A
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.
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 Its 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 faceup
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.
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.
U
Up Card
A card that is dealt face-up.
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.
