ATC is short for Any Two Cards which simply means playing any two cards preflop and never folding a hand. This term sometimes refers to a situation in which you can profitably play ATC (such as when you have a big stack on the money bubble).

An Action Game commonly refers to a game with frequent bets and raises from many players at the table. The game could also be referred to as very loose, with many players seemingly willing to raise and re-raise with a wide range of hands.  Used in a sentence, you could say “Man, that sure is…

Short for Aggression Frequency, AFq is a statistic used in online poker database software like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager, which expresses the percentage of a player’s non-checking actions that are aggressive on a given street, or overall. Bets and raises are counted as aggressive actions, while calls and folds are not. The formula to calculate…

Short for Aggression Factor, which is a statistic used in online poker database software like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager. This statistic expresses the ratio of a player’s aggressive actions (bets or raises) to their calls. For example, a player with an AF of 3 has bet/raised three times as often as they’ve called. The formula…

Aggression Factor (AF) is a statistic used in online poker database software like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager, which expresses the ratio of a player’s aggressive actions (bets or raises) to their calls. For example, a player with an AF of 3 has bet/raised three times as often as they’ve called. The formula used to calculate…

Aggression Frequency (AFq) is a statistic used in online poker database software like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager, which expresses the percentage of a player’s non-checking actions that are aggressive on a given street, or overall. Bets and raises are counted as aggressive actions, while calls and folds are not. The formula to calculate a player’s…

Any Two Cards (ATC) simply means playing any two cards preflop and never folding a hand. This term sometimes refers to a situation in which you can profitably play ATC (such as when you have a big stack on the money bubble).

Ante refers to a mandatory bet required of all players before any cards are dealt, which encourages action by incentivizing players to be aggressive. Antes are commonly found in tournaments and high stakes cash games.  Want to learn how antes should change your strategy in poker? Read this guide: How Poker Antes Should Change Your…

Angle Shooting usually refers to using underhanded or unethical tactics in an attempt to gain an edge against opponents. This can refer to acting out of turn, hiding high value chips behind smaller ones, or pretending to put chips into the pot. While not usually technically against the rules, angles are moves that are unfair…

The term All-In is when a player commits all of his or her chips to the pot. It is one of the most common phrases used at the poker table, and is a verbally binding phrase in most poker casinos. If you say “I’m all-in” there is no further action you can take, and all…

“Air” simply refers to a weak hand that has little or no value. Also known as an “airball”. For example, if you have Eight-Seven in your hand and the flop is Ace-Four-Two, you have “air”. These hands should be folded most of the time, but sometimes it makes sense to bluff with them. 

The term aggressive refers to a playing style in which the player tends to bet or raise more often than they check or call. “Aggressive” can also refer to a singular action (betting or raising). Example: “John is an aggressive player, he’s always betting and raising.” Want to learn the strategic value of being aggressive…

An add-on refers to an additional amount of chips offered for purchase in specific poker tournaments. Add-ons are usually available at registration or during a specific period or break during a tournament. Used in a Sentence: “Break time has now begun, you have the option to add-on an additional 5,000 chips for $50.” Want to…

An Action Card is a card on the turn or river which seemingly/potentially would improve the hands of multiple players, thereby creating a lot of action. Example: In a hand, one player holds AK and one player holds AQ. The flop comes 468, not improving either hand. However, the turn is an action card, an…

The action is on a player when it’s that player’s turn to act. Additionally, a game with frequent betting and raising is called an action game. Used in a sentence, you would say “Hey, the action is on you” or “It’s your turn to act.” 

“Aces Up” refers to a hand consisting of two pair in which one pair is aces. For example, if you have Ace-Jack and the flop is Ace-Jack-Five, you have aces up. You’d also have aces up if the flop had an ace with a lower pair, like Ace-Five-Five. See a hand example of Aces Up:…