Joe Ingram is one of the few poker personalities who stand in a league of their own. Like Phil Galfond, it wasn’t just playing poker that built Joe’s popularity, although it got his name out there.
If you already know all about Joe “Papi” Ingram, skip right to the terms further down the page.
For anyone unfamiliar with the head of The Legion and owner of GTO Headquarters, keep reading on.
Who is Joe Ingram?
Before becoming a fixture in the poker community, Joe Ingram had a rough start, as many do.
He once told an interviewer:
“I had no idea how to play poker, and I would run it up to a couple of thousand dollars and lose it all."
At around 21, Joe described a cycle of working as a waiter for a paycheck, then losing it all at the casino. He even went as far as borrowing money off his mother or friends. Eventually, this negative cycle turned around.
As a result of putting in the time and studying the game, Ingram began grinding more successfully online. He was known for breaking several hand-related records, including 604,000 hands in a single month in one poker room.
Chicago Joey, also known as Papi, first popped up on YouTube with a challenge. Fueled by RedBull and working on three monitors, he tried to play 50,000 hands in 24 hours on PokerStars in 2009. This wasn't just for a record either – Joe was competing for $30,000 in a prop bet, on top of whatever profit he could earn.
He completed the challenge in 20 hours, shirtless and surrounded by enough snacks to wait out any apocalypse. He picked up the $30,000, plus around $800 for his 20 hours of grinding.
Black Friday was just as unkind to Joe as it was to others, so he started looking into other avenues. Nowadays, the JoeIngram1 YouTube channel has over 150,000 subscribers and has become the go-to spot for in-depth poker news coverage. His specialty isn’t covering each day of the WSOP or creating vlogs. Joe’s channel is where you might catch up on the Mike Postle saga, the Jack-Four incident, the Daniel vs Doug Polk match, or get a deep analysis of any other controversy.
Like many of his peers, Joe Ingram’s passion for poker is immediately obvious. Also, his content comes across as less filtered, which resonates a lot with his core audience, known as The Legion.
Joe has taken on plenty of nicknames, but one of them should be the King of Poker Lingo. It’s possible that no other player has invented so many terms to talk about poker. They may not be used often by the average player, but any diehard fan should know Joe Ingram’s poker lingo.
Here are some of the best poker terms Joe Ingram has come up with. If you know about one that we missed, leave a comment and let us know where you heard it.
- Increased first deposit bonus
- Increased rakeback and reloads
- Help with deposits and cashouts
- Access to private freerolls
- Round-the-clock support
The Greatest Poker Terms of Joe Ingram
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard these poker terms before. Also, if you learn Joe Ingram’s lingo and use it at the table, be fully prepared for confusion and silence.
- The Great Game
Whenever you hear Chicago Joey say “The Great Game,” you should know that he is talking about Pot-Limit Omaha. It is his favorite poker format and he’s not shy about this at all, praising PLO whenever he can. - Backdoor Bangkok
This nifty term will be a complete mystery the first time you hear it. A Backdoor Bangkok is another term for a backdoor nut flush draw. For example, if there's a flop of and you hold , you could go runner runner nut flush. This is a Backdoor Bangkok. - Backdoor Second Bangkok
Like the Backdoor Bangkok, this term refers to a backdoor flush draw, but the second nuts instead of the nuts. - Backdoor Quad Draw
When you have a pair on the flop, in any way, you automatically have the Backdoor Quad Draw. This applies to pocket pairs too. For example, if the flop is and you have or you hold a Backdoor Quad Draw. - Backdoor Trip Draw
With any unpaired hand, you automatically have a Backdoor Trip Draw. This is because you can pair a card on the turn, then hit trips on the river. For example, if you have on a flop like , you can still hit a , then another to make trips. - Canadian Boat
This term refers to having three pairs. For example, if the board is and you have , you hold a Canadian Boat. Unfortunately, this isn’t a real poker combination and you only have the best two pairs at showdown. - German Two Pair
When you hold top and bottom pair, you have a German Two Pair. For example, on the flop of , you would need to have a German Two Pair. - Mexico Straight Draw
You’ve probably heard of gutshot and open-ended straight draws, but the Mexico Straight Draw is different. This refers to the bottom end of a straight, going south, because Mexico is south of the United States of America. For example, on the board , you need to have to hold a Mexico Straight Draw. - Crotch Theory Optimal (CTO)
This hilarious term was coined during the (alleged) Mike Postle cheating saga at Stones Casino. During the scandal, Mike Postle was seen looking into his crotch at his phone throughout his sessions, leading onlookers to think he was viewing the cards of his opponents on it. Joe Ingram called the strategy Crotch Theory Optimal, a play on Game Theory Optimal, (which Joe calls a “way of life”). Joe spent a massive amount of time covering the unfolding story, as he tends to do with any sensational event in the poker world. - GTO Headquarters
Joe Ingram is a lover of Game Theory Optimal, so it’s no surprise that he calls his home GTO Headquarters. He’s had various guests there to do podcast interviews, including Phil Ivey. - Meal Fold
During a commentating session, Joe Ingram spotted a player who had a meal at the table folding their cards. To most viewers, this meant nothing, but Joe saw the strategic implications. In his mind, a player with a meal can be influenced to fold more easily than one without a meal. To get a Meal Fold, Joe said he would probably increase his bluff frequency by around 10% in this spot. - Massage Tells
Just away from the poker table, behind the backs of the players, are the masseuses. During a streamed game, Joe pointed out that one of the masseuses was giving off a Massage Tell. She was using her elbows, clearly showing experience. With this, Ingram showed us that poker tells aren’t just player-to-player.
As new terms come into existence, we’ll update this page. If you know about any that we didn’t include, help us tell others about them by leaving a short comment.
