Poker Terms
Action - the opportunity to bet, call, check, fold or raise.
All-in - to run out of chips whilst betting or calling. If playing in a table stakes game, once you have contributed all your chips during a hand, you can't reach for more.
Ante - the initial portion of a bet by each player at the beginning of a hand.
Bad beat - when an ordinary hand beats a more favoured hand. Basically the player should have folded much earlier and luck was the only thing on their side.
Bank roll - a player's money on the table.
Berry patch - an easy game where good players can win some easy money.
Blank - a table card that doesn't help your hand.
Blind - a bet before any cards are dealt.
Bluff - to bet with an ordinary hand hoping the others will fold.
Board - all the community cards is a hold'em game.
Bottom pair - the lowest pair on the flop.
Burn - the top card is placed face down between rounds as a means of security, just in case a player has seen it.
Bullets - a pair of aces.
Bump - to raise.
Button - the white disk used to indicate the (notional) dealer.
Buy the pot - a bluffing tactic whereby the player hopes to get the pot without being called.
Call - to match the current bet.
Blind - a bet before any cards are dealt.
Calling station - a player who calls often but hardly ever raises or folds. The result being they contribute a lot to the pot without being much of a challenge to play against.
Card speak - a rule that states the value of the hand is according to the cards, not what the player has siad their hand is worth.
Case - the last card of a rank still in the deck.
Center pot - the first pot created in a poker hand. As oppposed to the side pots created when a player has gone all-in.
Check raise - a late raise in the betting round after previosuly checking.
Complete hand - a hand that uses all five cards. eg a straight or flush.
Counterfeit - when the flop cards duplicate your hand thus rendering your hand less valuable.
Cowboys - kings.
Crack - usually said when a big hand is beaten.
Dead card - a card that is out of play.
Dominated hand - a weak hand that will probably lose.
Blind - a bet before any cards are dealt.
Down to the felt - to be out of money.
Family pot - a pot where most or all players have called before the flop.
Fifth street - the fifth card dealt in Stud Poker.
Fish hooks - jacks.
Flop - the first three community cards put out face up.
Fourth street - the fourth card dealt in Stud Poker.
Foul - a hand that cannot be played, and hence the player cannot participate any further.
Heads up - refers to the pot when there are only two players contesting it.
Hole - a players private cards.
House - the organization running the game.
Gutshot - a straight that is missing an inside card.
Jackpot - bonus paid to a loser of a hand, if beaten by a very good hand. The loser would usually need something like aces full or better. This jackpot is funded from the rake.
Joker - a wildcard used in high and low ball games.
Ladies - queens.
Live blind - a forced et before any cards are dealt.
Lock - a hand that is good enough to win part of the pot.
Maniac - the player who does a lot of irrational betting, raising and bluffing. Not good to do all the time but useful in some situations to confuse opponents.
No limit - a variation where the player can bet any amount of chips.
Nuts - the best possible hand.
On tilt - a player who let's their emotions rule, usually ending in bad decisions.
Out - any card that will make a winning hand.
Overcard - a card that is higher than any other card on the board.
Pay off - calling a bet where the bettor has a more favourable hand but the pot size justifies the call.
Play the board - to use all the community cards and none of your own.
Pocket - a players cards that only they can see.
Post - to put in a blind bet usually when you first start at a game.
Pot limit - a variation where the player can bet up to the amount of the pot.
Proposition bets - side bets between players.
Quads - four of a kind.
Rag - a low card that doesn't affect the hand.
Rainbow - table cards of varying suits.
Rake - the cardroom's income which is taken from the pot.
Represent - to play as if you have another hand, not the one your actually have.
Rock - a player who only raises when they have the best hand and tends to be predictable.
Rock garden - a game full of rocks.
Rounder - an experienced player who makes their living from poker.
Scare card - a community card that can ruin your hand.
Sell - to bet less than the maximum when you have a good hand, hoping the other players will call.
Set - three of a kind with two in your hand and one on the board.
Showdown - when all remaining players show their cards to establish who has the best hand.
Side pot - a pot resulting from a player going all in. Not all players particiapte in side pots.
Slow play - a means of keeping players in the pot by playing a strong hand weakly.
Snap off - to beat a bluffer with finesse rather than a good hand.
South - to fold.
Spikes - a pair of aces.
Split pot - when two or more players share a pot because of equal ranking hands.
Table stakes - a rule where a player can only bet with the chips in front of them on the table. They cannot reach for more chips during a hand. See all-in and side pot.
Tap - betting the same amount as a player's stack forcing them to go all-in inorder to call.
Toke - a small amount given to the dealer by the winner of a pot.
Trips - three of a kind.
Under the gun - the first player to act in the betting round.
Variance - the movement in your bankroll.
