A Glossary of Poker Terms
Learn the Poker Lingo
Here’s a list of most of the poker terms, the a to z of poker, out there but there’s sure to be many others so email us at: info@loveagamble.com and we’ll add them to this list. Enjoy or play poker right here !
Action – Your turn to do something.
All-in – When a player bets all their chips in one go during a game.
Ante – A sum of money paid by all players that comes into effect at some point to boost the pot.
Back Door – Getting the hand you want on the turn or the river.
Badugi – 4 unpaired cards of different suits.
Big Slick – An ace and king in your hand.
Blinds – Big and Small are two forced bets at the beginning of each round.
Bad Beat – An unfavoured hand that gets lucky and beats a hand that should have won.
Bottom Pair – When you may have the lowest pair after seeing the flop.
Bubble – The time when the last player is knocked out in a tournament before making it into any of the prize money.
Burn – The card that is discarded before the next card is dealt i.e. the burn card.
Button – The white (normally) disc placed in front of the person who is at that point the ‘dealer’. Hence ‘on the button’.
Call – Betting the last amount to be wagered.
Check – Not to bet, just check what you have already wagered.
Check-Raise – To check then raise after a player behind you bets.
Connector – Two cards that are in sequence e.g. KQ or 65, suited or unsuited connectors are the terms used.
Community Cards – All the cards that are face-up on the table.
Cut-Off – The last player before the dealer or ‘button’.
Deep Stack – When you have a higher number of chips in your hand.
Dog – The short name for an underdog or person unlikely to win.
Draw – When a hand has a good possibility of improving with the next card(s).
Fish – A poor player. ‘Don’t tap on the aquarium’ being a popular phrase.
Flop – The first three cards that are dealt face up (community cards).
Fold Equity - The extra value you get from a hand when you force an opponent to fold. I.E. if you don't have to see a showdown, your hand has more value than if you do.
Free Roll – Playing in a tournament for free.
Gap hand – When you have two cards that are 2 apart e.g. 3/5 or K/J.
Gut Shot Straight – When you make a straight needing a card on the inside. E.G. you had 4578 and you get a 6.
Heads Up - When the last two players are in battle against each other.
Hit – When you get the card(s) you want on the flop.
Implied Odds - Where pot odds take into consideration the money that's in the pot right now, implied odds is an estimation on how much money you CAN win from the bet if you hit one of your outs
Jam – To move all-in when you’re in a no or pot limit game.
Kicker – The card that accompanies your pair and could decide who wins if both pairs are the same.
Loose – A player who plays far too many hands and is not selective ‘wild’.
Limp (limpers) – When a player just calls the minimum amount in order to see the next card(s).
Maniac – A player who plays almost anything.
Made Hand – A hand that achieves what you wanted it to do like making a flush.
Micro Limit – Online, very small stakes.
Muck – When a hand is finished with.
No Limit – Exactly what it says ‘no-limit’ poker except for the chips in front of you.
Nuts – When you hit the best hand possible for you, perhaps from the flop. Like nut flush. He flopped the nuts!
Off Suit – Two cards of different suits. E.G. Unsuited connectors.
Out(s) – The number of cards that will help you make your hand normally referred to as outs.
Over Card – The highest card that you may hold following the flop for example.
Over Pair – The highest pair on the board at that moment.
Pocket – Cards that you hold in your hand that others don’t see. Hole cards are another name.
Pocket Pair – As above but having a pair in your hand.
Post – To place a bet when you first sit down or posting a blind if you change seats for example.
Pot Committed – When you have put so many chips in the pot that if you fold you will lose all you’ve invested so you may as well continue depending on the size of your stack of course.
Pot Limit Poker – As the term means; you may only bet up to what’s in the pot when it’s your turn.
Pot Odds – The amount of money in the pot in relation to what you have to bet to make a call.
Quads – 4 of a kind.
Ragged – Normally when a useless flop occurs like J 7 3 for example.
Rainbow – A flop of all different suits.
Rake – The money made by the card room charged on top of your stake/bet money.
ReBuy – An option to buy back into a tournament when you have lost all your chips.
Represent – To play as though you hold a good hand. ‘Representing the Flop’.
Resteal – Raising a player who has bet or raised because it’s believed they’re bluffing and trying to steal the pot.
River – The final card that comes face up of the 5 cards on the table in Texas Hold’em. ‘Fifth Street’!
Satellite – A tournament where seats to a bigger tournament is awarded.
Second pair – When you make a pair with the second highest card on the flop.
Semi Bluff – Where you are betting but don’t yet have the hand you want but the odds are fairly good that you will.
Set – or trips, 3 of a kind.
Short Stack – When your number of chips is low as opposed to deep stack.
Showdown – When all players left in the hand show their cards to determine the winner. ‘On your back’.
Side Pot – A pot that’s created away from the main pot because a player(s) bets the rest of his chips but other players can continue to bet as they have more chips.
Slow Play – Betting a hand that’s good in a small way to bring more people into the pot. Also smooth calling is another term.
Small Blind – The smaller of the two forced bets.
Split Pot – A pot that is split equally between the last players because their hands are equal.
Straight – A hand that is in number sequence like 7,8,9,10, J of different suits.
Suited – When you have two cards of the same suit. Suited connectors for example.
Tell – A hint or clue a player might give about themselves or their hand thus ‘giving the game away’!
Suit – Hearts, Diamonds, Spades or Clubs; we all knew that didn’t we!
Tight Aggressive – A strong player who plays good hands betting and raising.
Tight Player – is someone who only plays premium or strong hands pre-flop.
Tight Weak – Similar to above but does not play strong hands aggressively.
Tilt – Playing like a maniac, wild and uncaring.
Time Collection – is a fee to ‘rent a seat’ at a poker table taken in advance. That is ‘time’ is paid instead of the house raking every pot.
Top Pair – The highest pair you may achieve when the flop comes.
Top Set – Making 3 of a kind when the flop comes and of the largest value.
Trips – 3 of a kind.
Turn – The fourth card to come face up on the table after the flop. 4th Street!
Underdog – An unfavoured hand that probably won’t win; also called a ‘dog’.
Under the Gun – The first player who has to play after the cards are dealt who sits to the left of the big blind.
Value – ‘Value bet’, meaning you would prefer your opponents to call your bet generally because you have or think you have the best hand or you have a positive expectation to get the hand you want.
Washing the Cards – putting the cards facedown on the table and shuffling them in this fashion so they are mixed up well.
Wheel – A straight from ace to five.
Now that you know the ‘LINGO’ why not play right here and now! If you want to know the ranking of all poker hands see our ‘hand ranking’ guide! Or top ten starting hands here! Or how to play ALL types of hands click here!
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