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Poker Terms and Slang
Acting
A display of behaviour or type of bluffing that is intended to help influence the other poker players into doing what you want them to do.
Action
Checking, calling, betting, raising, and folding are all actions. When there have been a lot of bets or raises someone might say, “Wow, check out the action.”
Add On
An ‘add on’ is when you are in re-buy tournaments, you will sometimes have the option to purchase more chips after the re-buy period is over.
Advertise
To make some sort of play now that might trick your opponents into believing you play poker differently than you actually do. This might mean doing something stupid that might lose you a few dollars now, but you figure to make up for it later by having made your opponents play incorrectly against you.
All-in
When you put all your chips or money into the pot you are all-in.
Ante
Money that you are required to pay before you are dealt your cards.
Backdoor
Say you have three cards to a straight on the flop and the next two cards are both cards that help you make your straight on the last card. You have back-doored a straight.
Bankroll
Your bankroll is the money that you have set aside to play poker with.
Belly Buster
If you have 3,4,5,7 you have an inside straight draw or belly buster straight draw. If you catch the 6 to make your hand you made a belly buster.
Big Blind
A required bet in poker that is equal to the minimum bet that is required once every round.
Board
Exposed cards that everyone can see are board cards. These are the cards everyone will share in community card games like Texas Hold’em poker.
Bluff
Betting or raising with a hand that does not figure to be best and for the purpose of trying to make everyone fold.
Bottom Pair
When you use the lowest card on the board to make your hand, you have bottom pair.
Bring-In
In 7 card stud poker, after the first three cards are dealt the person who has the lowest card showing is forced to place money into the pot and this is called the bring-in.
Broadway
A straight from ten to ace and sometimes said ace high straight.
Bully
When you run over the other players and bet and raise often enough they sometimes feel bullied and might call you a bully.
Bullets
This poker term is used to describe two aces. Usually used to describe two aces in the hole in Texas Hold’em poker games
Bump
This term indicates a raise.
Buried Pair
A hidden pair in your hold cards.
Button
The round disk that is also called the dealers button. It is used to keep track of where the blinds are to be posted next.
Buy-in
The amount of money that you sit down to play with in poker that is on the table.
Call
When a player bets before you and you match the bet to stay in the hand.
Calling Station
A weak poker player who calls much more often than he should
Cap
When the maximum number of raises for a round is reached the betting has been capped.
Catch
When you receive a card that completes a draw for your hand, you have caught the card you needed.
Changing Gears
When you switch up your style of play, you are changing gears. Say you may have been betting or raising a lot during the past hour or so and you want to change gears by slow playing and playing tighter so that your opponents might play incorrectly against you.
Chase
To continue with a hand that is not best. Chasing after cards that might improve your hand to the best hand.
Check
To choose the option of passing your turn and allowing the next poker player to act while still remaining in the hand.
Check Raise
To raise after you have checked on the same round. Say you have a really big poker hand and the poker player to your left bets every time that it is checked to him. You might want to check and then raise after he bets to get more money in the pot and sometimes you might want to check raise to get some players out of the pot.
Cold Call
To make a call after a bet and a raise when you have not put any money in the pot on that round yet.
Community Cards
Cards that are shared by everyone. The cards dealt face up in Texas Hold’em poker are community cards.
Cowboys
A pair of kings.
Crying Call
To make a call you don't feel good about making.
Dead
A poker hand that no longer has a chance of winning the pot.
Dead Man's Hand
Aces and eights. Wild Bill Hickok was killed while allegedly holding this hand. He was killed while playing poker in Deadwood.
Dead Money
Mostly used by tournament poker pro's to refer to individuals with a very low chance of winning the poker tournament or making the money.
Dealer's Choice
In dealer's choice games, the dealer gets to choose what game will be played when it's his turn to deal out the cards.
Deuces
A pair of twos.
Dominated
Let's say in Texas Hold’em poker you hold and ace and a five and your opponent holds and ace and a king. Your hand is dominated by your opponents king. Even if you catch a pair of aces your opponent will still win with a better kicker unless you catch a five or a miracle straight or flush or if you split the pot.
Door Card
Your first exposed card in stud poker.
Double Up
To double your stack in size in one hand.
Down Cards
These are the cards no one else can see. Also called pocket cards and hole cards.
Edge
When you do something better than your opponents in poker, you have an edge over them in that area. For example you might gain an edge just by entering less pots than your opponents. If you were a favourite in a hand, you had an edge.
Even Money Wager
A bet that does not expect to make or lose you money in the long run. A lot of times for the particular hand you don't expect to gain or lose over a number of trials for that hand, but you may give the appearance of looseness by getting involved in even money situations often and this may increase how much you can make later in the game.
Expectation
The amount you expect to make or lose on a given hand or a time period.
Exposed Cards
Cards dealt face up in poker that are exposed for everyone to see.
Fast
Playing fast describes a style of play that uses a lot of bets and raises and is in the pot raising it up quite often.
Fifth Street
The last card in community card games like Texas Hold’em poker. Also known as the river. In stud poker games it refers to the fifth card dealt to the player.
Fill Up
When you have three of a kind and draw to a full house, you have filled up.
Fish
A term used to describe a poor poker player.
Flop
In community card games like Omaha poker or Texas Hold’em poker it is the first three cards dealt face up.
Fourth Street
The second to last card in community card games like Texas Hold’em poker. Also known as the turn. In stud games it refers to the fourth card dealt to the player.
Free Card
When you go to the next round without having put any money in the pot you have gotten a free card.
Grind
A person who plays a pretty tight game and tries to avoid situations without being a big favourite he is trying to grind money out of the table.
Gust Shot
An inside straight draw. If you have 4,5,6, and 8 you have a gut shot draw to a straight.
Heads Up
When only two players are in the pot it is heads up
Hit and Run
When a player sits down and wins a pretty nice amount in a short period of time then leaves right away is called a hit and run player. Most of the time you will see this done by losers who want to get the hell out of dodge before they lose their winnings.
Hole Cards
Cards that are face down
Image
The way others perceive you to be playing is your image.
Inside Straight Draw
When you have a hand like 4, 5, 6, and 8 you have an inside straight draw opposed to an open ended straight draw like 4, 5, 6, and 7.
Kicker
If you have an ace and a 5 in Texas Hold’em, the five is your kicker card. If you hold aces and eights the next highest card in your hand is your kicker card. Your kicker card would be any card that would decide the winner in the event of a tie.
Lead
The first player to bet in a pot has taken the lead. If you raised before the flop in Texas Hold’em you might want to take the lead and bet first on the flop.
Leak
Part of player’s game that loses him money. If you play every single hand you have a serious leak in your game.
Limp
To enter the pot by calling the minimum amount.
Live Cards
Say you have 6 and 7 suited in Texas Hold’em and somehow knew three of your opponents had and ace and a king. Your cards are more live than theirs. You have more cards left in the deck to improve your hand.
Live One
A poor player who is playing an obvious losing game.
Loose
Loose describes a player or the overall texture of a game that plays too many hands.
Maniac
A player who is very loose and bets and raises a lot.
Middle Pair
In flop games like Omaha or Texas Hold’em poker when one of your hole cards pairs on the flop and is of the middle rank of the flop cards. Say you have 9 and a 10 in the hole and the flop gives a 2, 9, and a king. You flopped middle pair.
Monster
A term often used to describe a big hand.
Nuts
The best hand possible.
Open Ended Straight Draw
A hand like 5, 6, 7, and 8 is an open ended straight draw.
Over Cards
When you have cards higher than the board cards in community card games.
Passive
A term used to describe a style of play that chooses to check and call rather than bet and raise.
Pocket Cards
Cards that are face down that only you can see.
Position
If you act first you are in first position and if you act last you are in last position.
Pot Odds
Your chances of winning the pot compared to the amount you are risking.
Pre-flop
Before the community cards are dealt in games like Texas Hold’em poker.
Protect
To push players out to increase the chances of your hand winning is protecting your hand
Quads
Four of a kind.
Quartered
When you get only a quarter of the pot. This term is also often used even when a player gets less than half the pot.
Rainbow
A flop of three different suits.
Represent
Playing a hand in a certain way to represent a specific hand.
Rock
A very tight player who tries to avoid all, but the best of situations.
Runner Runner
When two running cards make your hand after the flop you have caught a runner runner. For example if you had three to a flush in Texas Hold’em and catch two cards by the river of that same suit you made a runner runner hand.
Scoop
To take down the entire pot.
Slow Play
To play a very strong hand as if you had a poor hand to get more money in the pot by trapping players.
Tight
A person who doesn’t enter many pots.
Top Pair
When you have the highest pair on the board in games like Texas Hold’em.
Trips
Three of a kind.
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