|
A
|
|
|
Aces Full
|
A full house with three aces
and any pair.
|
|
Ace-High
|
A five card hand that contains
one Ace, with no straight or flush
or a hand with no pair in it.
|
|
Aces Up
|
A hand that contains two pairs,
one of which is Aces.
|
|
Action
|
Checking/Betting/Raising. A game in which players are
playing a lot of pots is considered an "action" game.
|
|
Active Player
|
Any player who is still in the hand.
|
|
Add-on
|
A purchase of more chips (optional) at the end of the
re-buy period in a tournament.
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|
All-In
|
When a player bets all his/her
chips.: In online poker, you may be deemed "All-in" when
you are disconnected (even if you have chips remaining).
|
|
American Airlines
|
Two Aces.
|
|
Ante
|
Money placed in the pot before the
hand is begun.
|
| |
|
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B
|
|
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Bad Beat
|
When a hand is beaten by a lucky
draw.
|
|
Belly Buster
|
A draw and/or catch to an Inside
Straight.
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|
Bet
|
To place chips into the pot.
|
|
Bet the Pot
|
When a player bets the amount of the pot.
|
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Bicycle
|
A straight that is A-2-3-4-5.
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|
Big Blind
|
A designated amount that is placed by the player
sitting in the second position, clockwise from the dealer, before
any cards are dealt. (Players joining a game in progress must post
a Big Blind, but may do so from any position.)
|
|
Big Slick
|
A hand that contains an A-K.
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|
Blind
|
The bet(s) that must be made by the two players
sitting directly to the dealer's left which will start the action
on the first round of betting. The
blinds are posted before any cards are dealt. (A "Blind"
bet is one that is made in the dark without looking at your
cards.)
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|
Blind Raise
|
When a player raises without
looking at his hand.
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|
Bluff
|
To make other players believe that one has a better hand
than he/she might otherwise have by betting or raising
when they do not have the best hand.
|
|
Boardcards
|
The cards that are dealt face-up in a poker game for
all players to see. In flop games, five
cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. In Seven
Card Stud, four cards are dealt face-up in front of each
player.
|
|
Bottom Pair
|
When a player uses the lowest card on the flop
to make a pair with one of his own cards.
|
|
Broadway
|
An Ace high straight
(A-K-Q-J-10).
|
|
Bring-In
|
The forced bet made on the first round of betting by
the player who is dealt the lowest card showing in Seven
Card Stud and Stud 8 or Better. In Razz
(Lowball) it is the highest card showing
|
|
Bring It In
|
To start the betting on the first round.
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Broomcorn's Uncle
|
A player who antes himself broke.
|
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Bullets
|
A pair of Aces.
|
|
Bump
|
To raise.
|
|
Button
|
Also known as the dealer button, it is a small round
disk that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction
following each hand, to theoretically indicate the dealer of each
hand.
|
|
Buy-In
|
The minimum amount of money required by a player to
sit down in a particular poker game.
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|
Back to top
|
|
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C
|
|
|
Call
|
When a player chooses to match the previous bet.
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|
Call Cold
|
To call both a bet and raise(s).
|
|
Cap
|
To take the last of the maximum amount of raises
allowed per round of betting.
|
|
Cardroom
|
The room or space in a casino where poker is played.
|
|
Case Chips
|
A player's last chips.
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|
Cash Out
|
To leave a game and convert your chips to cash.
|
|
Check
|
When it's a player's turn to act and there has been
no action in front of them and he opts not to bet, he
"checks."
|
|
Check-Raise
|
When a player first checks and then raises in a
betting round.
|
|
Chop
|
To return the blinds to the players who posted them
and move on to the next hand if no other players call. It also
means to "split the pot".
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|
Collusion
|
When two or more players conspire to cheat in a poker
game.
|
|
Community Cards
|
Cards that are face-up and used by all players.
|
|
Cowboys
|
Two Kings.
|
|
|
|
|
D
|
|
|
Dead Man's Hand
|
Two pair - Aces and Eights (Wild Bill Hickock was
shot in the back while playing this hand).
|
|
Door Card
|
This is the first exposed card, or "up"
card, in a player's hand in Stud games.
|
|
Down Card
|
Hole cards. Cards that are dealt
face down.
|
|
Doyle Brunson
|
It's a Holdem hand consisting of a 10-2 (Brunson won
the world championship two years in a row on the final hand with
these cards).
|
|
Draw Lowball
|
Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards
with the option of discarding one or more and replacing them with
new ones and the low hand wins.
|
|
Draw Poker
|
Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards
down with the option of discarding one or more and replacing them
with new ones to attempt to make a better hand.
|
|
Drop
|
Fold.
|
|
Ducks
|
A pair of Twos.
|
|
Deuces
|
A pair of Twos.
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|
Back to top
|
|
|
E
|
|
|
Early Position
|
Position on a round of betting where the player must
act before most of the other players at the table. (It's
considered the two positions located to the left of the Blinds.
)
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| |
|
|
F
|
|
|
Fifth Street
|
Also known as the "river"
card. In flop games, this represents the
fifth community card on the table and the
final round of betting. In Stud games,
this is the fifth card dealt to each player and represents the
third round of betting.
|
|
Five-card Draw
|
A poker game in which the player is dealt five cards
down. They have one draw to replace them and the best high hand
wins the pot.
|
|
Five-card Stud
|
A poker game in which each player is dealt five
cards, one down and four up, with betting after 2, 3, 4, & 5
cards.
|
|
Flat Call
|
Calling a bet without raising.
|
|
Flop
|
In Hold'em and Omaha,
the first three community cards that are
dealt face-up in the center of the table all at one time. The
"flop" also indicates the second round of betting.
|
|
Flop Games
|
Poker games (Hold 'em and Omaha)
that are played using community cards
that are dealt face up in the center of the table.
|
|
Floorman
|
An employee of the cardroom who makes rulings and
decisions.
|
|
Flush
|
Any five cards of the same suit.
|
|
Flush Draw
|
When a player has four cards in his hand of the same
suit and is hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.
|
|
Fold
|
To throw your hand away when it's your turn to act.
|
|
Forced Bet
|
A required bet that starts the action on the first
round of a poker hand.
|
|
Four of a Kind
|
Four cards of the same number or face value
("quads").
|
|
Fourth Street
|
In flop games, it is the
fourth community card dealt (also known
as "the turn") and represents the
third round of betting. In Stud games, it
is the fourth card dealt to each player and represents the second
round of betting.
|
|
Full House
|
Any three cards of the same number or face value,
plus any other two cards of the same number or face value.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
G
|
|
|
Gut Shot
|
To draw to and/or hit an inside straight.
|
|
H
|
|
|
Hand
|
A player's best five cards.
|
|
High-Low
|
Split pot games.
|
|
Hold 'em
|
Also known as Texas Hold 'em, where the players get
two down cards and five community
cards. See our complete Hold
'em rules in our Game
Rules section.
|
|
Hole Cards
|
These are the Down Cards in
front of the players.
|
|
House
|
The casino or cardroom that is hosting the poker
game.
|
| |
|
|
I
|
|
|
Inside Straight
|
Four cards which require another between the top and
the bottom card to complete a straight.\
Players who catch this card make an Inside Straight.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
J
|
|
|
Jackpot Poker
|
A form of poker in which the cardroom or casino
offers a jackpot to a player who has lost with a really big hand
(usually Aces full or better).
|
|
Jacks-or- Better
|
A form of poker in which a player needs to have at
least a pair of jacks to open the betting.
|
|
K
|
|
|
Kansas City Lowball
|
Form of lowball poker in which
the worst poker hand (2, 3, 4, 5, 7 of different suits) is the
best hand. It's also known as Deuce to Seven.
|
|
Keep Them Honest
|
To call at the end of a hand to prevent someone from
bluffing.
|
|
Key Card
|
A card that gives you a big draw or makes your hand.
|
|
Key Hand
|
In a session or tournament, the one hand that ends up
being a turning point for the player, either for better or worse.
|
|
Kicker
|
The highest unpaired side card in a players' hand.
|
|
Kick It
|
Raise.
|
|
Kill Pot
|
A method to stimulate action. It is a forced bet by
someone who has just won a pot(s).
|
|
Knock
|
Check.
|
|
Kojak
|
A hand that contains a K-J.
|
| |
|
|
L
|
|
|
Ladies
|
Two Queens.
|
|
Late Position
|
Position on a round of betting where the player must
act after most of the other players have acted (usually considered
to be the two positions next to the button).
|
|
Lay Down Your Hand
|
When a player folds.
|
|
Lead
|
The first player to bet into a pot.
|
|
Limit Poker
|
A game that has fixed minimum and maximum betting
intervals along with a prescribed number of raises.
|
|
Limper
|
The first player who calls a bet.
|
|
Limp In
|
To enter the pot by calling rather
than raising. (The usual concept of
"Limp In" is when the first person to speak just calls
the Big Blind.)
|
|
Live Blind
|
An instance where the player puts in a dark bet and
is allowed to raise, even if no other player
raises. It's also known as an "option".
|
|
Live Card(s)
|
In Stud Games, cards that
have not yet been seen and are presumed to still be in play.
|
|
Live Hand
|
A hand that could still win the pot.
|
|
Live One
|
A not so knowledgeable player who plays a lot of
hands.
|
|
Look
|
When a player calls the final bet before the showdown.
|
|
Loose
|
Is a player who plays a lot hands.
|
|
Lowball
|
Is a form of draw poker in which the lowest hand wins
the pot.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
M
|
|
|
Main Pot
|
The center pot. Any other bets are placed in a side
pot(s) and are contested among the remaining players. This
occurs when a player(s) goes all-in.
|
|
Make
|
To make the deck is to shuffle the deck.
|
|
Maniac
|
A very aggressive player who plays a lot of hands.
|
|
Middle Pair
|
In flop games, when a player
makes a pair with one of his/her down cards
and the middle card on the flop.
|
|
Middle Position
|
Somewhere between the early and late positions on a
round of betting (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left
of the button).
|
|
Muck
|
To discard or throw away your hand.
It's also a pile of cards that are no longer in play.
|
|
Minimum Buy-In
|
The least amount you can start a game with.
|
|
Monster
|
A very big hand. In a tournament,
a player who begins to accumulate chips after having a small stack
is considered to be a monster.
|
| |
|
|
N
|
|
|
No Limit
|
A game where players can bet as much as they like (as
long as they have it in front of them) on any round of betting.
|
|
Nuts
|
The best possible hand at any
point of the game. A hand that cannot be beat.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
O
|
|
|
Odds
|
The probability of making a hand
vs. the probability of not making a hand.
|
|
Offsuit
|
Cards of a different suit.
|
|
Omaha
|
A game in which each player is dealt four down
cards with five community cards. To make your hand, you must
play two cards from your hand and three from the board.
|
|
Open
|
To make the first bet.
|
|
Open-ended Straight
|
Four consecutive cards whereby one additional
(consecutive) card is needed at either end to make a straight.
|
|
Open Card
|
A card that is dealt face-up.
|
|
Open Pair
|
A pair that has been dealt
face-up.
|
|
Option
|
An option is a Live Blind
made in the dark before the cards are dealt. If no one raises, the
"option" player may raise the pot.
|
|
Out Button
|
A disc placed in front of a player who wishes to sit
out a hand(s) but remain in the game.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
P
|
|
|
Paints
|
Face or picture cards (Jack, Queen and King).
|
|
Pair
|
Two cards of the same face or number value.
|
|
Pass
|
To fold.
|
|
Pay Off
|
To call on the final round of
betting when you may or may not think you have the best hand.
|
|
Picture Cards
|
Face cards (Jack, Queen and King).
|
|
Play Back
|
To raise or re-raise another
player's bet.
|
|
Playing the Board
|
In flop games when your best
five card hand is all five of the community
cards.
|
|
Pocket
|
The down cards or hole
cards.
|
|
Pocket Rockets
|
A pair of Aces in the pocket or
hole.
|
|
Position
|
Where a player is seated in relation to the dealer,
therefore establishing that player's place in the betting order.
|
|
Post
|
When you post a bet, you place your chips in the pot.
(You must post the Blinds.)
|
|
Pot
|
The money or chips in the center of a table that
players try to win.
|
|
Pot Limit
|
This is a game where the maximum bet can equal the pot.
|
|
Prop
|
A person hired by the cardroom to work as a shill.
|
|
Push
|
When the dealer pushes the chips to the winning
player at the end of a hand. It's also when dealers rotate to
other tables.
|
|
Put Down
|
To fold a hand.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
Q
|
|
|
Quads
|
Four of a kind.
|
|
Qualifier
|
In High-Low games, it is a
requirement the Low hand must meet to win the pot.
|
| |
|
|
R
|
|
|
Rack
|
A tray that holds 100 poker chips in five stacks of
twenty chips each.
|
|
Rail
|
The rim of a poker table or a barrier outside a poker
area.
|
|
Railbird
|
Someone who hangs around a poker room who watches the
games and/or is looking to get into action.
|
|
Raise
|
To increase the previous bet.
|
|
Rake
|
Chips taken from the pot by the
cardroom for compensation for hosting the game.
|
|
Rank
|
The value of each card and hand.
|
|
Rap
|
When a player knocks on the table indicating that
he/she has checked.
|
|
Razz
|
Seven Card Stud where the lowest five cards win the
pot.
|
|
Re-buy
|
The amount of money a player pays to add a fixed
number of chips to his/her stack in a tournament.
|
|
Re-raise
|
To raise a raise.
|
|
Ring Game
|
A "live" game that is not a tournament.
|
|
River
|
This is the last card given in all games. In Hold'em
and Omaha, it is also known as 5th street. In
Stud games, it is also known as 7th
street.
|
|
Round of Betting
|
This is when players have the opportunity to bet,
check or raise. Each
round of betting ends when the last bet or raise has been called.
|
|
Rounders
|
Guys who hustle for a living. This is also the name
of a popular poker movie starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton.
|
|
Royal Flush
|
This is an Ace high straight (A-K-Q-J-10) of the same
suit. It is the best possible hand in poker.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
Satellite
|
It is a mini-tournament to gain an entry into a
larger tournament.
|
|
Scoop
|
To win the entire pot.
|
|
Seating List
|
A waiting list. A player would put his or her name on
this list if there were no seats at the table at which they wish
to play.
|
|
Second Pair
|
In flop games, when you pair
the second highest card on the board.
|
|
See
|
To call.
|
|
Seven-card Stud
|
A well-known poker game in which players get three
down cards and four up cards. You play the best five of those
seven cards. Click here for information on Seven-card
Stud.
|
|
Seventh Street
|
This is the final round of betting in Seven Card Stud
and Stud 8 or Better.
|
|
Shills
|
Shills are paid props who help
start and maintain poker games.
|
|
Showdown
|
At the end of the final betting round, it's when all
active players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the pot.
|
|
Side Pot
|
A separate pot(s) which is contested by remaining
active players when one or more players are all-in.
|
|
Sixth Street
|
In Seven-card Stud, this
is the fourth "up" card dealt to the player (their 6th
card). It is also the 4th round of betting.
|
|
Solid
|
A fairly tight player (and reasonably good).
|
|
Small Blind
|
The amount put in the pot by the person immediately
to the left of the dealer "button" prior to the cards
being dealt.
|
|
Speed Limit
|
A pair of fives.
|
|
Split
|
Tie.
|
|
Stack
|
A pile of chips.
|
|
Stay
|
When a player remains in the game by calling
rather than raising.
|
|
Steel Wheel
|
A five high straight (A-2-3-4-5) of the same suit.
|
|
Straddle
|
A straddle is a Blind bet which is usually double the
size of the Big Blind\ (and that player may raise when the action
gets to him).
|
|
Straight
|
Five consecutive cards of any suit.
|
|
Straight Flush
|
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
|
|
Structure
|
The limits put on the blinds/ante,
bets, and raises in any
particular game.
|
|
Stud Games
|
Games in which players get down cards and up cards.
|
|
Stuck
|
A player who is losing in a game.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
T
|
|
|
Texas Hold'em
|
This is also the name for Hold'em,
the most popular form of poker.
|
|
Third Street
|
In Seven Card Stud and
Seven Card Stud 8 or Better, this is the first betting round on
the first three cards.
|
|
Thirty Miles
|
Three tens.
|
|
Three of a Kind
|
Three cards of the same number or face value
("trips").
|
|
Tight
|
A player who doesn't play many pots. A tight game is
one that doesn't have much action.
|
|
TOC
|
Tournament of Champions.
|
|
Top Pair
|
In flop games, when the
player pairs one of his down cards with
the highest card on board.
|
|
Treys
|
A pair of threes.
|
|
Trips
|
Three of a kind.
|
|
Turn
|
In flop games, this is the
fourth card dealt. It is the third round of betting.
|
|
Two Pair
|
A hand consisting of two different pairs.
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
U
|
|
|
Up Card
|
A card that is dealt face-up.
|
| |
|
|
V-W
|
|
|
Walking Sticks
|
A pair of sevens.
|
|
Wild Card
|
A card that can be played as any value.
|
|
Worst Hand
|
A losing hand.
|
|
WSOP
|
World Series of Poker.
|
