| Aces
Full |
A full
house with three aces and any pair. |
| Ace-High |
A five card hand
that contains one Ace, with no straight
or flush or a hand
with no pair in it. |
| Aces
Up |
A hand
that contains 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 |
Any player who is
still in the hand. |
| Add-on |
A purchase of more
chips (optional) at the end of the re-buy
period in a tournament. |
| All-In |
When a player bets
all his/her chips.: In online poker, you
may be deemed "All-in" when you
are disconnected (even if you have chips
remaining). |
| American
Airlines |
Two Aces. |
| Ante |
Money placed in
the pot before the hand
is begun. |
| |
|
| B |
|
| Bad
Beat |
When a hand
is beaten by a lucky draw. |
| Belly
Buster |
A draw and/or catch
to an Inside Straight. |
| Bet |
To place chips into
the pot. |
| Bet
the Pot |
When a player bets
the amount of the pot. |
| Bicycle |
A straight
that is A-2-3-4-5. |
| 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
Slick |
A hand that contains
an A-K. |
| 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
Raise |
When a player raises
without looking at his hand. |
| 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. |
| Boardcards |
The cards that are
dealt face-up in a poker game for all players
to see. In flop games,
five cards are dealt face-up in the center
of the table. In Seven
Card Stud, four cards are dealt face-up
in front of each player. |
| Bottom
Pair |
When a player uses
the lowest card on the flop
to make a pair with
one of his own cards. |
| Broadway |
An Ace high straight
(A-K-Q-J-10). |
| 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. |
| Broomcorn's
Uncle |
A player who antes
himself broke. |
| Bullets |
A pair
of Aces. |
| Bump |
To raise.
|
| 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-In |
The minimum amount
of money required by a player to sit down
in a particular poker game. |
| Back
to top |
|
| C |
|
| Call |
When a player chooses to match
the previous bet. |
| Call
Cold |
To call both a bet and raise(s).
|
| Cap |
To take the last of the maximum
amount of raises allowed
per round of betting. |
| Cardroom |
The
room or space in a casino where poker is
played. |
| Case
Chips |
A player's
last chips. |
| Cash
Out |
To leave
a game and convert your chips to cash. |
| Check |
When
it's a player's turn to act and there has
been no action in front of them and he opts
not to bet, he "checks." |
| Check-Raise |
When a player first
checks and then raises in a betting round. |
| Chop |
To return the blinds
to the players who posted them and move
on to the next hand if no other players
call. It also means to "split the pot".
|
| Collusion |
When two or more
players conspire to cheat in a poker game.
|
| Community
Cards |
Cards that are face-up
and used by all players. |
| Cowboys |
Two Kings. |
| |
|
| D |
|
| Dead
Man's Hand |
Two pair - Aces
and Eights (Wild Bill Hickock was shot in
the back while playing this hand). |
| Door
Card |
This is the first
exposed card, or "up" card, in a player's
hand in Stud games. |
| Down
Card |
Hole
cards. Cards that are dealt face down. |
| Doyle
Brunson |
It's a Holdem hand
consisting of a 10-2 (Brunson won the world
championship two years in a row on the final
hand with these cards). |
| Draw
Lowball |
Form of poker where
each player is dealt five cards with the
option of discarding one or more and replacing
them with new ones and the low hand wins. |
| 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. |
| Drop |
Fold. |
| Ducks |
A pair of Twos. |
| Deuces |
A pair of Twos. |
| Back
to top |
|
| E |
|
| 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.
) |
| |
|
| F |
|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Flat
Call |
Calling
a bet without raising. |
| Flop |
In Hold'em
and Omaha, the first
three community
cards that are dealt face-up in the center
of the table all at one time. The "flop"
also indicates the second round of betting. |
| Flop
Games |
Poker games (Hold
'em and Omaha)
that are played using community
cards that are dealt face up in the center
of the table. |
| Floorman |
An employee of
the cardroom who makes rulings and decisions.
|
| 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 |
A required bet that
starts the action on the first round of
a poker hand. |
| 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. |
| Full
House |
Any three cards
of the same number or face value, plus any
other two cards of the same number or face
value. |
| Back
to top |
|
| G |
|
| Gut
Shot |
To draw to and/or
hit an inside straight. |
| H |
|
| Hand |
A player's best
five cards. |
| High-Card |
To decide the first
dealer in the flop tournaments each user
is dealt a single card and the player with
the highest card (based on the card and
the suit order - of spades, hearts, diamonds
& clubs) becomes the theoretical dealer.
|
| High-Low |
Split pot games.
|
| Hold
'em |
Also known as Texas
Hold 'em, where the players get two down
cards and five community
cards. |
| Hole
Cards |
These are the Down
Cards in front of the players. |
| House |
The casino or cardroom
that is hosting the poker game. |
| |
|
| I |
|
| 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. |
| Back
to top |
|
| J |
|
| Jackpot
Poker |
A form of poker
in which the cardroom or casino offers a
jackpot to a player who has lost with a
really big hand (usually Aces full or better).
|
| Jacks-or-
Better |
A form of poker
in which a player needs to have at least
a pair of jacks to open the betting. |
| K |
|
| Kansas
City Lowball |
Form of lowball
poker in which the worst poker hand (2,
3, 4, 5, 7 of different suits) is the best
hand. It's also known as Deuce to Seven.
|
| Keep
Them Honest |
To call at the end
of a hand to prevent someone from bluffing.
|
| Key
Card |
A card that gives
you a big draw or makes your hand.
|
| Key
Hand |
In a session or
tournament, the one hand that ends up being
a turning point for the player, either for
better or worse. |
| Kicker |
The highest unpaired
side card in a players' hand. |
| Kick
It |
Raise. |
| Kill
Pot |
A method to stimulate
action. It is a forced bet by someone who
has just won a pot(s). |
| Knock
|
Check.
|
| Kojak
|
A hand that contains
a K-J. |
| |
|
| L |
|
| Ladies
|
Two Queens. |
| Late
Position |
Position 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 Your Hand |
When a player folds. |
| Lead |
The first player
to bet into a pot. |
| Limit
Poker |
A game that has
fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals
along with a prescribed number of raises. |
| Limper |
The first player
who calls a bet. |
| 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.) |
| Live
Blind |
An instance where
the player puts in a dark bet and is allowed
to raise, even if no
other player raises. It's also known as
an "option". |
| 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 could still win the pot. |
| Live
One |
A not so knowledgeable
player who plays a lot of hands. |
| Look |
When a player calls
the final bet before the showdown. |
| Loose |
Is a
player who plays a lot hands. |
| Lowball |
Is a form of draw
poker in which the lowest hand wins the
pot. |
| Back
to 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. |
| Maniac |
A very aggressive
player who plays a lot of hands. |
| Middle
Pair |
In flop
games, when a player makes a pair with
one of his/her down
cards and the middle card on the flop. |
| 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). |
| Muck |
To discard or throw
away your hand. It's
also a pile of cards that are no longer
in play. |
| Minimum
Buy-In |
The least amount
you can start a game with. |
| Monster |
A very big hand.
In a tournament, a player who begins to
accumulate chips after having a small stack
is considered to be a monster. |
| |
|
| N |
|
| No
Limit |
A game where players
can bet as much as they like (as long as
they have it in front of them) on any round
of betting. |
| Nuts |
The best possible
hand at any point of
the game. A hand that cannot be beat. |
| Back
to top |
|
| O |
|
| Odds |
The probability
of making a hand vs.
the probability of not making a 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.
|
| Open |
To make the first
bet. |
| Open-ended
Straight |
Four consecutive
cards whereby one additional (consecutive)
card is needed at either end to make a straight. |
| Open
Card |
A card that is dealt
face-up. |
| Open
Pair |
A pair
that has been dealt face-up. |
| Option |
An option is a Live
Blind made in the dark before the cards
are dealt. If no one raises, the "option"
player may raise the pot. |
| Out
Button |
A disc placed in
front of a player who wishes to sit out
a hand(s) but remain in the game. |
| Back
to top |
|
| P |
|
| Paints |
Face or picture
cards (Jack, Queen and King). |
| Pair |
Two cards of the
same face or number value. |
| Pass |
To fold. |
| Pay
Off |
To call
on the final round of betting when you may
or may not think you have the best hand.
|
| Picture
Cards |
Face cards (Jack,
Queen and King). |
| Play
Back |
To raise
or re-raise another player's bet. |
| Playing
the Board |
In flop
games when your best five card hand
is all five of the community
cards. |
| Pocket |
The down
cards or hole cards.
|
| Pocket
Rockets |
A pair of Aces in
the pocket or hole. |
| 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 |
This is a game where
the maximum bet can equal the pot. |
| Prop |
A person hired by
the cardroom to work as a shill. |
| Push |
When the dealer
pushes the chips to the winning player at
the end of a hand. It's also when dealers
rotate to other tables. |
| Put
Down |
To fold
a hand. |
| Back
to top |
|
| Q |
|
| Quads |
Four of a kind. |
| Qualifier |
In High-Low
games, it is a requirement the Low hand
must meet to win the pot. |
| |
|
| R |
|
| Rack |
A tray that holds
100 poker chips in five stacks of twenty
chips each. |
| Rail |
The rim of a poker
table or a barrier outside a poker area. |
| Railbird |
Someone who hangs
around a poker room who watches the games
and/or is looking to get into action. |
| Raise |
To increase the
previous bet. |
| Rake |
Chips taken from
the pot by the cardroom
for compensation for hosting the game. |
| Rank |
The value of each
card and hand. |
| Rap |
When a player knocks
on the table indicating that he/she has
checked. |
| Razz |
Seven Card Stud
where the lowest five cards win the pot. |
| Re-buy |
The amount of money
a player pays to add a fixed number of chips
to his/her stack in a tournament. |
| Re-raise |
To raise a raise. |
| Ring
Game |
A "live" game that
is not a tournament. |
| River |
This is the last
card given in all games. In Hold'em
and Omaha, it is also
known as 5th street. In Stud
games, it is also known as 7th street. |
| Round
of Betting |
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. |
| 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. |
| Back
to top |
|
| S |
|
| Satellite |
It is a mini-tournament
to gain an entry into a larger tournament. |
| Scoop |
To win the entire
pot. |
| 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, when you pair the second highest
card on the board. |
| See |
To call. |
| 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. |
| Shills |
Shills are paid
props who help start
and maintain poker games. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Solid |
A fairly tight player
(and reasonably good). |
| 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. |
| Speed
Limit |
A pair of fives. |
| Split |
Tie. |
| Stack |
A pile of chips. |
| Stay |
When a player remains
in the game by calling
rather than raising. |
| Steel
Wheel |
A five high straight
(A-2-3-4-5) of the same suit. |
| Straddle |
A straddle is a
Blind bet which is usually double the size
of the Big Blind\ (and that player may raise
when the action gets to him). |
| Straight |
Five consecutive
cards of any suit. |
| Straight
Flush |
Five consecutive
cards of the same suit. |
| Structure |
The limits put on
the blinds/ante,
bets, and raises
in any particular game. |
| Stud
Games |
Games in which players
get down cards and up cards. |
| Stuck |
A player who is
losing in a game. |
| Back
to top |
|
| T |
|
| Texas
Hold'em |
This is also the
name for Hold'em,
the most popular form of poker. |
| Third
Street |
In Seven
Card Stud and Seven Card Stud 8 or Better,
this is the first betting round on the first
three cards. |
| Thirty
Miles |
Three tens. |
| Three
of a Kind |
Three cards of the
same number or face value ("trips"). |
| Tight |
A player who doesn't
play many pots. A tight game is one that
doesn't have much action. |
| TOC |
Tournament of Champions. |
| Top
Pair |
In flop
games, when the player pairs one of
his down cards with
the highest card on board. |
| Treys |
A pair of threes. |
| Trips |
Three of a kind. |
| Turn |
In flop
games, this is the fourth card dealt.
It is the third round of betting. |
| Two
Pair |
A hand consisting
of two different pairs. |
| Back
to top |
|
| U |
|
| Up
Card |
A card that is dealt
face-up. |
| |
|
| V-W |
|
| Walking
Sticks |
A pair of sevens. |
| Wild
Card |
A card that can
be played as any value. |
| Worst
Hand |
A losing hand. |
| WSOP |
World Series of
Poker. |
| Back
to top |
|
