Pair
Two cards of the same value (22 up to AA).
Pass
Another expression for Fold.
Passive
A play style where a player hardly places bets or makes Raises but rather tends to Call and Check.
Picture Cards
Cards with faces, i.e. King, Queen and Jack. Also called Face Cards or Royal Cards.
Pinball Machine
A player who makes a high bet or even goes All-In with a weak hand out of frustration or anger caused by a Bad Beat or simply bad play on his behalf.
PL
Abbreviation for Pot Limit.
Play Money
Just about every single online poker room offers you the option to play poker for Play Money instead of real money. It is a good idea to practise this way before making your first deposit. Be aware that people will play more recklessly with Play Money than with real money.
Playing the Board
When your best hand consists only of the Board. Usually ends in Split Pots unless one player can indeed improve the Board with his Pocket Cards.
See Pocket Cards.
Pocket Cards
Pocket Cards are face-down cards that are only known to the player. At Texas Hold'Em each player has 2 Pocket Cards, at Omaha there are 4. They are also known as Hole Cards or Down Cards.
Pocket Pair
If you have a Pair in your Pocket Cards, you hold a Pocket Pair.
Pocket Rockets
Two Aces in the Hole Cards. Also called Pocket Aces or Bullets.
Position
The player's Position in regards to the current Dealer. According to poker legend Doyle Brunson Position is the most important aspect of poker. Players new to the game usually tend to neglect that important factor and pay a dear price for it.
Pot
All the chips that have been betted by the players in the actual hand will be shoved together in the middle of the table to form the Pot that everyone competes for.
Pot Limit
At Pot Limit games the maximum bets are limited by the current amount of chips in the Pot.
Pot Odds
A technique used by experienced players to find out whether they should bet from a statistical point of view based on the amount of Outs and the size of the Pot. Please take a close look at our information on Odds and Outs as it is vital for poker players to get a grip on this matter as soon as possible.
Pre-Flop
The time between having received all the Pocket Cards and the dealing of the Flop.
Prize Pool
When you enter a tournament, the Prize Pool is the money that all the player compete for. Usually it will consist of all the Buy-Ins.
Protection Bet
A bet that has the sole purpose of protection your hand against Draws. For example: You have KK in your Hole Cards and the Flop shows 7h8dQd. You may want to place a big bet in order to scare off players who hold a Straight Draw or Flush Draw. If they don't fold they will at least have to pay dearly for their chance of a Draw. If you do not place a bet these players can play their Draws without any cost or risk.
Pocket Aces
Two Aces in the Hole Cards. Also called Bullets or Pocket Rockets.