General Poker Terms..
Ace Any face card with an "A".
Ace in the Hole Ace down card. An advantage that your
opponents don't know about.
Ace Up Sleeve Cheating by hiding cards for later use or a
figure of speech for a hidden advantage.
Ace-High A poker hand with an Ace in it ex. "Ace high
flush".
Aces Full A full house with three aces and any pair.
Aces Over A full house with aces for the pair ex.
KKKAA "Aces over Kings".
Aces Up Two pairs, one of which is Aces.
Action Checking/Betting/Raising. A game in which players
are playing a lot of pots
Active Player ny player who is still in the hand.
Add-on A purchase of more chips in a tournament.
Advertise Showing down a weak hand, to give the impression
that you play overly loose.
Aggressive A poker player who raises and re-raises and
rarely just calls.
Ahead Winning up to that point or also refers to relative
position
All-In Bet all your chips.
American Airlines A pair of pocket aces
Ammo Chips
Announced Bet A verbal declaration by a player of the
amount of his bet, or that he is betting.
Angle-Shooting Take advantage of a poker novice with
underhanded techniques .
Ante Obligatory initial money placed in the pot by everyone
before any cards are dealt
B&M Abbreviation B&M Brick and Mortar land based
casino
Backdoor Making a poker hand other than the one expected or
getting turn and river cards to complete a hand
Bad Beat When a good poker hand is beaten by a lucky draw
Bad Beat Jackpot A prize offered by the house for an
exceptional bad beat
Bankroll Your poker playing money
Behind Losing or a reference to relative position
Belly Buster An inside straight (gutshot) draw. You have
4568 and try for a 7.
Bet for Value Bet a checkable hand with a slight edge
Bet Into To bet at a player who raised on the last round
Bet the Limit Bet the maximum allowed
Bet the Pot Bet the maximum allowed
Bicycle or Bike Straight A2345
Big Blind A mandatory bet and/or position 2 to the right of
the dealer
Big Slick AK pocket pair
Blank A card dealt that does not help or hurt you.
Blind Mandatory bet
Bluff To bet with weak cards hoping to scare opponents into
folding.
Boat Full House
Bottom Pair A pair made with the lowest card on the flop
Bubbled To be the eliminated from a poker tournament just
before reaching a prize money round
Bullets Pair of aces
Burn Card A card from the top of the deck discarded
before dealing
Bust Out To lose all your chips and thus be eliminated from
a poker tournament
Button Dealer position sometimes indicated by a round object
Buy-In Entry free for tournament or the minimum starting
amount to sit at a table
Call Matching a bet amount in order to stay in a hand
Call Cold To call when there is both a bet and raise in
front
Calling Station A player that calls almost every hand
Capping a Raise Raising the maximum amount in a limit game
Cards Speak The actual card combination trumps any mistaken
announcement
Case Card The last card out that completes a poker hand ex.
A case 9 will turn 999 into quads.
Cash In Quit and convert remaining chips back into cash
Cash Out Quit and convert remaining chips back into cash
Center Pot The main pot as opposed to any side pots
Change Gears Changing style of play to counteract
opponents adapting
Chase To stick witha hand that is behind hoping to improve
Check To stay in a hand without folding or betting when
there are no bets to call.
Check-Raise To check and then when somone bets, to raise
them
Chop Blinds To agree to return blinds to owner if no one
bets
Cold Deck A new deck introducted for cheating purposes
Cold Hands A run of bad poker hands
Come Hand A drawing hand
Come Over the Top To raise or re-raise
Community cards Cards dealt face up on the table for
everyone to see and use
Comp Program Inventives like cash or bonuses offered by the
house to draw players
Complete Hand A hand that is defined by all five cards
Connector A pair of pocket cards that are 1 rank apart. ex.
67
Conservative Play Betting only hads with high chance of
winning as opposed to loose play
Counterfeit When the board duplicates your pocket cards to
make them almost worthless
Cowboys Pair of kings
Crap Shoot A poker tournament with lots of loose action
Cripple To cripple the deck is to hold cards that kill
anyone elses chances
Crying Call To complain when making a call as a ploy to
keep players in
Cut To cut the deck is to split it into 2 and put the
middle on top
Dark Bet To bet without looking at your hand
Dead Card A card that is no longer legally playable
Dead Hand A poker hand that is declared invalid
Dead Man's Hand Two pair - Aces and Eights.(from legend of
Wild Bill Hicock )
Deal The action of distributing the cards to players
Deal Off To participate in a complete round of blinds and
button positons
Dealer Casino employee who handles the cards, gives out the
pots, and monitors the game
Dealer's Choice Home game rule that allows dealer to name
the game to be played
Dealer's Position Being the last to act in a betting round.
On the button. Dealers Button
Deck Stack of cards
Deuces deuce is a 2 deuces a pair of 2s
Diamonds A red card with a suit resembling a diamong
Disconnect Protection A policy related to lost internet
connection during a hand
Dog short for underdog
Dolly Parton A straight 9-5
Dominated Hands poker hands likely to be beaten by better
kickers
Door Card first up card in stud
Double Bluff A bluff that involves a bet and reraise
Double Up Going all in when shortstacked and doubling your
chips
Down Card Cards that are dealt face down
Down to the Green going all in (down to the green of the
table)
Draw To receive more cards or try to make a hand
Draw Dead To draw to a hand that would lose anyway
Draw Out To beat an opponent who was ahead
Drop fold
Early Bet A small bet after the first card in stud
Early Position a seat close to the left of the dealer
Edge A positional or other advantage
Entry Fee Cost to enter a poker tournament
Equity Your share of the pot based on winning chances
Even Money 50/50 chance eg. 55 is even money with AK
Expectation The long term expected results of a play
Exposed Cards Cards dealt face up as in stud
Facecard A king, queen, or jack
Family Pot A pot that everyone at the table is
participating in
Fast To play a hand aggressively by betting and raising
Fifth Street Another name for the river card or fifth
community card
Fill To make a full 5 card hard like a straight flush
full house
Fill Up To complete a full house
Fish A poker player that loses alot of money
Five-card Draw A poker game in which the player is dealt
five cards down
Fixed Limit betting structure in which the amount of the
bet on each round is pre-set
Flash To turn up a common card to complete a stud game
Flat Call Calling a bet without raising
Flat Limit A variant of fixed limit where all bets are the
same amount
Floorman An employee of the cardroom who makes rulings on
disputes
Flop The 3 community cards dealt face up (hold'em)
Flop a Set to make 3 of a kind hand on the flop when
holding pocket pair
Flush 5 cards of the same suit
Flush Draw staying in a hand trying to make a flush
Fold To discard a hand
Force-In A mandatory blind bet
Foul A technical mistake that renders a hand illegal
Four Flush Four cards to a Flush
Four of a Kind 4 cards of the same rank
Fourth Street The turn card or 4th community card (hold'em)
Free Card To see a card without having to calling or bett
Freeroll poker tournament with no entry fees
Full Boat full house
Full House A poker hand that consists of 3 of a kind and a
pair KKK-AA
Go All In To bet all your chips at the table
Grifter A cheat
Grinding To play long games with little profit
Gutshot Straight An inside str8 draw ex. Holding 10-J-Q-A
as opposed to open ended 10-J-Q-K
High-Low Games where the pot is split to the highest and
lowest hands
Hitchhiker A poker player who gets trapped into a pot
Hold'em Short for Texas Hold 'em, where the players get two
down cards and five community cards.
Hole Cards Cards dealt face down to the players
Hot Deck A deck from which good poker hands are being dealt
Hot Seat A seat in a poker game where the players have had
winning hands
House The casino or cardroom that is hosting the poker game
Implied Odds Your odds assuming your bets will be called in
the next round
Inside Straight Four cards to a straight with the missing
card in the middle ex 2356
Jacks-or- Better A form of Video Poker in which a player
needs to have at least a pair of jacks to win
Jagging A cheater's technique to mark cards with his
fingernail or a device
Jammed Pot A pot that has been raised the maximum number of
times
Joker An extra card added to a deck to be used as a lucky
wild card
Jonah An unlucky poker player. (possibly related to "fish"
definition)
Keep Them Honest Calling a hand to showdown to discourage
future bluffing
Key Card A card that gives you a big draw or makes your
hand.
Kibitzer A commenting spectator
Kick It Raise
Kicker Highest left over card used to break a tie
Kill An oversize blind
Kill Button A button used in a lowball game
Knock Check (often indicated by knocking on the table)
Kojak A hand that contains a K-J
Komodo Dragoned Losing to a straight or flush made on the
river
Ladies Two Queens
Late Position One or 2 seats off the button
Lay Down Your Hand Fold
Lead First player to bet
Leak A losing strategy
Let Slide To fold to a player that is probably bluffing
Lid Top card on a deck
Limit The maximum bet or raise allowed
Limit Poker fixed minimum and maximum betting
Limp To call rather than raise
Liner Face card
Little Blind The first and smallest blind bet
Live Blind Posting a blind out of position in order to
joint a table
Live Hand Hand that has not folded
Lock hand that cannot lose (holding the nuts)
Long Odds low probability
Look to call a final bet before showdown
Loose playing too many hands without folding
Low Limit small stakes game
Lowball draw poker in which the lowest poker hand wins
Maniac A poker player that bets and raises almost
every hand
Mechanic cheater
Meet call
Middle Pair Second best pair on the flop
Middle Position Somewhere between the blinds and the button
Miscall An incorrect verbal declaration of the raninking of
a poker hand
Misdeal Error in dealing which results in a reshuffle and
deal again
Mites And Lice low two pair
Monster A very good poker hand
Muck fold without showing cards
Nailing mark cards with fingernail
New York Stud Five-card stud in which a four flush beats a
pair
Nickel-Dime small stakes game
Nursing To play tight with last few chips when losing
Nut Flush Best possible flush (holding the ace of the suit)
Nuts Best possible poker hand
Offsuit cards of different suit
Omaha similar to hold'em except gets 4 cards instead of 2
On the Button last to act in turn
On The Come waiting to complete a hand
On Tilt reckless play after a string of losses
One-End straight draw that can only complete on one end
One-Gap cards that are separated by 2 ranks ex.(9-J)
Open-ended Straight can be completed on either end
Opener player to make the fist non blind bet
Option the choice to post blinds out of postion in order to
join a table
Outdraw to beat the flop on the turn or river
Outs cards in the deck that will make a poker hand
Over the top reraise a raise
Overpair pocket pair higher than any of the cards on the
board
Paint Cards To fold
Pass Fold
Passive Checking and calling hands rather betting and
raising hands
Pat Declining drawing cards in a draw game
Peg Cheat by marking a card
Penny Ante Low stakes games
Pigeon Losing poker player
Pips spots or marks on the face of a card
Play Back To raise or re-raise another player's bet
Play Fast To bet aggressively
Play the Board cards on the board make the best poker hand
Pocket down cards or hole cards
Pocket Rockets AA
Poker Face To show no expression
Position seat in relation to the dealer
Post place your chips in the pot
Pot The accumulated bets for a round
Pot Limit Bets limited to pot size
Pot Odds Calculation that weighs a bet, chance of winning,
and pot size
pot size, and bet requited to play on. A big pot can make a
long shot profitable.
Price pot odds for a draw or call
Prop A person hired by the cardroom to play just to kee
action going
Proposing Bets Side bets
Proposition Player/Prop
Protect Usually in reference to playing from the
blinds even with a bad hand because a forced bet is on the line
Punctuating mark cards (cheat)
Puppy Feet/Pups club flush or just clubs
Push ex. dealer pushed the pot to the winner
Put Down fold
Putting on the Heat aggressive betting
Quads Four of a kind
Quint Major A royal straight flush
Rack A tray that holds 100 poker chips
Ragged Mismatched flop
Rail Edgle of table
Railbird Spectator
Rainbow Different suits
Raise Increase bet
Raise Blind Raise without looking at cards
Rake Pot tax to the house
Rank Value
Rap To knock on the table indicating a check
Ratholing Taking money off the table and hiding it
Razz A type of 7 card stud
Re-buy Purchase more chips
Re-raise raise a raise
Reading study
Redeal deal over
Represent To act like you just got a good poker hand
Ribbon Clerk small time gambler
Ring Game non tournament action
River last community card in hold'em
Rock tight player
Rounders hustle for a living
Royal Flush TJQKA straight flush (highest possible poker
hand)
Run A straight or (2)ex. a run of bad/good cards
Runner runner-runner to complete a poker hand with the turn
and and river (lucky)
Running Pair last 2 board cards pair up
Rush winning streak
Sandbagging Try to disguise a good poker hand by just
calling
Satellite mini-tournament used to gain an entry into a
larger poker tournament
Scare Card a board card that threatens to kill your hand
Second Pair pair the second highest card on the flop
See Call
Sell small bet not to scrare away callers
Semi-Bluff raise with a drawing hand
Set 3 of a kind
Set a Trap to play in a manner that diguises a good hand
Seven-card Stud popular variant with 3 down and 4 up cards
dealt to each player
Seventh Street final round of betting in Seven Card Stud
Shark eats up fish
Shills poker players paid by the house to play to get games
going
Shoot-out tournament without rebuy
Short Buying to rebuy chips after playing
Short Stack disadvantage due to low chip count
Short-Handed a game with few players
Show expose cards
Showdown after final betting round, show cards to determine
winner
Shuffle mix up the cards into a random state
Side Bet any bet outside the main pot
Side Pot a separate pot for when someone is all in and
cannot call anymore bets
Sitting Out take a break from a table intending to return
Slow Play disguise a good hand by playing it passively
Small Blind Player to the left of the big blind
Smooth Call To call with a hand that is good enough to raise
Speed Limit 55
Splash Around making wavs with aggressive and reckless
betting
Split divide the pot amongst several players who tied
Split Two Pair you hold AK and the board flops AK
Splitting Blinds agree before hand to return blinds if
nobody bets it
Spread Limit betting structure within a range of amounts ex
$2-4
Squared Deck ready for dealing
Stack total amount of your chips
Stacked Deck a deck that has been arranged for cheating
Stake the average bet amount at a table
Stay Call to stay in the game
Steal To raise hoping everyone folds
Steal Position Try to get better position by raising
Steal the Blinds raise the blinds hoping they fold
Steam tilt
Steamrolling reraise
Straight consecutively ranked hand ex 34567
Straight Flush a straight which is also a flush as all
cards are the same suit
String Bet To string along a raise trying to get a reaction
Strip poker Loser takes off an article of clothing
Stub remaining part of the deck after a deal
Stuck in a losing rut
Stud variant of poker where players get up and down cards.
Suit one of the 4 card symbols diamond, clubs, hearts or
spade
Suited Connectors consecutively ranked same suit cards
Super-Bluff To win a hand by bluffing against a player
who has a very good hand
Table Any area used as a surface for playing cards
Table Cards Cards turned face-up on the table
(community cards)
Table Charge fee
Table Stakes The bet limits set for a particular table
Tell Body language that says something about the hand you
are holding
Texas Hold'em Poker card game played with 2 pocket cards
to each player and 5 face up on the board
Three of a Kind Poker hand consisting of 3 cards of the
same rank. Higher than 2 pair and lower than straight
Ticket card
Tight To play few hands
Tilt, On Reckless play brought on by a streak of bad luck
Time (time out)
Toke Tip to the dealer paid by the winner of a pot
Top Pair to the highest card on the board
Tournament Poker competition format whereby each player
buys and plays with a set number of chips
Trap underbet a strong hand to get more action
Triplets Three of a kind
Trips Three of a kind
Turn Texas Hold'em round that follows the flop and preceeds
the river
Turncard card dealt on the turn
Two Pair Poker hand consisting of 2 pairs Higher than a
single pair and less than 3 of a kind
Two-Way Hand in a split pot game with possibility of
winning hi and lo.
Under the Gun the position (seat) that is
first to act
Up Card Card dealt face up
Value (bet for) To bet with the expectation of having the
best hand (not a bluff)
Variance Up and down swings of your winnings
Video Poker Casino slot machine with a poker theme
Vigorish House rake
Village People four queens (Disco band from 1970s)
Walking Sticks Pair of sevens (77)
Wheel A straight consisting of A-2-3-4-5 also called a
bicycle
Whipsaw To be caught in between 2 raising and betting
players
Whore Queen
Wired Pair trips or quads dealt consecutively (usually in
stud)
Wooden Hand hand that cannot win (deadwood)
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Poker tournament
Yeast (raise)
Zombie Player that does not give any any facial signals
