• Poker Terminology Ghosting
• Ghosting Poker Terms

The term 'ghosting' (sometimes known as the 'slow fade') refers to the anecdotally pervasive act where one dater ends a relationship by simply disappearing. The ghost does not give an explanation of any sort, leaving the ghosted wondering where he or she went wrong. Ghosting at poker happens more often online with the help of free tools such such as Skype or Teamviewer. With Teamviewer and since recently also directly with Skype, it is possible to transmit real-time pictures of one computer screen (displaying the poker table with the hole cards) to another computer screen (where the “ghost” or coach is. If you must, stick to the left side of the keyboard (around WASD) because keyboards tend to avoid ghosting around here; Historically, many PC games used modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift) as part of their controls because these keys were wired to handle being pressed together with other keys, to avoid ghosting. This practice sort of fell out of.

When I started playing online poker I was perplexed with all the acronyms that I encountered. People were writing these weird letter combinations in the chat box, and I had no idea what they meant. I didn't have much experience with online gaming, so most of the expressions were completely new to me.

A lower response time typically means less ghosting of the image and better picture quality. This differs from refresh rate, which is how many times per second the panel can redraw the image. People talk a lot about bots, but I never see they giving the attention ghosting deserves. There are dozens of teams in south america that have done ghosting for years, big ones like 4bet have always used it, it´s the base of their business model. Smaller ones like Cardroom that have 300+ players playing micro-low stakes.

'LOL' was probably the first acronym that I was faced with. It was hugely popular and so common that it was impossible to ignore. I learned pretty fast that it was the same as 'laughing out loud'. At some point 'lol' was so popular that people started using it also in live-poker games. Especially the Swedes. And there were loads of Swedes playing poker. They said it with that funny Swedish accent where it sounds more like 'ljol.' So instead of actually laughing people were 'ljolling.'

'LOL' is not so popular anymore. And neither is 'ROFL.' It means 'rolling on the floor laughing' and it used to be quite common. Perhaps poker has become more serious since less people are 'lolling' (or 'ljolling') and no-one is laughing on the floor anymore.

'WP,' on the other hand, is still a very common expression in poker. It stands for 'well played.' It can be used sincerely but quite often it is used sarcastically (especially in low- and midstakes games). Like when someone calls a big bet with a very marginal hand and sucks out on the river. 'Wp,' says the opponent, but of course he means the opposite.

'GB' and 'GC' mean 'good bet' and 'good call.' From my experience these are used less sarcastically than 'wp'. 'Gb' and 'gc' are more often genuine compliments. So is also 'NH,' which stands for 'nice hand.'

'GL' means 'good luck.' It is often said at the end of a session to your opponent and sometimes players say it before a heads-up session starts. I never say it at the beginning of a session. I don't wish my opponent to have good luck when he is playing against me. I want to have all the luck. I don't mind wishing him good luck after I leave the table--preferably with the money.

'M8' used to be popular, too. There is not many 'mates' around these days. People used to say 'wpm8' or 'tym8,' but that's not the case anymore. It is just 'wp' or 'ty.'

'GG' stands for 'good game.' It is customary to say 'gg' when you finish playing to inform the other players that you are quitting and not coming back. Usually people say 'gg' when they quit no matter if they are winning or losing. And other players usually reply by saying 'gg' also.

I have played some online sessions against Phil Ivey, and I have also railed him playing against other guys. Funny thing is that he does not always say 'gg' after the session. Sometimes the other player says 'gg' and Ivey replies: 'Thanks.' I don't know if Ivey reserves the comment 'gg' only for those sessions he thinks are truly worth saying 'good game' and otherwise he simply quits or says something random. But I guess when you are the best in the world your standards for a good game must be higher than for the rest.

'BRB' and 'BB' mean 'be right back' and 'be back.' If you want to have a short break, you can say 'brb 5,' meaning you will be back in five minutes. Or if you will be back in few hours you can say 'bb in 2h.'

'ZZZZZ' is an expression that is used to point out that someone is playing too slow. So if someone says 'zzzz' to you in the chat box, he is requesting you to speed it up and play faster.

'OMG' is an expression that is used when something extraordinary or weird happens. Like when someone hits a miracle one outter on the river. 'Oh My God!' I assume Phil Galfond found it funny because he chose his Full Tilt nickname as 'OMGClayAiken.'

And finally few words about those lesser compliments that anyone playing poker will eventually see directed towards them. 'FU' is pretty self-explanatory, and so are 'SOB' and 'MOFO.' I don't use them at all myself. There's really no reason to do so. If you truly feel angry or frustrated or if you are in a major tilt, why blame the other players for it? There's an old saying that summarizes it well: 'Don't hate the player. Hate the game.'

Ville Wahlbeck is a member of Team PokerStars Pro

You’re in a relationship. Suddenly, and maybe without any warning at all, your partner seems to have disappeared. No calls, no text messages, no connection made on social media, no responses to any of your messages. Odds are, your partner hasn’t unexpectedly left town because of a family emergency, and isn’t lying dead in a ditch somewhere but, rather, has simply ended the relationship without bothering to explain or even let you know. You’ve been ghosted.

Who Ghosts and Who Gets Ghosted?

Why would someone choose to simply disappear from another person’s life, rather than plan, at minimum, a conversation to end a relationship? You may never know for sure why you were ghosted. While more studies need to be done specifically on the ghosting phenomenon, past research has looked at different types of attachment personalities and choice of breakup strategies; it’s possible that people with an avoidant type personality (those who hesitate to form or completely avoid attachments to others, often as result of parental rejection), who are reluctant to get very close to anyone else due to trust and dependency issues and often use indirect methods of ending relationships, are more likely to use ghosting to initiate a break-up.

Other research found that people who are believers in destiny, who think that relationships are either meant to be or not, are more likely to find ghosting acceptable than people who believe relationships take patience and work. One study also suggests that people who end relationships by ghosting have often been ghosted themselves. In that case, the ghoster knows what it feels like to have a relationship end abruptly, with no explanation, no room for discussion. Yet they seemingly show no empathy toward the other, and may or may not experience any feelings of guilt over their ghosting behavior.

What it Means to Ghost and Be Ghosted

Poker Terminology Ghosting

Ghosting is by no means limited to long-term romantic relationships. Informal dating relationships, friendships, even work relationships may end with a form of ghosting. For the person who does the ghosting, simply walking away from a relationship, or even a potential relationship, is a quick and easy way out. No drama, no hysterics, no questions asked, no need to provide answers or justify any of their behavior, no need to deal with someone else’s feelings. Certainly, while the ghoster may benefit from avoiding an uncomfortable situation and any potential drama, they’ve done nothing to improve their own conversation and relationships skills for the future.

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For the person who is ghosted, there is no closure and often deep feelings of uncertainty and insecurity. Initially, you wonder “what’s going on?” When you realize the other person has ended the relationship, you’re left to wonder why, what went wrong in the relationship, what’s wrong with you, what’s wrong with them, how you didn’t see this coming.

Ghosting Poker Terms

What to Do If You’re Ghosted

Ghosting hurts; it’s a cruel rejection. It is particularly painful because you are left with no rationale, no guidelines for how to proceed, and often a heap of emotions to sort through on your own. If you suffer from any abandonment or self-esteem issues, being ghosted may bring them to the forefront.

In this age of ever-advancing technology, your ghoster is likely to appear on your various forms of social media and, if that’s the case, this person who is now physically gone from your life, is still quite visible. How do you move on? Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet or proven advice to quickly guide you into recovery from a ghosted heart, but there is common sense.

“Avoid reminders of your ex,” advises Gwendolyn Seidman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology Department at Albright College in Pennsylvania. “They’re likely to cause painful emotions to resurface, and they won’t help you get emotional closure or insight into why they broke up with you.”

After you stop torturing yourself by going over old photos, saved old texts, new social media postings, and anything else you think might give you insight into the mind and current whereabouts of your ghoster (and let’s face it, you’re bound to be doing that even if you’re not normally an obsessive person), try to find a new distraction. Perhaps most importantly, know that this probably isn’t about you or anything you did wrong.

“You should realize that if your ex chose the strategy of ghosting to break up with you, it likely tells you something about them and their shortcomings, rather than indicating that the problem lies with you.” Dr. Seidman adds.

In other words, try to move on as quickly and completely as you can. Maintain your dignity and stay focused on your own health, happiness and future, leaving the ghoster to deal with the ultimate repercussions of their own immaturity and lack of courage in the context of a relationship.

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