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
A
Ace High
When the highest hand you can make is an Ace with no pair
Ace Kicker
Ace-kicker in any poker game is where two players have the
same 4 card hand and one player uses their Ace kicker to
decide the winner. Ie: 2 pair Ace kicker
Aces Full
A full house with aces and any pair.
Aces Up
Two pairs, one of which is aces.
Action
Checking/Betting/Raising. A game in which players are playing
a lot of pots is considered an "action" game.
Active Player
A player still involved in the hand.
Add –On
The opportunity to buy additional chips in some tournaments.
Aggressive Action
A wager that could enable a player to win a pot without
a showdown; a bet or raise.
All Blue
A flush containing either clubs or spades.
All-in
When a player bets all of his or her remaining chips.
In online poker, you may be deemed "All-in" when
you are disconnected (even if you have chips remaining).
All Pink
A flush containing wither hearts or diamonds.
Angle
Any technically legal but ethically dubious way to increase
your expectation at a game; a trick.
Angling
Proposing to another player and agreement, private and outside
the rules, that the pot be split evenly regardless of which
player wins it, or that players refrain from raising against
each other.
Ante
Money placed in the pot before the hand is dealt.
Ante Up
A directive to all the players to put their ante in the
pot.
(top)
B
Baby
A small card.
Backdoor
Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing
hand.
Backer
Someone behind the scenes who supplies a Poker player with
his bankroll.
Back Into A Hand
A directive to all the players to put their ante in the
pot.
Back Raise
To re-raise another players raise.
Bad Beat
When a strong hand is beaten by a lucky hand; a long shot
win.
Baggage
An observer of a Poker game who is broke and does not play.
Bait
A check or small bet designed to induce opponents to stay,
bet and/or raise the pot.
Bank
The box or container of the Poker chips representing the
money in the game.
Bankroll
Current total gambling funds available. Not to be confused
with a player's stake in a particular game.
Bang Up
To close up a Poker game voluntarily.
Barn
Short for a Full Barn which is slang for a Full House.
Beat The Board
To possess a hand that can beat any exposed card or cards
that are exposed in any player's up cards around the table.
Beef
A complaint or to complain.
Behind
You're behind if you don't have the best hand before the
last cards have been dealt.
Belly Buster
An inside straight draw. Same as a Gut shot.
Bet
The act of placing a wager in turn into the pot on any betting
round or the chips put in the pot.
Bet For Value
When a player has the best hand and bets a certain amount
that he thinks his opponent will call....or when a player
MIGHT have the best hand a bets for value to get his opponent
to fold.
Bet Into
To be the 1st player to put chips into the pot.
Bet The Pot
To bet the total value of the pot.
Bicycle
The best possible low hand: A-2-3-4-5. Also referred to
as a Wheel.
Big Bet Poker
Another term for pot-limit and no-limit poker.
Big Blind
A designated amount that is placed by the player sitting
in the second position, clockwise from the dealer, before
any cards are dealt. (Players joining a game in progress
must post a Big Blind, but may do so from any position.)
Big Dog
A big underdog to win the pot.
Big Hand
A hand such as a full house, four of a kind or better.
Big Nickel
Poker player's term for $500.
Big Pair
A Pair with a value of 10 or greater.
Big Slick
The Ace-King card combination.
Bite
A request for a loan.
Black Leg
Archaic term for crooked card-sharp.
Blank
A card that is not of value to the players hand.
Blind
The bet(s) that must be made by the two players sitting
directly to the dealer's left which will start the action
on the first round of betting. The blinds are posted before
any cards are dealt. (A "Blind" bet is one that
is made in the dark without looking at your cards.)
Blind Game
A game which utilizes a blind.
Blind Opening
Compulsory opening of the pot by a blind bet as in any form
of Stud and Draw Poker, provided it has been agreed to by
mutual consent at the start of the game.
Blind Raise
A game which utilizes a blind.
Blood Money
Money that is hard to get, that one worked hard to earn.
Blow
To Lose
Blow Back
To lose back one's profits.
Bluff
To make other players believe that one has a better hand
than he/she might otherwise have by betting or raising when
they do not have the best hand.
Board card
A community card in the center of the table, as in holdem
or Omaha.
Boat
Another name for full house.
Bobtail Straight
Same as an Open End Straight. Four cards to a straight in
denomination sequence.
Bonus
A predetermined sum to be paid by the other players to any
player holding a royal flush, straight flush or four of
a kind.
Bottom Dealer
A card cheat who deals from the bottom of the deck while
pretending to deal from the top.
Bottom Pair
Pairing the lowest card on the board.
Bounty
A small amount of cash awarded to a player when he knocks
out another player in some tournaments.
Boxed Card
A card that appears face up in the deck where all other
cards are face down.
Break
To draw a card instead of standing pat in Lowball. A player
who has a pat nine discards the nine to draw one card to
try to improve his hand.
Brick
A blank.
Bring-In
The forced bet made on the first round of betting by the
player who is dealt the lowest card showing in Seven Card
Stud and Stud 8 or Better. In Razz (Lowball) it is the highest
card showing.
Bring It In
To start the betting on the first round.
Broadway
An ace high straight.
Broken Game
A game no longer in action.
Brush
A card room employee responsible for managing the seating
list.
Bug
A Joker that can be used to make straights and flushes and
can be paired with Aces, but not with any other cards.
Bullet
An ace.
Bump
To raise.
Burn card
After the initial round of cards is dealt, the first card
off the deck in each round that is placed under a chip in
the pot, for security purposes. To do so is to burn the
card; the card itself is called the burn card.
Button
Also known as the dealer button, it is a small round disk
that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction
following each hand, to theoretically indicate the dealer
of each hand.
Buy
To buy a pot is to make a bet large enough that other players
would be unlikely to call.
Buy-In
The amount of money it costs after paying the entry fee
to participate in a poker tournament and receive chips.
Chip amounts vary for each tournament and the buy-ins are
added to the tournament prize pool.
(top)
C
Cage
The cashier, where you exchange cash for chips and vice
versa.
Call
When a player chooses to match the previous bet.
Call Bet
To make a bet without putting money into the pot. To pay
later.
Caller
One who calls the bet.
Calling A Hand
Equaling a final bet in order to look at the active players'
hands at the showdown. Best hand wins the pot.
Calling Station
An passive player that frequently just checks or calls most
bets.
Cap
In limit games, the limit on the number of raises in a round
of betting.
Capped
Describes the situation in limit poker in which the maximum
number of raises on the betting round has been reached.
Card Mechanic
A person who expertly manipulates cards for the purposes
of cheating.
Card Mob
Two or more Poker players working as a team to cheat the
other players.
Card Room
The room or area in a casino where poker is played.
Card Sense
Said of a card player who has natural card-playing ability.
Card Shark
A slang expression for a professional cheater at cards.
Cards Speak
The final hand values are determined by the face up cards
and not what the hand holder declares.
Case
The last card of a certain rank in the deck.
Case Card
The last card of a denomination or suit, when the rest have
already been seen.
Case Chips
A player's last chips.
Case The Deck
Ability to remember most of the played up cards in Stud
Poker or variants.
Cash In
To leave the game and convert one's chips to cash, either
with the dealer or at the cage.
Cash Out
To leave a game and convert your chips to cash.
Catch
Slang to get a card that makes your hand stronger/winning
hand.
Caught Speeding
Slang for caught bluffing.
Change Gears
Changing your style of play.
Chase
To continue in a hand, often at poor odds against the competition.
Check
To waive the right to initiate the betting in a round, but
to retain the right to act if another player initiates the
betting.
Check In The Dark
To check before looking at the card or cards just dealt.
Check Raise
To waive the right to bet until a bet has been made by an
opponent, and then to increase the bet by at least an equal
amount when it is your turn to act.
Cheese
A very substandard starting hand.
Chip
A round token used in place of cash at a gaming table.
Chip Race
As the limits increase in tournaments, lower denomination
chips are taken out of circulation. Rather than rounding
odd chips up or down for each player, the players are dealt
a card for each odd chip. The players with the highest card
are each given one of the next higher denomination chip
depending on how many remain after the colored up.
Chippy
A sucker or inexpert Poker player.
Chop
To return the blinds to the players who posted them and
move on to the next hand, if nobody calls the blind.
Cinch Hand
An unbeatable hand; nuts.
Closed Hand
A hand in which all cards are concealed from the opponents.
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 means
of devious speech or behavior.
Cold
If a player says his cards have "gone cold," he's
having a bad streak.
Cold Call
When a player with nothing invested in the pot except an
ante, calls a raise and a re-raise as his first bet.
Cold Deck
A fixed deck.
Cold Player
A Poker player on a losing streak.
Color Up
To exchange one's chips for chips of higher value, usually
to reduce the number of chips one has on the table.
Collection
The fee charged in a game (taken either from the pot or
from each player).
Collection Drop
A fee charged for each hand held.
Collusion
When two or more players conspire to cheat in a poker game.
Color Change
A request to change the chips from one denomination to another.
Come
Playing a worthless hand in the hope of improving it is
called "playing on the come."
Come Hand
A hand that is not yet made, such as four cards to a flush.
Come Over The Top
To raise or re-raise an opponent's bet.
Community Cards
The cards that are played face up on the center of the table,
and which can be used by all of the active players.
Complete Hand
A hand that is defined by all five cards - a straight, flush,
full house, four of a kind, or straight flush.
Complete The Bet
To increase an all in-bet or forced bet to a full bet in
limit poker.
Connectors
Consecutive cards which might make a straight.
Counter
A token used instead of a Poker chip to represent a unit
of value.
Counterfeit
In Omaha Hi/Lo, when the board pairs your key low card,
demoting the value of your hand.
Court Card
A jack, queen or king.
Cowboys
Kings.
Crack
To beat a powerful hand.
Cut
To divide the deck into two sections in such a manner as
to change the order of the cards.
(top)
D
Dark Bet
To bet without looking at your hand.
Daub
A paste or fluid applied to a fingertip in secret, used
to mark cards during play.
Dead Card
A card that is not legally playable.
Dead Hand
A hand no longer legally playable, due to some irregularity.
Dead In The Pot
When there is no chance for a player to win.
Dead Man’s Hand
Said of a hand made up of two black pairs, aces and eights.
So called because it is supposed to have been the Poker
hand held by Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood, Dakota territory,
when he was shot to death in a saloon by Jack McCall on
August 2, 1876.
Dead Money
Money put into the pot by players who have missed their
blinds and now want to post behind the button... their small
blind post is "dead money".
Deadwood
The discard pile, hands and cards folded and thrown in by
the players or discarded prior to the draw.
Deal
To give each player cards or put cards on the board. As
used in these rules, each deal refers to the entire process
from the shuffling and dealing of cards until the pot is
awarded to the winner.
Dealer
A houseman or player who distributes the cards to the player.
Dealer’s Choice
A game in which each dealer, in turn, chooses the type of
poker 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 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.
Discards
In a draw game, to throw cards out of your hand to make
room for replacements, or the card(s) thrown away; the muck.
Dog
Shortened form of “underdog.”
Dominate
Said of a starting hand that will almost always beat another
starting hand.
Door Card
A player's first up card in stud games.
Double Belly Buster
A two-way inside straight. ie:, 3-5-6-7-9. Also called a
Double Gut shot.
Double Gut Shot
A draw to a broken sequence of cards, in which either of
two cards will make the straight.
Double-Pop
When the second player re-raises a raise.
Double Through
Going all-in against an opponent in order to double your
stack if you win the hand.
Down cards
Cards that are dealt face down in a stud game.
Down to the Felt
Totally out of money, broke.
Down to the Green
When a player has gone all in.
Draw
Cards dealt from the stock after the first betting interval
in Draw Poker.
Drawing Dead
When you cannot win, no matter what cards come up.
Draw Lowball
A form of poker in which the lowest hand wins.
Draw Out
To catch a card that improves your situation from a losing
hand to a winning hand.
Draw Poker
Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards down
with the option of discarding one or more and replacing
them with new ones to attempt to make a better hand.
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.
(top)
E
Ear
A bent corner put on a card to identify it or locate it.
Ear Bender
A talkative person.
Early Position
Position on a round of betting where the player must act
before most of the other players at the table. (It's considered
the two positions located to the left of the Blinds).
Easy Money Guy
Anyone who gambles big at Poker and spends winnings freely.
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.
End
A share.
End Betting
The last bet prior to a showdown.
Equalize
This is when all Players have contributed the same amount
of credits to the pot.
Equity
The value of a particular hand or combination of cards.
Even Money
A wager in which you hope to win the same amount as you
bet.
Even-Up
A bet or proposition that gives each player an equal chance
to win.
Exit
To get out of the game.
Expectation
The profit or loss you would expect to make on average over
a number of hands.
Exposed Card
A face-up card, or up card, in Stud and in community cards
resting in the center of the table.
Exposed Pair
An exposed pair, as opposed to a split pair or a hidden
pair.
(top)
F
Face
To expose the face value of a card.
Face Card
A king, queen, or jack.
False Cut
A crooked cut that leaves the deck or part of the deck in
its original position.
False Opening
One in which the pot is opened with less than the required
rank hand and is therefore dead.
False Shuffle
A crooked shuffle that appears to be an honest shuffle,
but in fact does not mix the cards at all.
Family Pot
Where everyone at the table is still involved in the pot.
Fast Company
Seasoned or smart gamblers.
Fatten
To increase the money or chips in the pot.
Favorite
A hand that has the best chance of winning.
Feed
To put money or chips into the pot.
Fever
The Poker habit.
Fifth Street
Also known as the "river" card. In flop games,
this represents the fifth community card on the table and
the final round of betting. In Stud games, this is the fifth
card dealt to each player and
represents the third round of betting.
Fill
To draw a card that makes a five-card hand (straight, flush,
full house, straight flush).
Fill Up
To fill a Full House.
Fish
Slang for a player who plays to fifth street with a poor
hand in hopes of making the best hand by luck.
Fishhooks
Slang for Jacks.
Five-card Draw
A poker game in which the player is dealt five cards down.
They have one draw to replace them and the best high hand
wins the pot.
Five-card Stud
A poker game in which each player is dealt five cards, one
down and four up, with betting after 2, 3, 4, & 5 cards.
Fixed Limit
In limit poker, any betting structure in which the amount
of the bet on each particular round is pre-set.
Flashed Card
A card that is partially exposed.
Flat Call
Calling a bet without raising.
Flat Limit
A betting limit in a poker game that does not escalate from
one round to the next.
Floor Person
A casino employee who seats players and makes decisions.
Flop
In holdem or Omaha, the three community cards that are turned
simultaneously after the first round of bettings are complete.
Flop Games
A family of poker games played with five community cards.
The first three cards, turned face up simultaneously, are
called the flop. Popular flop games include Texas Hold’em
and Omaha.
Flush
Any five cards of the same suit.
Flush draw
When a player has four cards in his hand of the same suit
and is hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.
Fold
To throw your hand away when it's your turn to act.
Forced Bet
In some stud games a player may be required to make a bet
to start the action on the first card.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same number or face value ("quads").
Fourth Street
In flop games, it is the fourth community card dealt (also
known as "the turn") and represents the third
round of betting. In Stud games, it is the fourth card dealt
to each player and represents the second round of betting.
Free Card
A card dealt after all players checked in a betting round.
Free Ride
To stay in a hand without being forced to bet.
Free Roll
(i) A situation in which two players have the same hand,
but one of the players has a chance to better his hand.
(ii) A chance to win something at no risk or cost in online
poker.
Freeze Out
A game or a tournament that is played until one player has
all the chips.
Front Money
A player's winnings.
Full Buy
A buy-in of at least the minimum requirement of chips needed
for a particular game.
Full House
Any three cards of the same number or face value, plus any
other two cards of the same number or face value.
Full Seat
The first player to act on his hand.
Fuzzing (the deck)
Mixing up the cards by drawing two cards at the same time
from the top and bottom of the deck in order to premix a
fresh deck prior to a shuffle.
(top)
G
Gaff
Any secret device or method that accomplishes or aids in
cheating.
Get Behind It
To back or try to shield a crooked move in Poker.
Get Full Value
Betting, raising and re-raising in order to manipulate the
size of the pot so that you will be getting maximum pot
odds if you win the hand.
Get Out
To regain one's losses.
Get There
To make your hand.
Get The Right Price
The pot odds are favorable enough for you to justify calling
a bet or a raise with a drawing hand.
Girls
The four queens in a deck of cards.
Give Action
Betting, calling, raising or re-raising.
G Note
A one thousand dollar bill.
Go For The Money
To cheat.
Good Thing
A good bet or a good hand.
Go South With It
To put money in one's pocket during a Poker session.
Grifter
A cheat.
Grind
A low-limit Poker game that requires a good many players
and good action in order for the operators to make a profit.
Gut Shot
A draw to an inside Straight, as in 2-3-4-6.
Gyp
A Poker crook or cheat.
Gypsy In
In lowball, to limp in.
(top)
H
Half Point Limit
A fixed betting limit that permits a player to bet, raise
or re-raise no more than an amount equal to half the size
of the pot.
Hand
(i) All a player's personal cards.
(ii) The five cards determining the poker ranking.
(iii) A single poker deal.
Hard Rock
A tight player.
Hay
Money.
Heads Up
A game between just two players, often the climax of a tournament.
Hedge
To bet against a Poker situation already bet in favor of,
in order to be sure of a possible profit, or to cut down
or limit a possible loss.
Heel
A cheap poker player or anyone who is not good.
Help Card
One that improves one's hand.
High-Low Split
Forms of poker in which the pot is split between the best
hand and best lowball hand.
High Spade Bet
A side bet usually made in Draw Poker in which the hand
containing the highest spade cards wins.
Hit
To pull the card one is seeking.
Hit And Run
A player who has only been at the table a short amount of
time and leaves after winning a big pot.
Hold ‘Em
Also known as Texas Hold 'em, where the players get two
down cards and five community cards.
Hold Over
To hold the best card continuously against a certain player.
Hole
The concealed card or cards.
Hole Card
These are the Down Cards in front of the players.
Home Run Hitter
A player who makes big plays that require maximum risk.
Hook
A Jack.
Horsing
Passing a small amount of money to another player after
winning a pot; scooting.
Hot
Said of a player on a winning streak.
House
The establishment running the game.
House Cut
Generic term for how the house profits from hosting the
game.
(top)
I
Implied Odds
The amount of money you expect to win if you make your hand
versus the amount of money it will cost you to continue
playing.
Improve
To draw cards that better one's hand.
In
A player is "in" if he or she has called all bets.
Indices
Number designs or letters printed in the top left-hand and
bottom right-hand corner of a playing card.
Inside Straight
Four cards which require another between the top and the
bottom card to complete a straight. Players who catch this
card make an Inside Straight.
Insurance
Selling the actual outcome of the hand for its mathematical
equity.
In The Air
When the tournament director instructs the dealers to get
the cards in the air, it means to start dealing.
In the Dark
To check or bet blind, without looking at your cards.
Iron Duke
A hand that is sure to take the pot, or a hand that is played
as though it is a certain winner.
Isolate
To raise with the intention of reaching a heads up between
yourself and a single other player.
(top)
J
Jackpot Poker
A form of poker in which the card room offers a jackpot
for particularly bad beats. Typically you must have aces
full or better.
Jacks or Better
Draw poker in which a pair of jacks is the minimum hand
permitted to start the action.
Jam
A pot where several players are raising.
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
a bug.
(top)
K
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.
Key Card
The one card that will 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.
Kicker
A separate high card used to break a tie.
Kick It
To raise.
Kill (or Kill Blind)
An oversize blind, usually twice the size of the big blind
and doubling the limit. Sometimes a “half-kill”
increasing the blind and limits by fifty percent is used.
A kill can be either voluntary or mandatory. The most common
requirements of a mandatory kill are for winning two pots
in a row at lowball and other games, or for scooping a pot
in high-low split.
Kill Button
A button used in a lowball game to indicate a player who
has won two pots in a row and is required to kill the pot.
Kill Pot
A pot with a forced kill by the winner of the two previous
pots, or the winner of an entire pot of sufficient size
in a high-low split game. (Some pots can be voluntarily
killed.)
Knave
A Jack.
(top)
L
Lady
A queen.
Late Position
Positions on a round of betting where the player must act
after most of the other players have acted (usually considered
to be the two positions next to the button).
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 after the blind.
Leak
To show one's hole cards (often unknowingly).
Legitimate Hand
A strong hand that is not a bluff.
Leg Up
Being in a situation equivalent to having won the previous
pot, and thus liable to have to kill the following pot if
you win the current pot.
Limit Poker
A game with fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals.
Limp In
To enter the pot by calling rather than raising. (The usual
concept of "Limp In" is when the first person
to speak just calls the Big Blind.)
Limper
A player who enters the pot for the minimum bet.
Liner
A face card. (Because you can see a line when the card is
face down and the lower right corner is lifted).
List
The ordered roster of players waiting for a game.
Live Blind
A forced bet put in by one or more players before any cards
are dealt. The "live" means those players still
have the option of raising when the action gets back around
to them.
Live Card(s)
In Stud Games, cards that have not yet been seen and are
presumed to still be 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; a rich sucker.
Lock
A hand that is guaranteed to win at least part of the pot.
Long Odds
The odds for an event that has a relatively small chance
of occurring.
Look
To call the final bet (before the showdown).
Loose
Playing more hands than the norm.
Loose Game
A game with a lot of players in most pots.
Lowball
Generic term for poker where the lowest hand wins.
Low Card
The lowest up card at seven-card stud, which is required
to bet.
(top)
M
Main Pot
The center pot. Any other bets are placed in a side pot(s)
and are contested among the remaining players. This occurs
when a player(s) goes all-in.
Make
To make the deck is to shuffle the deck.
Make A Move
To try a bluff.
Maniac
A player who bets, raises and re-raises without much regard
to the quality of his hand.
Mark
A sucker.
Marker
An IOU.
Marked Cards
Cards that have been (illegally) altered so that their value
can be read from the back.
Mechanic
A cheat who can manipulate the cards to deal himself or
another player a good hand.
Meet
To meet is to call.
Middle Pair
Pairing the second highest card on the board.
Middle Position
Somewhere between the early and late positions on a round
of betting (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left
of the button).
Minimum Buy-In
The least amount you can start a game with.
Miscall
An incorrect verbal declaration of the ranking of a hand.
Misdeal
A hand dealt incorrectly that must be re-dealt.
Miss
To be unable to make your drawing hand when the final cards
are dealt.
Monster
A powerful hand that is almost certain to win.
Move In
To go all-in.
MTT
Multi Table Tournament
Muck
To discard or throw away your hand. It's also a pile of
cards that are no longer in play.
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N
Narrow The Field
To bet or raise in order to scare off other players whose
hands are currently worse than yours, but have the potential
to improve.
Nickel
Five dollars, usually represented by a red casino check.
Nit
To bide your time, patiently waiting for a playable hand.
No Limit
A version of poker in which a player may bet any amount
of chips (up to the number in front of him).
Nut Flush
The best available flush.
Nuts
The highest possible hand in Poker.
Nut Player
A very tight player who plays only the best hands.
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O
Odds
The probability of making a hand versus the probability
of not making the hand.
Offsuit
Cards of a different suit.
Omaha
A game in which each player is dealt four down cards with
five community cards. To make your hand, you must play two
cards from your hand and three from the board.
On Board
On the table; in the game.
One-Gap
An inside straight.
On The Come
A situation where the player does not yet have a complete
hand.
On Tilt
Playing worse (usually, more aggressively) than usual because
a player has become emotionally upset.
Open
To make the first bet.
Open Card
A card that is dealt face up.
Open-ended Straight
Four consecutive cards requiring one at either end to make
a straight.
Opener
The player who made the first voluntary bet.
Openers
Cards in a hand that qualify a player to open the betting.
Open Handed
A category of games characterized by a part of each player's
hand being exposed.
Open Pair
An exposed pair.
Open Poker
Games where some of the cards are dealt face up.
Option
The choice to raise a bet given to a player with a blind.
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 blind
Also called oversize blind. A blind used in some pots that
is bigger than the regular big blind, and usually increases
the stakes proportionally.
Overcall
To call a bet after one or more others players have already
called.
Over card
A card higher than any card on the board.
Over pair
In Hold'em, a pair in the hole that is larger than any community
card on the board.
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P
Paint
A face card (King, Queen, Jack).
Pair
Two cards of the same rank.
Pass
(i) Decline to bet. In a pass-and-out game, this differs
from a check, because a player who passes must fold.
(ii) Decline to call a wager, at which point you must discard
your hand and have no further interest in the pot.
Passive
Checking and calling hands rather betting and raising hands.
Pat
Not drawing any cards in a draw game.
Pat Hand
Holding or being dealt a complete hand.
Pay Off
Calling a bet with little expectation of winning, unless
the opponent is bluffing.
Pay Station
A player who calls bets and raises much more than is typical;
a calling station.
PC Points
Players club points eared through rake
Picked Off
To get called when you are bluffing.
Picture Station
King, Queen and Jack; face cards; court cards; paint cards.
Pigeon
An easy player.
Pip
The suit symbols on a non-court card, indicating its rank.
Play Back
To raise or re-raise an opponent's bet.
Play Fast
Aggressively betting a drawing hand to get full value for
it if you make it.
Play the Board
Using all five community cards for your hand in hold’em.
Play With
Staying in the hand by betting, calling, raising, or re-raising.
Pocket
Another term for hole.
Pocket Cards
The two cards dealt to you at the beginning of a Hold 'Em
hand that no one else is entitled to see.
Pocket Rocket
A pair of Aces in the pocket or hole.
Poker
A game that has fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals
along with a prescribed number of raises.
Position
Where a player is seated in relation to the dealer, therefore
establishing that player's place in the betting order.
Post
When you post a bet, you place your chips in the pot. (You
must post the Blinds.)
Pot
The money or chips in the center of a table that players
try to win.
Pot Limit
The betting structure of a game in which a player's maximum
bet is the size of the pot.
Pot Odds
The calculated odds the money in the pot represents in relation
to how much it will cost to play and hand and the players
chances of winning the hand.
Prop
A person hired by the card room to work as a shill.
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.
Premium Hands
The best possible hands.
Protected Hand
A hand of cards that the player is physically holding, or
has topped with a chip or some other object to prevent a
fouled hand.
Protect Your Cards
To protect your cards is to place a chip or some other small
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 player who makes the game profitable for the other players
at the table; a nicer term for a fish.
Puck
In all flop games, a small disk used to indicate the dealer,
or used to signify the player in the last position if a
house dealer is used; a button.
Push
When a new dealer replaces an existing dealer at a particular
table.
Pushing Bets
The situation in which two or more players make an agreement
to return bets to each other when one of them wins a pot
in which the other or others play. Also called saving bets.
Put Down
Fold.
Put Him On
To guess an opponent's hand and play accordingly.
Putting On The Heat
Pressuring your opponents with aggressive betting strategies
to get the most value from your hand.
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Q
Quads
Four of a kind.
Qualifier
A minimum standard that a hand must meet in order to win.
Usually applied to the lowball side of a high-low split
pot.
Quartered
To divide half a pot between two tying hands in split pot
games.
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R
Rack
A container in which chips are stored while being transported.
Rag
A card that helps no ones hand.
Ragged Flop
Flop cards that are of no use to any player's hand.
Rag Off
To get a card on the river that doesn't help you.
Rail
The sideline at a poker table.
Rail bird.
Someone who hangs around a poker room who watches the games
and/or is looking to get into action.
Rainbow
Small groups of cards with no two in the same suit.
Raise
To increase the previous bet.
Rake
An amount of money taken out of every pot by the dealer
- this is the card room’s income.
Rank
The numerical value of a card (as opposed to its suit).
Rap
To knock the table, indicating a check.
Rat holing
The illegal action of taking money off the table and putting
it somewhere else.
Read
To determine whether an opponent has a good, medium or bad
hand by observing his personal behavior.
Re-buy
The option to buy additional chips. Rules vary regarding
the amount of chips a player may have in their possession
in order to buy more.
Redraw
A draw to an even better hand when you currently are holding
the nuts.
Represent
Implying, by one's betting style, that one has a particular
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 "live" game that is not a tournament.
River
The final (seventh) card dealt in a poker hand. In Hold'em
and Omaha, it is also known as 5th street. In Stud games,
it is also known as 7th street.
Rock
A very tight, conservative player who only plays extremely
good hands.
Rock Garden
A table populated with rocks.
Roll
To turn a card face-up.
Rolled Up
In seven-card stud, being dealt three of a kind in the first
three cards.
Rough
A lowball hand that is not perfect.
Round
This is when players have the opportunity to bet, check
or raise. Each round of betting ends when the last bet or
raise has been called.
Rounders
Guys who hustle for a living. This is also the name of a
popular poker movie starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton.
Round Of Betting
The period during which each active player has the right
to check, bet or raise. It ends when the last bet or raise
has been called by all players still in the hand.
Royal Flush
This is an Ace high straight (A-K-Q-J-10) of the same suit.
It is the best possible hand in poker.
Run
A straight, or a series of good cards.
Run Over
Playing aggressively in an attempt to control the other
players.
Runner-Runner
A hand made using both of the last two cards dealt.
Running
Two needed cards that come as the last two cards dealt.
Running Pair
When the last two cards on the board make a pair.
Rush
Several winning hands in a short period of time.
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S
Sandbag
Playing a strong hand as if it were only a fair one.
Satellite
It is a mini-tournament to gain an entry into a larger tournament
Scare Card
An up card that looks as though it might have made a strong
hand.
School
The players in a regular game.
Scoop
To win the entire pot.
Scooping
Passing chips to another player after winning a pot; horsing.
Seat Charge
In public card rooms, an hourly fee for playing poker.
Seating List
A waiting list. A player would put his or her name on this
list if there were no seats at the table at which they wish
to play.
Second Pair
In flop games, pairing the second highest card on board.
See
To call a bet.
Semi-Bluff
To bluff with a come hand that figures to win if it hits.
Set
Three of a kind when you have two of the rank in your hand,
and there is one on the board.
Set You In
To bet as much as your opponent has left in front of him.
Seven Card Stud
A well-known poker game in which players get three down
cards and four up cards. You play the best five of those
seven cards.
Seventh Street
This is the final round of betting in Seven Card Stud and
Stud 8 or Better.
Shark
A good/crafty player often posing as a fish early in the
game.
Shill
Shills are paid props who help start and maintain poker
games.
Shootout
A tournament format in which a single player ends up with
the entire prize money, or in which play continues at each
table until only one player remains.
Short Buy
A buy-in that is less than the required minimum buy-in.
Short Odds
The odds for an event that has a good chance of occurring.
Short Stack
A number of chips that is not very many compared to the
other players at the table. If you have $10 in front of
you, and everybody else at the table has over $100, you
are playing on a short stack.
Showdown
At the end of the final betting round, it's when all active
players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the
pot.
Show One, Show All
A rule that says if a player shows their cards to anyone
at the table they can be asked to show everyone else.
Shuffle
At the end of the final betting round, it's when all active
players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the
pot.
Side Card
An unmatched card which may determine the winner between
two otherwise equal hands.
Side Pot
A separate pot(s) which is contested by remaining active
players when one or more players are all-in.
Sixth Street
In Seven-card Stud, this is the fourth "up" card
dealt to the player (their 6th card). It is also the 4th
round of betting.
Skin
To fix the cards; cheat.
Slow Play
Disguising the value of a strong hand by under betting,
to trick an opponent.
Small Blind
The amount put in the pot by the person immediately to the
left of the dealer "button" prior to the cards
being dealt.
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, often a bluffer, and usually without
a powerful hand.
South
Fold.
Speed
To beat another player, often a bluffer, and usually without
a powerful hand.
Splash Around
To play more loosely than you should.
Splash The Pot
To throw your chips into the pot, instead of placing them
in front of you. This makes it difficult for the dealer
to determine the amount you bet.
Split
A Tie.
Split Pair
A pair in Stud with one card up and the other down.
Split Pot
A pot which is shared by two or more players because they
have equivalent hands.
Splitting Blinds
When no one else has entered the pot, an agreement between
the big blind and small blind to each take back their blind
bets instead of playing the deal (chopping).
Spread
For a casino to offer a particular game.
Spread Limit
Betting limits in which there is a fixed minimum and maximum
bet for each betting round.
Squeeze
To look slowly at the extremities of your hole cards, without
removing them from the table, to worry your opponents and
heighten the drama.
Stack
A pile of chips.
Stake
The amount of a player's BUY-IN, or the amount of money
they are willing to play with in a given session.
Stand-Off
To call a raise. "Opener raises, I stand off".
Stand Pat
To look slowly at the extremities of your hole cards, without
removing them from the table, to worry your opponents and
heighten the drama.
Steal
To win the pot by bluffing.
Steal Position
To call a raise. "Opener raises, I stand off".
Straddle
An additional blind bet placed after the forced blinds,
usually double the big blind in size or in lowball, a multiple
blind game.
Straight
Five consecutive cards of any suit.
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Streak
A run of good or bad cards.
String Bet
An illegal bet in which a player puts some chips in the
pot, then reaches back to his stack for more, without having
first verbally stated the full amount of his bet.
Steaming
Playing poorly and wildly, often because the player is emotionally
upset.
Steel Wheel
In lowball, a straight flush, five high (Ace-2-3-4-5).
Street
Cards dealt on a particular round in stud games. For instance,
the fourth card in a player’s hand is often known
as fourth street, the sixth card as sixth street, and so
on.
Structure
The limits set upon the ante, forced bets and subsequent
bets and raises in any given game.
STT
Single table tournament
Stub
The portion of the deck which has not been dealt.
Stuck
Slang for losing, often a substantial amount of money.
Stud
Games in which there are no community cards, the player
plays only the cards in his/her hand.
Suck Out
To win a hand by hitting a very weak draw, often with poor
pot odds.
Suicide King
King of Hearts. So named because in the drawing the king
appears to be stabbing himself in the head.
Suited
Cards of the same suit.
Sweat
To watch a player from the rail.
Sweeten The Pot
Slang for raise.
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T
Table
Refers to the poker table itself, or the collective players
in the game.
Table Charge
A fee paid for playing.
Table Cop
A player who calls with the intention of keeping other players
honest.
Table Stakes
(i) The amount of money you have on the table. This is the
maximum amount that you can lose or that anyone can win
from you on any one hand.
(ii) The requirement that players can wager only the money
in front of them at the start of a hand, and can only buy
more chips between hands.
Table Talk
Any discussion at the table of the hand currently underway,
especially by players not involved in the pot, and especially
any talk that might affect play.
Take Off A Card
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
To bet the amount of an opponent's entire stack, forcing
him to go 'all in' if he calls the bet.
Tap City
To go broke.
Tapped Out
Out of money.
Tells
A player's nervous habit or mannerism which might reveal
his hand.
Texas Hold’em
This is also the name for Hold'em, the most popular form
of poker.
Third Street
This is also the name for Hold'em, the most popular form
of poker.
Three Flush
Three cards of the same suit, requiring two more to make
a flush.
Three of a Kind
This is also the name for Hold'em, the most popular form
of poker.
Throwing A Party
When several loose or amateur players are making significant
monetary contributions to the pot.
Tight
A player who doesn't play many pots. A tight game is one
that doesn't have much action.
Tight Game
A game with a small number of players in most pots.
Tilt
To play wildly or recklessly. A player is said to be "on
tilt" if he is not playing his best, playing too many
hands, trying wild bluffs, raising with bad hands, etc.
To Go
An amount "to go" is the amount it takes to enter
the pot.
Toke
A tip given to the dealer. Quite often, tokes represent
the great majority of a dealer's income.
Top Pair
In flop games, when the player pairs one of his down cards
with the highest card on board.
Topped
Broke, busted.
Tournament
A poker competition, normally with an entry fee and prizes.
Trey
A three.
Triplets
Three of a kind.
Trips
Slang for triplets. Three of a kind.
Turn
In flop games, this is the fourth card dealt. It is the
third round of betting.
Two Flush
Two suited cards.
Two Pair
A hand consisting of two different pairs.
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U
Underdog
A person or hand who is not mathematically favoured to win
a pot.
Under-Raise
To raise less than the previous bet; allowed only if a player
is going all-in.
Under The Gun
The first to bet.
Up Card
A card that is dealt to the player face up, so that all
players may see it. Up cards are used in Stud games.
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V
Currently no Poker Glossary terms that start with the letter
V
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W
Wager
(i) To bet or raise.
(ii) The chips used for betting or raising.
Wake Up With A Hand
To be dealt a hand with winning potential.
Walk
To walk is to be away from the table long enough to miss
one or more hands.
Walkers
Players who walk frequently.
Walking Sticks
Pair of seven.
Weak
One who folds too many hands.
Wheel
A-2-3-4-5. The best possible low hand. Also called a "Bicycle".
Whipsaw
To raise before, and after, a caller who gets caught in
the middle.
Wild Card
A joker or standard card that, by player agreement and/or
dealer's choice, can be used to represent any card desired.
Wired Part
A pair in the hole. In 5-card stud, a door card that pairs
the hole card.
World’s Fair
A big hand.
WSOP
World Series of Poker
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X
Currently no Poker Glossary terms that start with the letter
X
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Y
Currently no Poker Glossary terms that start with the letter
Y
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Z
Currently no Poker Glossary terms that start with the letter
Z
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