A
| Aces Up |
A pair of aces with any other pair |
| Action |
A player's turn to act. |
| Ajax |
Ace/Jack in the hole |
| Alligator Blood |
Plays well under pressure. "Nerves of Steel". |
| All-in |
Betting all of your remaining chips. |
| American Airlines |
A pair of Aces in the hole. |
| Ante |
Forced bet that players must make before seeing any cards. This guarantees money in the pot for each hand. |
B
| Back Door |
Hand made in the last two cards. |
| Bad Beat |
Losing when you have a very strong hand, usually to a very unlikely draw on the last card. |
| Bankrole |
The total amount of money you plan to gamble with |
| Base Deal |
Dealing cards from the bottom of the deck rather than the top. A form of cheating |
| Beer Hand |
7 and 2 hole cards for Texas Hold 'em. The worst possible starting hole cards |
| Belly Buster |
An Inside Straight draw. |
| Berry Patch |
An easy game, with many poor players. |
| Bicycle |
A Straight, A-5. |
| Big Lick |
6 - 9 unsuited in the hole. |
| Big Slick |
Pocket Ace/King |
| Blank |
Poor card that has no impact on the game. Also called a rag. |
| Blinds |
Mandatory bet before each round. Usually the player two places to the left of the dealer will have to pay
the Large Blind, and the player to the immediate left of the dealer will have to bet half as much for the Small Blind |
| Bluff |
To bet strongly with a poor hand, as if you have strong hand in an attempt to make others fold. |
| Board |
The visible cards in a poker game. These are the community cards in games like Hold'em or Omaha, and the
up cards in Stud games. |
| Boat |
Another term for a Full House |
| Bottom Pair |
The lowest pair on the board in Hold'em or Omaha. For example if the flop is 2c, 7h, Ks, and you have the
2h, and 10d in the hole, then your pair of twos is the bottom pair. |
| Bring in |
To open a round of betting |
| Broadway |
An Ace High Straight |
| Brush |
Cardroom employee who handles the seating chart. |
| Bullets |
A pair of Aces in the hole. |
| Bump |
To Raise |
| Burn |
To discard the top card of the deck. This is done to prevent anyone from being able to determine the next
card. |
| Button |
The marker that signifies the dealer's spot. The player with the button receives the last card dealt in a
round. |
| Buy In |
The amount you must pay to enter a game. |
C
| Call |
To match the current high bet. |
| Calling Station |
A player who almost always calls and seldom raises. |
| Cap |
In many limit games there is a restriction on the number of bets allowed each round. A player caps the betting
by making the last allowable raise. |
| Cards Speak |
A rule that says the cards determine the best possible hand, not the player. If a player has a better hand
than he realizes, the better hand is the one that is used. |
| Chameleon |
Player in a game who changes and varies his style of play from wild and unpredictable to tight and aggressive. |
| Chase |
Calling when you have not yet made your hand. |
| Check |
To basically skip your turn to bet. This still allows you to bet later in the round should anyone else bet.
This is similar to betting $0. |
| Check Raise |
To check at first, then raise should anyone else bet. This is done as a way to lure other players into betting
when you think they may fold if you bet outright. |
| Chop |
See Rake |
| Coffeehousing |
Excessive often distracting talking at the table. |
| Cold Call |
To call both a bet and a raise. |
| Community Card |
A card dealt face up on the table that can be used by any player at the table. |
| Computer Hand |
Q 7 starting hand. |
| Connectors |
Pocket cards of sequential rank. |
| Counterfeit |
A card that does not help you, but is likely to make an opponents hand better than yours. |
| Cowboys |
Kings |
| Crying Call |
When some calls even though they are almost certain they are beat. |
D
| Dead Man's Hand |
Two pair, Aces and Eights. Wild Bill Hickok was mudered while holding this hand. |
| Dolly Pardon |
9 - 5 hole cards |
| Door card |
In stud games, the first card dealt face up to a player. |
| Down to the Felt |
Out of money/chips. |
| Doyle Brunson |
10-2 hole cards in Texas Holdem. This is the hand with which Super System author Doyle Brunson won the WSOP. |
| Drawing Hand |
An incomplete hand such as four cards to a straight in which you are drawing cards, hoping to make your hand. |
| Ducks |
Twos |
| Duece |
A two |
E
| Eyes of Texas |
A pair of Aces in the hole. |
F
| Family Pot |
A round where everyone calls the opening bet. |
| Fast |
Aggressive |
| Fifth Street |
The fifth card dealt in stud poker, or the final card in games with five community cards. |
| Fish |
Poor player |
| Flop |
The first three community cards in games such as Texas Hold'em or Omaha |
| Flush |
Five cards of the same suit. 2, 5, 7, Q, K of Clubs for example. The higher cards in a flush determine the
best hand. An Ace high flush beats a King high flush. |
| Fold |
To give up on your hand. |
| Four Flush |
Four cards to a flush. |
| Four of a Kind |
Four Cards of the Same Rank |
| Full House |
A hand with three cards of one rank, and two cards of another rank. 7h, 7d.7s and 10h, 10c for example. |
G
| Gay Waiter |
Q 3 in the hole. (Queen with a Trey) |
| Gunshot |
An Inside Straight Draw |
| Gutshot |
An Inside Straight Draw |
H
| Hammer, The |
7-2 offsuit. Specifically a winning hand with these as your hole cards. A popular hand among the poker bloggers. |
| Heads Up |
A one on one poker match or round. |
| Heinz |
5 7 in the hole |
| High Society |
The highest denomination of chips in a particular establishment |
| Hilton Sisters |
Wired queens |
| Hole |
The first two down cards in poker game. |
| Hooks |
A pocket pair of Jacks |
I
| Implied Odds |
The odds you are getting from the expected calls in future betting rounds. |
| Inside Straight |
Hand in which you have four cards to a straight, but are missing one in the middle. For example 8,9,J,Q. |
| Isolate |
Bet strongly in an attempt to make everyone fold except one other player. |
J
| Jackson Five |
Pocket Jack/5 |
K
| Kicker |
The highest unpaired card in your hand. Used as a tie-breaker. If two players have the same pair, the one
with the higher kicker will win the pot. |
| Kojack |
Pocket K/J |
L
| Ladies |
Queens |
| Lay Down |
To fold |
| Limp in |
In the first round of betting, simply calling the big blind rather than raising. This allows the big blind
to see the flop for free, and indicates a weak hand. |
| Lock |
A hand that is guaranteed to win at least part of the pot |
| Loose |
A player who stays in more hands than most, and stays in them longer. |
| Lumber Yard |
K - 8 in the hole |
M
| Make a Hand |
To get a certain hand. For example, if you have 4,5,6,7 then you need a 3 or an 8 to Make your hand. |
| Maniac |
A very loose and aggressive player. Rarely folds or calls. Bluffs often and raises frequently. |
| Mechanic |
Someone who cheats by manipulating the cards while dealing |
| Montana Banana |
9-2 in the hole (article 92 made poker legal in Montana) |
| Motown |
J 5 in the hole |
| Muck |
Pile of discarded cards. |
| Mullets |
Pocket 7's in Texas Hold 'em. |
N
| Nut flush |
Highest possible flush |
| Nuts, The |
The best possible hand, given the cards on the board. |
| Nut Straight |
Highest possible straight. |
O
| Odds |
The probability of making your hand. |
| Off Suit |
Cards with different suits, usually referring to hole cards. For example 8c, 9s might be called 8, 9 off
suit. |
| On Tilt |
Betting wildly or making poor bets. Usually after a bad beat. |
| Open |
Make the first bet in a round. |
| Open Ended Straight |
A hand with four consecutive cards. A straight can be completed by drawing the fifth card at either end.
For example, 5,6,7,8. |
| Outs |
Any remaining card that will give you the winning hand. For example |
