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POKER LINGO
We explain the most common used poker terms
If you've spent any time at all in a poker room, you've probably come across some unfamiliar terms. It can be disorienting, to say the least, to hear a bunch of terms you don't understand while you are trying to play a game. Here's a list of some poker terms you are likely to come across as you play.
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
Ace-high: A hand where the highest card is an ace.
Aces Full: A hand with 3 aces and a pair of any other value.
Aces Up: A hand containing two pairs: a pair of aces and another pair of any other value.
Action: A check, bet, call, fold, or raise.
Active Player: A player with chips in the pot.
All-in: When a player bets all of his/her chips on a single hand.
All-in Over the Top: Raising with all of your chips after an opponent's bet.
Ante: Small amount of chips placed into the pot before each hand, usually in Stud.
Back into a Hand: A situation wherein the cards you draw creates a different hand from the hand you were originally intending to make.
Back-door Flush: A hand consisting of three cards that could formulate a flush, but the turn and river cards are still required to complete the flush.
Back-door Straight: A hand consisting of three cards that could formulate a straight, but the turn and river cards are still required to complete the straight.
Back to back: Two of the same cards in a row (ie 2,2)
Bad Beat: When a lucky hand beats a strong hand.
Bankroll: The amount of money that a player has to wager.
Battle of the Blinds: When everyone folds their cards in deference to the players with forced bets (i.e blinds).
Behind: When you judge your hand to be a poor one before all the cards have been dealt.
Bet for Value: A bet to increase the pot size, not to make your opponent(s) fold.
Bet the Pot: A bet equal to the size of the pot.
Big Dog: A person with very low odds of winning.
Big Blind: The forced bet made by the person sitting two seats to the left of the dealer.
Big Slick: Poker slang for Ace, King; a very strong starting hand.
Blank: A card yielding no value to the player's hand.
Blind: A mandatory bet placed by both players to the immediate left of the dealer.
Bluff: To raise or bet a weak hand in order to make your opponent think you have a strong hand.
Boat: A full house.
Bust a Player: To eliminate a player from the game by taking all of his/her chips.
Bust Out: When a player loses all of his/her chips and is eliminated from a tournament.
Button: Indicates the dealer position and subsequent positions; indicates last position in tournament play and is the most advantageous as well as cycling.
Buy-in: A minimum amount of money paid to enter a tournament and/or live game.
Call: When a player matches (rather than raises) the previous bet.
Cap: The number of raises allowed in a game.
Change Gears: When a player strategically alternates his/her play between aggressive and conservative.
Check: When a player does not bet, reserving the option to call or raise later in the betting round.
Come over the Top: When a player raises or re-raises another player's bet.
Community Cards: Cards dealt face up on the center of the table for use by all of the active players.
Connectors: Hole cards in sequence that can help a player form a straight (9-10 or 5-6).
Dead Man's Hand: A pair of aces and a pair of eights, so named because Wild Bill Hickock was shot holding this hand.
Dead Money: Money put into the pot by a player who has since folded.
Deuce: Any 2.
Donkey: A bad player.
Double Up: A bet that results in the player ending up with twice as many chips as the amount he/she started with at the beginning of the hand.
Down Cards: All cards dealt face down to the players.
Draw Out: A card that changes a losing hand into a winner.
Drawing Dead: A situation whereby you cannot win, no matter what cards follow.
Early Position: A position in a round of betting that forces a player to act before the other players. This is a disadvantageous position.
Fifth Street: The final round of betting and the fifth card on the table; also known as the river.
Fish: A poor player who tends to chase favorable outcomes which are not probable.
Flat Limit: A fixed limit variation where all the bets are the same.
Flop: Three cards placed in the center of the table that any player may use to form a hand.
Flush: Five suited cards.
Flush Draw: Four suited cards, with one card needed to complete the flush.
Fold: When a player withdraws from the hand and gives up his/her cards rather than continue betting.
Forced bets: In hold 'em, the blinds. In stud, a player who has to start the action on the first card.
Four of a Kind: Four cards with the same value. (Eg. 9-9-9-9)
Fourth Street: The fourth card on the table and the third round of betting. Also known as the turn.
Free Roll: A player is guaranteed at least a part of the pot.
Freeze Out: A game or tournament that is played until one player has all the chips.
Full House: A hand containing three-of-a-kind and a pair. (Eg. 2,2,2,J,J)
Get Full Value: To raise, bet or re-raise with the intention of achieving the maximum pot odds if you win the hand.
Grifter: Cheater.
Gut Shot Straight Draw: A straight with the middle of the five cards missing (Eg. 9-10-Q-K; player must get a J to complete).
Hand: A player's best five card combination, made by combining his or her cards with the community cards.
Heads-up: A situation where only two players are left and the number of betting rounds is unlimited.
Hole Card: One of two cards dealt face down to every player at the start of a round.
Jammed Pot: A pot that has been raised the maximum number of times.
Key Hand: A hand that proves to be a turning point - for better or for worse.
Kicker: The highest card in a player's hand that is not being used in some way (For example, to create a pair or three of a kind).
Kojack: K-A starting hand in Hold 'em.
Late Position: A position in a round of betting where a player can act after most or all of the other players have acted.
Lay Down: Folding a strong hand in a critical situation.
Leak: Showing your hole cards.
Lid: Top card on the deck.
Legitimate Hand: A strong hand or a hand that is not a bluff.
Limp In: When a player enters the round by calling rather than raising a bet.
Liner: A face card, called this because you can see the line when the card is face down and only a corner is lifted up.
Live Hand: A hand that could win the pot.
Long Odds: When there is a very low probability that something positive can result for the player, based on the cards they currently hold.
Loose Play: When a player continually bets with weak hands.
Lowball: A game variant where the weakest hand wins.
Main Pot: When a player goes all-in, he/she is eligible to win the main pot. Any betting after that is done in a side pot.
Misdeal: A hand that has been dealt incorrectly and has to be dealt again.
Monster: A hand with a high probability of winning.
Muck: To discard a hand; also the pile of discarded hands.
No Limit Hold'em Table Stakes: A game where any player can bet any or all of his/her chips.
Nut Flush: The best flush available within each hand.
Nut Flush Draw: When one card will give you the best possible flush.
Nuts: A hand that can't be beaten no matter what follows.
Odds: The probability of achieving or/not achieving a desired hand.
On a Short Stack: When a player has very few chips with which to bet.
On the Button: The player who acts last in a round, commonly held as the best table position in Hold 'em.
On Tilt: When a player bets recklessly due to frustration.
Open Card: A card that is dealt face-up.
Open End Straight Draw: Four consecutive cards, such as 3-4-5-6. It's open because either a 2 or 7 will complete the straight.
Open Pair: Two cards of the same value dealt face-up.
Out: A card still in the deck that is capable of improving a player's hand.
Out of Position: When a player has the disadvantage of having to act before his/her opponent.
Outdraw: When one player beats his or her opponent by drawing a better hand.
Outs: Any card(s) that will turn the statistical underdog into a winner.
Over the Top: Making a large raise.
Paint: A face card.
Pair: Two cards that are the same (ie K,K or A,A of any suit)
Pass: When a player folds.
Pat hand: A complete hand, either held or dealt.
Play Fast: Betting aggressively on a hand.
Play Money: The chips don't represent real money, nothing is on the table but bragging rights.
Playing the Board: When your best five-card hand is the five cards on the board.
Pocket Cards: Hole cards in hold 'em.
Pocket Pair: In hold 'em, both hole cards are the same value (Eg. 7,7).
Position: Where a player sits in relation to the dealer; position determines place in the betting order.
Pot: The total chips being bet.
Pot Odds: The amount of money in the pot weighed against the amount of money it costs to continue playing.
Preflop: In hold 'em, the stage when the hole cards have been dealt but no community cards are on the table.
Propositional Player: In a poker room, a player whose role is to keep players at a table.
Protect a Hand: The player bets in order to convince other players to fold, in order to reduce the risk of having opponents outdraw him or her.
Push: Betting all-in.
Putting on the Heat: Pressuring other players by betting aggressively.
Quads: Four of a kind.
Ragged Flop: Flop cards that fail to help any player's hand.
Rainbow: Cards with none in the same suit (only applies to four or less cards).
Rake: Percentage of each pot (usually small) taken and given to the house in exchange for hosting the game.
Rank: The value of a card or hand.
Ratholing: Leaving a game and then sitting back down with a smaller stack than when you left. Considered very poor poker etiquette.
Re-raise: Raising on top of a previous raise within the same hand.
River: The final community card dealt; all players still in may use it to form their best hand; also known as fifth street.
Rock: A conservative player.
Round of Betting: The period when each active player has the opportunity to check, bet or raise.
Rounder: A professional player who frequents high-stakes tournaments.
Royal Flush: A hand containing: A, K, Q, J, 10 in the same suit; highest hand in poker.
Running Bad: A phrase used to describe a player on a losing streak.
Running Good: A phrase used to describe a player on a winning streak.
See: Calling a bet.
Shark: A player who is good; derived from "fish" (see above). Lots of sharks pose as fish at first.
Short Odds: A very high probability that something positive can result for the player based on the cards currently held.
Short Stack: The fewest chips at the table is the short stack.
Showdown: When all cards are turned face-up after the final round of betting to see who won.
Side Pot: Separate pot played for by other players when one player has gone all-in.
Slow Roll: When a player stalls before revealing their winning hand to annoy opponent(s).
Small Blind: A forced bet, half the size of the big blind, made by the person sitting one seat to the left of the dealer/button.
Steaming: Term to describe a player who is playing recklessly due to frustration.
Straight: Five consecutive cards of mixed suits.
Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Structure: The schedule by which the antes and blinds (forced bets) increase.
Suicide King: The king of hearts, he looks like he is stabbing himself in the head with his sword.
Suited Connectors: Two consecutive cards of the same suit.
Tell: An involuntary gesture or expression indicating the strength/weakness of your hand.
Tied on: A hand that is good enough to play right to the end.
Top Pair: A hole card that matches the highest card on the board in flop games.
Tight Player: A conservative player, he plays only strong hands.
Trips: Three of a kind.
Turn: Also known as fourth street, the turn is the fourth community card played.
Wheel: The best low hand possible, A-2-3-4-5.
Wired Pair: Two paired hole cards.
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