat

Losing a hand in which you were a heavy favourite when the money went in. Many rooms run a bad beat jackpot that pays out when a very strong hand, such as quads, loses.

Related terms

Full glossary

Tilt

Playing badly because of emotion — usually after a bad beat. The single biggest reason competent players lose …

Angle shooting

Using technically legal but unethical tricks to gain an edge — pretending to fold, hiding big chips, ambiguous…

Calling station

A passive player who calls far too often and rarely raises or folds. Never bluff a calling station; value-bet …

Cooler

A hand where two players both hold very strong holdings and the money is going in no matter what — kings again…

Crusher

A player who beats a game by a wide margin over a long period — the best regular in the room. Being called a c…

Downswing

A prolonged losing stretch caused mainly by variance rather than bad play. Its opposite is an upswing or 'heat…

Fish

A weak, usually recreational player who loses money over time. Not a term to use at the table; "recreational p…

Hero and villain

The conventions used when writing up a hand: 'hero' is the player telling the story, 'villain' any opponent. T…