GGPOKER

Welcome to the GGPoker Poker Glossary — your complete reference for poker terms and concepts. Use the jump links below to navigate, or browse the full list alphabetically.

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Gallery | Gap Hand | GG | GGCare | GGCheers | Going South | Grifter | Grinder | GTO | Gutshot | Hand-for-Hand | Hand History | Head to Head | Heads Up | Hero | Hero Call | Hero Fold | High Hand | High-Card | Hi-Lo | Hijack | Hit | Hit and Run | Hockey Sticks | Hole Cards | Hollywood | Home Game | House | H.O.R.S.E. | Horse | HUD | Hyper Turbo

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Gallery	See Railbird
Gap Hand	A starting hand with a gap between its two cards’ ranks. A one-gap hand (like J-9) has one rank between them; a two-gap hand (like J-8) has two; a three-gap hand (like J-7) has three. In practice, the term is mainly used for one- or two-gap hands, since wider gaps rarely play like a straight draw.
GG	Short for ‘good game,’ a way to show sportsmanship after a hand or tournament, sometimes used sarcastically after a bad beat. Not coincidentally, also the name behind GGPoker.
GGCare	A GGPoker-exclusive feature that rewards players who suffer a particularly bad beat, cooler, or suckout in a cash game. Qualifying players are automatically entered into the following day’s $100,000 #ThanksGG Flipout tournament, with a starting stack based on the severity of the loss.
GGCheers	A GGPoker-exclusive feature that rewards players who win a huge pot or land a big hand in a cash game. Qualifying players are automatically entered into the following day’s $100,000 #ThanksGG Flipout tournament, with a starting stack based on the size of the win.
Going South	See Ratholing
Grifter	A player who cheats.
Grinder	A player who earns steady profit over time by playing a high volume of hands with a disciplined, low-variance style, rather than chasing big scores.
GTO	Game Theory Optimal. A mathematically balanced poker strategy designed to be unexploitable, meaning no opponent can profit against it no matter how they play. GTO players vary their bet sizes and frequencies to avoid predictable patterns.
Gutshot	A straight draw missing a card in the middle rather than at either end. For example, holding 5-6-8-9 needs a 7 to complete the straight. Has 4 outs, half as many as an open-ended straight draw. Also called an Inside Straight Draw or Belly Buster.
Hand-for-Hand	A tournament format used near the bubble where all tables wait for each other to complete a hand before starting the next. It prevents faster tables from eliminating players while short stacks at slower tables survive longer.
Hand History	A record of a hand, either recounted verbally or as a text log generated by online platforms. Hand histories are commonly reviewed for study and posted when asking for feedback on specific plays.
Head to Head	See Heads Up
Heads Up	A two-player game, either a dedicated heads-up format or the final stage of a tournament when only two players remain. See also: Head to Head.
Hero	In hand histories and poker analysis, the player whose perspective the hand is being viewed from. It’s standard, widely used terminology with no value judgment implied, other players are typically labeled Villain.
Hero Call	A call made with a weak or marginal hand based on a read that your opponent is bluffing. It’s a high-risk decision. You’re relying more on logic or instinct than card strength.
Hero Fold	Folding a strong hand, one that would normally call, based on a read that your opponent has something even stronger.
High Hand	The best hand in a particular game or round, based on standard hand rankings. Referred to especially in high-low split games, when there is also a Low Hand.
High-Card	The lowest-ranking hand type, having no pair, straight, flush, or other combination. When two high-card hands are compared, the higher individual cards win.
Hi-Lo	A split-pot variant where the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand each claim half the pot. Most hi-lo games use the Ace-to-Five ranking for low hands, often with an Eight or Better qualifier. If no hand qualifies for low, the high hand takes the entire pot. See also: California Lowball, Kansas City Lowball, and London Lowball.
Hijack	The seat to the right of the cutoff, or two seats to the right of the button. The name comes from the position’s tendency to ‘hijack’ steal attempts by raising before the stronger cutoff and button positions get to act.
Hit	To receive a card that improves a hand or makes it stronger.
Hit and Run	Playing a single hand or a few hands and then immediately leaving the table, usually after winning a big pot. Considered poor etiquette by most players.
Hockey Sticks	A pair of 7’s, called so because of the similar shape. Also known as Walking Sticks.
Hole Cards	A player’s hole cards, which are the cards dealt face down to the player and not visible to the other players.
Hollywood	To act or take exaggerated time over a decision, faking uncertainty to disguise a hand’s true strength and influence an opponent’s read.
Home Game	A poker game held in a private setting, typically among friends or a regular group. Stakes, formats, and house rules vary by host. Legality varies by jurisdiction, generally private games are more likely to be tolerated than games where the host takes a cut.
House	The casino or card room running the game. The house typically takes a cut of each pot (the rake) or charges time-based fees for hosting.
H.O.R.S.E.	A mixed game format consisting of five different poker variants played in rotation: Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Eight or Better (Hi-Lo).
Horse	A player financially backed by someone else.
HUD	Heads-Up Display. Software that overlays real-time opponent statistics directly onto an online poker table interface during play. Common tracked metrics include VPIP (voluntarily put in pot), PFR (preflop raise frequency), and 3-bet percentage. GGPoker does not allow third-party HUDs or tracking software. Instead, it offers its own built-in version, Smart HUD, which gives every player access to the same set of stats without additional costs.
Hyper Turbo	A tournament format with extremely fast blind increases and shallow starting stacks, often 25 big blinds or fewer. There’s little room for postflop play, since stacks are often shoved in before the flop.

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About the Author: Shawn Altbaum has been writing and editing in the online gaming industry since 2007, reporting live from the WSOP Main Event and conducting interviews with professional players. An active poker player, he combines industry expertise with firsthand knowledge of the games he covers. He currently serves as Global Head of Copywriting at NSUS Group, overseeing brand voice and content strategy across GGPoker.