In tournament poker, **ICM pressure** changes which hands are worth fighting over. A spot that looks profitable in chips can be a mistake in prize-money terms once pay jumps, shorter stacks, and bustout risk enter the equation. Understanding ICM pressure is essential on the money bubble, at final tables, and anywhere survival has real cash value.
If you hear the phrase **collusion poker**, it does not describe a legitimate poker variant. It means two or more players are secretly cooperating to gain an unfair edge over the rest of the table. In both live poker rooms and online poker, collusion is treated as a serious integrity issue because poker is supposed to be an individual contest, not team play.
Angle shooting is one of the most criticized behaviors in poker because it tries to create an edge through confusion rather than through cards or sound strategy. Players usually use the term for moves that are technically arguable but clearly against the spirit of fair play. In live poker especially, angle shooting can trigger disputes, floor calls, and bad blood at the table.
A string bet is a live-poker betting action made in stages instead of one clear motion or verbal declaration, and most poker rooms do not allow it. If a player puts out chips, pauses, and then adds more without first saying “raise,” the dealer will usually count only the first amount. Understanding the string bet rule helps players avoid expensive mistakes, table disputes, and accusations of angle shooting.
In poker, **run it twice** is a cash-game option that lets the remaining community cards be dealt in two separate runouts after players are all in. It does not improve anyone’s hand odds or create extra value, but it can reduce short-term variance by splitting the pot into two parts. That is why the term comes up so often in live poker rooms, online cash tables, and high-action games where players want to smooth out swings.
In poker, **muck cards** are the cards a player discards face down, either when folding during the hand or when surrendering a losing hand at showdown. The term can describe both the action of discarding a hand and the pile of dead cards held by the dealer. Understanding it matters because once a hand is properly mucked, your chance to claim the pot is usually gone.
Stud games do not use blinds the way Hold’em and Omaha do, which is why the bring in bet matters. It is the forced opening wager that starts action on third street in games like seven-card stud, razz, and some mixed-game rotations. If you understand who posts it, how it affects position, and when a player can complete it, the betting structure becomes much easier to follow.
Ante in poker is one of the most important forced-bet concepts to understand because it changes both the size of the pot and the strategy before the first betting decision. You will see it most often in tournaments, but it also appears in stud games, mixed games, and some action-heavy cash formats. If you know how antes work, you will read structures more accurately, judge stack pressure better, and make stronger preflop decisions.
A mississippi straddle is a live poker straddle posted from a position other than under the gun, most commonly the button. It changes the preflop action order, builds a bigger pot before anyone sees a flop, and can make an ordinary cash game play much larger than the posted blinds suggest. If you play live poker, knowing the exact house rule matters because the term is common, but the details are not perfectly standardized from room to room.
A **straddle** in poker is a voluntary blind bet posted before the cards are dealt, usually by the player under the gun. It makes the pot bigger immediately, changes the preflop betting order, and often makes a live cash game play much larger than the posted blinds suggest. If you play or watch live poker, understanding straddles helps you avoid action-order mistakes and evaluate the real cost of each hand.