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Action
(1) Opportunity to act. If a player appears not to
realize it’s his turn, the dealer will say “Your action,
sir.” (2) Bets and raises. “If a third heart hits the
board and there’s a lot of action, you have to assume
that somebody has made the flush.”
Active player
A player that still holds his cards. A player who is
competing for a pot.
Add-on
The option to buy more chips. This is only available in
some tournaments with re-buy.
Aggressive
A style of play. A player who raise and re raise
frequently is an aggressive player.
All-In
To run out of chips while betting or calling. In table
stakes games, a player may not go into his pocket for
more money during a hand. If he runs out, a side pot is
created in which he has no interest. However, he can
still win the pot for which he had the chips. Example:
“Poor Bob. He made quads against the big full house, but
he was all-in on the second bet.”
Ante
A small portion of a bet contributed by each player to
seed the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Most
hold’em games do not have an ante; they use “blinds” to
get initial money into the pot. In some late stages of a
tournament you might see both blinds and ante taken into
the pot.
Backdoor
Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing
hand. For instance, suppose you have A -7 . The flop
comes A -6 -4 . You bet and are called. The turn is the
T , which everybody checks, and then the river is the J
. You’ve made a “backdoor” nut flush. See also “runner.”
Bad
Beat
To have a hand that is a large underdog beat a heavily
favored hand. It is generally used to imply that the
winner of the pot had no business being in the pot at
all, and it was the wildest of luck that he managed to
catch the one card in the deck that would win the pot.
We won’t give any examples; you will hear plenty of them
during your poker career.
Bankroll
The money a player use to finance his poker game. It is
separate from his bank account where the money he lives
from is.
Behind
As long as you do not have the best hand you are behind.
Big
Blind
The larger of the two blinds typically used in a hold’em
game. The big blind is normally a full first round bet.
See also “blind” and “small blind.”
Big
Slick
Holding AK as your hole/pocket cards
Blank
A board card that doesn’t seem to affect the standings
in the hand. In other words it is a card that seems to
help no one. If the flop is A -J -T , then a turn card
of 2 would be considered a blank.
Blind
A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more
players before any cards are dealt. Typically, blinds
are put in by players immediately to the left of the
button. See also “live blind.”
Bluff
An attempt to win a pot by placing a bet that would make
a better hand to fold.
Board
All the community cards in a hold’em game - the flop,
turn, and river cards together. Example: “There wasn’t a
single heart on the board.”
Boat
Full house
Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the flop. If you have A
-6 , and the flop comes K -T -6 , you have flopped
bottom pair.
Bracelet
A gold bracelet is given to the winner of the World
Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament. This bracelet is
highly regarded among professional poker players.
Broadway
An Ace high straight.
Bullets
A pair of aces in the hole.
Burn
To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This
is done between each betting round before putting out
the next community card(s). It is security against any
player recognizing or glimpsing the next card to be used
on the board.
Button
A white acrylic disk that indicates the (nominal)
dealer. Also used to refer to the player on the button.
Example: “Oh, the button raised.”
Buy
(1) As in “buy the pot.” To bluff, hoping to “buy” the
pot without being called. (2) As in “buy the button.” To
bet or raise, hoping to make players between you and the
button fold, thus allowing you to act last on subsequent
betting rounds.
Buy-in
The cost of entering a tournament or sitting on a cash
table.
Call
To put into the pot an amount of money equal to the most
recent bet or raise. The term “see” (as in “I’ll see
that bet”) is considered colloquial.
Card
odds
The probability to draw a card or to be dealt a hand.
Cap
To put in the last raise permitted on a betting round.
This is typically the third or fourth raise. Dealers in
California are fond of saying “Capitola” or
“Cappuccino.”
Case
card
The last card of a certain rank in the deck. Example:
“The flop came J-8-3; I’ve got pocket jacks, he’s got
pocket 8’s, and then the case eight falls on the river,
and he beats my full house.”
Center Pot
The first pot created during a poker hand, as opposed to
one or more “side” pots created if one or more players
goes all-in. Also “main pot.”
Changing Gears
To switch from loose to tight play or vice versa.
Chase
When staying in a hand trying to catch a draw while
being behind.
Check Raise
To check and then raise when a player behind you bets.
Occasionally you will hear people say this is not fair
or ethical poker. Piffle. Almost all casinos permit
check-raising, and it is an important poker tactic. It
is particularly useful in low-limit hold’em where you
need extra strength to narrow the field if you have the
best hand.
Cold
Call
To call more than one bet in a single action. For
instance, suppose the first player to act after the big
blind raises. Now any player acting after that must call
two bets “cold.” This is different from calling a single
bet and then calling a subsequent raise.
Collusion
When players are working together on the same table.
Community Cards
Cards that are presented face-up in the middle of the
poker table and shared among players in games like
Hold'em and Omaha. These are also referred to as board
cards or "the board".
Complete Hand
A hand that is defined by all five cards - a straight,
flush, full house, four of a kind, or straight flush.
Connector
A hold’em starting hand in which the two cards are one
apart in rank. Examples: KQ, 76
Counterfeit
To make your hand less valuable because of board cards
that duplicate it. Example: you have 87 and the flop
comes 9-T-J, so you have a straight. Now an 8 comes on
the turn. This has counterfeited your hand and made it
almost worthless.
Cowboys
Holding pocket KK.
Crack
To beat a hand - typically a big hand. You hear this
most often applied to pocket aces: “Third time tonight
I’ve had pocket aces cracked.”
Cripple
As in “to cripple the deck.” Meaning that you have most
or all of the cards that somebody would want to have
with the current board. If you have pocket kings, and
the other two kings flop, you have crippled the deck.
Dead
Man’s Hand
Legend holds that Wild Bill Hickok was shot to death
during a poker game in Deadwood, South Dakota, and that
the hand he held was two pair, black aces and black
eights. On that most people agree. The fifth card is not
known for certain
Dealer
The player in a poker game who actually (or
theoretically) is dealing the cards. When a professional
dealer (casino or cardroom) or automated dealer (online)
is present - it is necessary to identify the player who
would be dealing the cards because the blinds and the
betting action are to the left of the dealer. This is
done by utilizing a marker called a dealer button which
travels around the table in a clockwise manner, moving
to the next player after each hand is completed
Deuce
Pair of two’s also called a pair of deuces or ducks.
Dog
Shortened form of “underdog.”
Dominated Hand
A hand that is expected to beat another hand is called a
dominated hand.
Double up
(1) double your chip stack in one hand, normally in a no
limit or pot limit games. (2) to double the previous
bet.
Doyle Brunson
Holding: (1) Ace Queen. (2) Ten two
Draw
To play a hand that is not yet good, but could become so
if the right cards come. Common example would be the
flush draw, holding to hearts and the flop come with two
hearts. So you are missing one card for the flush. In
other words you have a flush draw.
Draw
Dead
Trying to make a hand that, even if made, will not win
the pot. If you’re drawing to make a flush, and your
opponent already has a full house, you are “drawing
dead.” Of course, this is a bad condition to be in.
Equity
Your “rightful” share of a pot. If the pot contains $80,
and you have a 50% chance of winning it, you have $40
equity in the pot. This term is somewhat fanciful since
you will either win $80 or $0, but it gives you an idea
of how much you can “expect” to win.
Expectation
(1) The amount you expect to gain on average if you make
a certain play. For instance, suppose you put $10 into a
$50 pot to draw at a hand that you will make 25% of the
time, and it will win every time you make it. Three out
of four times, you do not make your draw, and lose $10
each time for a total of $30. The fourth time, you will
make your draw, winning $50. Your total gain over those
four average hands is $50-$30 = $20, an average of $5
per hand. Thus calling the $10 has a positive
expectation of $5. (2) The amount you expect to make at
the poker table in a specific time period. Suppose in
100 hours of play, you win $527. Then your expectation
is $5.27/hr. Of course, you won’t make that exact amount
each hour (and some hours you will lose), but it’s one
measure of your anticipated earnings.
Extra Blind
A blind put in by a player just entering the game,
returning to the game, or otherwise changing his
position at the table. See also “blind” and “post.”
Exposed card
Is a card that all players will be shown by the dealer
if it has been exposed as an accident and one or more
players have seen it. This is done to eliminate extra
knowledge for some players.
Face card
A jack queen or king, also called a picture card.
Family Pot
A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players call
before the flop.
Fast
As in “play fast.” To play a hand aggressively, betting
and raising as much as possible. Example: “When you flop
a set but there’s a flush draw possible, you have to
play it fast.”
Favorite
A poker hand which is the statistical favorite to win.
Fifth street
The last community card also called the river.
Fish
A weak player.
Fishing
Staying in a hand longer than advisable trying to catch
a winning card.
Fixed limit
The bets are limited to fixed amounts.
Flat
call
Emphasises the fact of not raising.
Flop
The first three community cards, put out face up,
altogether.
Fold
To forfeit any chance of winning the current pot in
poker. To lay down your hand or throw your hand in
instead of calling or raising a bet.
Forth street
Is the forth community card on the board.
Foul
A hand that may not be played for one reason or another.
A player with a foul hand may not make any claim on any
portion of the pot. Example: “He ended up with three
cards after the flop, so the dealer declared his hand
foul.”
Free
Card
A turn or river card on which you don’t have to call a
bet because of play earlier in the hand (or because of
your reputation with your opponents). For instance, if
you are on the button and raise when you flop a flush
draw, your opponents may check to you on the turn. If
you make your flush on the turn, you can bet. If you
don’t get it on the turn, you can check as well, seeing
the river card for “free.”
Free
Roll
(1) One player has a shot at winning an entire pot when
he is currently tied with another player. For instance,
suppose you have A –Q suited clubs and your opponent has
A -Q . The flop is Q -5 –T with two clubs in it . You
are tied with your opponent right now, but are free
rolling, because you can win the whole pot and your
opponent can’t. If no club comes, you split the pot with
him; if it does come, you win the whole thing. (2) Free
tournaments that has a prize are called freerolls.
Freeze-out
A tournament with no buy-in and add-on.
Gutshot Straight
A straight filled “inside.” If you have 9 -8 , the flop
comes 7 -5 -2 , and the turn is the 6 , you’ve made your
gutshot straight.
Heads Up
A pot that is being contested by only two players.
Example: “It was heads up by the turn.”
Hit
As in “the flop hit me,” meaning the flop contains cards
that help your hand. If you have AK, and the flop comes
K-7-2, it hit you.
Hit
and run
To play on a table for a short period of time and to
leave it after winning a big pot.
Hole
Cards
Cards dealt face-down to a player - most commonly used
when describing the first two player cards in Hold'em
and the first four player cards in Omaha.
House
The establishment running the game. Example: “The $2 you
put on the button goes to the house
House
The establishment running the game. Example: “The $2 you
put on the button goes to the house
Implied Odds
Pot odds that do not exist at the moment, but may be
included in your calculations because of bets you expect
to win if you hit your hand. For instance, you might
call with a flush draw on the turn even though the pot
isn’t offering you quite 4:1 odds (your chance of making
the flush) because you’re sure you can win a bet from
your opponent on the river if you make your flush.
Inside Straight Draw
Also called a gut-shot. It is when a straight is missing
a card in the middle. Example 4578.
Jackpot
A special bonus paid to the loser of a hand if he gets a
very good hand beaten. In hold’em, the “loser” must
typically get aces full or better beaten. In some of the
large southern California card clubs, jackpots have
gotten over $50,000. Of course, the jackpot is funded
with money removed from the game as part of the rake.
Jinx
Bad luck
Kicker
An unpaired card used to determine the better of two
near-equivalent hands. For instance, suppose you have AK
and your opponent has AQ. If the flop has an ace in it,
you both have a pair of aces, but you have a king
kicker. Kickers can be vitally important in hold’em.
Ladies
Pair of queens.
Live
Blind
A forced bet put in by one or more players before any
cards are dealt. The “live” means those players still
have the option of raising when the action gets back
around to them.
Maniac
A player who does a lot of hyper-aggressive raising,
betting, and bluffing. A true maniac is not a good
player, but is simply doing a lot of gambling. However,
a player who occasionally acts like a maniac and
confuses his opponents is quite dangerous.
Money management
The use of the bankroll.
Muck
The pile of folded and burned cards in front of the
dealer. Example: “His hand hit the muck so the dealer
ruled it folded even though the guy wanted to get his
cards back.” Also used as a verb. Example: He didn’t
have any outs so he mucked his hand.”
Monster hand
A hand that is very likely to win.
No-Limit
A version of poker in which a player may bet any amount
of chips (up to the number in front of him) whenever it
is his turn to act. It is a very different game from
limit poker. The best treatise on no-limit poker is in
Doyle Brunson’s Super/System .
Nuts
The best possible hand given the board. If the board is
K -J -T -4 -2 , then A -X is the nuts. You will
occasionally hear the term applied to the best possible
hand of a certain category, even though it isn’t the
overall nuts. For the above example, somebody with A -Q
might say they had the “nut straight.”
Offsuit
A hold’em starting hand with two cards of different
suits. A hold’em starting hand with two cards of
different suits.
One-Cap
A hold’em starting hand with two cards two apart in
rank. Examples: J9s, 64.
Open-Ended Straight Draw
Seeking one of two card values to make a straight. For
instance, a player holding 9-8 with a board of 2-7-6 can
make a straight with either a ten (6-7-8-9-T) or with a
five (5-6-7-8-9). This is also known as an up-and-down
straight draw.
Out
A card that will make your hand win. Normally heard in
the plural. Example: “Any spade will make my flush, so I
have nine outs.”
Outrun
To beat. Example: “Susie outran my set when her flush
card hit on the river.”
Overcall
To call a bet after one or more others players have
already called.
Overcard
A card higher than any card on the board. For instance,
if you have AQ and the flop comes J-7-3, you don’t have
a pair, but you have two overcards.
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than any card on the flop. If you
have QQ and the flop comes J-8-3, you have an overpair.
Passive Play
A style of play where the player calls and rarely bet or
raise.
Pay
Off
To call a bet when the bettor is representing a hand
that you can’t beat, but the pot is sufficiently large
to justify a call anyway. Example: “He played it exactly
like he made the flush, but I had top set so I paid him
off.”
Picture card
Also called a face card, king queen and jack are the
picture cards.
Play
the Board
To show down a hand in hold’em when your cards don’t
make a hand any better than is shown on the board. For
instance, if you have 22, and the board is 4-4-9-9-A (no
flush possible), then you must “play the board” : the
best possible hand you can make doesn’t use any of your
cards. Note that if you play the board, the best you can
do is split the pot with all remaining players.
Poket
Your unique cards that only you can see. For instance,
“He had pocket sixes” (a pair of sixes), or “I had
ace-king in the pocket.”
Poket Pair
A hold’em starting hand with two cards of the same rank,
making a pair. Example: “I had big pocket pairs seven
times in the first hour. What else can you ask for?”
Poker face
A player who does not show any emotions or face
expression has a poker face.
Position
In poker you have early, middle and late position where
the button position is the latest position. You can bet
on position rather than the strength of your hand if no
one did so before you, that would be a position bet.
Post
To put in a blind bet, generally required when you first
sit down in a cardroom game. You may also be required to
post a blind if you change seats at the table in a way
that moves you away from the blinds. Example: a player
leaves one seat at a table and takes another in such a
way that he moves farther from the blinds. He is
required to post an extra blind to receive a hand. See
also “extra blind.”
Pot-Limit
A version of poker in which a player may bet up to the
amount of money in the pot whenever it is his turn to
act. Like no-limit, this is a very different game from
limit poker.
Pot
Odds
The amount of money in the pot compared to the amount
you must put in the pot to continue playing. For
example, suppose there is $60 in the pot. Somebody bets
$6, so the pot now contains $66. It costs you $6 to
call, so your pot odds are 11:1. If your chance of
having the best hand is at least 1 out of 10, you should
call. Pot odds also apply to draws. For instance,
suppose you have a draw to the nut flush with one card
left to come. In this case, you are about a 4:1 underdog
to make your flush. If it costs you $8 to call the bet,
then there must be about $32 in the pot (including the
most recent bet) to make your call correct.
Pre
flop
Anything that happens before the flop.
Price
The pot odds you are getting for a draw or call.
Example: “The pot was laying me a high enough price, so
I stayed in with my gutshot straight draw.”
Protect
(1) To keep your hand or a chip on your cards. This
prevents them from being fouled by a discarded hand, or
accidentally mucked by the dealer. (2) To invest more
money in a pot so blind money that you’ve already put in
isn’t “wasted.” Example: “He’ll always protect his
blinds, no matter how bad his cards are.”
Quads
Four of a kind.
Ragged
A flop (or board) that doesn’t appear to help anybody
very much. A flop that came down J -6 -2 would look
ragged.
Rainbow
A flop that contains three different suits, thus no
flush can be made on the turn. Can also mean a complete
five card board that has no more than two of any suit,
thus no flush is possible.
Raise
To increase the amount of the current bet. A re-raise
would be to raise after someone has raised before.
Rake
An amount of money taken out of every pot by the dealer.
This is the cardroom’s income.
Rank
The numerical value of a card (as opposed to its suit).
Example: “jack,” “seven.”
Represent
To play as if you hold a certain hand. For instance, if
you raised before the flop, and then raised again when
the flop came ace high, you would be representing at
least an ace with a good kicker.
Ring
Game
A regular poker game as opposed to a tournament. Also
referred to as a “live” game since actual money is in
play instead of tournament chips.
River
The fifth and final community card, put out face up, by
itself. Also known as “fifth street.” Metaphors
involving the river are some of poker’s most treasured
cliches, e.g., “He drowned in the river.”
Rock
A player who plays very tight, not very creatively. He
raises only with the best hands. A real rock is fairly
predictable: if he raises you on the end, you can throw
away just about anything but the nuts.
Runner
Typically said “runner-runner” to describe a hand that
was made only by catching the correct cards on both the
turn and the river. Example:“He made a runner-runner
flush to beat my trips.” See also “backdoor.”
Scare Card - A card that may well turn the best hand
into trash. If you have T -8 and the flop comes Q -J -9
, you almost assuredly have the best hand. However, a
turn card of T would be very scary because it would
almost guarantee that you are now beaten.
Second Pair
A pair with the second highest card on the flop. If you
have A -T , and the flop comes K -T -6 , you have
flopped second pair. See “top pair.”
Sell
As in “sell a hand.” In a spread-limit game, this means
betting less than the maximum when you have a very
strong hand, hoping players will call whereas they would
not have called a maximum bet.
Semi-Bluff
A powerful concept first discussed by David Sklansky. It
is a bet or raise that you hope will not be called, but
you have some outs if it is. A semi-bluff may be correct
when betting for value is not correct, a pure bluff is
not correct, but the combination of the two may be a
positive expectation play. Example: you have K -Q , and
the flop is T -5 -J . If you bet now, it’s a semi-bluff.
You probably don’t have the best hand, and you’d like to
see your opponents fold immediately. Nevertheless, if
you do get callers, you could still improve to the best
hand
Set
Three of a kind when you have two of the rank in your
hand, and there is one on the board.
Short Stack
A number of chips that is not very many compared to the
other players at the table. If you have $10 in front of
you, and everybody else at the table has over $100, you
are playing on a short stack.
Showdown
The point at which all players remaining in the hand
turn their cards over and determine who has the best
hand - i.e. after the fourth round of betting is
completed. Of course, if a final bet or raise is not
called, there is no showdown.
Side
Pot
A pot created in which a player has no interest because
he has run out of chips. Example: Al bets $6, Beth calls
the $6, and Carl calls, but he has only $2 left. An $8
side pot is created that either Al or Beth can win, but
not Carl. Carl, however, can still win all the money in
the original or “center” pot.
Slow
Play
To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay
in the pot.
Small Blind
The smaller of two blind bets typically used in a
hold’em game. Normally, the small blind is one-third to
two-thirds of a first round bet. See also “big blind”
and “blind.”
Smooth Call
To call. Smooth call often implies slow playing a strong
hand. Example: “I flopped the nut flush but just smooth
called when the guy in front of me bet - I didn’t want
to scare anybody out.”
Split Pot
A pot that is shared by two or more players because they
have equivalent hands
Split Two Pair
A two pair hand in which one of each of your cards’
ranks appears on the board as well. Example: you have
T9, the flop is T-9-5, you have a split two pair. This
is in comparison to two pair where there is a pair on
the board. Example: you have T9, the flop is 9-5-5
Spread-limit
A betting structure in which a player may bet any amount
in a range on every betting round. A typical
spread-limit structure is $2-$6, where a player may bet
as little as $2 or as much as $6 on every betting round.
Straddle
An optional extra blind bet, typically made by the
player one to the left of the big blind, equal to twice
the big blind. This is effectively a raise, and forces
any player who wants to play to pay two bets.
Furthermore, the straddler acts last before the flop,
and may “re-raise.”
String Bet
A bet (more typically a raise) in which a player doesn’t
get all the chips required for the raise into the pot in
one motion. Unless he verbally declared the raise, he
can be forced to withdraw it and just call. This
prevents the unethical play of putting out enough chips
to call, seeing what effect that had, and then possibly
raising.
Structured
Used to apply to a certain betting structure in poker
games. The typical definition of a structured hold’em
game is a fixed amount for bets and raises before the
flop and on the flop, and then twice that amount on the
turn and river. Example: a $2-$4 structured hold’em
game: bets and raises of $2 before the flop and on the
flop; $4 bets and raises on the turn and river.
Suited
A hold’em starting hand in which the two cards are the
same suit. Example: “I had to play J-3 - it was suited.”
Table Stakes
A rule in a poker game meaning that a player may not go
into his pocket for money during a hand. He may only
invest the amount of money in front of him into the
current pot. If he runs out of chips during the hand, a
side pot is created in which he has no interest. All
casino poker is played table stakes. The definition
sometimes also includes the rule that a player may not
remove chips from the table during a game. While this
rule might not be referred to as “table stakes,” it is
enforced almost universally in public poker games.
Take
the lead
To bet or to raise.
Tell
A clue or hint that a player unknowingly gives about the
strength of his hand, his next action, etc. May
originally be from “telegraph” or the obvious use that
he “tells” you what he’s going to do before he does it.
Tilt
To play wildly or recklessly. A player is said to be “on
tilt” if he is not playing his best, playing too many
hands, trying wild bluffs, raising with bad hands, etc.
Time
(1) A request by a player to suspend play while he
decides what he’s going to do. Simply, “Time, please!”
If a player doesn’t request time and there is a
substantial amount of action behind him, the dealer may
rule that the player has folded. (2) An amount of money
collected either on the button or every half hour by the
cardroom. This is another way for the house to make its
money (see “rake”).
Toke
A small amount of money (typically $.50 or $1.00) given
to the dealer by the winner of a pot. Quite often, tokes
represent the great majority of a dealer’s income
Top
Pair
A pair with the highest card on the flop. If you have A
-Q , and the flop comes Q -T -6 , you have flopped top
pair. See “second pair.”
Top
Set
The highest possible trips. Example: you have T -T , and
the flop comes T -8 -9 . You have flopped top set.
Top
Two
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the two
highest cards on the board.
Top
and Bottom
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the highest
and lowest cards on the board.
Trips
Three of a kind.
Turn
The fourth community card. Put out face up, by itself.
Also known as “fourth street.”
Under the Gun
The position of the player who acts first on a betting
round. For instance, if you are one to the left of the
big blind, you are under the gun before the flop.
Underdog
A person or hand not mathematically favored to win a
pot. For instance, if you flop four cards to your flush,
you are not quite a 2:1 underdog to make your flush by
the river (that is, you will make your flush about one
in three times). See also “dog.”
Value
As in “bet for value.” This means that you would
actually like your opponents to call your bet (as
opposed to a bluff). Generally it’s because you have the
best hand. However, it can also be a draw that, given
enough callers, has a positive expectation.
Variance
A measure of the up and down swings your bankroll goes
through. Variance is not necessarily a measure of how
well you play. However, the higher your variance, the
wider swings you’ll see in your bankroll.
World poker tour
Referred to as the WPT. It is a TV show that uses
cameras on the final table so the viewers seeing the
cards of the players.
World Series of Poker
Referred
to as the WSOP. Each year the tournament is held in
Vegas with buy-in of $10,000 |
