A B C
D E F
G H I J
K L M
N O P Q
R S T
U V W
X
Y 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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
U
Up Card
A card that is dealt face-up.
V-W-X-Y-Z
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.
Back to top
