Poker Glossary

As you're playing poker, you may come across words that are unfamiliar. To help you learn the lingo of poker, we've developed a handy glossary of poker terms.

Poker Strategy - Poker Jargon

This article is a quick glossary that explains the basic poker terms and also some of the basic poker strategies (pot odds, outs). It is assumed that you know the basic rules of Texas Hold'em. For a more complete glossary, visit our Full Glossary Page.

Blind (Small blind/big blind): These are the forced Poker Hands bets that take the place of an ante. The person to the left of the dealer must pay the small blind and the person after him must pay the big blind.

Board Cards: The cards in the middle of the table that are shared by everyone.

Draw: Drawing means hoping to improve your hand with the cards that will come on the board. You are on a draw when you want other cards to come out on the board to complete your hand. If you have 10 9 and the flop is QJ2, you are trying to draw an eight or a king on the turn or river.

Flop: This is when the first three cards come out in Holdem.

Implied odds: The same as pot odds (read below) except it takes into account making Poker Hands bets in the future. Thus, you may call a bet at the flop, but have Poker Hands implied odds of making bigger Poker Hands bets on later rounds if you hit your draw. So, if you have AK of diamonds and the flop comes two diamonds, your Poker Hands 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.

Limit Poker: Poker with fixed Poker Hands bets. In a $2-4 limit game, all Poker Hands bets and raises are two dollars in the first two rounds (preflop and flop), and all Poker Hands bets and raises are four dollars in the last two rounds (turn and river).

Longhand: This refers to a poker game with seven or more people.

Outs: Number of cards that can improve your hand. If the flop is QJ2 and you have 10 9, you want a king or an eight to complete your straight. There are 4 kings and 4 eights in the deck, so you have 8 total outs.

Position: Where you sit at the poker table. The dealer has the best position because he Poker Hands bets last and therefore has a better understanding of what other people have in their hand. The small blind has the worst position because he goes first.

Pot Odds: This is the odds you are getting when you are drawing. For example, say you have Ace and 2 of diamonds and the board is King, seven, six- the six and seven are of diamonds. You are sure that someone else has the king. Nevertheless, there is a total of 9 other diamonds out there (13 ? your two, - two on board), so you have a roughly 18% chance of hitting a flush on the next card. Thus, if the pot is 100, and the bet is 10, even though you are clearly losing, you have odds with your flush draw. However, let's say the pot is 100, you?re at the turn (one card left) and your opponent Poker Hands bets 300. The pot is 400 and you must put in 300 to see the river. Your pot odds are 300/700 which is too high, considering your chances of hitting your flush are about 1/5.

Preflop: When you just have two cards in your hand and there are no cards on the board yet.

River: This is the fifth and final card that comes on the board in Holdem, after the turn.

Shorthand: This refers to a poker game with six or fewer people.

Turn: This is the fourth board card that comes out in holdem, the card after the flop.

ACES FULL
A full house with three aces and any pair.

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

ACES UP
A hand that contains two pairs, one of which is Aces.

ACT
An intentional tell intended to give false information about a hand.

ACTION
Checking/Betting/Raising. A game in which players are playing a lot of pots is considered an "action" game.

ACTIVE PLAYERr
Any player who is still in the hand.

AGGRESIVE
Adjective to describe a player who raises and re-raises and rarely calls.

AJAX
The name of an Ace and Jack in the pocket, suited or otherwise.

ALL-IN
When a player Poker Hands bets all his/her chips.

AMERICAN AIRLINES
Two Aces.

ANGLE
An action that isn't against the rules, but still incorporates unfair tactics.

ANGLE SHOOTING
Using unfair tactics.

ANTE
Money placed in the pot before the hand is begun.

BAD BEAT
when you play the correct odds but lose to BUY-IN: the minimum money needed to sit in on a game. a lucky hand. It happens.

BET INTO
to bet before someone whose hand appears better or who made a high bet the previous round.

BIG BLIND
a compulsory ante made by the person sitting two away from the dealer’s left. Commonly used in Hold ‘em. See Blind.

BLIND
compulsory ante made by the player on the dealer’s left. Again, common in Hold em. Also, a bet made before looking at the cards. See Big Blind.

CALL
to match a previous bet. FOUR-FLUSH OR FOUR-STRAIGHT: a hand with either four cards of the same suit or four cards in sequence.

CHASE
to look for one specific card, or cards, in the Until these hands are “filled” with a fifth card, they
hopes of improving your hand. are worthless.

CHECK-RAISE
to check with a strong hand in the FOURTH STREET: in community poker, the fourth card
hopes of raising when the betting comes back around. to be exposed. In stud games, the fourth card dealt.
A controversial strategy. Also known as “sandbagging.” See Turn.

CINCH
a hand that cannot lose. Also known as a FOUR TITS: a pair of Queens. Also known as a
“lock” or “nuts.” “Siegfried and Roy.”

COMMUNITY GAMES
games such as Hold ‘em, HI-LOW: in Hi-low games, the highest and lowest Omaha, or Cincinnati, where players share a number hands split the pot. of cards from the board.

HOLE CARDS
concealed cards in stud or community

CONNECTED CARDS
cards that are in consecutive games such as Hold ‘em or Omaha. order, for instance 4-5 or Q-K.

IN
if you call all bets, you’re still “in” a hand.

DEALER’S CHOICE
playing with a rotating dealer who chooses the game. INSIDE STRAIGHT: a four-straight where you need one
specific card to fill a straight. For instance, 9-1O-Q-K.

FIFTH STREET
in Hold ‘em or Omaha, the fifth and Chasing an inside straight can be risky. See Open- Final card to be turned over. In seven-card stud, the ended straight. fifth card dealt. See River.

JEUX
The French word for "Play" very popular amonst french people- to be used as in the next term: Jeux Casino Online

KICKER
another card, usually high, that strengthens

FLOP
in Hold ‘em or Omaha, the first three cards on your hand but does not contribute to a pair or better. the board to be exposed. A hand of 1O-1O-A-6-4 would be a “pair of lOs with an Ace kicker.”

FOLD
to quit a hand.

LIMIT POKER
a game in which maximum bet limits

RIVER
the final card exposed in a community game. are established. I See Fifth Street.

LDCK
see Cinch.

SANDBAGGING
see Check-raise.

LOOSE
a loose player is someone who bets recklessly

SEE
to see a bet means to call or match the previous. in defiance of the odds. See Tight.

SHOWDDWN
the point at which players expose

MAKE
to make the deck means to shuffle. their hands to determine the winner.

MUCK
where discarded or folded cards go.

SIEGFRIED AND ROY
see Four Tits.

NUTS
see Cinch.

STAND PAT
to not take any cards from the deck in a draw game.

STEAL
taking the pot with a poor hand by bluffing

OPEN
to make the first bet in a game.

OPEN-ENDED STRAIGHT
four cards in sequence that your opponents into folding. can become a straight with two different cards on either end. For instance, 8-9-1O-J (a 7 or Q would fill the straight). See Inside straight.

ONLINE POKER
Now days when people say poker- it's not always five guys sitting in a smokey room around a table- but one regular guy sitting infront of a computer playing an online poker game with people from all over the world.

SCREEN SHOTS
before comming to an online poker game - you might want to check out the poker game screen shots of the online poker game operator.

STREAK
a run of good or bad cards.

STUD
a game in which each player is dealt a card or

POT ODDS
the ratio of money in the pot to the cards facedown followed by up cards. money you must put in to stay in the hand.
Calculating pot odds is a good way to figure if it

POKER PROS
amonst the regular poker players there are some very highly talented poker players- they are poker professionals - poker is what they do for a living, and may we all be blessed with that sort of living.

SUITED
cards of the same suit. if you are dealt the is worth staying in a hand. Ace and King of spades you have “Ace-King” suited.

RAISE
to increase the amount of the previous bet.

TELL
a mannerism that gives away a player’s hand. “Ill see your $5 and raise you another $10.” See Bump.

TIGHT
a conservative player who usually only bets when his hand is strong. See Loose.

TIPS
Nothing like poker tips to make that difference in your game.

TRIPS
three of a kind.

TURN
in a community game, the tourth card turned over. See Fourth Street.

UNSUITED:
cards at different suits.

UP CARD
a card exposed to the table.

WIRED
a pair in the hole. For example, in a seven card stud game, it your two down cards are Kings, you’ve got “Kings wired.”