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A
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."
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.
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."
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B
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.
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."
Blank - A board card that doesn't seem
to affect the standings in the hand. If the flop is A-J-T,
then a turn card of 2
would be considered a blank. On the other hand, the 2
would not be.
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."
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."
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.
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.
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C
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.
Calling Station - A weak-passive player
who calls a lot, but doesn't raise or fold much. This is the kind of
player you like to have in your game.
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 - 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."
Check - 1) To not bet, with the option
to call or raise later in the betting round. Equivalent to betting zero
dollars. (2) Another word for chip, as in poker chip.
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.
Come Hand - A drawing hand (probably
from the craps term).
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: KQs, 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.
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.
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D 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.
Dog - Shortened form of "underdog."
Dominated Hand - A hand that will almost
always lose to a better hand that people usually play. For instance, K3 is
"dominated" by KQ. With the exception of strange flops (e.g., 3-3-X,
K-3-X), it will always lose to KQ.
Draw - To play a hand that is not yet
good, but could become so if the right cards come. Example: "I'm not there
yet - I'm drawing." Also used as a noun. Example: "I have to call because
I have a good 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.
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E
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."
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F 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.
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.
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 - 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
and your opponent has A-Q.
The flop is Q-5-T.
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.
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G
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.
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H
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.
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."
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I
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 - Seeking one
specific card value to make a straight. For instance, a player holding 9-5
with a board of 2-7-6 can make a straight with any eight. This is also
known as a gutshot straight draw.
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J
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.
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K
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.
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L
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.
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M
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.
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."
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N
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."
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O
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.
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P
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."
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.
Pocket - 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."
Pocket 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?"
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 12, 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.
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."
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Q
Quads - Four of a kind.
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R
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.
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."
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S
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 guar-antee 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."
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T 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.
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."
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U
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."
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V
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.
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