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Glossary
All-In: When you wager all of your chips at once. In No-Limit this can be
done at any time during the betting rounds.
Ante: A bet that all the players at a table must place prior to seeing the
Flop.
Back-Door Flush / Back-Door Straight: A Flush or Straight that needs
two consecutive cards to complete it. Example: You have two Spades and
one more Spade comes on the Flop, you need two more Spades to
complete your Flush.
Bad Beat: Getting beat when someone else catches a lucky card when
they probably shouldn't have even been playing. Example: Someone
uses 90% of their stack to call a bet and completes an inside straight
draw on the river to beat your three of a kind Aces!
Bait: To try to entice opponents with a small bet when you have a strong
hand.
Base Deal: A form of cheating where the Dealer gives cards from the
bottom of the deck.
Battle of the Blinds: When everyone folds and the only two players
remaining are the Big and Small Blind.
Big Blind: The larger of two forced bets that must be placed by a player
to ensure action.
Blank: A card that falls and does little or nothing to improve the hands
of the players at the table.
Big Slick: To have an Ace and a King as Pocket Cards.
Blind Game: A game that uses Blinds
Bluff: When you place a bet without having a good hand.
Board: Refers to the poker table itself or the community cards.
Boat: A Full House
Bottom Pair: When you have the lowest of the community cards paired
with one of your Pocket cards.
Bounty: A reward placed on a person in a tournament. The reward is
paid to the player that eliminates the person from the tounament by
winning all their chips.
Bully: A player (that usually has more chips than the other players at
the table) who plays very aggressively by betting and raising large
amounts.
Burn: To take a card out of play is to 'Burn' that card. In Hold'em a card
is burned before the Flop, Turn, and the River.
Bust: Meaning to go-broke or lose all your chips. If you lose all your
chips in a Tournament you are said to "Bust-Out"
Busted Hand: A hand that never went anywhere. Example: you never
made the Flush/Straight you where trying for.
Button: The position of the player who is last to act in all betting rounds
after the Flop. The position is marked with a white plastic disk that
changes from player to player in a clockwise direction after each hand.
The person who is on the 'Button' has the advantage of seeing all the
other players act before he/she does.
Buy: Usually refers to "Buying the Pot", when a player makes a bet in
hopes of making the other players fold even though he does not have a
good hand yet.
Buy-In: A set amount of money that you can bring to the poker table, in
a ring-game there is a maximum amount that players can buy in for to
make it a fair playing field. In a Tournament the buy-in refers to the
amount paid in order to enter the tournament.
Call: When a player matches the previous players wager in order to
continue play in the hand.
Calling Station: A nickname given to a passive player that tends to call
bets frequently when they should probably fold.
Capped: Refers to a limit placed on the number of raises or sizes of
bets.
Chase: When a player calls bets to try and complete a good hand.
Example: If a player requires one more card to make a Flush and they
call bets after the Flop and Turn.
Check: The act of passing the action to the next player to your left when
it is you turn to act (not betting). Checking can be done by saying the
word "Check" or tapping the table with your hand.
Check-Raise: When you pass the opportunity to bet (check) and then
raise after one of the other players makes a bet.
Come Over the Top: To raise or re-raise an opponent after they have
bet.
Community Cards: The Five cards that are dealt onto the table. These
consist of 1.The Flop (The first 3 cards dealt) 2. The Turn (The 4th
card) and 3. "The River" (The last card dealt).
Cowboys: Having K,K as pocket cards
Dead Card: A card that has been taken out of play. Example: If the
dealer accidentally flips a card up while dealing that card must be taken
out of play so it is considered "dead".
Dead Hand: A hand that is no longer in play. Example: If you've folded
your cards your hand is dead.
Dealer Button: A disk that sits in front of the person who is the dealer
to mark their position. The position of the Button is 3rd last to act in the
betting round before the Flop and last to act in all subsequent betting
rounds. This position is advantageous because you get to see the other
players act before you.
Down to the Felt: When a player is running low on chips.
Draw: If you have a draw it means that you need a certain card or cards
to complete your hand. Example: If you have 4 cards to a Flush and are
trying to catch one more card of your suit you are said to be "drawing" to
a flush.
Driver's Seat: The player who is in the driver's seat could be the player
who has the best hand or the player who is controlling the betting in the
hand.
Early Position: When you are one of the first players to act in a round
of betting, it is a disadvantage to be in early position because you don't
get to see what others do before making your decision.
Fifth Street: The fifth of the community cards also called "The River"
Flop: The first 3 community cards, dealt all at once after the first round
of betting.
Fold: When you throw away your cards and choose not to play the rest
of the hand. Players can only do this when it is their turn to act.
Fourth Street: The Fourth of the community cards also called "The
Turn"
Inside Straight (Draw): A draw to a straight where only one card can
complete your hand. Example: You hold 7,8 and the board has 2,10,J on
the Flop. Only a 9 will make your Straight so you are said to have an
Inside Straight Draw.
Jesse James: When you have 4,5 as pocket cards.
Jonah: An unlucky poker player
Kicker: The next highest card in your hand used to determine who the
winner is in the event of a tie. Example: One player has AK and the other
has AJ, the community cards come down as 2,7,A,Q,10. Even though
both players have a pair of Aces as their best hand the Player holding
the King has a higher card ()
Late Position: Means that you are one of the later players to act in a
betting round. Late position is an advantage because you get to see
what your opponents do before making a decision on how to act.
Lay Down: When you fold a hand you are said to be "laying it down". If
someone folds a pretty good hand because they are beaten by an even
better hand they are said to have made "a nice lay down".
Limit Poker: A game where there are structured betting limits for each
round of betting. Example: In a fixed limit $5 / $10 game you can make
$5 bets/raises before the flop and after the flop and $10 bets/raises after
the turn and after the river.
Loose: A player who plays a lot of hands and/or calls a lot of bets is
said to be "loose".
Maniac: A player who takes extreme risks by playing bad cards and
making very large bets, difficult to play against. (Example: Someone
starts going All-In before the flop every hand.)
Mechanic: A cheater who gains an advantage by manipulating the
cards.
Middle Pair: When you have paired the second highest card showing
on the board with one of your hole cards you have middle pair. Example:
You have 8,9 and the flop comes down A,9,5. Your have the middle pair
with your nines.
Misdeal: In live poker when the dealer makes a mistake there can be a
misdeal declared. The cards must then be shuffled and dealt again.
Monster: Term given to a very good hand. Example: Pocket Aces
before the flop, or a Full House.
Muck: The muck is the pile of cards that have been folded. When you
"muck" your cards that means you fold them without showing them to the
other players.
No-Limit: There is no limit to the betting on any round. A player can
wager all their chips at any time.
Nuts: If someone has the best possible hand they are said to have "The
Nuts" (Example: a nut-flush would be an Ace-High flush, a nut-straight
would be the highest possible straight based on the community cards)
Odds: Your chances of making or winning a hand. If you have a 10%
chance of making your hand then your odds are 1 in 10 or 10 to 1
against you.
Offsuit: When cards are not of the same suit. Usually used when
describing a player's pocket cards.
Open-Ended Straight Draw: A draw to a straight that can be made
with two different cards. Example: You have 8,9 and the flop comes
down K,6,7. Now any 5 or 10 will complete your straight.
Outs: The name given to the cards that can help improve your hand. In
poker we tend to count the number of "outs" to find out the odds of
improving a hand. Example: you have 7,8 of Spades and the flop comes
down K,2,9 with two Spades. Since there are 9 unseen cards that are
Spades (13 total minus the 4 Spade cards that you have already seen)
Then you can count 9 Outs that will make you a Flush.
Overpair: When you have a pocket pair that is higher than any of the
community cards.
Pocket Cards: The two cards that are dealt to you face down in the
beginning of a Hold'em hand, also called hole cards.
Pocket Rockets: Having A,A as pocket cards
Pot-Limit: A betting structure where you can never make a bet that is
larger than the size of the pot.
Quads: 4 of a kind
Rag: A card that is of little value. If your hole cards are low,
unconnected and unsuited then you have a "rag-hand".
Rainbow: When community cards contain all different suits. A Rainbow
flop contains three different suits and eliminates the possibility of
someone completing their flush on the next card.
Raise: When you bet more chips when faced with a bet. Example:
Johnny is sitting to your right and bets $10. When it is your turn to act
next you say "Raise Ten" this means that you are betting a total of $20.
Rake: Poker rooms typically make their money by taking a small
percentage from pots that have reached a certain size. This percentage
is called a rake and is usually around %5.
Rake-Back: As a bonus many online poker rooms will refund some of
the money that they take in rake depending on how much you play. This
is called a Rake Bonus or Rake-Back deal. All the poker rooms that are
featured in the Review section of this site offer extensive Rake Bonuses.
Re-Raise: When someone has raised and another raise is added on
top.
River: The last or fifth of the community cards. Also called fifth street.
Rock: A player who is tight and "by-the-book". A rock will usually play
few starting hands and can become predictable.
Rounder: A professional who plays poker for a living.
Scare Card: A card that would seem to have completed a hand for
someone. Example: The flop contains two Clubs and a third Club falls
on the Turn. This could have completed a flush for someone, scary!
Semi-Bluff: A bluff that is made with a hand that has some potential to
draw into a best hand. Example: You have a straight draw and instead
of calling someone's bet you raise them. You could potentially win the
pot right there but if your opponent does call then you still have a chance
to improve.
Set: When you have a pocket pair and a third card on the board gives
you three of a kind.
Short Stack: When you have less chips than the other players at your
table you are said to be "short-stacked".
Showdown: After the River card comes down and players show their
cards.
Side Pot: When one player is all-in and has no more chips to play then
other players can still bet but a side pot is created that only they can win.
Slowplay: To play a strong hand slowly by checking or faking weakness.
Small Blind: The smaller of two forced bets that are placed before the
flop. They are called "blinds" because the players put the bets down
before even seeing their cards.
Suited Connectors: Starting cards that follow each other and are of
the same suit. Example: J,10 of Diamonds.
Table Stakes: Refers to the amount of money that is needed to play at
a table. Table stakes could refer to the blind level, betting structure, or
maximum buy-in for a particular table.
Tell: An action or behaviour that gives information about the strength of
a players hand.
Tight Player: A player who does not play many starting hands and plays
conservatively.
Tilt: When someone has been playing for too long or suffers bad beats
and starts playing stupidly as a result. Someone who is "On Tilt" might
start playing like a Maniac.
Top-Pair: When you have the highest card in the community cards
paired with one of your pocket cards.
Trips: Three of a Kind.
Turn: The fourth community card, also called fourth street.
Wheel: A straight that starts with an Ace and five (A,2,3,4,5).
Wired Pair: A Pocket pair.
