Pot control

Deliberately keeping the pot small with a medium-strength hand — checking back, calling instead of raising — so that you are not forced to play a big pot with a hand that cannot stand a big bet.

Example. He checked back top pair with a weak kicker on the turn for pot control.

Related terms

Full glossary

Way ahead / way behind

A situation where your hand is either a big favourite or a big underdog against the opponent's likely holdings…

Showdown value

The quality of having a hand that can win at showdown without improving, but is not strong enough to bet for v…

Stack-to-pot ratio (SPR)

The effective stack divided by the pot on the flop. SPR tells you how committed you are: a low SPR means one b…

Alpha (bluff break-even)

The percentage of the time a bluff needs to work to break even: bet ÷ (bet + pot). It is the mirror image of m…

Balance

Having a mix of strong hands and bluffs in the same line so that an opponent cannot tell which one you hold an…

Bankroll management

The discipline of only playing stakes your bankroll can survive. Rules of thumb: 20–50 buy-ins for cash games,…

Blind steal

A late-position raise with a weak hand whose main purpose is to win the blinds and antes uncontested. Steals f…

Block bet

A small bet made out of position, often on the river, with a medium-strength hand to set a cheap price and dis…