Poker Terms
Poker Terms
A
Ace High - When the Ace is the highest card of your hand. When you’ve made no hand, and your best card is an Ace, you have Ace High.
Aces Up - When you have two pair, including a pair of aces, you would have Aces up. For example, if you have a pair of Aces and a pair of Kings, it would be called Aces up.
Action - Betting. When a player makes a bet and gets a lot of callers, he is getting action.
Add-On - Some tournaments give players the chance to buy extra chips at a set point during the tournament. If you buy these extra chips, you’re buying an Add-On.
Advertise - When a player takes effort to try and show his playing style, he is Advertising his style.
Aggressive - When a player usually makes big bets, he is said to be playing aggressive.
All In - Betting all your chips into one pot. When a player goes all in, he will either double his chip stack, or lose everything.
American Airlines - Pocket Aces.
Anna Kournikova - An Ace and a King as Pocket Cards (It is called Anna Kournikova because it looks good, but never wins).
Ante - A fixed amount of chips which every player at the table has to pay, before the cards are dealt.
B
Baby - A very small hand. For instance, a pair of deuces is called a Baby pair
Backdoor - When the flop is already on the table, and you need the Turn, and the River to make your hand. This is also called ‘Runner-Runner cards’ or Running Cards’.
Bad Beat - Getting beat against all odds. For example, if you have a 98% of winning the hand, but you still lose, you caught a Bad Beat.
Bankroll - The amount of money you have reserved for playing poker.
Belly Buster - An inside straight Draw. For example, you have 4, 5, 7, 8, and need the 6 to complete your straight, you have an inside straight draw or Belly Buster.
Betting Blind / Betting In The Dark - Betting before the next card is on the table.
Big Blind - The second player to the left of the dealer is in the big blind, which means he has to put a certain amount of money into the pot before the flop is dealt. Usually the Big Blind is twice the Small Blind.
Big Slick - An Ace and a King as Pocket Cards.
Blinded Out / Blinded To Death - When a player is short on chips and can’t pay the blinds much longer; he is getting blinded to death.
Bluff - To make a bet which makes it look like you have a good hand, while actually you don’t have a strong hand at all.
Board - The 5 community cards that are dealt face up on the table. The community cards are the cards everybody can use to make a hand. The board consists of the Flop, the Turn and the River
Boat - When you have three of a kind and a pair, you have a Full Boat. Also known as a Full House.
Bottom Pair - The lowest possible pair.
Button - The Button refers to the Dealer Button, which is a round big chip to mark the last person to act in every round of betting.
Buy In - The amount of money a player has to pay in order to participate in a game of poker.
Buying The Pot - Picking up a pot by betting big enough to have everybody fold their hand.
C
Calling Station - Someone who calls almost every bet, regardless of whether he has a good hand or not.
Calling Down - Calling every bet until the river without ever raising. Often this is done in order to avoid getting re-raised.
Chasing - The card you need to complete your winning hand, is the card you are chasing.
Checking In The Dark - Checking before you have seen the next card.
Check-Raise - First check, and when another player makes a bet you raise him when it’s your turn again.
Coin Flip - A situation where two players have an almost equal chance of winning.
Cold Streak - When you have hit a series of bad cards for a longer period you are on a Cold Streak.
Community Cards - The 5 cards which are open on the table for everyone to use. The community cards consist of ‘the Flop, the Turn and the River’.
Cowboys - Pocket Kings, two Kings as your hole cards.
D
Dealer - An independent person who shuffles and deals the cards for the people playing poker. In some games there is no Dealer and the person sitting on the Dealer Button is actually the Dealer. In this case the players shuffle and deal themselves, shifting clockwise as the Dealer Button shifts.
Deuce - Nickname for the 2 card
Double Belly Buster - An inside straight draw with two cards that will make the straight. For instance when you hold an 8 9, and the Board reads 6, T, Q, either a 7 or a J will complete your straight.
Double Up - To double your amount of chips through an all in bet.
Draw - When are chasing any number of outs, you are on a draw. For instance if you need one more diamond to complete your Flush, you are on a ‘Flush Draw’
Drawing Dead - A situation when you a drawing to make a hand that will not be good enough to win. For instance, when you are drawing to a straight, but your opponent has already made his Flush, even making your Straight won’t help you win the hand.
E
Early Position - This refers to the position you have at the table, relative to the Dealer Button. At a ten man table, the players who are in the Blinds and the two players right next to the Blinds are in early position. Because you have to act as one of the first at every betting round and hence cannot study what all the other players do before making a decision on your own move, Early Position is bad position.
Easy Money - Easy Money comes from bad or inexperienced players. This is usually easy to win.
F
Face Card - A Jack, Queen or King.
Feeler Bet - A bet made in order to find out how ther players respond.
Fifth Street - The fifth community card, also known as ‘The River’.
First Position - The first player to open a betting round. Before the Flop this is the player to the right of the Big Blind. This Position is also known as Under The Gun. After the Flop the player in the Small Blind is in First Position. First Position is worst position.
Fish - An inexperienced or bad player, who’s money is easily taken.
Flop - The first three community cards, with are turned over at the same time.
Flush Draw - When you need just one more card of a certain Suit to make a Flush, you are on a ‘Flush Draw’.
Fourth Street - The fourth community card, also known as ‘The Turn’.
Freeroll Tournament - A tournament that is free to join, but has real money to win.
Full House - Also known as a ‘Full Boat’. When you have three of a kind and a pair, you have a Full House
G
Grinder - A Tight, but winning Poker player.
Gutshot draw - A Straight Draw with only one card that will make the straight. Also known as an inside Straight Draw.
H
Heads Up - A pokergame between only two players.
High Card - When the hand is won by the player who has the highest hand. This only occurs when no player has made a pair or better
Hit - When a player gets the card he has been waiting for, he has Hit his card.
Hole Cards - The two cards that are dealt to each player individually face down. Also known as Pocket Cards.
Hooks - A pair of Jacks as Pocket Cards.
I
Implied Odds - Pot-Odds considering bets that have not yet been made. Implied Pot Odds are very difficult to calculate.
Inside Straight Draw - A Straight Draw with only one card to make the Straight. For instance when you hold J, 9, an the Board reads 7, 8, Q, only a ten will make the Straight.
In The Dark - A Bet, Check or Call without having seen the next Card.
K
Kicker - The card that is used to determine who wins when both players have the same hand or High Card.
L
Late Position - This refers to the position you have at the table, relative to the Dealer Button. At a ten man table, the player sitting at the Dealer Button and the two players to his have late positioning. Because you can study other players actions and hence make a well considered decision on wether to bet, raise or fold. Late Position is good position.
Limit Poker - The difference between No Limit and Limit Texas Hold’em is that in No Limit you are allowed to bet all your chips into one pot, as opposed to Limit, where you can only bet a fixed amount of chips.
Limping In - Calling the Big Blind, as opposed to raising, in hopes of seeing a cheap Flop.
Live Cards - The cards you need to hit that will actually help your hand. For instance, when you need a 7 to make a straight, but you opponent needs a diamond to make a flush, the 7 of diamonds will make your straight, but will not win you the hand. In this case, the 7 of spades, hearts and clubs are live cards, but the 7 of Diamonds is not.
Live Hand - A hand that can win because it as still got outs. A live hand is not drawing dead
Loose - Loose refers to a style of playing. A Loose player is involved in a lot of pots because he calls, bets and raises frequently. Loose is the opposite of Tight.
M
Manic - A Manic is a very aggresive Loose player who seems to have gone mad because he is raising and betting every hand.
Missing the Flop - When the Flop is completely useless to your hand, you are said to have missed the Flop.
Monster - A hand with a great chance of winning.
Muck - To throw your cards away without showing your hand.
N
No Limit - The difference between No Limit and Limit Texas Hold’em is that in No Limit you are allowed to bet all your chips into one pot, as opposed to Limit, where you can only bet a fixed amount of chips.
Nuts - The best possible hand is called the ‘Nuts hand’
Nut Flush - The highest possible Flush. Usually a Flush with the Ace.
O
Off-Suit - Two Hole cards of a different Suit.
Open Ended - A Straight Draw where you need the highest or lowest card of the straight to complete it. For example, when you hold J, T, and the board reads 9, 8, X, you need either a 7 or a Q to make your straight.
Outs - The cards you need to make your hand. For example, if you need a 7 to make a straight, you have four Outs because there are four Sevens in the deck.
Out Drawing - When the Odds are against you but you get lucky on a Draw, you have outdrawn a player.
Over Card - A card higher than any card on the board.
Over Pair - When you hold a Pocket Pair that is higher then any card on the board, you have an Over Pair.
Over The Top - A re-raise.
Overbetting - When you bet more than seems logical. For instance, if there is $5,- in the pot, and you bet $100,- you are definitely Overbetting.
P
Paint - Face Cards.
Passive - Passive refers to a playingstyle. A Passive player doesn’t raise big, or pushes people around. He usually calls or bets small amounts.
Pocket Cards - The two cards that are dealt to each player individually face down. Also known as Hole Cards.
Pocket Pair - When your Hole, or Pocket Cards are paired. Also know as Wired Pair.
Pocket Rockets - A Pocket Pair Of Aces.
Position - The Position you sit at the table relative to the Dealer Button.
Position Raise - A raise made not because of good cards, but because the position you sit at the table gives you a good chance of taking down the pot (later on).
Pot Commited - Sometimes when you have a lot of money in the pot you’re having a hard time folding even though you know you should, because you can’t let go of the money you already put in. This is called being Pot Commited.
Pot Limit - Pot Limit Hold’em is unlike Limit, or No Limit, because there isn’t a fixed bet, but a bet can not exceed the pot total.
Pot Odds - The chance you have of winning the pot based on Outs, compared to the amount of money you have to bet, relative to the potsize. This may seem quite complicated, so for a full explanation go to Pot Odds explanation page
Pre-Flop - All betting that occurs before the Flop.
Protecting The Blind - When someone calls a raise from the blind because he feels he needs to try and ‘protect’ the Blind money he has put in.
Pulling The Trigger - Goiong All-In because you are Short Stacked and you need to make a stand before going broke.
Put Someone on a Hand - To make an educated guess on what cards a player is holding.
Q
Quads - Four of a Kind.
R
Rake - The money the casino is taking from each pot in order to make profit.
Ran Down - When the statistics are in your favour of winning but someone gets lucky and Out Draws you, you got Ran Down.
Read - When someone has unwillingly given you a hint as to what cards he is holding, you have got a read on him.
Re-Buy - Some tournaments allow for players to buy chips again for a certain amount of time, or a certain amount of times.
Representing The Flop - When you fake the Flop has helped your hand, you are representing the Flop.
River - The fifth and last of the Communitycards. Also known as ‘Ffth Street’
Rock - Playing tight as a Rock means playing very tight.
Run - When you win or lose several hands in a row, you are on a good or bad run.
Runner Runner - Runner Runner means needing the Turn and the River to bring specific cards in order for you to win the hand. When you need Runner Runner cards you generally have very small chance of making your hand. Also known as a Gutshot Draw or Running Cards
S
Scare Card - A card wich you can use to your advantage, because another player might suspect that it helped you. This can also work the other way around.
Set - Three of a Kind
Semi Bluff - A Semi Bluff is when you actually do not have a good hand, but you do have a realistic chance of making one.
Semi Connectors - Semi Connectors are almost consecutive cards like 7, 9, or 3, 5.
Shape - If you have a statistically good chance of winning, you are in good shape.
Shorthanded - A game with less than 6 players.
Short Stack - The player with the least amount of chips.
Showdown - When the betting is over and all players still in the hand turn over their cards to see who has the best hand.
Side-Pot - when a player goes All-In, he can’t win any more money from each player then the amount he has just bet. When more players join the hand and they bet more than the player who is All-In, a Side Pot is made over which the remaining players can battle. The person going All-In can’t win the side pot.
Slow Playing - Faking weakness when you acyually have strong hand.
Small Blind - The first person to the right of the Dealer Button has to pay the Small Blind. The Small Blind is usually half the Big Blind.
Smooth Call - Just calling when you actually have a hand worth raising.
Split Pot - When two or more players have the same hand at Show Down they split the pot between them.
Stack - The amount of chips a player has.
String Bet - When a player puts money in the pot, but not in once. This is illegal because a player has to put his bet in in one move, or call out the amount he is going to bet, before moving chips to the middle.
Suited Connectors - Consecutive cards of the same Suit. For instance when you have 5, 6, of spades, you have Suited Connectors.
T
Table Talk - Things a player might say to an opponent to keep him confused.
Tell - A mannerism or Betting Pattern of any kind that might give you an idea of what cards your opponent is holding.
Tight - This refers to a playing style. A Tight player doesn’t take part in many hands. Overall this player only plays good cards. Tight is the opposite of Loose.
Tilt - When a player gets emotional because he has just suffered a Bad Beat he might get on Tilt. When you’re on Tilt you start playing irrationally and probably lose even more.
Trap - Getting another player to believe he has the best hand, and have him do all the betting for you.
Trips - Three Of A kind. Or a Set
U
Under The Gun - The player to the right of the Big Blind. This is Bad Positioning because you have to act first before the Flop.
V
Value Bet - When you bet just enough to get callers but you know you have the best hand. This is done to increase the size of the pot.
W
Wheel - A Straight using the Ace as low card. A, 2, 3, 4, 5 is a wheel straight.
