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Players term for "betting".Usually when the table is hot. Angle
An angle is any technically legal but ethically dubious way to increase your expectation at a game (pretending to fold out of turn when you have a strong hand). A player who regularly takes advantage of angles is said to be an angle shooter. Ante
A small predetermined sum of money, placed in the pot by each player to start game play. Bad Beat
When a strong winning hand that wouldn't possibly fold, looses. Back Door
The back door draw isn't anything to get excited about, but it can tip the scales occasionally. While you're busy playing your made hand, you might accidentally make a flush in the back door. Back Into
When you make a hand other than the one you were originally drawing to, you are said to have backed into it. For example, if your first four cards are A-A-4-4,(7 card stud) and you end up making a flush, you backed into the flush. Bank Roll
The total amount of money one is willing (and able) to put at risk. Belly Buster
Another name for an inside straight draw. Big Blind
A mandatory bet posted by the player two seats to the left of the button. The Big Blind is equal to the table minimum. Black
Black is the most common color for $100 chips. Blank
A card that doesn't look like it will improve your hand. Blind
Forced bets placed in the pot by the first two players in front of the dealer button, in Hold 'em and Omaha. See "small blind" and "big blind." Bluff
To bet when you hold a weak hand, hoping that you may fool your opponents into folding and giving you the hand. Board
Usually used to refer to the visible cards on the table. In some games everyone shares the same board, in other games each player has his own. Boat
Another name for a Full House. Bring-in
A bet made on the very first betting round. Usually the lowest card is forced to make a bet; in some games, the highest card is forced. Broadway
Another name for an aces high straight. Bullets
Name for a pair of aces in the hole. Buried
A buried pair is a pair in the hole. Button
A plastic disc used to represent the dealer position during each hand, in games where a professional dealer is used. Buy
To buy a pot is to make a bet large enough that other players would be extremely unlikely to call. Call
To match a bet that has been made and maintain a player's interest in the pot. Cap
In limit games, the cap is the limit on the number of raises in a round of betting. Cardroom
The room in which poker is played. Most casinos that offer poker have a separate room, or at least a roped-off area, designated as the cardroom. Check
A bet of zero that does not forfeit interest in the pot. A player cannot check once someone else has bet; at that point, the player must call, raise, or fold. Check-raise
To check, indicating weakness, with the intention of raising after someone else bets. Check-raises are allowed in most casino poker games. Chip
Poker chips are small round discs used instead of money at the poker table. Many casinos use white for $1 chips, red for $5 chips, green for $25 chips, and black for $100 chips. Cold Call
Calling more than one bet at once. If one player bets, another player raises, a third player calls the two bets This is a cold call. Color Up
To exchange small chips for ones of higher value, usually in order to reduce the number of chips on the table. Come Hand
A hand which must improve in order to win. Cowboy: A nickname for Kings, usually heard in the plural. Cut
After the cards are shuffled but before they are dealt, usually the deck is split in the middle and the halves reversed. Dead Card
A card that is no longer available to help you. (A pair of Jacks in the hole is less strong if the two remaining Jacks are two other players' door cards.) Deuce
Another name for twos. Door Card
The first card dealt face up to each player is the door card. Draw
Usually has to do with receiving more cards, and improving your hand Draw. Dead
When you hit your draw and it turns out you would loose anyway. (You make your flush, they make a better flush.) Drawing Hand
A hand that has a few strong cards but which without improvement is relatively worthless. Some common types four card straights and four card flushes. Drop
Another word for Fold. Fast
To play very aggressively. Felt
The playing surface of the table is referred to as felt. (It is usually made of some kind of felt.) Fish
A poor player who tends to give up a lot of money. (If you can't find the fish at your table, you're it.) Fish Hook
A nickname for Jacks. Floorperson
Manager of the Cardroom. Responsible for seating players, starting new tables, settling disputes etc. Flush
Five cards of the same suit. Ranked by the top card, and then by the next card, so that A-Q-7-5-3 beats A-Q-7-4-2. Flush draw
To hold four cards of the same suit, for example, 3-4-8-10 of hearts, and thus to be hoping to catch a fifth suited card (in this case another heart) that would give you a flush. Fold
Surrender of interest in the pot in response to another player's bet, forfeiting one's cards and previous bets . Full house
Three cards of one rank accompanied by two of another. Ranked by the triples, so that 4-4-4-2-2 beats 3-3-3-A-A. Hand
A player's best five cards. A hand is also everything that happens between shuffles. Heads-up play
When all players have been eliminated except the final two. HI Low poker
Any poker game where the highest and lowest hands split the pot. It is possible to have a hand that wins both, for example, A-2-3-4-5 is a straight but is also (in most forms of high-low poker) also considered the lowest possible hand. In some forms of high-low, the lowest possible hand is A-2-3-4-5, and in others (although usually this is true only in low-only games), the lowest possible hand is 2-3-4-5-6 (because this hand does not contain an Ace). Make sure you know what the best low hand is before jumping in! Hit and Run
To win a pot and leave the table. Implies that the player would not have left had he/she not won. Hole cards
Cards that are face down and cannot be seen by the other players. House
Refers to the casino, cardroom or dealer. In the Air
"Get the cards in the air" means to start dealing. Inside Straight draw
Four cards that can make a straight by hitting one specific card, somewhere in the middle, such as 4-6-7-8 (only a Five will give the player a straight). Isolate
To increase the bet in order to narrow the field to yourself and one other player. Jam
To bet the maximum. Kicker
A single card kept along with a pair, in draw, in an attempt to make two pair. For example, someone might keep 3-3-K, drawing two cards, in the hope they might get either a Three or a King. Limit Poker
The most common variety of poker, where the size of the bets are predetermined. For example, in a "5-10" game, the bets and raises can be only $5 in the early rounds and $10 in the late rounds. Live
Players expected to lose their money consistently is often referred to as "a Live one" Lock
A hand guaranteed to win at least part of the pot. Miss
To hold a drawing hand but not receive the card you needed to improve is to have "missed his draw." Monster
A very strong hand, expected to win the pot. Muck
The pile of discarded cards in front of the dealer, or the act of putting cards in this pile. Narrowing the Field
Bet or raise to drive out the players whose hands are currently worse than yours, but who might improve if allowed to stay in. No-Limit poker
Considered the most skillful and most dangerous form of poker, where any player can bet all of his chips at any time. Open
To open is to make the first bet in a round. Open-ended straight draw
Four consecutive cards, such as 7-8-9-10, which allows the player to complete his straight with a card on either end (in this case, a 6 or a J). Outdraw
To make a better hand than your opponents by merit of the cards you draw. Paint
Refers to any face card. Pair
Two cards of the same rank, e.g., two Fours or two Kings. Pass
Another word for fold. Pat hand
A hand that is dealt and would not be broken up to try to improve. Straights, flushes, full houses, four of a kind, and straight flushes. Position
Extremely important, often underrated poker concept. In most forms of poker, there is a big advantage to going last. In the last position you are able to watch all played cards to help you decide whether to check, bet, raise, or fold. Pot
The ante and all bets made into the center of the table which players are competing for. Pot-Limit poker
A player may bet an amount up to but not greater than the size of the pot at that particular moment. Pot odds
Often it is important to evaluate the size of the pot in deciding whether or not to call a bet. If there is a great deal of money in the pot, sometimes even a mediocre hand is worth calling if it has a small chance to improve to the best hand. On the contrary, if the pot is very small, even a fairly good hand may not be worth a call, because the amount one is risk, relative to the amount one stands to gain, is not enough. Rock
A player who usually bets or raises only when they have a very powerful hand. Slow-play
To act weak when you hold an extremely powerful hand, in the hopes of luring in other players. For example, by merely checking or calling, you might lure other players into thinking their hands had a better chance, and win more money from them. Small Blind
A bet that must be posted by the player one seat to the left of the button. It is usually equal to one half of the smaller betting limit in a game, for example, in a 10-20 game, the small blind would be $5. Straight
5 consecutive cards, for example, 9-10-J-Q-K. Straight flush
Five consecutive cards that are also of the same suit, for example, 6-7-8-9-10 of clubs. Suits
Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. In most forms of poker, suits are unimportant. At the end of a hand, if players hold identical cards, except that the suits are different, they are considered to hold identical hands and split the pot.
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