STRADDLE RAISES AND STEALING THE BLINDS Q: What’s a “straddle raise”? A: A straddle raise is a raise made before any cards are dealt by the player seated “under the gun” (The player who has to act first before the flop).
Q: What does it mean to “steal the blinds”? A: This is the act of making an intimidating raise just before the flop with the deliberate intention of persuading the players in the small and big blinds to fold.
THE BACK DOOR FLUSH Q: What is meant by a “back door” flush? A: A back door flush is when a flush is completed by both the turn card and then the river card. An example would be a player holding the Queen of Hearts-Seven of Hearts and the Two of Hearts with the help of the flop and his or her hole cards. If the turn card then produced a Five of Hearts and the final river card produced a King of Hearts it would be said the player had achieved a back door flush. This is a real gambler’s hand as the odds of making it are not favourable.
THE RULE OF FOUR Q: Can you explain the “rule of four”? A: The percentage likelihood of completing a particular Texas Hold’em hand with two cards to come can be calculated approximately by simply multiplying the number of “outs” (cards that if dealt will improve your hand) by four! Hence the name: Rule of Four!
SEND FOR A PLUMBER Q: What does the term “leak” mean in a poker context? A: I’m glad you qualified the question. A leak in a player’s game is an error often repeated by a particular player. An example would be the over-use of a certain type of play. Recognisable habits in poker usually make a player vulnerable which is why you will often hear pundits advising newcomers to remember to “mix up” their play. That advice is sometimes referred to as “plumbing” (Fixing leaks?)
DRAWING DEAD, DOUBLING UP Q: What does it mean to be “drawing dead”? A: Drawing dead is the act of pursuing a drawing hand, oblivious to the fact that even if you complete that hand by the turn or the river, you are still going to lose.
Q: What does it mean to “double up”? A: This is usually applied to tournament play whereby a player doubles his stack by having successfully gone “all-in”. It’s often a desperate last move employed by a player who is falling behind.
