Poker Glossary - Poker terminology
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A
Ace-High
A five-card hand that
has no hand combinations but contains one
Ace.
All-in
When you bet all your
money on a hand.
Ante
The minimum bet that
players must make before betting begins
and any cards are dealt.
B
Bad Beat
When a good hand gets
beaten by a lucky draw.
Big Blind
The first bet made by
the player to the left of the player who
posts the small blind. It is a compulsory
bet. The big blind bet amount is equal to
the lower bet.
Big Pair
A pair with a value of
10 or greater.
Big Slick
An A-K pocket cards combination.
Blind Bet
A forced bet before any
cards are dealt and a live bet for the first
round of betting. You have both a big blind
and a small blind in the first round of
betting.
Bluff
To represent a better
hand than you actually have.
Boat
Slang for a full house.
Bullets
A pair of Aces. If these
are pocket cards, known as "Pocket
Rockets".
Burning a Card
Discarding the top card
of the deck.
Buy-in Amount
The amount you must bring
to a game.
Buy-in Limit
The minimum amount you
must bring to a 1-on-1 game.
C
Call
When you place a bet
equal to the previous bet.
Cap
The limit used to describe
the third raise in a round. Betting is capped
and players can only call or fold.
Cash Out
To finish playing and
exchange your chips from cash.
Catch
When a player makes the
hand s/he was drawing to.
Check
When you want to stay
in the game but not place a bet. You can
only check if no other bets have been placed
in the betting round.
Check-Raise
To check at the beginning
of a betting round and then raise when a
player to your left bets.
Coffeehousing
When players chat about
a hand they are involved in to mislead or
manipulate other players.
Call Cold
Calling both a bet and
a raise at the same time.
Collusion
When two or more players
work together in order to win a hand or
succession of hands.
Community Cards
Cards that are dealt
open to the table and can be used by all
players to complete a five-card hand.
D
Dead Man's Hand
Two pair hand consisting
of Aces & Eights. Reputed to be the
hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding
when he was shot dead.
Dealer-button
A flat disk that is used
to signify the Dealer's position on the
table in online poker. The disk is usually
marked with a D.
Deuces
A pair of Twos.
Drawing
Remaining in the round
and accepting more cards.
Drawing to a hand
Remaining in the round
with the hope of making one's potential
hand as more cards are dealt.
Drawing Dead
When a player is drawing
to a hand that is not the best hand offered
by the flop and will therefore be beaten
even if the hand is made.
E
Equalized
When all players have
contributed the same amount of credits to
the pot.
F
Fifth Street
The third round of betting
and is called Fifth Street because the players
have Five-Cards each.
Flop
The first three community
cards dealt to the table.
Fold
When players throw in
their card and give up any claim on the
pot.
Fourth Street
The second round of betting
and is called Fourth Street because the
players have four cards each.
Flush Draw
When a player holds four
cards of the same suit and is hoping to
draw a fifth to complete a flush.
G
Go on tilt
When a player loses emotional
balance during a game and plays irrationally.
Gut Shot
To draw to an inside
straight.
H
Hand
The best combination
a player can make with the cards s/he holds
plus the communal cards.
Heads Up
A game with only two
players.
Hole Cards
These are the Down Cards
in front of the players. (Also known as
"Pocket Cards")
House
The host of the game
(e.g. the casino).
I
Inside straight draw
Drawing to a straight
where the cards needed to complete the straight
are those in the middle of the straight.
For example, you have 6-7-9-10 and need
the middle card (8) to make the straight.
J
K
Kicker
The highest unpaired
pocket card.
L
Limping In
Calling the big blind
rather than raising.
Live Blinds
Blind bets that are in
play.
Lowest Card
The card that has the
lowest value. Aces are high. If two players
have the same lowest card, the value is
determined by suit. Suits are arranged in
alphabetical order from lowest to highest
value: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades.
M
Maniac
A very loose and aggressive
player, playing almost any hand and usually
raising rather than calling.
Monster
A very strong hand.
Muck
When you do not want
to show your hand to the table. The hand
is discarded without being displayed to
the table. You can muck a losing hand in
a showdown, or the winning hand if everyone
else has folded.
N
Nuts
The best possible hand
at a particular point of the game.
Nut Flush
A flush containing the
Ace.
O
Offsuit
Cards of different suits.
Outs
Cards that will make
the hand that the player is drawing to.
P
Paint Cards
The picture cards (King,
Queen, Jack).
Pocket Cards
The cards dealt face
down to each player.
Pocket Rockets
A pair of Aces as your
pocket cards.
Post Now
A choice given to new
players joining a game. They can either
post now or wait for the big blind bet.
If they post now, they bet the equivalent
of a big blind bet and receive cards immediately.
Pot
The pot is the pile of
chips that accumulates as each player ante,
bet and raise. All winnings are paid from
the pot. The value of the pot varies depending
on the stakes involved and the amount the
Players bet. The pot goes to the winner
of each round.
Q
Quads
Four of a kind.
Quartered
When Players tie with
either a high or a low hand and earn a quarter
of the pot.
R
Rake
Percentage
of the pot taken by the house. A raked hand
is considered as a play where the player
contributes to the pot.
Rags
Useless cards.
Rainbow
When the board contains
3 or 4 cards of different suits.
Raise
When you increase the
bet made by a preceding player. This increases
the stakes for remaining Players, who now
have to match the total amount including
the raise.
Ring Game
A normal real money table
game, as opposed to a tournament game.
River Card
The final community card.
Rock
A player who will only
play the best hands and nothing less.
S
Scare Cards
High board cards (e.g
an Ace that appears on the flop).
See
To see someone is to
call their bet.
Semi-bluff
To bluff with a hand
that still has drawing potential and could
improve to be the winning hand.
Seven Deuce
The weakest starting
card combination in Texas Hold-em (7-2)
Seventh Street
The fifth and final round
of betting because the Players have Seven-Cards
each.
Showdown
After the last betting
round, when players compare hands to determine
the winner.
Sitting Out
When you choose to leave
a table for a few hands.
Sixth Street
The fourth round of betting
and is called Sixth Street because the players
have six cards each.
Slow Playing
Playing non-aggressively
with a powerful hand; calling and betting
instead of raising. This in the hope of
not driving players out of the hand and
thus sucking more money into the pot. Also
called "sandbagging".
Small Blind
The first bet posted
by the player to the Dealer's left. It is
a forced bet. The small blind bet amount is
equal to half of the lower bet.
Splash the pot
To toss chips into the pot instead of placing
them. Seen as bad etiquette.
Stack
A player's chips. Steal
To try and win the pot
by betting when everyone else has checked,
or by making a large raise when everyone
else has called.
Suited Cards
Cards of the same suit.
T
Third Street
The first round of betting
and is called Third Street because the players
have three cards each. The player with the
lowest card displayed brings-in the betting
in this round.
Turn
The fourth community
card dealt.
U
Under the Gun
The player who must act
first in the betting round.
V
Visible Cards
Cards dealt face up to
each Player. Players use these cards to
complete a five-card combination.
W
WSOP
World Series of Poker.
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