A-C Player |
An Advanced Concept Player |
A-Game |
(1) The highest stakes game in the house (2) A player who is playing to the best of his knowledge is said to be "playing his A game". |
| ABC Player |
A player who is very predictable. This player generally reads a poker book or two and follows them to the word. They always play hands the same way and are generally pretty tight. These types of players are often winners at lower stakes and loose games but are easily crushed by advanced players. |
| Ace High |
A poker hand with no ranked cards (pair, flush, etc.) but with an Ace as a high card. |
| Ace in the Hole |
Term used in a stud game, when one has an ace as one of their down cards. |
Ace-to-Five |
In a low game, ace-to-five means that straights and flushes do not count and the ace can be used as a low card. |
Aces Up |
Two-pair where one of the pairs is aces. Example: AA992 |
Aces Wired |
Two aces as hole cards. Other common names include Bullets, American Airlines, & Eyes of Texas |
Act |
To check, call, fold, open bet, or raise when it is your turn. |
Action |
(1) An opportunity to act. If a player appears unaware that it is his turn to act, the dealer will declare "your action sir" (2) Bets and raises |
Action Spot |
The area of the table where bets are being placed. |
Active Player |
A player who is competing for a pot. |
Add-On |
The opportunity to buy additional chips. Note: this is only allowed in some tournaments. |
Add-Them-Up Lowball |
Draw poker, where the hand with the lowest point total wins. |
Advanced Concept Player |
A player whose style is based on the Advance Concepts of Poker |
Advanced Concepts of Poker |
These are concepts used by advanced poker players in order to win the maximum amount of money from their opponents. |
Advertise |
(1) Having a bluff called (shown) so as to encourage opponents to give more action (2) Playing in a loose/reckless style in order to create a false table image |
Age |
First position to the left of the dealer, also called A, able, or edge. |
Agent |
A collusion partner in cheating. |
Aggressive |
A playing style characterized by frequent raising and re-raising |
Ainsworth: |
Six-two (62) |
Ajax |
Ace-Jack (AJ) Also known as Blackjack and "The (Aussie) Jewel". |
| Alexander |
The king of clubs. Derived from Alexander the Great. |
Alien Card |
a card which does not belong to the deck in play |
All Blue, All Pink |
A flush |
| All Black |
Having a spade or club flush |
All In |
A player is considered to be "all-in" when they bet all their remaining chips or money. |
| All Red |
Having a heart or diamond flush |
All the Way |
Cincinnati with a progressive bet. |
Alligator Blood |
A tough player who plays well under pressure is said to have "alligator blood". |
Alternate Straight |
A sequence of every other card, such as two, four, six, eight, ten. This can also be called a Dutch Straight, a skipper, or a skip straight |
| American Airlines |
Slang for Two Aces (AA) |
American Brag |
A game where the raiser shows the first caller his hand and the worst hand folds. |
| Ammo, Ammunition |
Chips in play |
Anaconda |
A seven-card game with bets made on five rolled-up cards. |
| Angle |
Any technically legal but ethically dubious way to increase your win expectation at a game; a trick. A person using these methods would be called an Angle Shooter. |
Announce |
To declare high, low, or the moon in High-Low poker. |
Announced Bet |
A verbal bet made by a player before he puts his money/chips in the pot |
Ante |
A small, forced bet that everyone at the table is required to pay before each hand (only in games with an ante). Most Texas Hold'em games do not have an ante; they use blinds to get initial money into the pot. |
Apple (the) |
The biggest game in the house |
Arkansas Flush |
A four flush. |
Around the Corner Straight |
A sequence running from the highest to the lowest value, such as queen, king, ace, two, three. (QKA23) |
As Nas |
The Persian card game from which poker was directly derived. |
Assigned Bettor |
The player who bets first. |
| Aquarium |
A poker room or game that has lots of fish (weak players) in it. |
| Argine |
The queen of clubs. May be an anagram of Regina (queen in Latin), or a corruption of Argea. |
| Assault Rifle |
In Omaha, hole cards that are A-K-4-7 of any suit. |
Australian Poker |
Draw poker with a blind opening |
Automatic Bluff |
A Lowball situation that almost always requires a bluff. |
Baby |
A small card, usually five or less |
Back Door |
A hand made by using the last two cards dealt in Seven-Card Stud, Texas Hold'em, or Omaha. |
Back-In |
To win by default or unexpectedly. |
Back-to-Back |
(1) A pair on the first two cards dealt in Seven-Card Stud, Five-Card Draw, and Texas Hold'em |
Backer |
A person who finances an active player |
Back raise |
A minimum re-raise made in order to avoid a larger raise. |
Bad Beat |
When you lose the pot holding a hand that you were the large favorite to win. |
Bait |
(1) A small bet that provokes a raise (2) Player(s) that are expected to lose their money. |
Bank Night |
High-Low Five-Card Stud with two twists. See Twist. |
Bankroll |
The money a player uses to finance his poker game. |
Barn |
A Full House. |
Barracuda |
A tough player. |
Base Deal |
A form of cheating in which you deal from the bottom of the deck. |
Baseball |
A Stud game where nines and threes are wild cards. |
Baskin-Robbins |
Three-Ace (3A) |
Beans |
Chips |
Bear |
A tight player |
Beat the Board |
To have a hand better than all others showing |
Beat Your Neighbor |
A five-card game that requires each player to expose his cards in turn until his hand beats the board. |
Bedsprings |
Similar to Cincinnati, except the cards are dealt face-up for use in everyone's hand. |
Beer Hand |
Seven-two (72) |
Behind |
If you do not have the best hand before all the last cards have been dealt, you are coming from behind |
Belly Buster |
An inside straight draw (gut shot) for a straight. |
Belly Hit |
When a inside straight draw (gut shot) hits (fills) |
Belly Strippers |
Cards with slightly trimmed edges that taper from a wider center to the ends. |
Berry Patch |
A game with lots of easy players in it. |
Best Flush |
A game in chinch only a flush can win the pot. |
Bet Into |
To bet before another player has acted on the betting round is called "betting into" that player. |
Bet or Get |
A rule that one must either bet or fold with no checking allowed. |
Bet the Limit |
Bet the maximum amount allowed. |
Bet the Pot |
Bet an amount equal to the pot |
Bet the Raise |
Maximum bet is twice that of the previous bet or raise |
Betting Pace |
The degree, extent and aggressiveness of bets and raises during a hand or game. |
Betting Stakes |
The dollar limits permitted on all bets and raises. |
Betty Hutton |
Seven-Card Stud with nines and fives wild. |
Bicycle |
A2345, also known as a wheel. |
Bid |
To declare for high or low in split-pot poker |
Big Bill |
One hundred or One Thousand dollars. |
Big Blind |
In flop games, two bets are usually posted before any cards are dealt. The "small blind" by the player seated immediately to the left of the dealer followed by the "big blind" (usually double the small blind) by the player seated to the immediate left of the "small blind" |
Big Bobtail |
A four-card straight flush |
Big Cat |
Five un-paired cards from the king to the eight |
Big Dog |
(1) Five un-paired cards from the Ace to the nine. (2) A hand or player considered to be coming from behind. |
Big Full |
The highest possible full house on a given hand |
Big One |
One thousand dollars |
Big Slick |
Ace-King (AK) as your hole cards. |
Big Squeeze |
Six-Card High-Low Stud with one twist. See Twist. |
Big Tiger |
Big Cat (Five un-paired cards from the King to the eight) |
Bird |
Goose, a bad player |
Bird Dog |
A person who recruits players for a game. |
| Bird on a Stick |
The hold'em starting hand Seven-Two (72). (Picture the two above the seven like a fraction) |
Black |
The color of a one hundred dollar casino chip. |
| Blackjack |
Hold'em starting hand Ace-Jack (AJ) |
Blank |
A card that appears to be of no help/value to any player. |
Blaze Full |
A full house in picture cards. |
Blazer |
A five-card had consisting of five e picture cards. |
Bleed |
To slowly "bleed" money from a game or a player. |
Bleeder |
A tight, winning player. |
Blind |
A forced bet (or partial bet) paid by one or more players before any cards have been dealt. |
Blind Bet |
A bet made before looking at one's hand. |
Blind Shuffle |
A cheater's shuffle, used to stack cards or to leave stacked cards undisturbed after shuffling. |
Blocky |
Six-three (63) |
Blood Poker |
A poker game played primarily for money, rather than social reasons. |
Blow Back |
A raise made after previously calling or checking. |
Bluff |
The attempt to win a pot by making better hands fold. |
Board |
All face-up cards in Seven-Card Stud, Texas Hold'em or Omaha |
Boat |
A Full House |
Bobtail Flush or Straight |
A four-card flush or a four-card open-ended straight. |
Bolt |
To Fold |
Bone |
A white casino chip, which is the lowest denomination chip. |
Book |
A three-card draw |
Boost |
To Raise |
Border Work |
Markings added by cheaters to the printed borderlines of cards in order to identify their values. |
Bottom Deal |
To deal cards off the bottom of the deck when cheating. |
Bottom Pair |
To make a pair with the lowest card on the flop |
Bouillotte |
A french card game that influenced the open-card Stud variation of poker |
Bounty |
A prize given to anyone who can knock out a specific player in a tournament. The player is said to have a "Bounty on his Head". |
Boxed Card |
A card facing the wrong way up in a deck of cards. |
Boy |
A Jack |
Bracelet |
Winning a championship event at the World Series of Poker earns the player a gold bracelet. |
Braggers |
(1) Jacks and nines as wild cards. (2) Or the Ace of diamonds, the jack of clubs and the nine of diamonds as wild cards. |
Brass Brazilians |
The best possible hand, also known as "the nuts" |
Breakers |
Openers, a hand with which the betting can be started. |
Breathe |
To pass up the first opportunity to bet. |
Brelen |
(1) A French card game that influenced the use of straights and flushes in poker (2) Three of a Kind |
Brelen Carre |
Four of a Kind |
Brick |
A card that appears to be of no help/value to any player |
| Brick and Mortar |
A card room with a physical location (e.g. at a Casino) as opposed to virtual. |
Brief |
A single stripped card in a deck used to facilitate illegal cuts. |
Bring-In |
To "bring it in" is to make the first bet on the first round of a hand. In Seven-Card Stud the "bring-in" is a mandatory bet made by the player with the lowest face-up card in the first round of betting. |
Broadway |
An Ace high straight (AKQJT) |
Broderick Crawford |
Ten-four, T4 |
Brush |
An employee in a card room is sometimes referred to as the "brush". It stems from them occasionally using a brush to sweep up crumbs from a messy table. |
Buck |
A marker used to identify the dealer when a house dealer is used. |
| Buckets |
The hold'em starting hand 44. |
Buddy Poker |
Avoid betting against a friend or partner. |
Buffalo |
To toll one's opponents. |
Bug |
The Joker used in high-hand poker as an ace or wild card for filling straights and flushes. It is used as a wild card in lowball. It can be used in High-Low as both a high card and a low card in the same hand. |
Bullet |
Ace |
Bullets |
A pair of Aces |
Bump |
To raise |
Buried Pair |
In stud games, a pair in the hole (First two hidden cards) |
Burn |
To deal off the top card, face down, before dealing out the remaining cards. Often referred to as "Burn and Turn". (2) To set aside a card which has been inadvertently revealed. |
Bust |
A worthless hand that has failed to improved. |
Bust a Player |
To deprive a player of all his chips. |
Bust Out |
To be eliminated form a tournament by losing all your chips. |
Busted |
Go broke. |
Busted Flush |
A hand with only four cards of the same suit which failed to improve to a made 5 card flush. |
Button |
Buck. Marker used to define who the dealer is when a house dealer is used. |
Buy-In |
(1) The minimum amount of money required to sit down in a particular game. (2) Tournament Cost (pool money plus entry fee) |
Cage |
The cashier, where you exchange cash for chips and vise versa. |
Call |
To match, rather than raise, the previous bet. |
Call Cold |
To call a bet and a raise. |
Calling Station |
A player who calls a lot of hands, rarely raises and is difficult to bluff out of a pot. |
| Candy Canes |
Starting hand Seven-Seven (77) |
| Canine |
Starting hand King-Nine (K9), sometimes referred to as "The Dog" |
Cap |
In limit games, the limit on the number of raises in a betting round. |
Cap it |
Make the last raise available on a given betting round. |
Case Card |
The last card of a denomination or suit when the rest have already been seen. |
Case Chips |
A player's last chips. |
Cash In |
To leave the game and converts one's chips into cash either with the dealer or at the cage. |
Cash Out |
To leave a game and cash in one's chips at the cage. |
| Caught Cruising |
Slang for being caught bluffing |
Caught Speeding |
Slang for being caught bluffing. |
Chase |
To remain in a hand knowing a stronger hand is likely against you in hopes of improving to a winning hand. |
Check |
(1) To abstain from betting, reserving the right to call or raise if another player bets. (2) Another name for a casino chip. |
Check Raise |
To check then later raise in the same betting round. |
Check in the Dark |
To check before looking at the card(s) being dealt. |
Cheese |
A very sub-standard starting hand. |
Chip Race |
As the limits increase in tournaments, lower denomination chips are removed from the table. Rather than rounding odd chips up or down for each player, the players are dealt a card for each odd chip they have. The player with the highest card is given all the odd chips, which are then colored up. Sometimes these chips are shared between more than one player based on number of odd chips and the tournament rules. |
Chop |
To return the blinds to the players who posted them when no action has transpired at the table and move on to the next hand. Players sitting next to each other, usually agree to this, amongst themselves, in advance. |
Cinch Hand |
Unbeatable hand. |
Closed Hand |
A hand in which all of the cards are concealed from the other players. |
Closed Poker |
Games in which all of the cards are dealt face down. |
Coffee Housing |
An attempt to mislead opponents about one's hand by using devious speech or behavior. |
Cold |
If a player says his cards are "cold" he's having a bad streak. |
Cold Call |
To call a raise without having already put the initial bet into the pot. |
Cold Deck |
A deck that has manipulated usually for cheating purposes. A fixed deck. |
| Collusion |
Collusion is a form of cheating. Players will work in a team to try to gain an advantage over the other players by signally to each other what their cards are. |
Color Up |
To exchange one's chips for chips of higher value, usually to reduce the number of chips on the table. |
Come Hand |
A hand that has not yet been made, requiring one or more cards from the draw to complete it. |
Come Over the Top |
To raise or re raise an opponent's bet. |
Commit Fully |
To put in as many chips as necessary to play your hand to the end, even if they are your last chips. |
Community Cards |
In flop games and similar games, the cards dealt face up in the center of the table that are shared by all active players. |
| Computer Hand |
Starting hand Queen-Seven (Q7). A starting hand that on average is the median of all other hands. |
Connectors |
Consecutive cards which might make a straight |
Counterfeit |
In Hold'em when two pairs come on the board demoting your original pair. In Omaha Hi/Lo, when the board pairs your key low card, demoting the value of your hand. |
| Court Cards |
Picture cards or face cars (Kings, Queens, Jacks) |
Cowboy |
Slang for King |
| Crabs |
Slang for threes (picture them turned on their sides) |
Crack |
To beat a powerful hand |
Crying Call |
To call with a hand you think has little chance of winning. |
Cut It Up |
To split the pot after a tie |
Cut The Pot |
To take a percentage of each pot for the casino/operator running the game. |
Dead Card |
A card no longer legally playable. |
Dead Hand |
A hand no longer legally playable, usually due to an irregularity. |
| Dead Man's Hand |
Starting hand Ace-Eight (A8). Legendary lawman and gambler Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead while holding this hand. |
Dead Money |
(1) Money put into the pot by players who have already folded. (2) A novice player who has virtually no shot at winning a tournament. |
| Deadwood |
The muck, discards. |
Dealer's Choice |
A game in which each dealer, in turn, chooses the type of poker game to be played. |
Declaration |
In high-low poker, declaring by the use of coins or chips whether one is aiming to win the high or the low end of the pot, or both. |
Declare Games |
Games in which a player must declare the value of his hand in order to the claim the pot. |
Deuce |
A two |
Deuce to Seven |
Another term for Kansas City Lowball, a two to seven without a flush, being the best hand. |
| Dime |
Gambling slang for $1,000. |
| Dollar |
Gambling slang for $100. |
| Dolly Parton |
Starting hand (nine-Five (95). Named after the movie she starred in, "Nine to Five (1980) |
Dominate |
Said of a starting hand that is a favorite to win over another starting hand. |
Donk |
Donkey, ass. Short form used primarily on the Internet |
| Donkey |
A poor player |
Door Card |
In Seven-Card Stud, the first exposed card in a player's hand. |
Double Belly Buster |
A hand with two inside straight draws |
Double Gut Shot |
A hand with two inside straight draws |
Double Through |
Going all-in against an opponent in order to double your stack if you win the hand |
Down To The Felt |
A player who has lost most of his chips. He is able to see the green felt on the table in front of him |
Draw Lowball |
A form of poker in which the lowest hand wins |
Draw Out |
To improve your hand so that it beats an opponent who had a better hand than yours prior to your draw. |
Draw Poker |
A form of poker in which each player receives five cards and then has the option of discarding one or more of them, replacing them with new cards. |
Drawing Dead |
Drawing to a hand that cannot possibly win |
Drawing Hand |
A potentially strong hand requiring a particular card(s) from the deal to make it |
| Driver's Seat |
The player who is making all the betting and thus appears to hold the strongest hand is said to be in the driver's seat. |
| Drop |
To fold. |
| Ducks |
Slang for Twos |
| Early Position |
A position on a round of betting in which you must act before most of the other players. |
| Effective Odds |
The ratio of the total amount of money you expect to win if you make your hand to the total amount of bets you will have to call to continue from the present round of betting to the end of the hand. |
| Equity |
The value of a particular hand or combination of cards. |
| End Strippers |
Cards that are tapered or damaged along the ends for the purposes of cheating. |
| Even Money |
A wager in which you will win or lose the same amount as you bet. |
| Expectation |
The profit or loss you would expect to make on average over a number of hands. |
| Exposed Card |
A card whose face has been deliberately or accidentally revealed to players normally not entitled to that information during the play of the game. Various games have different rules about how to handle this irregularity. |
| Exposed Pair |
As opposed to a split pair or a hidden pair. |
| Eyes of Texas |
Slang for a pair of Aces |
| Family Pot |
A pot in which all (or most) of the players at the table are involved in. |
| Favorite |
A hand that has the best chance of winning |
| Field |
The number of players in a game or tournament. |
| Fifth Street |
In flop games, the final round of betting (the fifth community card on the board). In stud games, the fifth card dealt to each player (third betting round) |
| Fill |
To be dealt the card one is seeking. |
| Fill Up |
To make a Full House |
| Fish |
A poor player |
| Fishhooks |
Slang for Jacks. |
| Five-Card Draw |
A stud poker game in which each player gets one concealed card and four exposed cards. |
| FL |
Abbreviation for Fixed Limit |
| Flat Call |
To call a bet without raising. |
| Flat Limit |
A betting limit in a poker game that does not escalate from one round to the next |
| Flop |
In flop games, the first three community cards, which are turned face up simultaneously. |
| Flop Games |
Texas Hold'em and Omaha. |
| Flush |
Five cards of the same suit. |
| Flush Draw |
Have four cards to the same suit, hoping to draw a fifth of the same suit to make a 5 card flush. |
| Fold |
To withdraw from the hand rather than bet or raise; |
| Forced Bet |
A mandatory bet to the start the action on the first round of a poker hand. |
| Four Flush |
Four cards of the same suit |
| Four Of A Kind |
Four cards of the same denomination. |
| Fourth Street |
In flop games, the fourth card on the board (3rd round of betting); in Seven Card Stud, the fourth card dealt to each player (2nd round of betting) |
| Free Card |
A card that a player(s) gets without having to call a bet. |
| Free Ride |
To stay in a hand without being forced to call a bet or raise. |
| Free roll |
(1) A situation in which two players have the same hand but one of the players has a chance to better his hand. Typically both players have a straight, while one can improve to a flush. (2) A tournament sponsored by the casino/operator that does not require any entry fee or contribution to the prize pool. |
| Free Wheeling |
A situation in which two players have the same hand but one of the players has a chance to better his hand. Typically both players have a straight, while one can improve to a flush. |
| Freeze Out |
A game or tournament in which all players start with the same amount of chips (money) and play until one player has won all the chips. |
| Full House |
Any three cards of the same denomination plus any two cards of the same denomination. Eg. KKK22 |
| G Note |
A one thousand dollar bill |
| Get The Right Price |
The pot odds are favorable for you to justify calling a bet or raise with a drawing hand |
| Get Full Value |
Betting, raising and re-raising in order to manipulate the the size of the pot, hence, getting maximum pot odds if you win the hand. |
| Get There |
Receive a card that improves your hand to be declared the winner. |
| Give Action |
Be active in a pot or game by betting, calling, raising or re-raising. |
| Goose |
Bird, a poor player |
| Grinder |
A semiprofessional player who makes a living out of playing poker. |
| Gut Shot |
A card drawn to fill in an inside straight draw. |
| Gypsy In |
To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Also called "limp". |
| Hand |
A player's best five cards |
| Heads-Up |
A game between just two players. |
| High-Low |
A poker game in which the highest and lowest hands share the pot. Also called High-Low Split. |
| Hit |
To pull the card one is seeking. |
| Hit and Run |
A player who leaves the game after winning in a short period of time. |
| Hold'em |
A form of poker in which players use five community cards in combination with their two face down (hidden) cards to form the best five card hand. |
| Hole Card(s) |
A players concealed (hidden) card(s) |
| Home Run Hitter |
A player who makes big plays that require maximum risk. |
| Horsing |
Passing a small amount of money to another player after winning a pot. |
| House |
The establishment, casino operator |
| Hot |
Said of a player on a winning streak |
| Idiot End |
Slang for Ignorant End |
| Ignorant End |
Drawing to the low end of a straight draw. Often, making this draw will make another player a better hand. |
| In the Air |
When the tournament director instructs the dealers to start dealing. Cards in the air! |
| In the Dark |
To check or bet without looking at your cards. To check or bet prior to a community card being dealt face up on the table. |
| Inside Straight |
Four cards in a broken sequence requiring a middle card to make a straight. |
| Insurance |
Selling the actual outcome of hand for its mathematical equity. |
| Isolate |
To raise or re raise with the intention of eliminating players from the pot in order to take on a single player heads up. |
| Jackpot Poker |
The casino/operator of a poker game will offer a prize for a strong hand that is beaten by a stronger hand. Typically Aces full or better. Usually a small percentage or token amount is taken from each pot for this "bad beat" prize pool that gradually grows in size. |
| Jacks Or Better |
A form of draw poker in which a player needs at least a pair of Jacks to start the betting. |
| Jam |
To bet or raise the maximum |
| Jammed Pot |
The pot has been raised the maximum number of times and may also be multi-way. |
| Joker |
The fifty-third card in the deck, used as a wild card or bug. |
| Kansas City Lowball |
A form of lowball poker played for a deuce to seven low. |
| Keep Honest |
To call an opponent on the river, even though you believe he has a better hand than you do in order to see his cards. |
| Key Card |
The one card that will improve/make your hand. |
| Key Hand |
In a tournament, the hand that proves to be a turning point for better or worse. |
| Kibitzer |
A non-playing spectator: a rail bird |
| Kick It |
To raise |
| Kicker |
An unpaired side card. |
| Kill |
A kill game is one in which a player places an extra bet, prior to the cards being dealt, causing the betting limits to go up for just that hand. |
Knave |
A Jack |
Late Position |
A position on a round of betting in which you act after most of the other players. |
| Lay Down |
To reveal one's hand in a showdown |
| Lay Down Your Hand |
To fold |
| Lay The Odds |
To wager more money on a proposition than you hope to win |
| Lead |
To be the first to enter the pot. |
| Leak |
(1) To lose back part or all of one's winnings through other gambling habits. (2) To have an area in your understanding of the game that needs improvement. |
| Legitimate Hand |
A hand that is not a bluff |
| Limit Poker |
A game with fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals. |
| Limp In |
To enter the round of being by calling rather than raising. |
| Limper |
One who enters the pot without raising |
| Live Blind |
A player who has posted his blind that is allowed to raise even if no one else raises first. |
| Live Card |
In stud games, a card that has not yet been seen in an opponent's hand and is presumed likely to be still in play. |
| Live Hand |
A hand that is still eligible to win the pot. |
| Live One |
An inexperienced, bad or loose player who apparently has plenty of money to lose. |
| Lock |
A hand that cannot lose. |
| Long Odds |
The odds for an event that has a relatively small chance of occurring |
| Look Up |
To call the final bet. |
| Loose |
To play more hands than the norm. |
| Loose Game |
A game with a lot of players, playing in most pots. |
| Lowball |
A form of poker in which the lowest hand wins. |
| Main Pot |
When a player goes all-in, that player is only eligible to win the main pot. The post consisting of the best they were able to math. Additional bets are placed in a side pot and are contested amongst the remaining players. |
| Make a Move |
To try a bluff. |
| Maniac |
A very aggressive player who bets and raises a lot more hands than conservative players would probably not consider playing. |
| Mark |
A sucker. |
| Marker |
An IOU (I owe you) |
| Maverick |
The name of a Queen and Jack in the pocket, suited or otherwise. |
| Mechanic |
A cheat who can manipulate the deck. |
| Meet |
To call |
| Middle Pair |
In flop games, a middle pair is made by pairing the middle card on the flop. |
| Middle Position |
A position on a round of betting somewhere between early and late position. |
| Mid-Life Crisis |
Starting hand Four-Four (44) |
| Minimum Buy-In |
The least amount of money (chips) you can start a game with. |
| Miss |
To be unable to make your drawing hand when the final cards are dealt. |
| Mites and Lice |
A hand consisting of two pair; threes and twos. |
| Monster |
A big hand. |
| Move In |
To go all-in |
| Muck |
(1) To discard ones cards face down. (2) A discard pile in which all the cards are dead. |
| Narrow the Field |
To bet or raise in order to try and eliminate other players whose hands are currently worse than yours but have the potential to improve. |
| Near Nuts |
Almost the best hand possible, with only a couple of very unlikely hands that could beat you. |
| Nickel |
Gambler slang for $500. |
| Nit |
To bide our time, patiently waiting for a playable hand. |
| NL |
Abbreviation for No Limit |
| No Limit Poker |
A game in which players can bet as much as they have on the table (in front of them) on any given betting turn. |
| Nursing |
Nursing one's chips...To play conservatively because one is likely short chipped waiting for a big hand or in tournament likely to the make money rounds and not wanting risk being knocked out prior to making the money. |
| Nuts |
The best possible (currently leading) hand at any point in the game. |
| Odds |
The probability of making a hand versus the probability of not making the hand. |
| Off Suit |
Two cards of different suits. Used to describe the first two starting cards. |
| Oldsmobile |
The holdem starting hand Nine-Eight (98) |
| Omaha |
A flop game similar to Hold'em, but each player is dealt four cards instead of two and a hand must be made using exactly two pocket cards, plus three from the community (table) cards. |
| On The Board |
On the table, the community cards. |
| On The Button |
Being the last player to act in betting round. |
| On The Come |
A hand that is drawing, usually to a straight or flush. Generally a weak hand that will be very strong if completed. |
| On Tilt |
Playing poorly, usually because of becoming emotionally upset from a previous hand/loss. |
| One Gap |
An inside straight draw. |
| Open |
To make the first bet. |
| Open Ended Straight |
Four consecutive cards requiring one at either end to make a straight. |
| Open Card |
An exposed card. A card dealt face up. |
| Open Pair |
An exposed pair, a pair of face-up cards. |
| Option |
When a player posts a live blind, that player is given the option to raise when their turn comes, even if no one else has raised |
| Out |
A card remaining in the deck that could hopefully improve your hand. |
| Outdraw |
To beat an opponent by drawing to a better hand. |
| Outrun |
Outdraw |
| Over bet the Pot |
In a no limit game if a player bets more than the total pot, they have over bet the pot. |
| Overcall |
To call a bet after another player has already called. |
| Over card |
In flop games, a card higher than any card on the board. In stud games, a card higher than your opponent's probable pair. |
| Over pair |
In flop games, a wired (pocket) pair higher than any card on the board. |
| Paint, Paint Cards |
Picture cards or face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) |
| Pair |
Two cards of the same denomination |
| Pass |
To Fold. |
| Passive |
A player who does not bet and raise a lot is considered passive. |
| Pat Hand |
A hand that is played as dealt, without changing a card; usually a straight, flush or full house. A player would pat (tap) the table indicating no new cards. |
| Pay Off |
To call a |
| Pay Station |
A player who calls bets and raises much more than is typical; |
| Picture Cards, |
Kings, Queen and Jacks; face cards; court cards; pain cards. |
| Pigeon |
A poor player; Goose; Turkey; bird. |
| Pip |
The suit symbols on a non-court card indicating its rank |
| PL |
Abbreviation for Pot Limit |
| Play Back |
To raise or re-raise an opponent's bet. |
| Play Fast |
Aggressively betting and raising a drawing hand to get full value for it it you make it. |
| Play Money |
Playing for fun or fake money. Usually online poker sites have free games for play money. This allows players to practice without wagering real dollars. |
| Play the Board |
When your best five cards uses the five community cards on the table. |
| PLO |
Abbreviation for Pot Limit Omaha |
| Pocket |
Your first dealt face down cards; your hole cards. |
| Pocket Rockets |
A pair of aces as your hole cards. |
| Position |
Your seat in relationship to the dealer. Thus your position in the betting order. |
| Post |
To post a bet is to place your chips in the pot.
|
| Pot |
The money or chips in the center of the table. |
| Pot Committed |
When you have put so much money into a pot it is not worth folding to another small raise, even if you think you may be beat. |
| Pot Limit |
A game in which the maximum bet allowable is the size of the pot.
|
| Pot Odds |
The amount of money in the pot versus the amount of money it will cost you to continue in the hand. |
| Pre flop |
The stage before any community cards have been dealt. |
| Prop |
Abbreviation for proposition player; similar to a shill, but players with his own money
|
| Proposition Player |
A card room employee who joins a game with his own money when the game is shorthanded, or to get a game started; similar to a shill.
|
| Protect a Hand |
To protect a hand is to bet and raise, to try and reduce the number of players/hands that could potentially outdraw you by getting them to fold. |
| Protect Your Cards |
To protect you cards is to place a chip or some object on top of them so that they don't accidentally get mucked by the dealer, mixed with another player's discards, or otherwise become dead when you'd like to play them. |
| Provider |
A weak player who makes the game profitable for the other players at the table. |
| Puppy Feet, Pups |
A club flush or just a suit of clubs. |
| Push |
When the hand is finished and a winner is determined, the dealer pushes the chips towards the winner. |
| Put Down |
Fold. |
| Put Him On |
To guess an opponent's hand and play accordingly. |
| Put On The Heat |
Pressuring your opponents with aggressive betting strategies. |
| Quads |
Four of a kind, Four cards of the same denomination. |
| Qualifier |
In high-low, a minimum requirement the hand must meet to be eligible for a portion of the pot.
|
| Quartered |
To divide half a pot between two tying hands in split pot games. This is applicable to Omaha Hi-Lo Poker.
|
| Quint |
A straight flush. |
| Quint Major |
A royal straight flush.
|
| Quorum |
The minimum number of players needed to start a poker game. |
| Rack |
A plastic tray which holds 100 chips in 5 stacks of 20.
|
| Rag Off |
To get a card on the river that doesn't help you. |
| Ragged Flop |
Flop/community cards that are likely of no use to any player's hand. |
| Rags |
Worthless cards that don't improve your hand. |
| Rail |
The sideline at a poker table. |
| Rail bird |
A non-playing spectator or kibitzer; often used to describe a player that has gone broke. |
| Rainbow |
Three or four cards of different suits. |
| Raise |
To call and increase the previous bet. |
| Rake |
Chips taken from the pot by the dealer on behalf of the game operator; house; casino.
|
| Rank |
The value of a card. Each card has a suite and a rank. |
| Rap |
To knock the table indicating a check. |
| Razz |
Abbreviation of "razzle dazzle". A seven-card stud lowball game. |
| Read |
To try and determine you opponent's cards or betting strategy. |
| Re buy |
In Tournament (where permitted), for an additional entry fee you may choose to start again. |
| Represent |
To bet in a way that suggests you are holding a strong hand. |
| Re-raise |
To raise a raise. |
| Reverse Implied Odds |
The ratio of the amount of money now in the pot to the amount of money you will have to call to continue from the present round to the end of the hand. |
| Riffle |
To shuffle; or to fidget with your chips. |
| Ring Game |
A non-tournament game. A cash game. |
| River |
In flop games, the last round of betting. |
| Rock |
A very tight, conservative player who will fold a lot. |
| Rock Garden |
A table populated with very tight, conservative players.
|
| Roll |
To turn a card face up. |
| Rolled Up |
In Seven Card Stud, three of a kind on third street (the first three cards dealt). |
| Rough |
A lowball hand that is not perfect. |
| Round of Betting |
The period during which each active player has the right to check, bet or raise. It ends when the last be or raise has been called by all players still in the hand.
|
| Rounder |
A professional or semi-professional player who makes a living or a significant part of their income from playing poker. A player who "makes the rounds" of the big poker games in the country. |
| Route 66 |
The holdem starting hand Six-Six (66) |
| Royal Flush |
The best possible poker hand consisting of the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten all in the same suit. AKQJT |
| Run |
A straight. |
| Run Over |
Playing aggressively in an attempt to control the other players at the table. |
| Runner Runner |
A hand made on the last two cards. |
| Running Bad |
On a losing streak |
| Running Good |
On a winning streak. |
| Rush |
Several winning hands in a row or short period of time. |
| Sailboats |
The starting hand four four (44). Pocket Fours. Picture the points of the fours as sails. |
| Sandbag |
To check a strong hand with the intention of raising or re raising later.
|
| Satellite |
A small stakes tournament whose winner obtains cheap entry into a bigger tournament.
|
| Sausage |
A player who plays with no sense. |
| Scare Card |
An up card that looks like it may have significant value to another player, hand. |
| School |
The players in a regular game. |
| Scoop |
To win the entire pot. |
| Scooting |
Passing chips to another player after wining a pot. |
| Second Pair |
In flop games, paring the second highest card on the board.
|
| See |
To call. |
| Semi-Bluff |
To bet with a hand which isn't the best hand, but which has a reasonable chance of improving. |
| Set |
Three of a kind made by using two of your hole cards. |
| Seventh Street |
The final betting round on the last card in Seven-Card Stud. |
| Shark |
A shark is a good player who typically wins. A shark generally "eats" fish (weak players). |
| Shill |
A card room employee, who plays with house money to make up, start, a game.
|
| Shootout |
A tournament format in which a single player ends up the entire prize money, or in which play continues at each table until only one player remains. |
| Short Handed |
This refers to a poker game with six or fewer people. |
| Short Odds |
The odds for an event that has a good chance of occurring. |
| Short Stacked |
Having only a small number of chips left. |
| Show One, Show All |
A rule that says if a player shows their hole cards to anyone at the table they can be asked (forced) to expose them to the other players.
|
| Showdown |
The point at the end of the final round of betting when all the remaining player's cards are turned up to see which player has won the pot. |
| Side Card |
An unmatched card which may determine the winner between two otherwise equal hands. |
| Side Pot |
A separate pot contested by remaining players when one player is all in. |
| Sixth Street |
In Seven Card Stud, the fourth round of betting on the sixth card. |
| Skin |
(1) To fix the cards; cheat. (2)
In on-line poker, many companies may use the same player base (software). However, it will be their specific logo (company name) that appears on the table. Like a piece of tracing paper. |
| Slow Play |
Disguising the value of a strong hand
by under betting. |
| Slow roll |
To reveal one's hand slowly at showdown. |
| Small Blind |
The smaller of the two compulsory bets (antes) in flop games,
made by the player in the first position to the dealers left.
|
| Smooth |
The best possible low hand with a particular high card.
|
| Smooth Call |
To call rather than raise an opponent's bet. |
| Snap Off |
To beat another player with a hand that was not in lead. |
| Snowmen |
The starting hand Eight-Eight (88) |
| Splash The Pot |
To throw your chips into the pot instead of placing them in front of you. |
| Split |
A tie. |
| Spread |
When you want to know what games, stakes a casino usually runs, you ask what games do they spread. |
| Squeeze |
To look slowly at the extremities of your hole cards, without removing them from the table to heighten the drama. |
| Stack |
The pile of chips in front of a player. |
| Stand Pat |
To decline an opportunity to draw cards. |
| Stand Off |
A tie. |
| Stay |
To remain in a hand with a call rather than a raise.
|
| Steal |
A bluff in late position aimed at picking up the blind money uncontested. |
| Steaming |
Playing poorly and wildly. Often because the player is emotionally upset from a previous loss at the table. |
| Steel Wheel |
In lowball, a straight flush, five high (A2345) |
| Stone Cold Nuts |
The best holding possible in a given hand of poker. |
| Straddle |
To make a blind raise to the immediate left of the Big Blind. Depending on house rules, this could be considered a "live" straddle in which the Straddler will have the last option to act if no one else raises. |
| Straight |
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. |
| Straight Flush |
Five consecutive cards of the same suit. |
| Streak |
A run of good or bad cards. A run of wins or losses. |
| String Bet |
An illegal bet in which a player puts some of
chips in the pot then reaches back to his stack for more without having first verbally declared the full amount of his bet. |
| Structure |
The limits set upon the blinds (ante) forced bets and subsequent bets and raises in a given game.
|
| Stub |
The portion of the deck which has not been dealt. |
| Stuck |
Losing. |
| Stud |
A form of poker in which the first card or cards are dealt face down, or in the hole, followed by several open, or face up cards.
|
| Suck Out |
To win a hand by hitting a very weak draw, against a much stronger hand, often with poor pot odds. |
| Suicide King |
King of Hearts. So named because in the drawing the king appears to stabbing himself in the head. |
| Suited |
Cards of the same suit |
| Sunset Strip |
The holdem starting hand Seven-Seven (77). |
| Sweat |
To watch a player. Kibitz. |
| Sweeten The Pot |
Slang for raise. |
| Table Cop |
Sarcastic name for a player who calls often on the last round of betting, with the intention of keeping players honest. To see if they are bluffing. |
| Table Stakes |
All poker games are played table stakes. This means one can only bet what one has in front of him on the table on any given hand. Players cannot reach into their pockets and add to their bets. If a player runs out of chips in front of him in the middle of a hand, he or she is considered "all in". |
| Take a Card Off |
To call a single bet in order to see one more card. |
| Take Off The Gloves |
To use an aggressive betting strategy to bully opponents. |
| Take The Odds |
To wager less money on a proposition than you hope to win. |
| Tap City |
To go broke. |
| Tap Out |
To bet all one's chips. |
| Tapped Out |
Broke, busted. |
| Tapping the Aquarium |
To tell an amateur player, often called a "fish" what he/she is doing wrong. |
| Tell |
A player's nervous habit or mannerism which might reveal the strength of his hand. |
| Texas Hold'em |
A form of poker in which players use five community cards in combination with their two hole card to form the best five card hand. |
| Third Pair |
In flop games, pairing the third highest card on the board. |
| Third Street |
In Seven-Card Stud, the first round of betting on the first three cards. |
| Three Flush |
Three cards of the same suit, requiring two more to make a flush |
| Three of a Kind |
Three cards of the same denomination, with two side cards; trips. |
| Three Wise Men |
Three Kings. |
| Throwing a Party |
When several loose or amateur players are making significant monetary contributions to the pot. |
| Tight |
(1) A conservative player who only plays strong hands, or plays fewer hands than the norm. (2) A Canadian term for a Full House. |
| Tight Game |
A game with a small number of players in most pots. |
| Tilt |
Play poorly, usually because of becoming emotionally upset from a previous hand/loss. |
| To Go |
An amount "to go" is the amount it takes to enter the pot. |
| Toke |
A tip to the dealer or floor person. |
| Top Pair |
In flop games, paring the highest card on board. |
| Trap |
To slow play a strong hand that will hopefully, entice your opponent to bet and stay in the pot. |
| Trepasso |
The holdem starting hand Ace-Jack (AJ). |
| Trey |
A three (3) |
| Triplets |
Three of a kind. Three of the same denomination. |
| Trips |
Slang for triplets |
| Turn |
In flop games, the fourth street card. |
| Two Flush |
Two cards of the same suit, requiring three more to make a flush
|
| Two Pair |
A hand with two pairs and a side card. |
| Under Play |
To make a small bet in the hope of drawing other players into the pot. |
| Under Raise |
To raise less than the previous bet; allowed only if a player is going all-in. |
| Under The Gun |
The position to the left of the big blind which acts first before the board cards are dealt. |
| Underdog |
A hand that does not have the best chance of winning before all the cards are dealt.
|
| Up Card |
An open card, a card dealt face-up. |
| Uphill |
To chase or try to outdraw a better hand. |
| Valet |
A Jack (J) |
| Village People |
Four Queens (QQQQ) |
| Walk |
A pot won by the last blind when no one opens. |
| Walkers |
Players who leave the table frequently for periods of time. |
| Walking Sticks |
Starting hand Seven-Seven (77) |
| Wash |
To mix the cards face down all over the table before shuffling them. |
| Wheel |
The lowest hand in lowball (A2345; also known as a bicycle. |
| Whipsaw |
To raise before and after a caller who gets caught in the middle. |
| Wild Card |
A card designated as a joker, playable as any value. |
| Wire Pair |
A pair in your starting hole cards. |
| Wooden Hand |
A hand that cannot improve of that cannot possibly win. Comes from Deadwood, a term for the discards, muck. |
| Woolworths |
The starting hand of Five-Ten(5T). Derive from the once common nickname for Woolworth's retail outlets: "five-and-ten cent stores". |
| World's Fair |
A big hand. |
| WPT |
Abbreviation for World Poker Tour
|
| WSOP |
Abbreviation for World Series of Poker |
| x |
Represents any small card e.g. Ax equals A2, A3, A4 etc. |
| Yard |
One Hundred Dollars, a $100 Bill. |
| Yeast |
To raise. |
| Young Men |
Slang for Jacks |
| Z-Game |
The lowest stake game in the house. |
| Zombie |
A poker player with no tells; a player with an excellent poker face. |
