Glossary Terms

If you have an open position, you have a bet that has not been settled and is still running. It is possible to close out an open position at any point before the result is known, in order to cut losses or to take a profit.

An ‘open-ended straight draw’ is when you are waiting for one or two cards to land to make a straight. For example, you hold 10 and 9 with a poker board of 8, 7, 3, so you’d need a Jack or a 6 to make a straight.

An ‘out’ card is one that is likely to give us the best hand if it falls. Knowing the number of outs an opponent might have is an important strategy of poker.

An outright bet is a straightforward gamble on the outcome of something. In football, outright bets are often placed on a team to win a league or a cup, for example to win the FA Cup outright.

To ‘outrun’ an opponent is to win the hand with cards that have hit on the river, i.e. I have outrun you with a flush.

To ‘overcall’ in poker means you have called a bet after one or more of your opponents have already called, also known as ‘calling behind’.

An ‘overcard’ is one that is higher than any other card on the poker table. You can also have two overcards, for example, if you have a King and Queen, then the flop comes 10, 7, 3, you won’t have a pair, but you have two overcards.

An ‘overpair’ hand in poker is one where you have a pocket pair that is higher than any card produced on the flop. For example, you hold two Jacks, and the flop comes 10, 8, 6, leaving you with an overpair.