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Lingo
Poker
has a language somewhat to itself. Absolute
Poker provides with a glossary to familiarize
yourself with poker
terms.
Many of the poker terms in this glossary are
linked to one another.
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.
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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.
Drop
Fold.
Ducks
A
pair of Twos.
Deuces
A
pair of Twos.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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