Used by players and software statistics as shorthand to quickly describe table positions, player types, strategic actions, and card combinations. Used very frequently by authors in discussions, books, reports, articles.

Table Positions
These acronyms identify where a player is sitting relative to the dealer button, which dictates the order of betting.

BTN: Button
The dealer position; the most advantageous seat on the table because they act last in most betting rounds.

SB: Small Blind
SB: Small Blind. The forced bet directly to the left of the button.

BB: Big Blind
The forced bet two seats to the left of the button.

UTG: Under The Gun
The player sitting directly to the left of the Big Blind; they must act first before the flop.

HJ: Hijack
The position two seats to the right of the button.

CO: Cutoff
The position directly to the right of the button.

MP: Middle Position
The seats located between early position (UTG) and late position (Hijack/Cutoff).

Player Types and Archetypes
Players use these shortcuts to quickly note and categorize their opponents' playing styles.

TAG: Tight-Aggressive
A player who plays few hands but bets and raises heavily when they do enter a pot.

LAG: Loose-Aggressive
A player who plays many hands and bets or raises frequently to pressure opponents.

Gameplay Actions Strategy
These terms describe specific math concepts, choices, and betting lines during a hand.

VPIP: Voluntarily Put In Pot
A tracking metric showing the percentage of hands a player chooses to play.

PFR: Pre-Flop Raise
A metric showing how often a player enters a hand with a raise before the flop.

OMC: Old Man Coffee
A slang acronym for an extremely passive, predictable player who only raises with premium hands like Aces.

EV: Expected Value
The average amount of money a specific play is expected to win or lose over the long run.

C-Bet: Continuation Bet
A bet made on the flop by the player who also made the last raise before the flop.

3-Bet: 3-Bet
The third bet in a sequence (the blind is the 1st, a raise is the 2nd, and a re-raise is the 3rd bet).

SPR: Stack-to-Pot Ratio
The ratio of the effective stack size to the amount of money already in the pot.

GTO: Game Theory Optimal
A defensive mathematical strategy that cannot be exploited by opponents.

ROI: Return On Investment

The percentage of profit made relative to the entry fees paid in tournaments.

Hand Strengths and Card Combos
Shortcuts used online or in text to describe pocket cards.

TPTK: Top Pair Top Kicker
Holding a pair of the highest card on the board, paired with an Ace or the highest possible side card.

OESD: Open-Ended Straight Draw
A four-card sequence that can become a straight on either end (e.g., holding 7-8 on a 6-9-2 board).

ATC: Any Two Cards

A phrase used when a situation dictates that a player should bet or call regardless of what cards they actually hold.