Poker Terms - Definitions
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Poker terms and definitions below in this poker glossary. Click on the links above to go to the respective letter for the terms. Click an arrow  to return to the top of the poker terms page. Ace-High 
A five card poker hand containing an ace but no pair; beats a king-high, but loses to any pair or above.
Aces Full
A full house with aces over any pair.
Aces Up
Two pairs, one of which is aces.
Action
The betting.
Active Player
A player still in the pot.
Add-On
The opportunity to buy additional chips in some tournaments.
Advertise
To make a bluff with the deliberate intention of being exposed as a loose player.
All-In
To be out of chips while betting or calling. In table stakes games, a player may not go into his pocket for more money during a hand. If he runs out, a side pot is created in which he has no interest. However, he can still win the pot for which he had the chips. Example: "Poor Bob. He made quads against the big full house, but he was all-in on the second bet."
Alligator Blood
A compliment given to an outstanding player who proves himself unflappable under great pressure. An Ace Working
An ace in hand.
Angle
Any technically legal but ethically dubious way to increase your expectation at a game; a trick. Ante
A small bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the start of a poker hand. Most Texas Hold'em poker games do not have an ante, they use "blinds" to get initial money into the pot.
Baby
A small card.
Backdoor
Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing hand. For instance, suppose you have As-7s. The flop comes Ad-6c-4s. You bet and are called. The turn is the Ts, which everybody checks, and then the river is the Js. You've made a "backdoor" nut flush. See also "runner."
Back Door Flush (or Straight)
When the last two cards make a player's hand, even though he or she played on the flop for some other reason.
Back Into A Hand
To draw into a hand different from the one you were originally trying to make. Bad Beat
To have a hand that is not likely to beat a heavily favored hand. It is generally used to imply that the winner of the pot had no business being in the pot at all, and it was the wildest of luck that he managed to catch the one card in the deck that would win the pot. We won't give any examples; you will hear plenty of them during your poker career.
Bankroll
The amount of money you have available to wager.
Behind
You're behind if you don't have the best hand before the last cards have been dealt.
Belly Buster
A draw to fill an inside straight a gut shot.
Berry Patch
An extremely easy game.
Bet
To voluntarily put money or chips into the pot.
Bet For Value
Betting in order to raise the amount in the pot, not to make your opponents fold.
Bet Into
To bet before a stronger hand, or a player who bet strongly on the previous round.
Bet The Pot
To bet the total value of the pot.
Betting Black
Betting $100 amounts (black is a common color for $100 chips).
Betting Green
Betting $25 amounts (green is a common color for $25 chips).
Betting Red
Betting $5 amounts (red is a common color for $5 chips).
Betting White
Betting $1 amounts (white is a common color for $1 chips).
Betting Interval
The period during which each active player has the right to check, bet or raise; the round of betting. It ends when the last bet or raise has been called by all players still in the hand.
Bicycle
The lowest possible hand in lowball: Ace-2-3-4-5. Also called a wheel.
Big Bet Poker
Another term for pot-limit and no-limit poker.
Big Blind
The larger of the two blinds typically used in a texas hold'em poker game. The big blind is a full first round bet. See also "blind" and "small blind."
Big Slick
A nickname for AK (suited or not).
Black Leg
Archaic term for crooked card-shark.
Blank
A board card that doesn't seem to affect the outcome of the hand. If the flop is As-Jd-Ts, then a turn card of 2h would be considered a blank. On the other hand, the 2s would not be.
Blind
A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. Typically, blinds are put in by players immediately to the left of the button. See also "live blind."
Blind Raise
When a player raises without first looking at his or her cards.
Blow Back
To lose back one's profits.
Bluff
To bet or raise with a hand that is unlikely to be the best hand.
Board
All the community cards in a hold'em game -- the flop, turn, and river cards together.
Boat
Another name for full house.
Bot
Short for "robot". In a poker context, a program that plays poker online with no (or minimal) human intervention.
Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the flop. If you have As-6s, and the flop comes Kd-Th-6c, you have flopped bottom pair.
Bounty
A small amount of cash awarded to a player when he knocks out another player in some tournaments.
Brass Brazilians
The top hand, also known as "the nuts."
Brick
A blank.
Brick & Mortar
A "real" casino or cardroom with a building, tables, dealers, etc. This is in contrast to an online poker site.
Bring-In
The forced bet made on the first betting round by the player dealt the lowest card showing in Seven-Card Stud and the highest card showing in razz.
Bring It In
To start the betting on the first round.
Broadway
An ace high straight.
Brush
A cardroom employee responsible for managing the seating list.
Bubble
(1) The point at which only one player must bust out before all others win some money. (2) The person who was unfortunate enough to finish in that position.
Buck
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.
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.
Bullets
A pair of Aces.
Bump
To raise.
Buried Pair
In stud games, a pair in the hole.
Burn
To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between each betting round before putting out the next community card(s). It is security against any player recognizing or glimpsing the next card to be used on the board.
Bust
A worthless poker hand that has failed to improve as the player hoped; a busted hand.
Bust a Player
To deprive a player of all his chips; in tournament play, to eliminate a player.
Bust Out
To be eliminated from a tournament by losing all your chips.
Busted
Broke, tapped.
Busted Flush
A hand with only four of five cards in a flush.
Button
A white acrylic disk that indicates the (nominal) dealer. Also used to refer to the player on the button. Example: "Oh, the button raised."
Buy
(1) As in "buy the pot." To bluff, hoping to "buy" the pot without being called. (2) As in "buy the button." To bet or raise, hoping to make players between you and the button fold, thus allowing you to act last on subsequent betting rounds.
Buy-In
An amount of money you pay to enter a tournament. Often expressed as two numbers, such as $100+9, meaning that it costs $109 to enter the tournament; $100 goes into the prize fund and $9 goes to the house.
Cage
The cashier, where you exchange cash for chips and vice versa.
Call
To put into the pot an amount of money equal to the most recent bet or raise. The term "see" (as in "I'll see that bet") is considered colloquial.
Call Cold
To call a bet and raise at once.
Calling Station
A weak-passive player who calls a lot, but doesn't raise or fold much. This is the kind of player you like to have in your game.
Cap
To put in the last raise permitted on a betting round. This is typically the third or fourth raise. Dealers in California are fond of saying "Capitola" or "Cappuccino."
Case
The last card of a certain rank in the deck. Example: "The flop came J-8-3; I've got pocket jacks, he's got pocket 8's, and then the case eight falls on the river, and he beats my full house."
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 cash in one's chips at the cage.
Caught Speeding
Slang for caught bluffing.
Center Pot
The first pot created during a poker hand, as opposed to one or more "side" pots created if one or more players goes all-in. Also "main pot."
Chase
To stay in against an apparently stronger hand, usually in the hope of filling a straight or flush.
Chat
Typed conversation that you can have with other players at an online poker site (or any online gathering, for that matter).
Check
(1) To not bet, with the option to call or raise later in the betting round. Equivalent to betting zero dollars. (2) Another word for chip, as in poker chip.
Check-Raise
To check and then raise when a player behind you bets. Occasionally you will hear people say this is not fair or ethical poker. Piffle. Almost all casinos permit check-raising, and it is an important poker tactic. It is particularly useful in low-limit hold'em where you need extra strength to narrow the field if you have the best hand.
Check In The Dark
To check before looking at the card or cards just dealt.
Cheese
A very substandard starting hand.
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 player with the highest card is given all the odd chips, which are then colored up.
Chop
An agreement between the two players with blinds to simply take their blinds back rather than playing out the hand if nobody calls or raises in front of them.
Cinch Hand
An unbeatable hand; nuts.
Clean Out
A card that would almost certainly make your hand best. If you are drawing at a straight, but there is a flush draw possible, then the cards that make your straight but also the flush are not clean outs.
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
To call more than one bet in a single action. For instance, suppose the first player to act after the big blind raises. Now any player acting after that must call two bets "cold." This is different from calling a single bet and then calling a subsequent raise.
Cold Deck
A fixed deck.
Collusion
A form of cheating where two or more players attempt to gain an unfair advantage by sharing information.
Color Up
To exchange one's chips for chips of higher value, usually to reduce the number of chips one has on the table.
Come
Playing a worthless hand in the hope of improving it is called "playing on the come."
Come Hand
A drawing hand (from the craps term).
Come Over The Top
To raise or reraise an opponent's bet.
Commit Fully
To put in as many chips as necessary to play your hand to the river, even if they're your case 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.
Complete Hand
A hand that is defined by all five cards -- a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, or straight flush.
Connector
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are one apart in rank. Examples: KQs, 76.
Counterfeit
To make your hand less valuable because of board cards that duplicate it. Example: you have 87 and the flop comes 9-T-J, so you have a straight. Now an 8 comes on the turn. This has counterfeited your hand and made it almost worthless.
Cowboy
Slang for a King.
Crack
To beat a hand -- typically a big hand. You hear this most often applied to pocket aces: "Third time tonight I've had pocket aces cracked."
Cripple
As in "to cripple the deck." Meaning that you have most or all of the cards that somebody would want to have with the current board. If you have pocket kings, and the other two kings flop, you have crippled the deck.
Crying Call
A call that you make expecting to lose, but feel that you must make anyway because of the pot odds.
Cut-Off
The position (or player) who acts one before the button.
Cut It Up
To split the pot after a tie.
Cut The Pot
To take a percentage of each pot for the casino running the game.
Dead Card
A card no longer legally playable.
Dead Hand
A hand no longer legally playable, due to some irregularity.
Dead Money
(1) Money contributed to a pot by a player no longer in the pot. (2) A player in a tournament who has no realistic chance of winning.
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, the lowest ranking card in high poker.
Deuce to Seven
Another term for Kansas City Lowball, a two to seven without a flush,being the best hand.
Dog
Shortened form of "underdog."
Dominated Hand
A hand that will almost always lose to a better hand that people usually play. For instance, K3 is "dominated" by KQ. With the exception of strange flops (e.g., 3-3-X, K-3-X), it will always lose to KQ.
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 draw to a broken sequence of cards, in which either of two cards will make the straight.
Double Through
Going all-in against an opponent in order to double your stack if you win the hand.
Down Cards
Hole cards.
Down To The Felt
A player who has lost most of his chips.
Draw
To play a hand that is not yet good, but could become so if the right cards come. Example: "I'm not there yet -- I'm drawing." Also used as a noun. Example: "I have to call because I have a good draw."
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 and receiving new cards in their place.
Drawing Dead
Drawing to a hand that cannot possibly win.
Drawing Hand
A potentially strong hand requiring a particular card from the draw 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.
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
Your "rightful" share of a pot. If the pot contains $80, and you have a 50% chance of winning it, you have $40 equity in the pot. This term is somewhat fanciful since you will either win $80 or $0, but it gives you an idea of how much you can "expect" to win.
Even Money
A wager in which you hope to win the same amount as you bet.
Expectation
(1) The amount you expect to gain on average if you make a certain play. For instance, suppose you put $10 into a $50 pot to draw at a hand that you will make 25% of the time, and it will win every time you make it. Three out of four times, you do not make your draw, and lose $10 each time for a total of $30. The fourth time, you will make your draw, winning $50. Your total gain over those four average hands is $50-$30 = $20, an average of $5 per hand. Thus calling the $10 has a positive expectation of $5. (2) The amount you expect to make at the poker table in a specific time period. Suppose in 100 hours of play, you win $527. Then your expectation is $5.27/hr. Of course, you won't make that exact amount each hour (and some hours you will lose), but it's one measure of your anticipated earnings.
Extra Blind
A blind put in by a player just entering the game, returning to the game, or otherwise changing his position at the table. See also "blind" and "post."
Family Pot
A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players call before the flop.
Fast Play
To play a hand aggressively, betting and raising as much as possible. Example: "When you flop a set but there's a flush draw possible, you have to play it fast."
Favorite
A hand that has the best chance of winning.
Fifth Street
In flop games, the final round of betting and the fifth community card on the board; in stud games, the fifth card dealt to each player and the third betting round (on the third upcard).
Fill
To pull the card one is seeking; to hit.
Fill Up
To make a full house.
Fish
A poor player -- one who gives his money away. It's a well-known (though not well-followed) rule among good players to not upset the bad players, because they'll stop having fun and perhaps leave. Thus the phrase, "Don't tap on the aquarium."
Fishhooks
Slang for Jacks.
Five-Card Draw
A draw poker game in which the players start with five cards and then may draw to replace them.
Five-Card Stud
A stud poker game in which each player gets one concealed card and four exposed cards.
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
The first three community cards, put out face up, all together.
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
Five cards of the same suit.
Flush Draw
Having four cards of the same suit, and hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.
Fold
To withdraw from the hand rather than bet or raise; to give up.
Fold Equity
The extra value you get from a hand when you force an opponent to fold. That is, if you don't have to see a showdown, your hand has more value than if you do.
Forced Bet
A required bet to start the action on the first round of a poker hand.
Foul
A hand that may not be played for one reason or another. A player with a foul hand may not make any claim on any portion of the pot. Example: "He ended up with three cards after the flop, so the dealer declared his hand foul."
Four-Flush
Four cards of the same suit, requiring a fifth to make a flush.
Four Of A Kind
Four cards of the same denomination.
Fourth Street
In flop games, the fourth card on board and the third round of betting, the turn; in Seven-Card Stud, the fourth card dealt to each player and the second round of betting (on the second upcard).
Free Card
A turn or river card on which you don't have to call a bet because of play earlier in the hand (or because of your reputation with your opponents). For instance, if you are on the button and raise when you flop a flush draw, your opponents may check to you on the turn. If you make your flush on the turn, you can bet. If you don't get it on the turn, you can check as well, seeing the river card for "free."
Free Ride
To stay in a hand without being forced to bet.
Free Roll
One player has a shot at winning an entire pot when he is currently tied with another player. For instance, suppose you have Ac-Qc and your opponent has Ad-Qh. The flop is Qs-5c-Tc. You are tied with your opponent right now, but are free rolling, because you can win the whole pot and your opponent can't. If no club comes, you split the pot with him; if it does come, you win the whole thing.
Freeze Out
A game or tournament in which all players start with the same amount and play until one player has won all the chips.
Full House
Any three cards of the same denomination, plus any pair of a different denomination.
G-Note
A one thousand dollar bill.
Gap Hand
A starting hand with cards more than one rank apart. For instance, T9 is a one-gap hand. 86 is a two-gap 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.
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 There
To make your hand.
Give Action
Betting, calling, raising or re-raising.
Gutshot Straight
A straight filled "inside." If you have 9s-8s, the flop comes 7c-5h-2d, and the turn is the 6c, you've made your gutshot straight.
Gypsy In
In lowball, to limp in.
Heads-Up
A pot that is being contested by only two players. Example: "It was heads-up by the turn."
High-Low
A poker game in which the highest and lowest hands share the pot. Also called High-Low Split.
Hit
As in "the flop hit me," meaning the flop contains cards that help your hand. If you have AK, and the flop comes K-7-2, it hit you.
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
A form of poker in which players use five community cards in combination with their two hole cards to form the best five-card hand. Also called Texas hold 'em.
Hole
The concealed card or cards.
Hole Card
A card concealed in a player's hand.
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; scooting.
House
The establishment running the game. Example: "The $2 you put on the button goes to the house."
Ignorant End
The low end straight.
Implied Odds
Pot odds that do not exist at the moment, but may be included in your calculations because of bets you expect to win if you hit your hand. For instance, you might call with a flush draw on the turn even though the pot isn't offering you quite 4:1 odds (your chance of making the flush) because you're sure you can win a bet from your opponent on the river if you make your flush.
In
A player is "in" if he or she has called all bets.
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.
Inside Straight
Four cards requiring one in the middle to fill a straight.
Insurance
Selling the actual outcome of the hand for its mathematical equity.
Isolate
To raise with the intention of reaching a heads up between yourself and a single other player.
Jackpot
A special bonus paid to the loser of a hand if he gets a very good hand beaten. In hold'em, the "loser" must typically get aces full or better beaten. In some of the large southern California card clubs, jackpots have gotten over $50,000. Of course, the jackpot is funded with money removed from the game as part of the rake.
Jackpot Poker
A form of poker in which the cardroom offers a jackpot for particularly bad beats. Typically you must have aces full or better.
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 move all-in in a no-limit (or pot-limit) game.
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.
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 railbird.
Kick It
To raise.
Kicker
An unpaired card used to determine the better of two near-equivalent hands. For instance, suppose you have AK and your opponent has AQ. If the flop has an ace in it, you both have a pair of aces, but you have a king kicker. Kickers can be vitally important in hold'em.
Kill
A kill game is one in which a player may place an extra bet, causing the betting limits to go up for just that hand. The player posting the bet is the "killer," and the hand is considered a "kill pot." The player is said to have "killed the pot" for the amount of the kill.
Knave
A Jack.
Late Position
A position on a round of betting in which you act after most of the other players have acted.
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
A weakness in your game that causes you to win less money than you would otherwise. Example: "She takes her pocket pairs too far; it's a leak in her game."
Legitimate Hand
A strong hand that is not a bluff.
Limit Poker
A game with fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals.
Limp
To call. Generally the term refers to pre-flop action. For instance: "He limped in early position with 77."
Limper
A player who enters the pot for the minimum bet.
Live
Cards that are not duplicated in an opponent's stronger hand. For example, if you have A9 and your opponent has AJ, then your ace is not "live" because making a pair of aces won't do you any good. The nine, however, is live; making a pair of nines gives you the better hand. 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
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; a rich sucker.
Lock
A hand that cannot lose; a cinch hand.
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
A form of poker in which the lowest hand wins.
Made Hand
A hand to which you're drawing, or one good enough that it doesn't need to improve.
Make
To make the deck is to shuffle.
Make A Move
To try a bluff. Maniac
A player who does a lot of hyper-aggressive raising, betting, and bluffing. A true maniac is not a good player, but is simply doing a lot of gambling. However, a player who occasionally acts like a maniac and confuses his opponents is quite dangerous.
Mark
A sucker.
Marker
An IOU.
Mechanic
A cheat who manipulates the deck.
Meet
To call.
Micro-Limit
Games so small that they couldn't be profitably dealt in a real cardroom. They exist only at online poker sites. You might arbitrarily call games $.25-.50 and smaller "micro-limit."
Middle Pair
In flop games, a middle pair is made by pairing with the middle card on the flop.
Middle Position
A position on a round of betting somewhere in the middle.
Miss
To be unable to make your drawing hand when the final cards are dealt.
Monster
A hand that is almost certain to win.
Move In
To go all-in.
Muck
The pile of folded and burned cards in front of the dealer. Example: "His hand hit the muck so the dealer ruled it folded even though the guy wanted to get his cards back." Also used as a verb. Example: "He didn't have any outs so he mucked his hand."
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.
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) whenever it is his turn to act. It is a very different game from limit poker.
Nut Flush
The best available flush.
Nuts
The best possible hand given the board. If the board is Ks-Jd-Ts-4s-2h, then As-Xs is the nuts. You will occasionally hear the term applied to the best possible hand of a certain category, even though it isn't the overall nuts. For the above example, somebody with Ah-Qc might say they had the "nut straight."
Odds
The probability of making a hand versus the probability of not making the hand.
Offsuit
A hold'em starting hand with two cards of different suits.
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 table.
On Board
On the table; in the game.
On The Come
A hand that is drawing to a straight or flush.
On Tilt
Playing poorly, usually because of becoming emotionally upset.
One-Gap
A hold'em starting hand with two cards two apart in rank. Examples: J9s, 64.
Open
To make the first bet.
Open-Ended Straight
Four consecutive cards requiring one at either end to make a straight.
Open Card
Exposed card; a card dealt face-up.
Open Pair
An exposed pair; a pair of face-up cards.
Open Poker
Games where some of the cards are dealt face up.
Option
When a player posts a live blind, that player is given the option to raise when their turn comes around, even if no one else has raised; straddle. Out
A card that will make your hand win. Normally heard in the plural. Example: "Any spade will make my flush, so I have nine outs."
Outdraw
To beat an opponent by drawing to a better hand.
Outrun
To beat. Example: "Susie outran my set when her flush card hit on the river."
Overcall
To call a bet after one or more others players have already called.
Overcard
A card higher than any card on the board. For instance, if you have AQ and the flop comes J-7-3, you don't have a pair, but you have two overcards.
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than any card on the flop. If you have QQ and the flop comes J-8-3, you have an overpair.
Paint Cards
King, Queen and Jack; face cards; court cards; picture cards.
Pair
Two cards of the same denomination.
Pass
Fold.
Pat
A hand that you make on the flop. For instance, if you have two spades in your hand and the flop has three spades, then you've flopped a pat spade flush.
Pay Off
To call a bet when the bettor is representing a hand that you can't beat, but the pot is sufficiently large to justify a call anyway. Example: "He played it exactly like he made the flush, but I had top set so I paid him off."
Pay Station
A player who calls bets and raises much more than is typical; a calling station.
Picture Cards
King, Queen and Jack; face cards; court cards; paint cards.
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
To show down a hand in hold'em when your cards don't make a hand any better than is shown on the board. For instance, if you have 22, and the board is 4-4-9-9-A (no flush possible), then you must "play the board": the best possible hand you can make doesn't use any of your cards. Note that if you play the board, the best you can do is split the pot with all remaining players.
Play With
Staying in the hand by betting, calling, raising, or re-raising. Pocket
Your unique cards that only you can see. For instance, "He had pocket sixes" (a pair of sixes), or "I had ace-king in the pocket."
Pocket Pair
A hold'em starting hand with two cards of the same rank, making a pair. Example: "I had big pocket pairs seven times in the first hour. What else can you ask for?"
Pocket Rockets
A pair of aces in the hole.
Position
Your seat in relation to the dealer, and thus your place in the betting order.
Post
To put in a blind bet, generally required when you first sit down in a cardroom game. You may also be required to post a blind if you change seats at the table in a way that moves you away from the blinds. Example: a player leaves one seat at a table and takes another in such a way that he moves farther from the blinds. He is required to post an extra blind to receive a hand. See also "extra blind."
Pot
The money or chips in the center of the table. Pot-Committed
A state where you are essentially forced to call the rest of your stack because of the size of the pot and your remaining chips.
Pot-Limit
A version of poker in which a player may bet up to the amount of money in the pot whenever it is his turn to act. Like no-limit, this is a very different game from limit poker.
Pot Odds
The amount of money in the pot compared to the amount you must put in the pot to continue playing. For example, suppose there is $60 in the pot. Somebody bets $6, so the pot now contains $66. It costs you $6 to call, so your pot odds are 11:1. If your chance of having the best hand is at least 1 out of 12, you should call. Pot odds also apply to draws. For instance, suppose you have a draw to the nut flush with one card left to come. In this case, you are about a 4:1 underdog to make your flush. If it costs you $8 to call the bet, then there must be about $32 in the pot (including the most recent bet) to make your call correct.
Price
The pot odds you are getting for a draw or call. Example: "The pot was laying me a high enough price, so I stayed in with my gutshot straight draw."
Prop
Short for proposition player; similar to a shill, but plays with his own money.
Proposition Player
A cardroom 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
(1) To keep your hand or a chip on your cards. This prevents them from being fouled by a discarded hand, or accidentally mucked by the dealer. (2) To invest more money in a pot so blind money that you've already put in isn't "wasted." Example: "He'll always protect his blinds, no matter how bad his cards are."
Provider
A player who makes the game profitable for the other players at the table; a nicer term for a fish.
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
To mentally assign a hand to a player for the purposes of playing out your hand. Example: "He raised on the flop, but I put him on a draw, so I re-raised and then bet the turn."
Putting On The Heat
Pressuring your opponents with aggressive betting strategies to get the most value from your hand.
Quads
Four of a kind.
Qualifier
In high-low, a requirement the hand must meet to be eligible for a portion of the pot.
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
A flop (or board) that doesn't appear to help anybody very much. A flop that came down Jd-6h-2c would look ragged.
Rags
Worthless cards; blanks.
Rail
The sideline at a poker table.
Railbird
A non-playing spectator or kibitzer, often used to describe a broke ex-player.
Rainbow
A flop that contains three different suits, thus no flush can be made on the turn. Can also mean a complete five card board that has no more than two of any suit, thus no flush is possible.
Raise
To call and increase the previous bet. Rake
An amount of money taken out of every pot by the dealer. This is the cardroom's income.
Rank
The numerical value of a card (as opposed to its suit). Example: "jack," "seven."
Rap
To knock the table, indicating a check.
Razz
Seven-card stud lowball. Shortened from "razzle dazzle."
Read
To try and determine your opponent's cards or betting strategy.
Rebuy
An option to buy back into a tournament after you've lost all your chips. Tournaments may offer one or more rebuys or (often) none at all.
Redraw
A draw to an even better hand when you currently are holding the nuts.
Reducing
The act of removing chips from a table and returning immediately with fewer chips. Reducing is considered poor etiquette.
Represent
To play as if you hold a certain hand. For instance, if you raised before the flop, and then raised again when the flop came ace high, you would be representing at least an ace with a good kicker.
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 regular poker game as opposed to a tournament. Also referred to as a "live" game since actual money is in play instead of tournament chips.
River
The fifth and final community card, put out face up, by itself. Also known as "fifth street." Metaphors involving the river are some of poker's most treasured cliches, e.g., "He drowned in the river."
Rock
A player who plays very tight, not very creatively. He raises only with the best hands. A real rock is fairly predictable: if he raises you on the river, you can throw away just about anything but the nuts.
Rock Garden
A table populated with rocks.
Roll
To turn a card face-up.
Rolled Up
In Seven-Card Stud, three of a kind on third street (the first three cards).
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 bet or raise has been called by all players still in the hand.
Rounder
A professional player who "makes the rounds" of the big poker games in the country.
Royal Flush
The best possible poker hand, consisting of the 10 through the Ace, all the same suit.
Run
A straight, or a series of good cards.
Run Over
Playing aggressively in an attempt to control the other players.
Runner
Typically said "runner-runner" to describe a hand that was made only by catching the correct cards on both the turn and the river. Example: "He made a runner-runner flush to beat my trips." See also "backdoor."
Running
Two needed cards that come as the last two cards dealt.
Running Bad
On a losing streak.
Running Good
On a winning streak.
Running Pair
When the last two cards on the board make a pair.
Rush
Several winning hands in a short period of time.
Sandbag
To check a strong hand with the intention of raising or re-raising.
Satellite
A tournament that does not award cash to its winners, but a seat (or seats) in a subsequent "target" tournament.
Scare Card
A card that may well turn the best hand into trash. If you have Tc-8c and the flop comes Qd-Jd-9s, you almost assuredly have the best hand. However, a turn card of Td would be very scary because it would almost guarantee that you are now beaten.
School
The players in a regular game.
Scoop
To win the entire pot.
Scooting
Passing chips to another player after winning a pot; horsing.
Screen Name
The unique identity you select by which you are known in the poker room.
Seat Charge
In public cardrooms, an hourly fee for playing poker.
Seating List
In most cardrooms, if there is no seat available for you when you arrive, you can put your name on a list to be seated when a seat opens up.
Second Pair
A pair with the second highest card on the flop. If you have As-Ts, and the flop comes Kd-Th-6c, you have flopped second pair. See "top pair."
See
To call.
Sell
As in "sell a hand." In a spread-limit game, this means betting less than the maximum when you have a very strong hand, hoping players will call whereas they would not have called a maximum bet.
Semi-Bluff
A powerful concept first discussed by David Sklansky. It is a bet or raise that you hope will not be called, but you have some outs if it is. A semi-bluff may be correct when betting for value is not correct, a pure bluff is not correct, but the combination of the two may be a positive expectation play. Example: you have Ks-Qs, and the flop is Th-5s-Jc. If you bet now, it's a semi-bluff. You probably don't have the best hand, and you'd like to see your opponents fold immediately. Nevertheless, if you do get callers, you could still improve to the best hand.
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.
Seventh Street
The final betting round on the last card in Seven-Card Stud.
Shill
A cardroom employee, often an off-duty dealer, who plays with house money to make up a game.
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 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
The point at which all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over and determine who has the best hand -- i.e., after the fourth round of betting is completed. Of course, if a final bet or raise is not called, there is no showdown.
Side Card
An unmatched card which may determine the winner between two otherwise equal hands.
Side Pot
A pot created in which a player has no interest because he has run out of chips. Example: Al bets $6, Beth calls the $6, and Carl calls, but he has only $2 left. An $8 side pot is created that either Al or Beth can win, but not Carl. Carl, however, can still win all the money in the original or "center" pot.
Sit Out
We permit you to hold your seat at a table while not participating in some hands. Under most conditions, we limit the time you may sit out to a small number of hands. In blind games, you may be asked to post the equivalent of the blind if you return to your seat prior to the blind reaching you. To sit out you click a check box on the table screen. To return, you unclick the "sit out" check box.
Sixth Street
In Seven-Card Stud, the fourth round of betting on the sixth card.
Skin
To fix the cards; cheat.
Slow Play
To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay in the pot.
Slowroll
To reveal one's hand slowly at showdown, one card at a time, to heighten the drama.
Small Blind
The smaller of two blind bets typically used in a hold'em game. Normally, the small blind is one-third to two-thirds of a first round bet. See also "big blind" and "blind."
Smooth
The best possible low hand with a particular high card.
Smooth Call
To call. Smooth call often implies slow playing a strong hand. Example: "I flopped the nut flush but just smooth called when the guy in front of me bet -- I didn't want to scare anybody out."
Snap Off
To beat another player, often a bluffer, and usually without a powerful hand.
Soft-Play
To go easy on another player at the table (e.g., not betting or raising against him). Suppose you and your brother are the last two people left in a hand. On the river, you have the nuts, but he bets. If you don't raise, you are "soft-playing" him. Please note that soft-playing is prohibited in tournaments and can result in penalties, up to and including forfeiture of winnings.
Splash Around
To play more loosely than you should.
Splash the Pot
To toss chips directly into the pot rather than put them in a stack in front of you. Don't do it.
Split Pot
A pot that is shared by two or more players because they have equivalent hands.
Split Two Pair
A two pair hand in which one of each of your cards' ranks appears on the board as well. Example: you have T9, the flop is T-9-5, you have a split two pair. This is in comparison to two pair where there is a pair on the board. Example: you have T9, the flop is 9-5-5.
Spread
When a cardroom starts a table for a particular game, it is said to spread that game. If you want to know what games are played in a particular place, you can ask what they spread.
Spread-Limit
A betting structure in which a player may bet any amount in a range on every betting round. A typical spread-limit structure is $2-$6, where a player may bet as little as $2 or as much as $6 on every 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
The pile of chips in front of a player.
Stand Pat
To decline an opportunity to draw cards.
Stand-Off
A tie, in which the players divide the pot equally.
Stay
To remain in a hand with a call rather than a raise.
Steal
A bluff in late position, attempting to steal the pot from a table of apparently weak hands.
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).
Stop-and-Go
A play where you call (rather than re-raising) a raise, but then come out betting on the next card.
Straddle
An optional extra blind bet, typically made by the player one to the left of the big blind, equal to twice the big blind. This is effectively a raise, and forces any player who wants to play to pay two bets. Furthermore, the straddler acts last before the flop, and may "re-raise."
Straight
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits.
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Streak
A run of good or bad cards.
String Bet
A bet (more typically a raise) in which a player doesn't get all the chips required for the raise into the pot in one motion. Unless he verbally declared the raise, he can be forced to withdraw it and just call. This prevents the unethical play of putting out enough chips to call, seeing what effect that had, and then possibly raising.
Structured
Used to apply to a certain betting structure in poker games. The typical definition of a structured hold'em game is a fixed amount for bets and raises before the flop and on the flop, and then twice that amount on the turn and river. Example: a $2-$4 structured hold'em game: bets and raises of $2 before the flop and on the flop; $4 bets and raises on the turn and river.
Stuck
Slang for losing, often a substantial amount of money.
Stud
Any form of poker in which the first card or cards are dealt 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, often with poor pot odds. Suited
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are the same suit. Example: "I had to play J-3 -- it was suited."
Sweat
To watch a player from the rail.
Sweeten The Pot
Slang for raise.
Table
Refers to the poker table itself, or the collective players in the game.
Table Cop
A player who calls with the intention of keeping other players honest.
Table Stakes
A rule in a poker game meaning that a player may not go into his pocket for money during a hand. He may only invest the amount of money in front of him into the current pot. If he runs out of chips during the hand, a side pot is created in which he has no interest. All casino poker is played table stakes. The definition sometimes also includes the rule that a player may not remove chips from the table during a game. While this rule might not be referred to as "table stakes," it is enforced almost universally in public poker games.
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 City
To go broke.
Tap Out
To bet all one's chips.
Tapped Out
Broke, busted.
Tell
A clue or hint that a player unknowingly gives about the strength of his hand, his next action, etc. May originally be from "telegraph" or the obvious use that he "tells" you what he's going to do before he does it.
Thin
As in "drawing thin." To be drawing to a very few outs, perhaps only one or two.
Third Pair
In flop games, pairing the third highest card on 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.
Throwing A Party
When several loose or amateur players are making significant monetary contributions to the pot.
Tight
A conservative player who only plays strong hands, or playing on fewer hands than the norm.
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.
Time
(1) A request by a player to suspend play while he decides what he's going to do. Simply, "Time, please!" If a player doesn't request time and there is a substantial amount of action behind him, the dealer may rule that the player has folded. (2) An amount of money collected either on the button or every half hour by the cardroom. This is another way for the house to make its money (see "rake").
To Go
The amount a player must call if he wishes to continue playing. Example: "The big blind was $20. Sarah raised $40 more, making it $60 to go."
Toke
A small amount of money (typically $.50 or $1.00) given to the dealer by the winner of a pot. Quite often, tokes represent the great majority of a dealer's income.
Top Pair
A pair with the highest card on the flop. If you have As-Qs, and the flop comes Qd-Th-6c, you have flopped top pair. See "second pair."
Top Set
The highest possible trips. Example: you have Tc-Ts, and the flop comes Td-8c-9h. You have flopped top set.
Top Two
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the two highest cards on the board.
Top and Bottom
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the highest and lowest cards on the board.
Trey
A three.
Triplets
Three of a kind.
Trips
Three of a kind.
Turn
The fourth community card. Put out face up, by itself. Also known as "fourth street."
Two Flush
Two cards of the same suit, requiring three more to make a flush.
Two Pair
A hand with two pairs and a kicker.
Under-Raise
To raise less than the previous bet; allowed only if a player is going all-in.
Under the Gun
The position of the player who acts first on a betting round. For instance, if you are one to the left of the big blind, you are under the gun before the flop.
Underdog
A person or hand not mathematically favored to win a pot. For instance, if you flop four cards to your flush, you are not quite a 2:1 underdog to make your flush by the river (that is, you will make your flush about one in three times). See also "dog."
Up Card
An open card, a card dealt face-up.
Value
As in "bet for value." This means that you would actually like your opponents to call your bet (as opposed to a bluff). Generally it's because you have the best hand. However, it can also be a draw that, given enough callers, has a positive expectation.
Variance
A measure of the up and down swings your bankroll goes through. Variance is not necessarily a measure of how well you play. However, the higher your variance, the wider swings you'll see in your bankroll.
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.
Wheel
A straight from ace through five.
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.
Wired Pair
A pair in hand.
World's Fair
A big hand. |
