Poker Glossary

add-on in a tournament, you may be offered the op portunity to add to your chips by buying extra chips after the first session of play
advertising the act of showing one or more of your hole cards to show that you have a strong hand when you say
you do; done probably to mislead subsequently, occasionally, the showing of a bluff to encourage more action
from opponents
aggressive a tendency to bet out and raise/re-raise rather than just to call or check
all-in to place all your remaining chips into the pot
ante bet made before the cards are dealt on each hand
ATM a mildly abusive description applied to a player who appears to be dispensing cash to anyone who cares to call

bad beat a hand which you lose to a player against the expected odds
bet to make the first movement of chips on any betting roundbig blind the bigger of the two ante-bets placed before each hand of Texas Hold Em
big slick slang term for AK in the hole
bluff to attempt to steal the pot by representing a hand stronger than the one actually held

board the table; the community cards showing on the table
boat a full house
bubble the position in a tournament that is one off the money - the worst place to be eliminated
burn to discard; the dealer 'bums' the top card before dealing the 'flop', 'turn' and 'river'
button the dealer button which denotes the position of the dealer; also sometimes referring to the player in that seat
buy-in the exchange of cash for chips; the amount required to sit at a given table

C

call to match the highest bet made to date
calling station like an ATM, a loose, forever-calling player
cap the limit some casinos and card rooms put on the number of raises per round permitted in Limit games
cash in to leave the table and exchange your chips for cash
check when no other player has bet, to check is to make no bet at that stage (sometimes indicated by tapping the
table)
check-raise a play that you are usually strong; to check at first and then, once an opponent bets, to raise him
chips also known as 'checks', these are circular, plastic or clay discs which represent different financial values
and which are used instead of cash in almost all poker games
community cards the flop, turn and river cards dealt face up in the middle of the table
continuation bet a follow-up bet by a pre-fldp raiser once the flop has appeared - designed to re-enforce the
appearance of great strength

D

dead money a disparaging description of those competitors in a tournament whom you consider to have no
chance of winning, who are therefore contributing to the overall prize pot generously
dealer the player who deals (or for whom a paid dealer deals) the deck, before this honour moves on to the next
player in a clockwise direction
deuce a two
dog short for underdog
donkey a poor player
down cards your *hole* or 'pocket* cards
draw to improve your hand with the community cards

early position the two or three players immediately to the left of the dealer; the first players to decide what to do

fifth street the fifth and final community card, also known as 'the river*
final table the last table of ten players (sometimes eight or nine) in a tournament when all other players have been eliminated
fish a player who stays in pots hoping to catch the right cards to create a winning hand - but against the odds
flop the first-three community cards
flush five cards of the same suit
flush draw when you have four cards of the same suit and you are hoping that your subsequent card(s) will produce a fifth card to complete the flush
fold to throw away, or muck, one*s cards
fold equity the extra value a big bet carries because of the chance that the opponent(s) may fold rather than continue to contest the pot
fourth street the fourth community card, also known as 'the turn*
free card to allow the turn or river card to appear without there having been any betting and calling

gut-shot draw a straight draw that can be filled by only one card: yqu might hold QJ and the flop comes 982; only a 10 can make your straight

heads-up head-to-head play at a table containing only two players, or when only two players contest a pot
high roller a player who competes for very high stakes
hole cards the player's two secret cards, dealt face down
home game poker played at home
HORSE a style of poker game where five variations are played in succession: Texas Poker, Omaha Poker, Razz, Seven-Card Stud Poker, Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo Eights or better
house the casino or club in which you are playing

implied pot odds the potential pot odds given that the chips currently in the pot are likely to be boosted by further action, there will be further betting and therefore more chips in the pot by the end of the hand
in the hole the player's two secret cards, dealt face down
kicker card or cards not involved in the formation of a poker combination, but still part of the five-card poker hand
late position player(s) immediately to the dealer's right, last to act on each round of the betting
lay down to concede or give in; often a good play in poker if you feel you that are beaten
leak a small, but consistent error which, over time, leads to repeated losses
limp in to call a small bet in 'late position' when you are unlikely to be raised
loose a player likely to play too many hands, remain in pots for too long and make speculative plays which will result in chips being lost

mid-position in the middle of the table between the big blind and the dealer
MTT Multi-Table Tournament; an event featuring more than one table of action in simultaneous play
muck to fold, or discard

no-limit a game with no maximum limits on the amount which can be bet
nut, nuts the best possible hand, a 'nut* flush would be an ace-high flush, with no chance of a straight flush

off, off suit cards of different suits
out, outs card or cards which will complete your hand and improve it, usually to winning status
overcard card, or cards, which are higher than those showing amongst the community cards

palooka an inexperienced card player
passive a player who tends to check and call as opposed to betting and raising
pigeon similar to donkey, palooka and fish
pocket rockets AA 'in the hole'
position a player's location at the table, measured in terms of the order in which action must be taken on each round of the betting
pot the collection of chips (sometimes cash) which will be awarded to the winner of the hand
premium hands the best cards possible as starting hands (in Hold Em: AA)

quads four of a kind

rainbow board cards which are all of different suits, offering no flush draw possibilities
raise increase the size of the biggest bet at the table
rake the amount, usually a small percentage, taken out of each pot by the casino, card club or online poker site as payment for hosting the game; there should be no rake in home games
re-buy in a tournament, when you lose all your chips early on, you may be offered the opportunity to pay the entry fee
again for another chance and another set of starting chips
represent to give the impression of a very strong hand from all your betting actions
re-raise as above, once a player has already raised; considered a very strong, intimidating move
respect on the basis of his powerful betting actions, to believe that your opponent has a good hand and acting accordingly
river the fifth and final community card
rock a player who chooses only the best hands with which to enter the action and bets only when he is sure that he holds the best hand
rush to be on a roll, a sequence of successful plays

satellite a qualifying event for a big poker tournament
school a regular poker game, acknowledging that you never stop learning: a poker school
semi-bluff a bet or raise made without currently holding the best hand but with the potential to improve to the best hand if a successful draw is made
set 3-of-a-kind, 'trips'
side pot a secondary (sometimes tertiary) pot, formed because one player is all-in and cannot bet any more into the main pot, contested by the remaining players
Sit & Go a one-table tournament (occasionally more) most often played online, which begins the moment the
required number of players are signed up
short-handed a poker game containing five players or fewer; the value of hands often changes as a result of
having fewer players at the table
short-stack when you have less than the average amount of chips in front of you

showdown when a bet (or bets) is called after the river card, all players must show their hole cards, the best hand wins
slow-play to give the impression of weakness or uncertainty by checking or calling bets rather than raising them
slowrolling to turn over a winning hand slowly after another player believes that he has won; poor form at the poker table
smooth call to call, rather than to raise, with a strong hand which, at a later date, you intend to raise your opponent; a trapping call to disguise strength, possibly to induce further callers into the pot
stack a player's chips, either literally or, online, metaphorically
stealing to bet or raise when opponents have shown comparative weakness in the hope of taking down the pot there and then; often used in the context of a button raise in an attempt to 'steal the blinds'
straight five cards of mixed suits in sequence
suited of the same suit
super-satellite a satellite event from which the winner(s) can gain a seat in a satellite

table image the personality that you have displayed in order to create an image of your sty Ie of play; may well be misleading designed to trap opponents into misjudging your future actions
takedown win (the pot)
tell a physical indication, often subconscious or unrecognized by the player himself, by which other players may gain an insight into the strength of a player's hand
tight likely to enter only a few pots with very good or premium hands; opposite of loose
tilt usually a sign of frustration or anger, a player may go 'on tilt' by playing too many hands of poor quality and
subsequently showering opponents with chips
trap to mislead an opponent into believing that you have a weak hand - perhaps by checking or calling when a bet or raise would normally be called for
treys pocket threes
trips a 'set', 3-of-a-kind
turn the fourth community card, sometimes known as 'fourth street*

under-bet a bet which, considering the size of the pot and the preceding action, appears too small
under the gun (UTG) the first player to act after the blinds in Hold Em

value bet to bet a hand you believe to be winning to extract the best value from your opponent, a bet made at the end of a hand which, over time, will lead to profit

WSOP the World Series of Poker - the world championships of the game, held each summer in Las Vegas

Poker Glossary

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