- Backdoor
- A draw requiring two or more rounds to make. A hand made which the player did not intend to make.
- Back into
- To win a pot with a hand that would have folded to any bet.
- Bad beat
- To lose to a weaker hand when one’s hand is considerably ahead of the eventual winning hand.
- Balance
- Playing very different hands similarly with the aim of making it more difficult for an opponent to gain useful information about one’s cards.
- Bankroll
- The amount of money that a player has to wager for the duration of his or her poker career.
- Bankroll management
- Choosing the correct stakes and game type to avoid exhausting a bankroll during downswings.
- Behind
- Not (currently) having the best hand. Money on the table but not currently in the pot, which can be bet later in the hand. Money in play but not visible as chips in front of a player.
- Bet
- Any money wagered during the play of a hand. The opening bet of a betting round. In a fixed limit game, the standard betting amount.
- Betting structure
- The complete set of rules regarding forced bets, limits, raise caps, and such for a particular game.
- Big bet game
- A game played with no limit or pot limit betting structure.
- Blind
- The generic term for either the big blind or the small blind. The small blind sits to the left of the dealer while the big blind sits further left.
- Big blind
- The larger of two forced bets in certain types of poker.
- Big blind special
- A hand won by the big blind playing very weak pocket cards because there was no raise pre-flop.
- Big full
- The best possible full house in community card games.
- Big stack
- A stack of chips that is relatively large for the stakes being played. Also called deep stack. Also the biggest stack at the table.
- Blank
- A card, frequently a community card, of no apparent value.
- Bleed
- To consistently lose chips through bad play, possibly resulting from tilting.
- Blind defense
- To call or raise your opponent’s raise when in the big blind, rather than folding an otherwise weak hand, in order to exploit overly aggressive players.
- Blind steal
- When all other players have folded, a raise with a weak hand from late position with the intention of winning the blinds and antes.
- Blocker
- Holding one of the opponent’s outs, typically when the board threatens a straight or straight draw. A blocker is also having a combination of cards that turn your opponent’s outs into your own.
- Blocking bet
- An abnormally small bet made by a player out of position intended to block a larger bet by an opponent.
- Bluff
- A bet made with a hand that is mathematically unlikely to make money, with the intention of making other players believe that one has a better hand to disguise play patterns.
- Bluff catching range
- The number of hands that do not have any real value left on the river, but might still be good enough to catch the bluff of an opponent.
- Bluff induce
- To make an aggressive move with a strong hand to give the impression it is a bluff, in order to draw a bluff from an opponent.
- Board
- The set of community cards in a community card game. The set of face-up cards of a particular player in a stud game. The set of all face-up cards in a stud game.
- Boat
- Another name for a full house.
- Bottom end
- The lowest of possible straights that can be made in a given hand.
- Bottom pair, bottom set
- In a community card game, a pair (or set) is made by matching the lowest-ranking board card with one (or two) in one’s private hand.
- Bounty
- An aspect of some poker tournaments that reward players with a cash prize for eliminating other players (separate from the tournament payout structure).
- Break
- During a tournament, an intermission.
- Brick
- A blank, though more often used in the derogatory sense of a card that is undesirable rather than merely inconsequential.
- Broadway
- A 10 through ace straight; can also include any group of cards from 10 to ace.
- Bubble
- The period in a poker tournament just before entering the payout structure.
- Buck
- Marker to indicate which player is the dealer (or last to act). Also known as the button.
- Bully
- A player who raises frequently to force out more cautious players, especially one with a large stack for the given size of the game.
- Burn
- This is when the top card is discarded before each betting round.
- Busted
- An uncompleted hand. To lose all of one’s chips.
- Button
- Most commonly a marker that indicates the dealer position at the table (note: other specialized buttons do exist).
- Buy-in
- Buying in refers to entering a tournament or game that requires an upfront payment. The entry fee amount determines the total winning prize pool. It also refers to the minimum required amount of chips that must be bought to become involved in a game or tournament.
- Buy short
- To buy into a game for an amount smaller than the normal buy-in.