Glossary
Action
Opportunity to act by making a check, call, bet, raise or fold. It is also indicative of a very active game (i.e. lots of bets and raises)
Active player
Any player still remaining in a particular hand
Ante
Required money invested in the pot before any cards are dealt. The ante is not to be considered part of the bet
All-in
When a player bets all his/her remaining chips on a single hand
American Airlines
Pocket aces
B&M
Shortened term for a brick and mortar cardroom as opposed to an online cardroom
Backdoor
Catching two cards in a row, on the turn and the river, to complete a hand
Bad Beat
An unlucky turn of events that causes a player to lose a usually strong hand
Bet
To place money/chips into the pot
Bet Blind
To place a bet without looking at one’s cards
Big Slick
Hole cards comprised of an Ace and a King
Blind
A required bet made before any cards are dealt. There are two types of blinds – a big blind and a small blind with the small blind typically being half the size of the big blind
Bluff
To bet or raise so to make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she holds in order to win the pot
Boat
Poker hand that contains a full house. Also referred to as a full boat
Broadway
Poker hand that contains an ace high straight
Bubble
The last non-paying spot in a poker tournament
Burn
To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between betting rounds before the next community card
Button
A white disk also known as the dealer button serves to recognize which player sitting at the table is the dealer for that particular hand. After each hand has completed, as with standard poker rules, the button moves clockwise to the next active player. This is done, because there is an advantage to having to act last and so each player gets his fair share of early, late and middle positions
Buy-in
The amount of money it costs to enter a poker tournament
Call
To place money/chips equal to another player’s bet amount
Calling Station
A player who usually calls other player’s bets instead of betting or raising
Canine
Hole cards comprised of a King and a Nine
Check
When a player’s action is not to bet when there have been no other bets made in a particular round
Check-Raise
When a player initially checks and then raises in the same betting round
Community Card
A face up card that may be used by all players at a table
Connector
A starting poker hand in which your two hole cards are only one rank apart
Cowboys
A pair of kings
Crabs
A pair of threes
Dead Man’s Hand
Poker hand that contains two pair; Black Aces and Black Eights. This was the winning hand that Wild Bill Hickok was shot with
Deal
To give players and the board cards throughout a poker game
Dealer
The nominal player, who distributes the cards during a hand of poker. Each player takes a turn dealing and is designated as such by a dealer button. Also called a button
Donkey
A disparaging insult that poker players use against other players. This is not allowed in the chat area
Double Up
To increase your chip stack by 100%
Down Cards
A player’s cards that are dealt face down which only he can see. Also called Hole cards
Draw
A situation in which a player needs one card to complete a poker hand
Drawing Dead
A situation in which a player cannot statistically beat another player’s cards regardless of what cards come up
Ducks
A pair of deuces
Early Position
One of the three positions to the immediate left of the big blind
Even Money Pot
A situation in which a player’s chances of winning a pot are about 50%
Family Pot
A hand in which all the players call prior to the flop
Fifth Street
The fifth face up card dealt. Also known as the river
Flop
The first three community cards dealt face up
Flush
Poker hand that contains five cards of the same suit
Fold
Concede the pot by not calling a previous bet. A player who folds is no longer active
Forced Bet
A mandatory bet that starts the action on the first round of a poker hand
Four-of-a-Kind
Poker hand that contains four cards of equal rank
Fourth Street
The fourth face up card dealt. Also known as the turn
Free Roll
A tournament that requires no entry fee
Gut-shot Straight
Poker hand in which you need one card to complete a straight draw. Also called Inside straight
Hand
A player’s best five cards
Heads-up
A situation in which poker is played one on one
Hi-Lo
A poker game in which the pot is awarded to both the highest and lowest hand
Hole Cards
A player’s cards that are dealt face down which only he can see. Also called Down cards
Implied Odds
The odds that a player factors into his calculation of pot odds to account for being called if you complete your hand
Inside Straight
Poker hand in which you need one card to complete a straight draw. Also called a Rags2Riches Pokerstraight
Kicker
The highest unpaired card in a player’s hand
King Crab
Poker hand containing a king and a three
Ladies
A pair of queens
Lay Down
To fold a hand
Limp In
To only call the big blind before the flop
Limit Poker
Variation of poker in which the bet amounts are preset
Main Pot
The initial pot where betting started prior to a player(s) going all-in
Maniac
A loose, aggressive player who likes to raise a lot of pots
Marginal play hand
A hand that is statistically weak and probably should not be played according to the odds
Missed Blind
A mandatory bet that is not posted
Muck
To discard or throw away your cards
No Limit Poker
Variation of poker in which there are no preset betting amounts
Nuts
The best possible poker hand given the face up cards
Off Suit
A term used to describe a hand with cards that are of different suits
Open-ended Straight
Poker hand in which two different cards can be used to complete a straight draw. The two cards being on either end of the four connected cards
Open Seat
A seat at a game that is currently available for any player to sit in
Out(s)
A number of cards that are needed to complete a winning hand
Overcard
A card that is higher than any card on the board
Overpair
A pair of pocket cards which are higher than any community cards on the board
Pocket Pair
A pair of pocket cards
Post
To place money/chips in the pot
Pot
The money/chips where all bets go for players to win
Pot Limit Poker
Variation of poker in which the maximum bat that a player can make is the amount of the pot at the time of the bet
Pot Odds
A calculation that is used to decide if it is worth calling a bet to remain in a hand. Pot odds are calculated by dividing the size of the pot by the amount of money it costs to call a bet.
Qualify Low
Make a hand that is eligible to win half the pot in a high-low split game
Quads
Poker hand that contains four cards of equal rank
Rabbit Hunting
Looking for the cards that would have come up after all players have folded their hands. This is considered bad etiquette.
Raise
To increase the previous bet
Rake
Money/chips taken from the pot to compensate the site for hosting the game
Rathole
When a player is up in a particular poker session and then takes money/chips from the table and returns to play with a smaller bankroll
Railbird
Someone who looks on or watches a poker game after he has busted out or can’t afford the stakes. It is bad etiquette to use the chat function in a game if you are a railbird
Read
To make your best guess at what your opponent’s hand is
Represent
To pretend and play as if you have a strong hand when certain cards are shown on the board
Reraise
To raise against an existing raise
Ring Game
A real money game of poker at a regular table as opposed to a tournament game that is player with a preset number of chips
River
The fifth face up card dealt. Also known as fifth street
Runner
A poker hand that is made only by hitting the correct cards on the turn and the river
Satellites
Ten handed qualifying mini tournaments in which players put up a much smaller amount than the buy-in to a regular tournament in hopes of winning a seat to the much larger tournament
Seat position
The position of a player in relation to the dealer’s button
Set
Poker hand that contains three cards of equal rank. Also call trips
Show
To expose one’s cards
Shuffle
Mixing cards prior to the deal
Short Stack
A relatively small amount of chips compared with the other players at the table
Showdown
The point in a particular hand when all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over to determine the best five card hand
Slowplay
Intentionally underbetting a strong hand in order to lure other players into calling
Side Pot
The pot(s) from all side bets. Any player(s) All-in can not win any side pots that they did not invest in.
Sitting Out
A player leaving the table or being timed out is "Sitting Out". In a live game, if a player sits out, there is a time limit for a player to remain out at which time he will be removed from the game
Smooth-Calling
Intentionally calling other players bets with a strong hand in order to lure other players into the pot
Snowmen
A pair of eights
Split Pot
A pot which is shared and won by two or more players
Suck Out
A winning hand that is made by a player who catches a lucky card on the river
Suited Connectors
A starting poker hand in which your two hole cards are only one rank apart and are of the same suit
Tell
A hint or giveaway that a player unknowingly gives as to the strength of his hand
Tilt
Term for a player that is playing wildly and recklessly by playing far too many hands because they have become emotionally unbalanced
Top Pair
Poker hand in which you combine one of your hole cards with the highest exposed card on the flop
Under the Gun
The position to the immediate left of the big blind
Value Bet
A bet that you would like an opponent to call instead of fold because you believe the chances are better that you will win rather than lose the hand
Variance
The positive or negative swings in ones bankroll. This is not necessarily a measure of a player’s skill level but it is a good indicator of a player’s style
Village People
Poker hand containing four queens