P

Paint n. Face card.

Pair n. Two cards of the same rank, such as K♥K♠. Is weaker than two pair, stronger than any single high card.  See hand rankings.

Paired board n.  When the community board contains two of the same cards.

Pass v.  Aka check.

Pat hand n., adj.   A completed hand, pair or better. With two cards to come, he was already pat with a full house.  Contrast draw.

Pay off v.  1. Calling or raising to the end. Giving the winning player full value for her hand.  Terri had a great hand, but no one paid her off.  2. Calling even though a win is less likely, possibly to guard against a bluff, or because pot odds are very high, or just to see an opponents cards.  Tariq suspected a flush, but paid off just in case.

Peel v.  Calling a bet in order to see another card. From the act of taking a card off the top of a deck. Used especially when a player has a speculative hand, or is unsure where he stands. I had bottom pair and thought he might be bluffing, so I peeled to see what would happen.

Percentage bet np.  Bet made strictly because of a statistical edge, not a hunch or read of another player.

Percentage player n.  One who knows the odds in a given situation and plays strictly according to them.  One who makes decisions based on the mathematical element, not the human element.  In online games where little is known or to be observed about opponents, percentage play becomes more important.

Pips n.  These things: .

Played back v.  Displaying strength by reraising someone who just raised, usually in no-limit poker. I was on a steal, so when he played back at me, I knew I was sunk.

Playing zone n.  The group of cards people are most likely to play, roughly 9-ace.  If people are in a hand, they likely have cards from that group.  Therefore, if such cards are on the board, they likely connected with someone.

Pocket n.  A player's down, or hole cards.

Pocket pair n.  Aka wired pair, buried pair, concealed pair .  A pair in the hole, as opposed to one formed by a down card and a board card.  Good surprise value.

Pocket rockets n.  Two aces in the hole.

Poker face np.  Expressionless.

Pony up v.  Pay a blind or ante.

Pool n.  British for pot.

Position adj.  The all-important place where someone sits in relation to the dealer.  Betting proceeds clockwise from the seat to the dealer's left.  The further clockwise a player sits, the more she gets to observe what others do before having to act.  This is a tremendous advantage, and the deal rotates clockwise every hand to even it out.  (See button.)  Position is commonly designated early, middle, or late.  It can also be numbered, with the seat to the immediate left of the dealer being position one, then progressing clockwise.  Seats of particular significance have their own names: small blind, big blind, under the gun, cutoff, dealer.  Position may also be referred to as first to act, last to act.

Position bet v.  Wager taking advantage of being late to act.  Examples include stealing pots after everyone else checks, buying free cards, and raising to buy the button.

Positive expectation n.  A mathematically good bet has positive expectation.  If repeated many times, the bet will, on average, pay more than it loses.  See expected value.

Post v. Placing a required bet before the deal, such as a blind or new player post.

Pot n.  The pile of money or chips in the middle of the table.

Pot committed v.  1. In limit poker, feeling (incorrectly) psychologically trapped into calling because of heavy previous investment in the pot.  A call should be based on pot odds, not ancient history.  2. In big bet poker, having most chips in the pot, such that a loss will not leave enough to continue effectively.  In this case, it is correct to stay in the pot.

Pot equity n.  The proportion of a pot that a hand of a given strength will win, on average.  Pot equity does not represent the number of bets invested -- stronger hands have more pot equity than weaker ones.   Against three opponents, you need to win more than 25% of the time to come out ahead.  If pot equity is greater than 25%, then you defend it and want to avoid being driven out by raises.  Conversely, it often makes sense to try and push others out, so they sacrifice their pot equity.  This is a different way of thinking about pot odds.  One must not defend pot equity when the pot odds do not justify it.

Pot limit adj.  Game structure where new bets can be as large as the pot, and can thus grow very quickly.  If the pot is $4 and Sam bets $4, Jane can now bet $8.

Pot odds n.  Ratio of the size of a pot to the size of a bet, essential for determining when it is profitable to draw.   If you are nine-to-one to complete your hand, the pot needs to be in the vicinity of nine times the size of your call to continue.  There are many variables (e.g. subsequent raises, losing even when making the hand), so pot odds are imprecise, but they cannot be ignored and must be estimated as best possible.  See also implied odds.

Preflop adj.  First stage in a hand of hold'em.  All players have received cards, but there will be a round of preflop betting before the community cards are dealt.  It is the most important decision in the game -- whether to play or throw a hand away.

Prop n. See proposition player.

Proposition player n.  Someone paid by a cardroom to keep games going.  Props start new tables, keep older ones from fading, and contribute to a friendly atmosphere.  Props play poker on their own money, but receive a salary from the house.  Much the same as a shill, minus the negative connotations and hints of cheating.  Props are open about their employment, and sometimes wear name tags.

Protection bet n.  1. Betting a hand that is strong but vulnerable, such as a single pair.  A bet prevents opponents from getting infinite odds on a draw.  2. Wager made to appear strong, especially in big bet poker, and deter opponents from making even larger bets.

Punter n.  British for a bettor, a gambler.

Push n., v. 1. Going all-in.  Derives from the act of pushing a stack of chips into the center of the table.  2. A tie.  A push.  They pushed.  This older but prevalent definition of push is especially common in blackjack, but can also be heard at the poker table, making for some confusion.

Put on v.  Educated guess of another player's hand.  I put him on a flush draw.

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