POKER GLOSSARY : Here you will find explanations for the various terms used in poker. Some are regularly used words like call and raise, but you'll also find nicknames for hands and more exotic poker expressions. Ace High: A poker hand with no other combination (pair, flush, straight, etc). In this case the Ace counts as a high card. It would beat king high, but not a pair. Action: Betting, raising, and/or calling. A hand with a lot of raising is a hand with a lot of action. Advertise: To advertise is to represent a method of play. For example, you play tight and only call when you have great cards, then show them. Next time you can call with rags (bluff) and players think you have another strong hand. Aggressive: "Aggressive Play" usually means a lot of betting and raising. Both pre flop and post flop. Ajax: The holdem starting hand Ace-Jack ( {{as}} {{js}} ). Also known as Blackjack and "The (Aussie) Jewel". All In: In no-limit texas holdem, a player may declare himself "all in" any time it's his turn to bet (meaning he bets all of his chips). A player with less chips can still call this bet by also going 'all in, but he cannot win more chips from the other player then he has. American Airlines: The holdem starting hand Ace-Ace (AA). Also known as Rockets, Pocket Rockets. Ante: A small amount of chips placed into the pot before each hand. This acts as a "tax" for playing hands and is usually used in Stud games, whereas Hold'em games usually have blinds. Aquarium: An aquarium is a poker room or game that has a lot of fish in it. Bad Beat: A bad beat is a loss in which the losing player had the better odds on the winning player earlier in the hand. Bankroll: The money you reserve to play poker with. Beer Hand: Generally a 2-7 offsuit, although some consider the 2-7 suited to be a beer hand as well. Considered the worst stating hand in hold em (The lowest two cards that cannot even make a straight.)
Belly Buster: An inside straight draw, synonym of gutshot. Also known as a Gutshot. A straight draw where you need 1 more card to make the straight (as opposed to an open ended straight draw where you have 2 cards you can hit). Bet: To put chips into the pot. Other players must either Call your bet, Raise you, or Fold. Big Blind: The larger of the two forced preflop bets. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, the blinds ensure there is always money in the pot and "action" on every hand. Big Slick: The holdem starting hand Ace-King (AK). This is a very strong starting hand.
Bird on a Stick: The holdem starting hand Seven-Two (72). Blackjack: The holdem starting hand Ace-Jack (AJ). Brick: A worthless card that does not help the players hand.
Blinds: In holdem, these are the forced bets that take the place of an ante. The player on the left of the dealer (or dealer button) must pay the small blind and the person after him must pay the big blind. The big blind is usually double the amount of the small blind, however some cash games are known to have a blinds structure of 10/25 or 2/5. Bluff: To bluff is to make a bet, when you know you have nothing. When you have no hand you hope that you are not called by your opponents. The aim of a bluff is to "buy" a pot because everyone else folds. Board Cards: The cards in the middle of the table that are shared by everyone. "There were two Aces on the board" Boat: A Full House. Also known as the full boat or simply full house. Bottom Pair: When you make a pair on the flop with the lowest card on the board and one of your hole cards. The other cards on the board are referred to as "over cards" and may give another player the "middle pair" or "top pair". The bottom pair is sometimes called "Third Pair". Break: A break is when you bet your strong hand very forcefully to win the pot. Most often your opponent will need to go all-in. Broken: If a player consistently loses over a night and loses a lot of his/her money, that player may be considered 'broken.' Broadway: Broadway means a straight from ten to ace. This is the best possible straight. Buckets: The holdem starting hand 44. A pocket pair of fours. Bullets: The holdem starting hand AA. Pocket Aces. Also known as Rockets or American Airlines. Burn: When the dealer discards the next card prior to dealing the flop, turn and river. The card that is placed down is termed the 'burned/burnt card'. Button: As opposed to your home game, in casinos and big tournaments, they have a dedicated dealer and instead use a small plastic disc called the "dealer button" to indicate who is effectively the dealer. After the flop, the dealer is the last person to act in a round of betting. Being "on the button" is a good position as you are the last person to decide to call, raise or fold. Call: To bet an amount only equal to the previous bet. Calling Station: A calling station is a player who calls a lot. Candy Canes: The holdem starting hand Seven-Seven (77). Pocket sevens. Canine: The holdem starting hand King-Nine (K9), sometimes referred to as "The Dog" Cap: In limit poker the cap is the maximum amount of raises allowed in each betting round. A common cap seen in online poker games is 4 bets per round (one bet and three raises). Case: The case card is the last card available of a particular rank in the deck. Chase: To call in the hopes of hitting a draw. Check: In a betting round, if there are no previous bets or raises on a hand, players can "check" the hand and continue to play without wagering any more money. Check-Raise: Quite possibly one of the scariest plays in poker. A player "checks" the hand, to see what his opponents play will be, but has every intention of re-raising if his opponent raises him. This is a technique used to get more money into the pot and an effective play in a limit game. Cold Cards: A player who is receiving cold cards is usually an experienced player who is having bad luck due to a long running string of bad cards. Community Cards: The 5 cards that are dealt on to the table that the "community" of players can use to make their best five (5) card hand. Sometimes known as the "board cards". Color Up: During a poker tournament or cash game, the house may elect to remove the smaller denomination chips from play. Usually a "color up" will result in removing those big stacks of chips from players and replacing them with a smaller quantity of higher denomination chips. Computer Hand: The holdem starting hand Queen-Seven (Q7). A starting hand that on average is the median of all other hands. Connectors: Connectors (connected) are hole cards are consecutive, like TJ, 56, 89. "Suited Connectors" are consecutive hole cards that share the same suit. JQ of spades, 78 diamonds. Cowboys: The holdem starting hand King-King (KK). Crabs: The holdem starting hand Three-Three (33). Dead Man's Hand: The holdem starting hand Ace-Eight (A8) and making two pair on the board AA88. Legendary lawman and gambler Wild Bill Hickok was shot to death while holding this hand. Dead Money: An novice player who has virtually no shot at winning a tournament. Their chips are said to be "dead money". Dime: Gambling slang for $1,000. "He went over the top of me with a 2 dime bet" Dollar: Gambling slang for $100. "He raised five dollars (five hundred dollars)" Dominated: In holdem poker, a hand that is similar to another hand but has a lower kicker, is a "dominated" hand. If you hold K8 and your opponent had KQ, your hand is dominated buy the higher kicker. You need to draw the 8 because the K won't make your hand better against your opponent. Your hand can also be dominated if your hand has far less outs than your opponent. Down Cards: Another name for your two hole cards in holdem poker. Doyle Brunson: The holdem starting hand Ten-Two (T2). Doyle Brunson won the WSOP two years in a row with a ten and a two. Draw: To draw for a card (Verb: draw, drawing) means hoping to improve your hand with the community cards. For example, your hole cards are 89 and the flop is JT3, you have an open ended straight draw, meaning you need to draw a 7 or Q on the turn/river card to complete your straight. Drawing Dead: Drawing to a hand that will lose even if you make your draw. If you have a straight draw but your opponent already has a flush, you are "drawing dead". Drawout: When you get beaten by someone who makes their draw and you lose the hand. You may have had better cards going into the play, but you get "out drawn" by an opponent. Often refered to as a "bad beat". Ducks: The holdem starting hand Two-Two (22). Otherwise known as "deuces". Family Pot: When more than three players are contending for a pot, the pot is often considered a family pot. Fifth Street: The fifth dealt community card, more commonly known as the "river" card. Fish: A fish is an novice or bad player, who often loses a lot of money. Fixed-Limit: Basically another way of saying "limit poker", there are set bets. Poker with set betting limits. In a $5-$10 fixed-limit poker game all bets and raises preflop and on the flop are $5 each, and the bets and raises after the turn and river cards are $10 each. Flop: The first three face up community cards in Holdem poker. First three board cards. Flush: A poker hand with 5 cards of the same suit. Fold: A player must "fold" or forfeit his hand if he/she does not want to match the current bet in the pot. A player should fold his/her cards when they think they can not win the hand. When folding against only 1 other player (or in a heads up game) you can choose to "show" your cards or "muck" the hand, which means to discard without revealing what cards you had. Four of a Kind: Four of a kind is a poker hand with four cards of the same rank. For example, 9999K. A four of a kind is only beaten by a straight flush or royal flush. Fourth Street: The fourth dealt community card, more commonly known as the "turn" card. Freeroll: A Freeroll is an online poker tournament where the entry fee, the stakes, or both the entry fee and stakes are waived. Often online poker sites offer free entry but give real money prizes. Full Boat: Another name for a full house, a poker hand consisting three-of-a-kind and another pair. Full House: A poker hand consisting of a three-of-a-kind and a pair. Also known as "boat" or "full boat". Grinder: A semi-professional player who makes a living out of playing poker. Gutshot: An inside straight draw. An example of a gutshot straight draw (also known as belly buster straight draw) is to have 4578, in an attempt to draw a 6. High Card: In any round of poker no player makes a ranking hand (pairs or better) then the person with the highest card "High Card" wins. High Society: Gambler slang for $10,000.00 in chips. Hilton Sisters: The holdem starting hand Queen-Queen (QQ). Also called "The Ladies". Hole Cards: The cards dealt to each player face down at the beginning of each hand. Hooks: The holdem starting hand Jack-Jack (JJ). Jackson Five: The holdem starting hand Jack-Five (J5). Jacks and Five. Jacquese: The texas holdem starting hand of Jack-Queen (JQ). Kamikaze: A player who is on tilt so badly that they literally throw away their money with no regard or go all in with a rubbish or semi-strong hand. Kicker: A kicker is a player's highest card that is used to break ties in poker hands. Kojak: The hold'em starting hand King-Jack (KJ). Kokomo: The hold'em starting hand King-King (KK). Ladies: The holdem starting hand Queen-Queen (QQ). Lady: Refering to a Queen. A pair of queens (QQ) is often referred to as "ladies". Limit Poker: Poker with set betting limits. In a $5-$10 limit poker game all bets and raises preflop and on the flop are $5 each, and the bets and raises after the turn and river cards are $10 each. Limp In: A player "limps in" if he does not bet or raise, and only calls the big blind. Limp Raise: To make a small raise preflop. Usually used when you have a very strong hand like AA and wish to provoke a re-raise. Little Slick: The holdem starting hand Ace-Queen (AQ). Longhand: This refers to a poker game with seven or more people. The odds of high cards being played are increased due to the amount of cards out on the table. Loose: Someone who plays a lot of hands. A loose player is often either a maniac or a calling station. Maniac: Nickname for a player who is very loose and/or plays aggressively. This type of player plays a lot of hands, raises frequently, and often bluffs. Mechanic: A cheater who uses sleight-of-hand to arrange the deck or deal benefit himself or a partner. Mid-Life Crisis: The holdem starting hand Four-Four (44). Pocket Fours. Muck: The muck (noun) is the area on the table where all of the dead cards are placed once folded or burnt. To muck (verb) is to discard you hand in a showdown but not show your hand once you discover the other hand has beaten you. Nickel: Gambler slang for $500. NL: Abbreviation to indicate a No-Limit game. No Limit: A betting structure in which there is no maximum bet. Players may bet as much as they want at any time, at any time they can declare themselves "all in" and put all of their chips into the pot. Nuts: The nuts is an unbeatable hand, there is no other hand that could win. Offsuit: A holdem starting hand with two cards of different suits. These hands are weaker than suited hands because there are less "outs" in the hand, as the chance of a flush is significantly decreased. Oldsmobile: The holdem starting hand Nine-Eight (98). Outs Cards that can improve your hand. If you have a 4 cards of a flush draw, then there are 9 other cards left in the deck that can give you the flush (13 out of 52 total) so you have a total of 9 "outs" to complete your hand. Overbet the Pot: In a no limit game if a player bets more than the total pot, they have "overbet the pot". Overpair: An overpair is a pocket pair that is higher than any card on the board.Open End Straight Draw Four cards to a straight, example 4567, drawing to either end of the straight, in this example a 3 or an 8. Pair: A pair is two cards of the same rank. In holdem poker, if you held A9 and the board cards were 5AJ you would have a pair of Aces. If you had the pair in your hole cards, it is called a "pocket pair". Passive: Someone who does not bet and raise a lot. PL: Abbreviation for Pot-Limit. Play Money: Playing for fun or fake money. Usually online poker sites have free games with play money. This allows players to practice without wagering real dollars. Most online casinos and online poker rooms have "play money" games. Playing the Board: In holdem if the five board cards make up a better hand than the players hands. For example a flush with 5 higher ranked cards than the players hole cards, then the player is said to be "playing the board". PLO: Abbreviation for Pot Limit Omaha. Pocket Pair: In holdem if you are dealt two hole cards of the same rank. Pocket Rockets: The holdem starting hand Ace-Ace (AA). Poker Hand: A group of five cards which are ranked according to the hand rankings. Position: Your seating position at the poker table is referred to as "position". While your physical seat stays the same, your "position" changes with each hand. The dealer (player with the dealer button) has the best position because he/she acts last in the betting round, therefore the dealer can see all other players actions before deciding whether how to play the hand. Preflop the person to the left of the big blind, or after the flop the small blind are the worst positions as the player has to act first and does not get any chance to read the other players from their bets before putting money into the pot. This position is sometime called "under the gun". Pot Limit: A betting structure in which the maximum size bet is the size of the pot plus the amount you would bet if you reraised.
Preflop: The stage of a holdem game when you have two cards in your hand and there are no cards on the board yet.
Prop: Prop is short for proposition player. A prop player is paid to play poker. The player plays hands with his own money but has each hand subsidized; receive a payment for playing a certain amount of hands or are paid an wage per hour to play. A lot of online poker rooms use propositional players to keep their games active. Quads: Four of a kind. Holding a set of four cards of the same rank. Rabbit Hunt: When you win a poker hand, your opponent sometimes wants to know if they would have beat you if they stayed in the hand. When your opponent is "rabbit hunting" they ask the dealer to deal the flop, turn or river cards to see what would have come out. Rabbit hunting is frowned upon when playing poker and banned from most tournaments. Rags: Useless cards or cards that don't improve your hand. Rainbow: This describes a flop of all different suits, reducing the chance of a flush. Raise: To make a bet larger than the previous bet, thus forcing the original bettor to call the difference or fold. Rake: This is the fee the poker rooms charge players. It is usually a percentage of the pot. For example, online poker rooms take up to 10% as a fee for hosting the game. However, brick and mortar casinos will charge players an hourly rate instead of raking hands. Rank: The number or letter on the card. Ace is the highest rank and 2 is the lowest. An Ace can also be used as a one (1) when creating a straight. Ranks are abbreviated as follows: A - Ace, K - King, Q - Queen, J - Jack, T - Ten, 9 - Nine, 8 - Eight, 7 - Seven, 6 - Six, 5 - Five, 4 - Four, 3 - Three, 2 - Two. River: The fifth and last community board card, after the turn. Also called fifth street. Rock: This is a nickname for a type of player who will fold a lot. These types of players generally break even. They fold most of their losers, but will not aggressively bet their winners and will thus not make much money. They are also easily bullied out of pots. Rockets: The holdem starting hand Ace-Ace (AA). Rounder: A rounder is a semi-pro or professional player who makes a living or a significant amount of their income from playing poker. Route 66: The holdem starting hand Six-Six (66). Royal Flush: The poker hand consisting of AKQJT of the same suit. The royal flush is the highest ranking poker hand possible, the Ace high straight flush. Sailboats: The holdem starting hand Four-Four (44). Pocket Fours. Sandbagging: Sandbagging is another term for slow-play. To check or bet weakly when you have a strong hand. Sausage: A player who plays with no sense. Example (all in with a 2,9) Sell: Similar to the slow play or sandbagging, betting a very strong hand fairly lightly in order to induce a call. Semi-Bluff: A semi-bluff is when a player makes a bet with a hand that is currently weak but has the potential to become a very strong hand. A common example is when someone has a flush draw and makes a bet into the pot. The bettor hopes that the other players will fold, and he will win the pot right there. However, even if the other players do not fold, he still has a good chance at improving and winning the pot anyway. Set: Three of a kind. Shark: A shark is a good player and typically wins. A shark generally "eats" fish, the weaker amateur players. Shill: A shill player is a who is paid by the house and plays with the house money. Shorthand: This refers to a poker game with six or fewer people. Sidepot In a multi-way pot, a sidepot is created for other players if one player goes all-in. These other players bets and raises will go to the sidepot, and only the players that participated in the sidepot are eligible to win it. Slowplay: Slowplaying is a great poker play, basically the opposite of bluffing. It means to check or bet weakly on a strong hand. The point of the slowplay is so your opponent can get a better hand but you know that your hand can not be beaten (the nuts). The purpose is to get more money into the pot by "bluffing" that you have nothing. Small Blind: The smaller of the two forced bets preflop. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind. Snowmen: The holdem starting hand Eight-Eight (88). Speed Limit: The holdem starting hand Five-Five (55). Splash: Throwing your chips into the pot is called "Splashing the pot" and is considered bad etiquette in poker. Split: The holdem starting hand of Seven-Ten (7T). Named after a ten pin bowling term "the dreaded 7-10 split" the pins on opposite sides of the pin deck. Sponsorship: A poker sponsorship is when a website gives money to a player to play on their site. They are the best deal for any starting poker player who does not want to invest money of his own to try online poker. Of course you can find all the best offers for poker sponsorships right here on Free Poker Bankrolls Stack: An adjective describing chips. For example, "He has a massive stack". Stone Cold Nuts: The best holding possible in a hand of poker that will win the entire pot (as opposed to possibly winning only half or some fraction). Such an example would be holding a suited ace and making a flush with it on an unpaired board in holdem. This is in contrast to holding an ace high straight, which even though it may not possibly be beaten, could end up in a tie with another one. Straight: A poker hand consisting of 5 cards in order of rank. For example, 45678. Straight Flush: A poker hand consisting of 5 cards of the same suit and in order. A straight flush is a straight and a flush. String Bet: In a live game, someone does a string bet if they act like they are going to call but then make a raise. For example, it is standard etiquette that putting the requisite chips for a call into the pot just means a call. If one wants to raise, he or she needs to announce raise before placing chips into the pot. They cannot say "I call your bet" ... but then raise you; They must say "I raise." String bets confuse players as to whether the player is calling or raising, so they are not allowed. Suckout: When the turn or river changes the winner even though the odds were way in the others favor.
Suit: Spades, hearts, diamonds, or clubs. In holdem poker, no suit outranks another. A flush is the only hand that used suits. Suited: Refers to a holdem starting hand with two cards of the same suit. Suited hands are slightly better than unsuited hands because there is a chance of a flush. Sunset Strip: The holdem starting hand Seven-Seven (77). Table Stakes: All poker games are played table stakes. This means one can only bet what one has in front of him on the table on any given hand. Players cannot reach into their pockets and add to their bets. If a player runs out of chips in front of him in the middle of a hand, he or she is considered all in. Tap: In a no limit game, if you tap your opponent you are making a bet equal to all of his chips. Tapping the Aquarium: To tell an amateur player what he/she is doing wrong. Three of a Kind: A poker hand consisting of three cards of the same rank. Three Wise Men: Three of a kind, with three kings. Tight: Someone who does not play many hands. Also called a rock
Tilt: All but the very best players experience 'TILT'. It usually happens after losing a big hand. Emotions start playing rather then wits. The player will start playing hands he shouldn't and making bets he shouldn't in an effort to win back his losses quickly. Trepasso: The holdem starting hand Ace-Jack (AJ). People often get married to this hand when they shouldn't Trips: Three of a kind. A poker hand consisting of three cards of the same rank. Turn: This is the fourth board card that comes out in holdem, the card after the flop. Two Pair: Two pair is a poker hand consisting of two pairs (the fifth card acts as a kicker) Under the Gun: The position to the left of the big blind which acts first before board cards are dealt. Underpair: An underpair is a pocket pair that is smaller than any card on the board. Upcard: Any card that is dealt face up. Walking Sticks: The holdem starting hand Seven-Seven (77). Wayne Gretzky: The holdem starting hand Nine-Nine (99). Wheel: A wheel is the poker hand A2345, the lowest possible straight. In hi-lo split games this is the nut low and a prety good high (a straight.)
Wired Pair: A pair in your starting hand. Pocket Pair. Woolworths: The holdem starting hand of Five-Ten (5T). WPT: World Poker Tour, a series of large tournaments
WSOP: World Series of Poker, a series of large tournaments, basically the world championships in poker
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