|
Poker has a
language somewhat to itself. Thankfully, Party Poker has
provided us with a glossary/dictionary to familiarize
ourselves with just about every poker term imaginable.
If you come across it at a poker table and you don't know what
it means, chances are you will find here, listed in
alphabetical order from A-Z.
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.
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.
B
Bad Beat -- When a hand is beaten by a lucky draw.
Belly Buster -- A draw and/or catch to an Inside
Straight.
Bet -- To place chips into the pot.
Bet the Pot -- When a player bets the amount of the
pot.
Bicycle -- A straight that is A-2-3-4-5.
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.
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.)
Blind Raise -- When a player raises without looking at
his hand.
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.
Broomcorn's Uncle -- A player who antes himself broke.
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.
C
Call -- When a player chooses to match the previous
bet.
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.
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".
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.
Ducks -- A pair of Twos.
Deuces -- A pair of Twos.
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.)
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.
G
Gut Shot -- To draw to and/or hit an inside straight.
H
Hand -- A player's best five cards.
High-Card -- To decide the first dealer in the flop
tournaments each user is dealt a single card and the player
with the highest card (based on the card and the suit order -
of spades, hearts, diamonds & clubs) becomes the theoretical
dealer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 faceup 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.
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.
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.
Copyright ©2003 PartyPoker.com
All Rights Reserved. |
