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Poker Terminology
Aces Full
A full house with three aces and any pair.
Aces Up
Two pairs, one pair being aces.
Ace High
A poker hand that contains an ace. Usually a hand that has no pair or better, but also used to indicate the strength of a good hand, as in 'Ace High Flush' or 'Ace High Straight'.
Act
To take your turn in poker. As in the player on the button is the 'last to act'.
Action
The betting.
Active Player
Any player still holding cards in a game. .
Aggressive
A player who bets and raises a lot, rarely only calling.
Ahead
Winning. Usually at a point, as in 'Ahead after the flop'.
All In
A player is considered to be All-In when he/she bets all his/her remaining chips. Also, some sites offer 'all-in protection' to players that get disconnected during a game. If that happens, you are considered to be all-in to the amount you have put in the pot up to the point you got disconnected, regardless of how many chips you have in front of you. To prevent abuse, disconnect all-ins are limited, and some sites don't offer them at all. If you get disconnected without all-in protection, then your cards are folded no matter what you are holding or how much you have in the pot.
Ax
An Ace and any other card.
Backdoor
Not the hand you played for.
Bad Beat
When a hand is beaten by a lucky draw. Some rooms pay a jackpot to the highest bad beat, such as four kings beaten by four aces.
Big Blind
The larger of the two blinds typically used in a hold'em game
Big Slick
When your hole cards are Ace King.
Blank
A board card that doesn't seem to affect the standings in the hand
Blind
A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. Usually, blinds are put in by players immediately to the left of the dealer.
Board
All the community cards in a Hold'em game - the flop, turn, and river cards together.
Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the flop.
Bluff
To pretend that you have a better hand than you actually do, by betting aggressively, in the hope that the other players will fold.
Boat
Slang name for a full house.
Bubble
The point at which only one player must bust out before all others win some money.
Bullets
A pair of aces.
Burn
Buring a Card - Discarding the top card from the deck.
Button
A button to indicate which player is dealing.
Buy the pot.
To bluff, hoping to "buy" the pot without being called
Buy the button.
To bet or raise, hoping to make players between you and the button fold, thus allowing you to act last on subsequent betting rounds.
Buy-in
The minimum amount of chips needs to enter a particular game, or the entry cost of a tournament.
Call
To call is to match the current bet. If there has been a bet of $1 and a raise of $1 then it costs $2 to call.
Calling Station
A weak-passive player who calls a lot, but doesn't raise or fold much.
Cardroom
The room in which poker is played, or the organization that runs the room. Most casinos that offer poker have a separate room, or at least a roped-off area, designated as the cardroom. In some places where poker is legal, you will also find separate cardrooms (not part of a larger casino) dedicated mostly to poker.
Catch
When a player makes the hand s/he was drawing to, by 'catching' the card they needed when it comes down on the board.
Center Pot
The main poker pot, as opposed to one or more "side" pots.
Chase
To stay in a hand, usually against strong betting, with an unmade hand. .
Check
If there has been no betting before you in a betting round, you may check, which is like calling a bet of $0, or passing your turn.
Check-Raise
When a player first checks and then raises in a betting round. Also known as 'sandbagging' (because it can feel like you've been hit with a sandbag when this happens).
Cold Call
To call more than one bet in a single action.
Collusion
When two or more players conspire to cheat at a poker game by playing together. By communicating their hands to each other they can obtain an advantage over other players at the table. All online poker rooms have sophisticated anti-collusion software, and have strict penalties for this behavour - including confiscating your entire bankroll.
Community Cards
The cards dealt face up in the middel of the table.
Complete Hand
A hand that uses by all five cards.
Connectors
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are next to each other in rank.
Counterfeit
To make your hand less valuable because of board cards that reduce it.
Cowboys
A pair of Kings.
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-Off
The position (or player) who acts one before the button.
Dead Man's Hand
Two pair hand consisting of Aces & Eights. Reputed to be the hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot dead.
Dead Money
Money contributed to a pot by a player no longer in the pot
Dealer-button
A flat disk that is used to signify the Dealer's position on the table in online poker. The disk is usually marked with a D.
Deuces
A pair of Twos.
Dominated Hand
A hand that will almost always lose to a better hand that people usually play
Down card
A hole card. Any card that is dealt face down.
Doyle Brunson
Ten-Two (T2). Doyle Brunson won the WSOP two years in a row with this hand.
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.
Drawing
Remaining in the round and accepting more cards.
Drawing to a hand
Remaining in the round with the hope of making one's potential hand as more cards are dealt.
Drawing Dead
When a player is drawing to a hand that is not the best hand offered by the flop and will therefore be beaten even if the hand is made.
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.)
Equity
Your "rightful" share of a pot.
Exposed Card
A card that inadvertently turns face up when it isn't supposed to, such as during the deal in a draw game. This doesn't apply to online games.
Family Pot
A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players call before the flop.
Fast Play
To play a hand aggressively, betting and raising as much as possible.
Fish
A poor player -- one who gives his money away while 'fishing' for cards.
Fish hooks
Pocket pair of Jacks - because jacks look like hooks.
Flat Call
To call a bet without raising.
Flop
A series of games with five community cards. These are called flop games. Hold'em and Omaha are two popular flop games. The flop is the first three community cards dealt.
Flush
When all five cards in your hand have a common suit, you have a flush. The flush with the highest card not in common is better, so AK873 of spades is a better flush than AK872 of diamonds. A flush ranks between a straight and a full house.
Fold
To muck your cards because someone else has made a larger bet than you are willing to call. You are unable to win the pot but at least you don't lose more money.
Fold Equity
The extra value you get from a hand when you force an opponent to fold.
Foul
A hand that may not be played for one reason or another
Forced Bet
A blind bet or a bring-in.
Free Card
A turn or river card which you can see without calling a bet, because no player bet on the flop, or turn.
Free Roll
A free entry tournament. One player has a shot at winning an entire pot when he is currently tied with another player.
Full Boat or Full House
A strong hand that ranks between a flush and four of a kind, that consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. AAA77 is aces full of sevens, often abbreviated to "aces full".
Gap Hand
A starting hand with cards more than one rank apart.
Golf Bag
A hand of five clubs.
Gutshot draw
To draw to an inside straight.
Gutshot Straight
A straight filled "inside."
Hand
Everything that occurs after the initial shuffling of the cards - cards are dealt, betting is done, a winner is declared and the pot is pushed. A hand also has several other meanings, such as the five cards that you chose to play in games with more than five cards.
Heads-up
One-on-one poker.
High Card
A hand with no pair.
Hit
As in "hit the flop" meaning the flop contains cards that help your hand
Hole Cards
These are the Down Cards in front of the players. (Also known as "Pocket Cards")
House
Everything that makes up the cardroom, such as dealers, management, etc. The house rakes money from the pot and develops and enforces house rules.
Implied odds
Similar to "pot odds" (see below) except it takes into account future bets and calls. You may call a bet at the flop, but have implied odds of making bigger bets on later rounds if you hit your draw. Your implied odds are what you have to call at the flop compared to how large the pot will be at the end of the hand.
Inside straight draw
Drawing to a straight where the cards needed to complete the straight are those in the middle of the straight. For example, you have 6-7-9-10 and need the middle card (
to make the straight.
Jackpot
A large number of cardrooms offer sizeable jackpots for certain things, such as the high hand of the hour. The rules vary from cardroom to cardroom.
Jam
To move all-in in a no-limit (or pot-limit) game.
Jam the pot
To get as many of your chips into the pot as possible.
Aces Full
A full house with three aces and any pair.
Aces Up
Two pairs, one pair being aces.
Ace High
A poker hand that contains an ace. Usually a hand that has no pair or better, but also used to indicate the strength of a good hand, as in 'Ace High Flush' or 'Ace High Straight'.
Act
To take your turn in poker. As in the player on the button is the 'last to act'.
Action
The betting.
Active Player
Any player still holding cards in a game. .
Aggressive
A player who bets and raises a lot, rarely only calling.
Ahead
Winning. Usually at a point, as in 'Ahead after the flop'.
All In
A player is considered to be All-In when he/she bets all his/her remaining chips. Also, some sites offer 'all-in protection' to players that get disconnected during a game. If that happens, you are considered to be all-in to the amount you have put in the pot up to the point you got disconnected, regardless of how many chips you have in front of you. To prevent abuse, disconnect all-ins are limited, and some sites don't offer them at all. If you get disconnected without all-in protection, then your cards are folded no matter what you are holding or how much you have in the pot.
Ax
An Ace and any other card.
Backdoor
Not the hand you played for.
Bad Beat
When a hand is beaten by a lucky draw. Some rooms pay a jackpot to the highest bad beat, such as four kings beaten by four aces.
Big Blind
The larger of the two blinds typically used in a hold'em game
Big Slick
When your hole cards are Ace King.
Blank
A board card that doesn't seem to affect the standings in the hand
Blind
A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. Usually, blinds are put in by players immediately to the left of the dealer.
Board
All the community cards in a Hold'em game - the flop, turn, and river cards together.
Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the flop.
Bluff
To pretend that you have a better hand than you actually do, by betting aggressively, in the hope that the other players will fold.
Boat
Slang name for a full house.
Bubble
The point at which only one player must bust out before all others win some money.
Bullets
A pair of aces.
Burn
Buring a Card - Discarding the top card from the deck.
Button
A button to indicate which player is dealing.
Buy the pot.
To bluff, hoping to "buy" the pot without being called
Buy the button.
To bet or raise, hoping to make players between you and the button fold, thus allowing you to act last on subsequent betting rounds.
Buy-in
The minimum amount of chips needs to enter a particular game, or the entry cost of a tournament.
Call
To call is to match the current bet. If there has been a bet of $1 and a raise of $1 then it costs $2 to call.
Calling Station
A weak-passive player who calls a lot, but doesn't raise or fold much.
Cardroom
The room in which poker is played, or the organization that runs the room. Most casinos that offer poker have a separate room, or at least a roped-off area, designated as the cardroom. In some places where poker is legal, you will also find separate cardrooms (not part of a larger casino) dedicated mostly to poker.
Catch
When a player makes the hand s/he was drawing to, by 'catching' the card they needed when it comes down on the board.
Center Pot
The main poker pot, as opposed to one or more "side" pots.
Chase
To stay in a hand, usually against strong betting, with an unmade hand. .
Check
If there has been no betting before you in a betting round, you may check, which is like calling a bet of $0, or passing your turn.
Check-Raise
When a player first checks and then raises in a betting round. Also known as 'sandbagging' (because it can feel like you've been hit with a sandbag when this happens).
Cold Call
To call more than one bet in a single action.
Collusion
When two or more players conspire to cheat at a poker game by playing together. By communicating their hands to each other they can obtain an advantage over other players at the table. All online poker rooms have sophisticated anti-collusion software, and have strict penalties for this behavour - including confiscating your entire bankroll.
Community Cards
The cards dealt face up in the middel of the table.
Complete Hand
A hand that uses by all five cards.
Connectors
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are next to each other in rank.
Counterfeit
To make your hand less valuable because of board cards that reduce it.
Cowboys
A pair of Kings.
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-Off
The position (or player) who acts one before the button.
Dead Man's Hand
Two pair hand consisting of Aces & Eights. Reputed to be the hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot dead.
Dead Money
Money contributed to a pot by a player no longer in the pot
Dealer-button
A flat disk that is used to signify the Dealer's position on the table in online poker. The disk is usually marked with a D.
Deuces
A pair of Twos.
Dominated Hand
A hand that will almost always lose to a better hand that people usually play
Down card
A hole card. Any card that is dealt face down.
Doyle Brunson
Ten-Two (T2). Doyle Brunson won the WSOP two years in a row with this hand.
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.
Drawing
Remaining in the round and accepting more cards.
Drawing to a hand
Remaining in the round with the hope of making one's potential hand as more cards are dealt.
Drawing Dead
When a player is drawing to a hand that is not the best hand offered by the flop and will therefore be beaten even if the hand is made.
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.)
Equity
Your "rightful" share of a pot.
Exposed Card
A card that inadvertently turns face up when it isn't supposed to, such as during the deal in a draw game. This doesn't apply to online games.
Family Pot
A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players call before the flop.
Fast Play
To play a hand aggressively, betting and raising as much as possible.
Fish
A poor player -- one who gives his money away while 'fishing' for cards.
Fish hooks
Pocket pair of Jacks - because jacks look like hooks.
Flat Call
To call a bet without raising.
Flop
A series of games with five community cards. These are called flop games. Hold'em and Omaha are two popular flop games. The flop is the first three community cards dealt.
Flush
When all five cards in your hand have a common suit, you have a flush. The flush with the highest card not in common is better, so AK873 of spades is a better flush than AK872 of diamonds. A flush ranks between a straight and a full house.
Fold
To muck your cards because someone else has made a larger bet than you are willing to call. You are unable to win the pot but at least you don't lose more money.
Fold Equity
The extra value you get from a hand when you force an opponent to fold.
Foul
A hand that may not be played for one reason or another
Forced Bet
A blind bet or a bring-in.
Free Card
A turn or river card which you can see without calling a bet, because no player bet on the flop, or turn.
Free Roll
A free entry tournament. One player has a shot at winning an entire pot when he is currently tied with another player.
Full Boat or Full House
A strong hand that ranks between a flush and four of a kind, that consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. AAA77 is aces full of sevens, often abbreviated to "aces full".
Gap Hand
A starting hand with cards more than one rank apart.
Golf Bag
A hand of five clubs.
Gutshot draw
To draw to an inside straight.
Gutshot Straight
A straight filled "inside."
Hand
Everything that occurs after the initial shuffling of the cards - cards are dealt, betting is done, a winner is declared and the pot is pushed. A hand also has several other meanings, such as the five cards that you chose to play in games with more than five cards.
Heads-up
One-on-one poker.
High Card
A hand with no pair.
Hit
As in "hit the flop" meaning the flop contains cards that help your hand
Hole Cards
These are the Down Cards in front of the players. (Also known as "Pocket Cards")
House
Everything that makes up the cardroom, such as dealers, management, etc. The house rakes money from the pot and develops and enforces house rules.
Implied odds
Similar to "pot odds" (see below) except it takes into account future bets and calls. You may call a bet at the flop, but have implied odds of making bigger bets on later rounds if you hit your draw. Your implied odds are what you have to call at the flop compared to how large the pot will be at the end of the hand.
Inside straight draw
Drawing to a straight where the cards needed to complete the straight are those in the middle of the straight. For example, you have 6-7-9-10 and need the middle card (
to make the straight. Jackpot
A large number of cardrooms offer sizeable jackpots for certain things, such as the high hand of the hour. The rules vary from cardroom to cardroom.
Jam
To move all-in in a no-limit (or pot-limit) game.
Jam the pot
To get as many of your chips into the pot as possible.
