Poker Dictionary Terms A-I

A

ABC - 1) One-two-three, as in ace-deuce-three 2) ABC player- a predictable player known for playing only obviously good hands 3) Most literally, a hand that starts as the best possible, e.g. A-2-3 in razz

Ace - The highest-ranked card in most forms of poker.

Ace-High - A five card hand that contains one Ace, with no straight or flush or pair in it.

Aces Full - A full house with three aces and any pair

Aces Up - A hand that contains two pairs, one of which is Aces.

Acey Deucey - 1) Any game where Aces and Twos are wild; 2) When a player's two cards, or two cards showing are an Ace and a Two

Act – Action - 1) Act- a player's turn to do an available action; to literally act on your hand. 2) Action- to fold, check, call, bet or raise 3) Action player- someone who freely bets or raises.

Action card - A card appearing on the board that causes significant betting action in Texas hold em or other community card games, because it helps two or more players. For example, an ace on the flop when two players each hold an ace.

Active Player - Any player who is still in the hand.

Add-On - The option for any tournament player to buy a set amount of chips at the end of a rebuy period.

Advertising - To make an obvious play or expose cards in such a way as to deliberately convey an impression to your opponents about your style of play. For example, to make a bad play or to show only good hands to convey the impression that you’re either a weak or tight player, and then use their assumptions against them in future hands.

Agent - Participant in a cheating scam.

Aggressive - A style of play characterised by regular betting and raising, making it expensive for other players to stay in the pot.

Ahead - 1) The amount of profit that has been made in a session. For example, "I’m ahead $10". 2) The holding that is winning at any given moment during a hand.

All In - When a player bets all of his/her chips. (In online poker, you may be deemed "All-in" when you are disconnected, even if you have chips remaining).

Angle - A technically legal, but borderline unethical, play. For example, deliberately miscalling one's own hand to induce a fold, or placing odd amounts of chips in the pot to confuse opponents about whether you mean to call or raise. A player employing such tactics is called an "angle shooter".

Ante - A forced bet required from all players before the start of a hand in some poker games, primarily Stud.

Ante Up - A dealer’s verbal request for antes to be paid before they begin to deal.

Art Gallery - A five-card poker hand made up entirely of face cards.

Automatic Bluff - A bluff made without thinking about it, made automatically because of a particular situation. Depending on the circumstance this bluff will often be made regardless of the players cards.

B

Baby - A card of low rank; generally 5 or lower.

Backdoor - 1) A draw requiring two or more rounds to fill. For example, catching two consecutive cards in two rounds of seven-card stud or Texas hold 'em to fill a straight or flush. 2) A hand made other than the hand the player intended to make. "I started with four hearts hoping for a flush, but I ‘backdoored’ two more kings and my trips won".

Back to Back - A pocket pair e.g. "Back to back Jacks".

Backraise - A reraise from a player that previously limped in the same betting round. I decided to backraise with my pocket eights to isolate the all-in player. Also- limp-reraise.

Backer - A person who puts up the money for a player (known as a horse) to play in exchange for a share of the profits (if any). Also known as a "financial backer" or a "staker".

Bad Beat - 1) To lose a hand in a particularly unlucky way. Overused term used by masochistic story tellers of "bad beat stories". 2) Bad Beat Jackpot- An amount of money that can be won when a player loses a hand with a qualifying holding; for instance when four of a kind loses to a straight flush. A staple of online cash tables.

Bankroll - 1) The sum total of money a player has with which to play poker.

Behind - 1) Not (currently) having the best hand. 2) Describing money in play, but not visible as chips in front of a player. For example, a player may announce "I've got $100 behind" while handing money to a casino employee, meaning that he intends those chips to be in play as soon as they are brought to him.

Bellybuster - 1) An inside straight draw. Also known as a gutshot. 2) Double Bellybuster- having two inside straight draws. E.g. in Texas Holdem when you hold 65 and the first four board cards are 9-8-3-2) where both a 7 and a 4 will complete inside straights.

Belly Hit - To complete an inside straight.

Bet - 1) Placing a wager into the pot when it is your turn to do so 2) Betting- the various ways money enters a pot 3) Big Bet- in structured limit games, the larger of the two betting rounds 4) Big Bet Poker- No Limit or Pot Limit games

Bet For Value - Bet in order to raise the total in the pot to rather than to make an opponent raise or fold.

Bet Into To - bet before a stronger hand, or a player who placed a strong bet on the prior round.

Bet The Pot - To bet the value of the pot.

Betting structure - The complete set of rules regarding forced bets, limits, raise caps, and such for a particular game.

Bicycle - 1) A low, five high straight- 5-4-3-2-A (also known as a "wheel straight") 2) The best possible hand in Lowball games

Big Bet Poker - Another term for Pot limit or no limit Poker.

Big Dog - To be a large underdog to win a particular pot.

Big Full - The highest possible full house in Texas Hold'em Poker- A-A-A-K-K.

Big Lick - Pocket cards of 6 and 9. Also known as "dinner for two" and "prom night", if suited.

Big One - $1,000

Big Slick - Hole cards of an Ace and a King.

Black Chip - $100 Casino chip.

Blank - A card, frequently a community card, of no apparent value. I suspected Margaret had a good draw, but the river card was a blank, so I bet again. Also called- "rag", "brick".

Blinds - 1) Forced bets in community card games similar to the use of antes, but normally only required of the two players to the left of the dealer. 2) Small Blind- the smaller of two forced bets, usually 1/2 the minimum opening bet. 3) Big Blind- the larger of two forced bets, usually equal to the minimum opening bet. 4) Stealing the Blinds- make a raise on the opening betting round with the goal of winning the blind bets without any further action on the hand 5) Betting blind- betting without taking the option to look at the next card(s)

Blocker - In community card poker, refers to holding one of the opponent's outs, typically when the board threatens a straight or straight draw. The board was A-2-3 but with my pair of fives I held two blockers to the straight.

Blue - The colour of poker chip most often used to represent the highest denomination of money. (Derived from "blue chip" stock).

Bluffing - 1) Betting or raising with a weak hand in the hope that all other players will fold 2) Semi-bluffing- betting or raising a drawing hand, like a draw to a flush, in the earlier betting rounds enabling you to sometimes win the pot uncontested, but with the backup of being able to actually make the winning hand when more cards are dealt.

3) Bluffer- a player with the reputation of bluffing often. 4) Calling a Bluff- calling a player's bet because you think they may be bluffing.

Bot - Short for "robot". In a poker context, a program that plays poker online with no (or minimal) human intervention.

Bottom Dealer - A Card manipulator who can deal from the bottom of the deck without others noticing.

Bottom end - The lowest of several possible straights, especially in a community card game. For example, in Texas hold 'em with the cards 5-6-7 on the board, a player holding 3-4 has the bottom end straight, while a player holding 4-8 or 8-9 has a higher straight. Also- "idiot end".

Bottom pair, bottom set - In a community card game, a pair (or set) made by matching the lowest-ranking board card with one (or two) in one's private hand

Boxed card - A card encountered face-up in the assembled deck during the deal, as opposed to one overturned in the act of dealing. Most house rules place a boxed card aside as if it didn't exist.

Break - 1) In a draw poker game, to discard cards that make a made hand in the hope of making a much better one. For example, a player with J-J-10-9-8 may wish to break his pair of jacks to draw for the straight. 2) To end a session of play; During a tournament, an interval where play ceases and the players are free to refresh or relieve themselves.

Brick - A "blank", though more often used in the derogatory sense of a card that is undesirable rather than merely inconsequential, such as a card of high rank or one that makes a pair in a low-hand game. Also known as a "bomb".

Brick & Mortar - A "real" casino or card room with a building, tables, dealers, etc.

Broadway Straight - An ace high straight- A-K-Q-J-T

Broken Game - A cash game that was going previously but now no longer exists

Bridge order - Poker is neutral about suits, apart from certain minor situations- (i) In determining the dealer at the start of a game (ii) Determining the outcome of a ‘chip race’ (iii) Determining the bring-in bettor in a stud game.

n these instances, the order is- Spades-hearts-diamonds-clubs.

Bring In - 1) To open a betting round; "Alice brought it in for $4, and Bob raised to $10" 2) A forced bet in stud games. In the first betting round, the holder of the worst (lowest or highest, depending) upcard must post a bring in bet. The bring in bet is typically a quarter to a third of a small bet. The bring in bettor may look at his cards, and place a full bet if it is prudent to do so.

Broken Fall - A flop where a straight cannot be made on the next card, such as Q,7,2.

Bubble - The last finishing position in a poker tournament before entering the payout structure. Also used to describe any situation close to the payout structure.

Bull - Another name for an Ace.

Bullet(s) - An Ace or pair of Aces.

Burning a Card / Burn Card - Discarding the first card off the deck face down each time cards are dealt after the initial deal. This act is burning a card, with the card being known as the burn card.

Burn and Turn - 1) To burn the top card and give their active players their cards, community or otherwise. 2) An expression usually said by the last player to act indicating he or she also checks.

Bust / Busted - 1) Missing a draw; busted flush draw 2) To be eliminated from a tournament; losing all your chips

Bust a Player - To eliminate a player from a tournament by taking all of his chips.

Button - A plastic disc used in casinos where there is a house dealer to designate the player who would have otherwise been dealing if the deal were rotating. The player dealing the hand is said to be "on the button."

Buy In - The minimum (and occasionally maximum) amount needed to enter a game or tournament.

Buy the pot - Making a bet when no one else is betting so as to force the other players to fold in order to win the pot uncontested.

C

Cage - A casino area, almost always behind bars, where a player exchanges chips for cash.

Call - 1) To accept the previous player's action 2) Calling a bet- if a previous player bets $20, you also put $20 into the pot (instead of raising or folding).

Calling Station - A passive player who calls too often, and seldom raises or bets marginal hands.

Call the clock - A method of discouraging players from taking a long time to act. When another player "calls the clock", the acting player has a set amount of time in which to make up his mind; if he fails to do so, his or her hand is immediately declared dead. Usually, the dealer or floor personnel do not have the right to call the clock.

Cap / Capping the Betting - Limit poker normally has a set amount of possible bets each round. The betting is capped when that number of bets has been made. Players may call but may not make further raises until the next betting round.

Cap game - Similar to "cap" above, but used to describe a no-limit or pot limit game with a cap on the amount that a player can bet during the course of a hand. Once the cap is reached, all players remaining in the hand are considered all-in. For example, a no limit game could have a betting cap of 30 times the big blind.

‘Cards Speak’ - A common rule meaning verbal declarations are not binding, The value of a hand is the value of the cards in the hand itself, no matter what anyone declares, so long as the hand is tabled (exposed face up on the table).

Case card - The last available card of a certain description (typically a rank). "The only way I can win is to catch the case king", meaning the only king remaining in the deck.

Cash In - To leave a game and change one’s chips for cash with the dealer.

"Cash plays" - An announcement, usually by a dealer, that a player requested to buy chips and can bet the cash he has on the table in lieu of chips until he receives his chips.

Catch - To receive needed cards on a. I'm down 300--I can't catch anything today. or Joe caught his flush early, but I caught the boat on seventh street to beat him.

Catch up - To successfully complete a draw, thus defeating a player who previously had a better hand. I was sure I had Alice beat, but she caught up when that spade fell.

Catch perfect - To catch the only two possible cards that will complete a hand and win the pot, usually those leading to a straight flush.

Change Gears - Adjusting your style of play from tight to loose or vice versa.

Chase - When a player remains in the pot because his hand has the potential to improve to a better hand, that player is said to be "chasing" the better hand.

Chat - Typed conversation that you can have with other players at an online poker site.

Check - 1) To not bet, with the option to call or raise later in the betting round. Equivalent to betting zero dollars. 2) Another word for a casino chip.

Check Dark - To check without looking at the hole cards or the cards about to be dealt.

Check-Raise - To check and then raise when a player behind you bets. Occasionally you will hear people say this is not fair or ethical poker. This was a widely held opinion in the ‘dark ages’ of poker but is now an accepted strategy. Almost all casinos permit check-raising, and it is an important poker tactic, especially at low limits.

Check out - To fold, in turn, even though there is no bet facing the player. In some games this is considered a breach of etiquette equivalent to folding out of turn. In others it is permitted, but frowned upon.

Chicago - A Stud split-pot game where the pot is split between the player with the best hand and the player with the highest Spade face-down. Otherwise known as ‘High Chicago’. A variant that splits the pot between the best hand and the lowest Spade face-down is known as ‘Low Chicago’.

Chip dumping - A form of collusion that happens during tournaments, especially in the early rounds. Two or more players decide to go all-in early. The winner gets a large amount of chips, which increases the player's chance of cashing. The winnings are then split among the colluders.

Chip leader - The player currently holding the most chips in a tournament.

Chip - (also known as chips, checks or cheques) are small discs used in lieu of currency in casinos. Colored metal or moulded clay tokens of various denominations are used primarily in table games, as opposed to metal token coins, used primarily in slot machines. Some casinos also use gaming plaques for high stakes table games ($25,000 and above). Plaques differ from chips in that they are larger, usually rectangular in shape and contain serial numbers.

Chip Race - A chip race is an event that takes place in poker tournaments, especially those with an escalating blinds (such as Texas hold 'em), in which chips of low denominations that are no longer needed are removed from play. This has the effect of reducing the number of physical chips in front of any player, and makes it easier for the players to count their stacks and their bets.

In a typical chip race- All players color up their lesser-valued chips into greater denominations. For example, if the blinds have increased to a level where $5 chips are no longer needed to post blinds, each five $5 chips will be exchanged for a $25 chip. Players will temporarily keep any leftover chips that cannot be fully colored up to larger chips (less than 5 $5 chips in the above example).

All leftover chips are counted, and equivalent chips in the larger denomination are presented to the table. Continuing the example, if there are 15 $5 chips remaining among 6 players, 3 $25 chips are prepared. In the event the remaining smaller chips do not add up to a whole larger chip, an extra larger chip should be added as long as the leftover smaller chips total more than half a single larger chip.

Each player with leftover chips in the smaller denomination will receive one card for each chip. The cards are typically dealt face up, starting from seat one, to the dealer's left. Each player due to receive cards will receive all of his cards before the next player, rather than a "traditional" card deal; the player on the little blind, for example, who is due to receive three cards for his three chips, will receive all three of his cards before the big blind receives any.

The larger chips are issued to the players with the highest single cards showing (poker hands do not count). No player is issued more than one chip. Ties (cards of the same rank) are broken by suit, using the same bridge (ascending alphabetical) order of the suits- Spades are highest, followed by Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. All remaining lesser-value chips are removed from play.

A chip race cannot eliminate a player from the game. In the event a player's last smaller-denomination chips are removed from play as part of the chip race, he automatically gets one colored up chip if one is available. Any leftover colored up chips go to the winner(s) of the chip race as described above.

Chip up - To exchange lower-denomination chips for higher-denomination chips. In tournament play, the term means to remove all the small chips from play by rounding up any odd small chips to the nearest large denomination, rather than using a chip race.

Chop - 1) To split a pot because of a tie, split-pot game, or player agreement. 2) A request made by a player to a dealer after taking a large-denomination chip that he wishes the dealer to make change. 3) An agreement by all players remaining in a tournament to distribute the remaining money in the prize pool according to an agreed-upon formula instead of playing the tournament to completion. Usually occurs at the final table of a large tournament.

Cinch Hand - An unbeatable hand.

Coffee housing - Talking in an attempt to mislead other players about the strength of a hand. E.g. a player holding A-A as their first two cards might say "lets gamble here", implying a much weaker holding. Coffee housing is considered bad etiquette in the UK, but not in the USA. Also called "speech play".

Cold Call - Calling (but not raising) when faced with more than one bet in a single action (generally referring to limit games). If one opponent bets, and another raises, and you call, you have cold called.

A Cold deck - is a stacked deck which is typically switched with the deck actually being used in the game in question, to the benefit of the player and/or dealer making the switch. Although a cold deck is most commonly associated with gambling cheats, a cold deck might be introduced in any game using playing cards.

The term itself refers to the fact that the new deck is often physically colder than the deck that has been in use; constant handling of playing cards warms them enough that a difference is often noticeable.

In the broader sense, the term can refer to the preset deck itself or to the practice of using one, as in- "I tried a cold deck on him but he spotted it in a second." As a verb, it can refer to cheating or being cheated by use of a cold deck, as in, "I think I may have been cold-decked when I lost that $800 pot."

More recently, the term has come to refer to a hand that plays out as if a cold deck has been in use. For example, in most forms of poker, four of a kind (four cards of identical rank, e.g., four Kings) is made rarely and a straight flush (five consecutive cards of the same suit, e.g., the six, seven, eight, nine and ten of spades) is made extremely rarely. If one player is dealt four-of-a-kind and another is dealt a straight flush, both players would usually be justified in making large bets and raises. When the player with the straight flush wins the pot, the player with four-of-a-kind might complain of being cold-decked without meaning to accuse anybody of cheating. The hand itself is called a cooler.

Collusion - A form of cheating involving co-operation among two or more players.

Colour change, color up - To exchange small-denomination chips for larger ones.

Community Cards - Common card or cards available to be used by all players in the hand.

Completion - To raise a small bet up to the amount of what would be a normal-sized bet. For example, in a $2/$4 stud game with $1 bring-in, a player after the bring-in may raise it to $2, completing what would otherwise be a sub-minimum bet up to the normal minimum.

Concealed Pair - A pair where both the cards are face down, thus concealed.

Connectors - Two or more cards of consecutive rank.

Continuation bet - A bet made after the flop by the player who took the lead in betting before the flop.

Countdown - The act of counting the cards that remain in the stub after all cards have been dealt, done by a dealer to ensure that a complete deck is being used.

Counterfeit - Counterfeited - Counterfeiting - When one of the common cards duplicates one of the cards in your hand. Being counterfeited does not disqualify your hand, but normally renders it less valuable. Most often applied to low hands in High Low Split style games. Also known as "widowed".

Court Card - Any face card. A Jack, a Queen, or a King.

Country Straight - An open ended straight draw.

Courtesy Bet - A bet that one is fairly sure the opponent will call, usually a bluff (although rarely large)

Crapshoot - 1) The stage of a tournament where the blinds are large in comparison to the average stack, and a large slice of luck is required to emerge victorious. 2) A tournament in which the blinds rapidly climb in comparison to the average stack, requiring players to play larger and more numerous pots (and therefore require more luck) than usual in order to stay in the tournament, rather than getting 'blinded out'.

Cripple - As in "to cripple the deck." Meaning that you have most or all of the cards that somebody would want to have with the current board. If you have pocket kings, and the other two kings flop, you have crippled the deck.

Crying Call - A call that you make expecting to lose, but feel that you must make anyway because of the pot odds.

Cut – Cutting - Dividing the deck in half, then switching them so the bottom half becomes the top half

Cut card - A distinctive card, usually stiff solid-colored plastic, held against the bottom of the deck during the deal to prevent observation of the bottom card.

Cutoff - The seat immediately to the right of the dealer button. In home games where the player on the button actually shuffles and deals the cards, the player in the cutoff seat cuts the deck (hence the name).

D

Dark - Describing an action taken before receiving information to which the player would normally be entitled. I'm drawing three, and I check in the dark.

Dead blind - A blind that is not "live", in that the player posting it does not have the option to raise if other players just call. Usually refers to a small blind posted by a player entering, or returning to, a game (in a position other than the big blind and generally refering to cash games) that is posted in addition to a live blind equal to the big blind.

Dead button rule - The big blind is posted by the player due for it, and the small blind and button are positioned accordingly. The small blind or button may be assigned to an empty seat. Players always pay a big blind followed by a small blind. There will be one and only one big blind per hand. If the small blind is assigned to a vacant seat, there is no small blind that hand. When the button is on a vacant seat, the cutoff player has last action on consecutive hands.

Dead Hand - A hand that is no longer able to win the pot, usually because it has been fouled in some way

Dead Card - A card which is no longer playable within the rules of a game.

Deal - 1) To distribute cards to players in accordance with the rules of the game being played. A single instance of a game of poker, begun by shuffling the cards and ending with the award of a pot. Also called a "hand" (though both terms are ambiguous). 2) An agreement to split tournament prize money differently from the announced payouts.

Deal twice - In a cash game, when two players are involved in a large pot and one is all-in, they might agree to deal the remaining cards twice. If one player wins both times he wins the whole pot, but if both players win one hand they split the pot. Also, "play twice".

Dealer - 1) The person physically dealing the cards. 2) The person who assumes that role for the purposes of betting order in a game, even though someone else might be physically dealing. Also "button"

Dealer-advantage - A factor in any game where there is an obvious advantage to the dealer somewhere in the rules and stipulations. For example, a game with an opening hand requirement allows the dealer the last declare. If all other players have declared "out", the dealer automatically wins by declaring "in".

Dealer's choice - A version of poker in which the deal passes each game and each dealer can choose, or invent, a new poker game each hand or orbit.

Deceptive play - Not to be confused with cheating, when a player bets in a way that does not correspond accurately to his hand. He is either Bluffing, in that his hand is not as good as he is trying to indicate, or Slow playing, in that his hand is better than he is trying to indicate.

Declare - To verbally indicate an action or intention.

Deepstack - A tournament in which players start with an amount of chips that is relatively high in relation to the blind or ante.

Defensive Bet - A bet that is sometimes made to limit ones potential loss in a pot; a way of gathering information about an opponent’s hand.

Deuce - 1) A 2-spot card. Also called a duck, quack, or swan. 2) Any of various related uses of the number two, such as a $2 limit game, a $2 chip, etc.

Deuce-to-seven - A method of evaluating low hands.

Dirty stack - A stack of chips, apparently of a single denomination, but with one or more chips of another. Usually the result of inattention while stacking a pot, but may also be an intentional deception to disguise a player’s stack strength.

Discard - To take a previously dealt card out of play. The set of all discards for a deal is called the "muck" or the "deadwood".

Dog - Shortened form of "underdog".

Dog it - To lay down the best hand when you may have been bluffed.

Dollar - The name the high rollers have given to a $100.

Dominate – Domination - A situation in Texas Hold’em where one hand matches up against another, so that the weaker hand has three or less cards that hit it on the flop. Most often used when both hands have a common card -- Ace-King dominates Ace-Three. Also used in when one player has a higher pocket pair than another -- a pair of Aces dominates a pair of Threes. A hand like 7-8 is a poor hand in general, but is not dominated by A-K because it makes different kinds of hands.

Donkey or Donk - A player who calls with nothing in his hand often.

Door Card - In the Door - 1) In Stud games, the third card dealt, the first upcard 2) In Lowball the practice of holding your hand so opponents can see one card "in the door". 3) In Holdem-style games, the first card exposed as the flop is placed on the table.

Double-board, double-flop - Any of several community card game variants (usually Texas hold 'em or Omaha) in which two separate boards of community cards are dealt simultaneously, with the pot split between the winning hands using each board.

Double-draw - Any of several Draw poker games in which the draw phase and subsequent betting round are repeated twice.

Double Pop - When you imidiately raise a raise.

Double suited - Used to describe an Omaha hold 'em starting hand where two pairs of suited cards are held. May be abbreviated "ds" in written descriptions. AAJT (ds) is widely considered a premium pot-limit Omaha hold 'em starting hand.

Double through, double up - In a big bet game, to bet all of one's chips on one hand against a single opponent (who has an equal or larger stack) and win, thereby doubling your stack.

Downcard - A card that is dealt facedown.

Down and Dirty - The last card made available to each player that is dealt face down. In Stud, it is the seventh card dealt face-down to each player.

Drag light - To pull chips away from the pot to indicate that you don't have enough money to cover a bet. If you win, the amount is ignored. If you lose, you must cover the amount from your pocket. This is not allowed at any casino or any but the most casual home games;

Draw - 1) A type of card game 2) The part of the above game where players discard and receive new cards- "drawing cards". 3) Having a draw in Hold’em games means attempting to make a complete hand, like a flush or straight.

Drawing dead - Playing a drawing hand that will lose even if successful (a state of affairs usually only discovered after the fact or in a tournament when two or more players are "all in" and they show their cards). "I caught the jack to make my straight, but Rob had a full house all along, so I was drawing dead".

Drawing live - Not drawing dead; that is, drawing to a hand that will win if successful.

Drawing thin - Not drawing completely dead, but chasing a draw in the face of poor odds. E.g. a player who will only win by catching 1 or 2 specific cards is said to be "drawing thin".

Driver’s Seat - The advantage a particular player may have because he appears to have the best hand at the time.

Drop - 1) To fold. 2) Money charged by the casino for providing its services, often dropped through a slot in the table into a strong box. 3) To drop ones cards to the felt to indicate that one is in or out of a game.

Dry ace - In Omaha hold 'em or Texas hold 'em, refers to an ace in one's hand without another card of the same suit.

Dry pot - A side pot with no money in it, created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent, but not raised.

Duplicate - To counterfeit, especially when the counterfeiting card matches one already present in the one's hand.

E

Early Position - Position in poker refers to the order in which players are seated around the table and the related poker strategy implications. Players who act first are in "early position".

Effective Odds - Please see our Poker Theory page for a full explanation.

Expectation / Expected Value / EV - Please see our Poker Theory page for a full explanation.

Exposed card - A card whose face has been deliberately or accidentally revealed to players normally not entitled to that information during the play of the game. Various games have different rules about how to handle this irregularity.

Exposed Pair - An open pair that is in full view, generally in reference to a stud game.

Even Money - A 50/50 betting proposition or scenario.

Extra Blind - A blind put in by a player just entering the game, returning to the game, or otherwise changing his position at the table.

F

Face Card - A king, queen or jack.

Family Pot - A hand where all or almost all the players in a game are involved.

False Cut - A cut that appears to be real but in reality the cards are still in the same sequence as before.

False Shuffle - A shuffle that appears to randomise the cards but in reality does not alter the sequence of the deck to any extent.

Fast Play - To play a hand aggressively, betting and raising as much as possible.

Favorite - A hand that has the best chance of winning.

Feeder - In a casino setting, a second or third table playing the same game as a "main" table, and from which players move to the main game as players there leave. Also called a "must-move table."

Felt - The cloth covering of a poker table, whatever the actual material. metaphorically, the table itself.

Fifth street - The last card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "river". The fifth card dealt to each player in stud poker.

Fill, fill up - To successfully draw to a hand that needs one card to complete it, by getting the last card of a straight, flush, or full house.

Final Table - The last table in a multi-table poker tournament. The final table is set when a sufficient amount of people have been eliminated from the tournament leaving an exact amount of players to occupy one table (typically no more than ten players).

Fish - 1) An unskilled player who plays loosely and passively, calling a lot of bets. It's a well-known (though not well-followed) rule among good players to not upset the bad players, because they'll stop having fun and perhaps leave. Thus the phrase, "Don't tap on the aquarium." 2) To risk money on a long-shot bet. 3) The action of calling bets on the flop and the turn to make a hand on the river.

Five Card Draw - A poker variation where a player is dealt 5 cards face down and then can ‘draw’ to replace them.

Five Card Stud - A poker variation where the player is dealt one down card then 4 more face up cards with four rounds of betting (some variations of this game involve a player getting the last card face down).

Five of a kind - A hand possible only in games with wild cards, or a game with more than one deck, defeating all other hands, comprising five cards of equal rank.

Fixed Limit - Any betting structure where the amount of the bets are predetermined. Also known as structured limit or fixed betting.

Flash - 1) To show the bottom card of the deck while shuffling. 2) To show one or more downcards from one's hand. After everyone folded, Ted flashed his bluff to the other players.

Flat Calling / Flat Calls - Merely calling a bet where a raise might be expected or seem more appropriate.

Flat Limit - A poker betting structure where the betting amounts available do not vary from one betting round to another.

Float - Calling a bet in order to take a pot down later, kind of like a bluff slow play or a bluff call. e.g. You call suspected continuation bets on the flop in the hopes that the bettor will give up his unimproved AK and check on the turn. You then bet and hopefully take the pot away from the pre-flop aggressor.

Floorman, Floorperson - A casino employee whose duties include adjudicating player disputes, keeping games filled and balanced, and managing dealers and other personnel. Players may shout "floor!" to call for a floorperson to resolve a dispute, to ask for a table or seat change, or to ask for some other casino service.

The Flop - 1) The first three community cards revealed in Holdem style games. 2) Seeing the Flop- staying in the pot to until the first three cards are revealed. 3) Post-Flop- betting or action after the flop cards have been revealed. 4) Hitting the Flop- having the flop cards coordinate well with your personal cards.

Flop game - A game played using community cards.

Flush - A hand comprising five cards of the same suit.

Fold / Folding a Hand - To throw away your hand; to surrender all claim to the current pot.

Fold equity - The extra value gained by forcing your opponents to fold, rather than seeing the showdown. Normally refering to a strategy that includes aggression, thus enabling your opponent to fold, and relating to the likelihood of that happening.

Forced Bet - A required bet that a player must make because he is in position (blinds) because he is dealt in (antes), or because he has a certain card (bring-in).

Forced-move - In a casino where more than one table is playing the same game with the same betting structure, one of the tables may be designated the "main" table, and will be kept full by requiring a player to move from one of the feeder tables to fill any vacancies. Players will generally be informed that their table is a "forced-move" table to be used in this way before they agree to play there. Also "must-move".

Forward motion - A house rule of some casinos states that if a player in turn picks up chips from his stack and moves his hand toward the pot ("forward motion with chips in hand"), this constitutes a commitment to bet (or call), and the player may not withdraw his hand to check or fold. Such a player still has the choice of whether to call or raise.

Fouled Hand - A hand that can no longer be involved in the action, a dead hand, due to some violation like having too many or two few cards in the hand

Four-flush - Four cards of the same suit.

Four of a kind - A hand containing four cards of equal rank. Also "quads".

Four-straight - Four cards in rank sequence; either an open-ended or one-ended.

Fourth street - The fourth card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "turn". The fourth card dealt to each player in stud.

Free card - A card dealt to one's hand (or to the board of community cards) after a betting round in which no player opened. One is thereby being given a chance to improve one's hand without having to pay anything. I wasn't sure my hand was good, but I bet so I wouldn't give a free card to Bill's flush draw.

or example, one player has AsKs while another has AdKc and the flop cards are QsJsTd, in this case the pot will be split unless a spade comes on the fourth or fifth card; the player with the AsKs is freerolling" to a spade flush

3) Freerolled- a situation like above, where one player had a no risk chance to win more while the other player merely could hope to not lose.

Freezeout - The most common form of tournament. There are no rebuys; play continues until one player has all the chips.

Front Seat - The player who is first to act in a hand.

Full, Full boat, Full hand, Full house - A hand with three cards of one rank and two of a second rank. Also "boat".

Full bet rule - In some casinos, the rule that a player must wager the full amount required in order for his action to constitute a raise. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing an opening bet of $4 who wagers $7 is deemed to have flat called, because $8 is required to raise.

G

G, a - One thousand dollars. Also known as a "grand".

Gambler - When used in poker to identify a player this word may be used to categorise the highest class of player. Meaning that player is not actually a gambler at all, but a very skilled player.

Gap hand - In Texas hold 'em, a gap hand is a starting hand with at least one rank separating the two cards. Usually referred to in context of one-gap and two-gap hands. 10-8 would be a one gap and 9-6 would be a two gap.

Gar Hole - A term used to describe the situation where chips are in the possesion of a tight and skillful player and therefore difficult to access.

Get Full Value - Betting, raising and re-raising in order to manipulate the size of the pot so that you will be getting maximum pot odds if you win the hand.

Get There - To make your hand ( normally refering to a drawing hand that completes its requirements.

Give Action - A player who is actively participating in hands more than just calling is said to be "giving action".

G.I.Q. - "Get It Quietly". An expression said to a player who is overly loud and celebratory when he or she wins, often meant as "show an amount of respect to the losing player".

Going South - To pocket winnings in the middle of a playing session, with the intention of keeping it and not gambling it.

Guts, guts to open - A game with no opening hand requirement; that is, where the only requirement to open the betting is "guts", or courage. Any of several poker variants where pots accumulate over several hands until a single player wins.

Gutshot - A term used to describe the card needed to fill an inside straight. Often used in referring to a type of straight draw.

Gypsy - To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Normally used in conjunction with Lowball.

H

Half bet rule - In some casinos, the rule that placing chips equal to or greater than half the normal bet amount beyond the amount required to call constitutes a commitment to raise the normal amount. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing a $4 opening bet who places $6 in the pot is deemed to have raised, and must complete his bet to $8.

Hand - 1) The collection of cards that a player is holding, making up a particular rank (e.g. Straight, Full House, etc.). 2) A particular game or round of card-playing (i.e. "That was a fun hand")

Handhistory, hand history - The textual representation of a hand (or hands) played in an Internet cardroom.

Hammer, The - 7-2 off suit, specifically a winning hand when holding these cards, popular amongst the blogging community.

Hard Rock - A particularly tight player.

Heinz - Pocket cards OF 5-7 in Hold’em.

High, high hand - The best hand using traditional poker hand values, as opposed to lowball. Used especially in high-low split games.

High card - 1) A no pair hand, ranked according to its highest-ranking cards. 2) To defeat another player by virtue of high-ranking cards, especially kickers. 3) To randomly select a player for some purpose by having each draw one card, the highest of which is selected (for example, to decide who deals first. Often high card by suit is used for this purpose.

High/Low - 1) A stipulation added to any game, usually Stud games, where the pot is split in half between the player with the best hand and the player with the worst hand (see Lowball), 2) A Seven-Card stud game in its own right with no wild cards and with the pot split between best and worst hands.

High Roller - A player who gambles for large sums of money.

High Society - The highest denomination chip available in a particular establishment.

Hilton Sisters - Pocket Queens.

Hole, hole cards - 1) Face-down cards. Also "pocket cards". 2) A seat, often preceded by a number relative to the button. Sara opened from the 2-hole.

Hole cam - A camera that displays a player's face-down cards ("hole cards") to television viewers. Also "pocket cam".

Hold 'Em - A form of Community poker where some cards are dealt to each player and the rest are dealt in the middle of the table and shared by all players.

Hold Out - To deliberately conceal cards for the purposes of introducing them to the game later, a common form of cheating.

Honest - To call another player's bets in case they are bluffing to ensure that they do not win the pot by default. Also called "paying to see", in that if a player wins a pot by default, he or she is not obliged to show his or her hand because nobody paid to see what the player has.

Home game - A game played at a private venue (usually the home of one of the players), as opposed to a casino or public cardroom.

Home Run Hitter - A player who makes big plays that have miximum risk.

Hooks - Pocket Jacks.

Horse - A player financially backed by someone else.

H.O.R.S.E. - A combination or mixed game comprising a round of each of the following - Hold em, Omaha (Hi or Hi Lo depending on what is specified) Razz , Stud and Stud Eight or better (Stud Hi Lo)

House, the - The game’s host; the place in which the game is being played.

Hot - A When a player is on a winning streak he may be described as running hot.

Hustler - A good poker player who makes the rounds playing at various venues to earn a living from the game. Not generally regarded as the highest class of player.

I

Idiot end or Ignorant End - In flop games, a player drawing to, or even flopping, a straight with undercards to the flop has the idiot end of it. A player with 8-9 betting on a flop of A-T-J puts himself at great risk, because many of the cards that complete his straight give credible opponents higher ones.

Implied odds - Please see our Poker Theory page for a full explanation.

In The Dark - Betting without knowledge of either your hole cards or before the next card is dealt.

In the middle - In a game with multiple blinds, an incoming player may sometimes be allowed to post the blinds "in the middle" (that is, out of their normal order) rather than having to wait for them to pass.

In the money - To place high enough in a poker tournament to get prize money. Also- "ITM".

In turn - A player, or an action, is said to be in turn if that player is expected to act next under the rules. Jerry said "check" while he was in turn, so he's not allowed to raise.

Irregular declaration - An action taken by a player in turn that is not a straightforward declaration of intent, but that is reasonably interpreted as an action by other players, such as pointing a thumb up to signify "raise". House rules or dealer discretion may determine when such actions are meaningful and/or binding.

Irregularity - Any of a number of abnormal conditions in play, such as unexpectedly exposed cards, that may call for corrective action.

Isolation - To raise with the intention of reaching a heads up between yourself and a single other player.