Poker Glossary
A | B | C | D
| E | F| G | H
| I | J | K | L
| M | N| O | P
| Q | R | S | T
| U | V | W | X
| Y | Z
A
Ace-High
A five-card hand that has no hand combinations but contains
one Ace.
All-in
When you bet all your money on a hand.
Ante
The minimum bet that players must make before betting begins
and any cards are dealt.
B
Bad Beat
When a good hand gets beaten by a lucky draw.
Big Blind
The first bet made by the player to the left of the player
who posts the small blind. It is a compulsory bet. The big
blind bet amount is equal to the lower bet.
Big Pair
A pair with a value of 10 or greater.
Big Slick
An A-K pocket cards combination.
Blind Bet
A forced bet before any cards are dealt and a live bet for
the first round of betting. You have both a big blind and
a small blind in the first round of betting.
Bluff
To represent a better hand than you actually have.
Boat
Slang for a full house.
Bullets
A pair of Aces. If these are pocket cards, known as "Pocket
Rockets".
Burning a Card
Discarding the top card of the deck.
Buy-in Amount
The amount you must bring to a game.
Buy-in Limit
The minimum amount you must bring to a 1-on-1 game.
C
Call
When you place a bet equal to the previous bet.
Cap
The limit used to describe the third raise in a round. Betting
is capped and players can only call or fold.
Cash Out
To finish playing and exchange your chips from cash.
Catch
When a player makes the hand s/he was drawing to.
Check
When you want to stay in the game but not place a bet. You
can only check if no other bets have been placed in the betting
round.
Check-Raise
To check at the beginning of a betting round and then raise
when a player to your left bets.
Coffeehousing
When players chat about a hand they are involved in to mislead
or manipulate other players.
Call Cold
Calling both a bet and a raise at the same time.
Collusion
When two or more players work together in order to win a hand
or succession of hands.
Community Cards
Cards that are dealt open to the table and can be used by
all players to complete a five-card hand.
D
Dead Man's Hand
Two pair hand consisting of Aces & Eights. Reputed to
be the hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was
shot dead.
Dealer-button
A flat disk that is used to signify the Dealer's position
on the table in online poker. The disk is usually marked with
a D.
Deuces
A pair of Twos.
Drawing
Remaining in the round and accepting more cards.
Drawing to a hand
Remaining in the round with the hope of making one's potential
hand as more cards are dealt.
Drawing Dead
When a player is drawing to a hand that is not the best hand
offered by the flop and will therefore be beaten even if the
hand is made.
E
Equalized
When all players have contributed the same amount of credits
to the pot.
F
Fifth Street
The third round of betting and is called Fifth Street because
the players have Five-Cards each.
Flop
The first three community cards dealt to the table.
Fold
When players throw in their card and give up any claim on
the pot.
Fourth Street
The second round of betting and is called Fourth Street because
the players have four cards each.
Flush Draw
When a player holds four cards of the same suit and is hoping
to draw a fifth to complete a flush.
G
Go on tilt
When a player loses emotional balance during a game and plays
irrationally.
Gut Shot
To draw to an inside straight.
H
Hand
The best combination a player can make with the cards s/he
holds plus the communal cards.
Heads Up
A game with only two players.
Hole Cards
These are the Down Cards in front of the players. (Also known
as "Pocket Cards")
House
The host of the game (e.g. the casino).
I
Inside straight draw
Drawing to a straight where the cards needed to complete the
straight are those in the middle of the straight. For example,
you have 6-7-9-10 and need the middle card (8) to make the
straight.
J
K
Kicker
The highest unpaired pocket card.
L
Limping In
Calling the big blind rather than raising.
Live Blinds
Blind bets that are in play.
Lowest Card
The card that has the lowest value. Aces are high. If two
players have the same lowest card, the value is determined
by suit. Suits are arranged in alphabetical order from lowest
to highest value: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades.
M
Maniac
A very loose and aggressive player, playing almost any hand
and usually raising rather than calling.
Monster
A very strong hand.
Muck
When you do not want to show your hand to the table. The hand
is discarded without being displayed to the table. You can
muck a losing hand in a showdown, or the winning hand if everyone
else has folded.
N
Nuts
The best possible hand at a particular point of the game.
Nut Flush
A flush containing the Ace.
O
Offsuit
Cards of different suits.
Outs
Cards that will make the hand that the player is drawing to.
P
Paint Cards
The picture cards (King, Queen, Jack).
Pocket Cards
The cards dealt face down to each player.
Pocket Rockets
A pair of Aces as your pocket cards.
Post Now
A choice given to new players joining a game. They can either
post now or wait for the big blind bet. If they post now,
they bet the equivalent of a big blind bet and receive cards
immediately.
Pot
The pot is the pile of chips that accumulates as each player
ante, bet and raise. All winnings are paid from the pot. The
value of the pot varies depending on the stakes involved and
the amount the Players bet. The pot goes to the winner of
each round.
Q
Quads
Four of a kind.
Quartered
When Players tie with either a high or a low hand and earn
a quarter of the pot.
R
Rake
Percentage of the pot taken by the house. A raked hand is
considered as a play where the player contributes to the pot.
Rags
Useless cards.
Rainbow
When the board contains 3 or 4 cards of different suits.
Raise
When you increase the bet made by a preceding player. This
increases the stakes for remaining Players, who now have to
match the total amount including the raise.
Ring Game
A normal real money table game, as opposed to a tournament
game.
River Card
The final community card.
Rock
A player who will only play the best hands and nothing less.
S
Scare Cards
High board cards (e.g an Ace that appears on the flop).
See
To see someone is to call their bet.
Semi-bluff
To bluff with a hand that still has drawing potential and
could
improve to be the winning hand.
Seven Deuce
The weakest starting card combination in Texas Hold-em (7-2)
Seventh Street
The fifth and final round of betting because the Players have
Seven-
Cards each.
Showdown
After the last betting round, when players compare hands to
determine the winner.
Sitting Out
When you choose to leave a table for a few hands.
Sixth Street
The fourth round of betting and is called Sixth Street because
the
players have six cards each.
Slow Playing
Playing non-aggressively with a powerful hand; calling and
betting instead of raising. This in the hope of not driving
players out of the hand and thus sucking more money into the
pot. Also called "sandbagging".
Small Blind
The first bet posted by the player to the Dealer's left. It
is a forced bet. The small blind bet amount is equal to half
of the lower bet.
Splash the pot
To toss chips into the pot instead of placing them.
Seen as bad etiquette.
Stack
A player's chips.
Steal
To try and win the pot by betting when everyone else has checked,
or by making a large raise when everyone else has called.
Suited Cards
Cards of the same suit.
T
Third Street
The first round of betting and is called Third Street because
the players have three cards each. The player with the lowest
card displayed brings-in the betting in this round.
Turn
The fourth community card dealt.
U
Under the Gun
The player who must act first in the betting round.
V
Visible Cards
Cards dealt face up to each Player. Players use these cards
to
complete a five-card combination.
W
WSOP
World Series of Poker.
X
Y
Z
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