Online Poker Terms
Action
(1) Opportunity to act. If a poker player appears
not to realize it's his turn, the dealer will say "Your action,
sir."
(2) Bets and raises. "If a third heart hits the board and there's
a lot of action, you have to assume that someone has made the flush."
Ante
A small portion of a bet contributed by each poker player to seed
the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Most holdem games do not
have an ante; they use "blinds" to get initial money into
the pot.
All in
To run out of chips while betting or calling. In table stakes poker
games, a player may not go into his pocket for more money during a hand.
If he runs out, a side pot is created in which he has no interest. However,
he can still win the pot for which he had the chips. Example: "Poor
Bob - he made quads against the big full house, but he was all-in on
the second bet."
Backdoor
Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing poker hand.
For instance, suppose you have As- 7s. The flop comes Ad-6c-4s. You
bet and are called. The turn is the Ts, which everybody checks, and
then the river is the Js. You've made a "backdoor" nut flush.
See also "runner."
Bad Beat
To have a poker hand that is a large underdog
beat a heavily favored hand. It is generally used to imply that the
winner of the pot had no business being in the pot at all, and it
was the wildest of luck that he managed to catch the one card in the
deck that would win the pot. We won't give any examples, you will
hear plenty of them during your poker career.
Blank
A board card that doesn't seem to affect the
standings in the poker hand. If the flop is As-Jd-Ts, then a turn
card of 2h would be considered a blank. On the other hand, the 2s
would not be.
Blind
A forced bet (or partial bet) put in by one or more players before
any cards are dealt. Typically, blinds are put in by poker players
immediately to the left of the button. See also "Live blind."
Board
All the community cards in a holdem game -
the flop, turn, and river cards together. Example: "There wasn't
a single heart on the board."
Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the flop. If
you have As-6s, and the flop comes Kd-Th-6c, you have flopped bottom
pair.
Burn
To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between
each betting round before putting out the next community card(s).
It is security against any poker player recognizing or glimpsing the
next card to be used on the board.
Button
A white acrylic disk to indicate who is the (nominal) dealer. Also
used to refer to the player on the button. Example: "Oh, the
button raised."
Buy
(1) As in "buy the pot." To bluff, hoping to "buy"
the pot without being called.
(2) As in "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.
Calling Station
A weak-passive player who calls a lot, but
doesn't raise or fold much. This is the kind of player you like to
have in your game.
Cap
To put in the last raise permitted on a betting
round. This is typically the third or fourth raise. Dealers in California
are fond of saying "Capitola" or "Cappuccino".
Case
The last card of a certain rank in the deck.
Example: "The flop came J-8-3; I've got pocket jacks, he's got
pocket 8's, and then the case eight falls on the river and he beats
my full house."
Center Pot
The first pot created during a poker hand. This is as opposed to one
or more "side" pots that are created if one or more players
goes all-in. Also "main pot."
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 "chip", as in poker chip.
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. Piffle.
Almost all casinos permit check-raising, and it is an important poker
tactic. It is particularly useful in low-limit hold'em where you need
extra strength to narrow the field when you have the best hand.
Cold Call
To call more than one bet in a single action. For instance, suppose
the first player to act after the big blind raises. Now any player
acting after him must call two bets "cold." This is different
from calling a single bet and then calling a subsequent raise.
Come Hand
A drawing hand (probably from the craps term).
Complete Hand
A hand that is defined by all five cards - a straight, flush, full
house, four of a kind, or straight flush.
Connector
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are one apart in rank.
Examples: KQs, 76.
Counterfeit
To make your hand less valuable because of board cards that duplicate
it. Example: you have 87 and the flop comes 9-T-J, so you have a straight.
Now an 8 comes on the turn. This has counterfeited your hand and made
it almost worthless.
Crack
To beat a hand - typically a big hand. You hear this most often used
to apply to pocket aces: "Third time tonight I've had pocket
aces cracked."
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.
Dog
Shortened form of "Underdog".
Dominated Hand
A hand that will almost always lose to a better hand that people usually
play. For instance, K3 is "dominated" by KQ. With the exception
of strange flops (e.g. 3-3-x, K-3-x), it will always lose to KQ.
Draw Dead
Try to make a hand that, even if made, will not win the pot. If you're
drawing to make a flush, and your opponent already has a full house,
you are "drawing dead". Of course, this is a bad condition
to be in.
Equity
Your "rightful" share of a pot. If the pot contains $80,
and you have a 50% chance of winning it, you have $40 equity in the
pot. This term is somewhat fanciful since you will either win $80
or $0, but it gives you an idea of how much you can "expect"
to win.
Expectation
(1) A term referring to the amount of you expect
to gain on average if you make a certain play. For instance, suppose
you put $10 into a $50 pot to draw at a hand that you will make 25%
of the time, and it will win every time you make it. Three out of
four times, you do not make your draw, and lose $10 each time for
a total of $30. The fourth time, you will make your draw, winning
$50. Your total gain over those four average hands is $50-$30 = $20,
an average of $5 per hand. Thus calling the $10 has a positive expectation
of $5.
(2) The amount you expect to make at the poker table in a specific
time period. Perhaps in 100 hours play, you have won $527. Then your
expectation is $5.27/hr. Of course, you won't make that exact amount
each hour (and some hours you will lose), but it's one measure of
your anticipated earnings.
Family Pot
A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players
call before the flop.
Fast
As in "play fast." To play a hand
aggressively, betting and raising as much as possible. Example: "When
you flop a set but there's a flush draw possible, you have to play
it fast."
Flop
The first three community cards, put out face
up, all together.
Foul
A hand which may not be played for one reason or another. A player
with a foul hand may not make any claim on any portion of the pot.
Example: "He ended up with three cards after the flop, so the
dealer declared his hand foul."
Free Card
A turn or river card on which you don't have to call a bet because
of play earlier in the hand (or a reputation which you have with your
opponents). For instance, if you are on the button and raise when
you flop a flush draw, your opponents may check to you on the turn.
If you make your flush on the turn, you can bet. However, if you don't
get it on the turn, you can check as well - seeing the river card
for "free."
Free Roll
For one player to have a shot at winning an entire pot when he is
currently tied with another player. For instance, suppose you have
Ac-Qc and your opponent has Ad-Qh. The flop is Qs-5c-Tc. You are tied
with your opponent right now, but are free rolling on him, because
you can win the whole pot and he can't. If no club comes, you split
the pot with him - if it does come, you win the whole thing.
Gutshot Straight
An straight filled "inside". If you have 9s-8s, the flop
comes 7c-5h-2d, and the turn is the 6c, you've made your gutshot straight.
Heads Up
A pot that is being contested by only two players - "It was heads
up by the turn."
Hit
As in "the flop hit me." It means the flop contained cards
that help your hand. If you have AK, and the flop comes K-7-2, it
hit you.
House
The establishment running the game. Example: "The $2 you put
on the button goes to the house."
Implied Odds
Pot odds that do not exist at the moment, but may be included in your
calculations because of bets you expect to win if you hit your hand.
For instance, you might call with a flush draw on the turn even though
the pot isn't offering you quite 4:1 odds (your chance of making the
flush) because you're sure you can win a bet from your opponent on
the river if you make your flush.
Jackpot
A special bonus paid to the loser of a hand if he gets a very good
hand beaten. In hold'em, the "loser" must typically get
aces full or better beaten. In some of the large southern California
card clubs, the jackpots have gotten over $50,000. Of course, the
jackpot is funded with money removed from the game as part of the
rake.
Kicker
An unpaired card used to determine the better of two near-equivalent
hands. For instance, suppose you have AK and your opponent has AQ.
If the flop has an ace in it, you both have a pair of aces, but you
have a king kicker. Kickers can be vitally important in hold'em.
Live Blind
A forced bet put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt.
The "live" means those players still have the option of
raising when the action gets back around to them.
Maniac
A player who does a lot of hyper-aggressive raising, betting, and
bluffing. A true maniac is not a good player, but is simply doing
a lot of gambling. However, a player who occasionally acts like a
maniac and confuses his opponents is quite dangerous.
Muck
The pile of folded and burned cards in front of the dealer. Example:
"His hand hit the muck so the dealer ruled it folded even though
the guy wanted to get his cards back." Also used as a verb -
"He didn't have any outs so he mucked his hand."
No-Limit
A version of poker in which a player may bet any amount of chips (up
to the number in front of him) whenever it is his turn to act. It
is a very different game than limit poker. The best treatise on no-limit
poker is in Doyle Brunson's Super/System.
Nuts
The best possible hand given the board. If the board is Ks-Jd-Ts-4s-2h,
then As-Xs is the nuts. You will occasionally hear the term applied
to the best possible hand of a certain category, even though it isn't
the overall nuts. For the above example, somebody with Ah-Qc in the
above hand might say they had the "nut straight".
Offsuit
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards
are of different suits.
One-Gap
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are two apart in rank.
Examples: J9s, 64.
Out
A card that will make your hand win. Normally heard in the plural.
Example: "Any spade will make my flush, so I have nine outs."
Outrun
To beat. Example: "Susie outran my set when her flush card hit
on the river."
Overcall
To call a bet after one or more others players have already called.
Overcard
A card higher than any card on the board. For instance, if you have
AQ and the flop comes J-7-3, you don't have a pair, but you have two
overcards.
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than any card on the flop. If you have QQ and
the flop comes J-8-3, you have an overpair.
Pay Off
To call a bet where the bettor is representing a hand that you can't
beat, but the pot is sufficiently large to justify a call anyway.
Example: "He played it exactly like he made the flush, but I
had top set so I paid him off."
Play the Board
To show down a hand in hold'em when your cards don't make a hand any
better than is shown on the board. For instance, if you have 22, and
the board is 4-4-9-9-A (no flush possible), then you must "play
the board" - the best possible hand you can make doesn't use
any of your cards. Note that if you play the board, the best you can
do is to split the pot with all remaining players.
Pocket
Your unique cards that only you can see. For instance, "He had
pocket sixes" (a pair of sixes), or "I had ace-king in the
pocket."
Post
To put in a blind bet, generally required when you first sit down
in a cardroom game. You may also be required to post a blind if you
change seats at the table in a way that moves you away from the blinds.
Pot Limit
A version of poker in which a player may bet up to the amount of money
in the pot whenever it is his turn to act. Like no-limit, this is
a very different game from limit poker.
Pot Odds
The amount of money in the pot compared to the amount you must put
in the pot to continue playing. For example, suppose there is $60
in the pot. Somebody bets $6, so the pot now contains $66. It costs
you $6 to call, so your pot odds are 11:1. If your chance of having
the best hand is at least one out of twelve, you should call. Pot
odds also apply to draws. For instance, suppose you have a draw to
the nut flush with one card left to come. In this case, you are about
a 4:1 underdog to make your flush. If it costs you $8 to call the
bet, then there must be about $32 in the pot (including the most recent
bet) to make your call correct.
Price
The pot odds you are getting for a draw or call. Example: "The
pot was laying me a high enough price, so I stayed in with my gutshot
straight draw."
Protect
(1) To keep your hand or a chip on your cards. This prevents them
from being fouled by a discarded hand, or accidentally mucked by the
dealer.
(2) To invest more money in a pot so blind money that you've already
put in isn't "wasted." Example: "He'll always protects
his blinds, no matter how bad his cards are."
Quads
Four of a kind.
Ragged
A flop (or board) that doesn't appear to help anybody very much. A
flop that came down Jd-6h-2c would look ragged.
Rainbow
A flop that contains three different suits, thus no flush can be made
on the turn. Can also mean a complete five card board that has no
more than two of any suit, thus no flush is possible.
Rake
An amount of money taken out of every pot by
the dealer - this is the cardroom's income.
Rank
The numerical value of a card (as opposed to its suit). Example: "jack","seven".
Represent
To play as if you hold a certain hand. For instance, if you raised
before the flop, and then raised again when the flop came ace high,
you would be representing at least an ace with a good kicker.
Ring Game
A regular poker game as opposed to a tournament. Also referred to
as a "live" game since actual money is in play instead of
tournament chips.
River
The fifth and final community card, put out face up, by itself. Also
known as "fifth street". Metaphors involving the river are
some of poker's most treasured cliches e.g. "He drowned in the
river".
Rock
A player who plays very tight, not very creatively. He raises only
with the best hands. A real rock is fairly predictable - if he raises
you on the end, you can throw away just about anything but the nuts.
Runner
Typically said "runner-runner" to describe a hand which
was made only by catching the correct cards on both the turn and the
river - "He made a runner-runner flush to beat my trips."
See also "Backdoor."
Scare Card
A card which may well turn the best hand into trash. If you have Tc-8c
and the flop comes Qd- Jd-9s, you almost assuredly have the best hand.
However, a turn card of Td would be very scary because it would almost
guarantee that you are now beaten.
Second Pair
A pair with the second highest card on the flop. If you have As-Ts,
and the flop comes Kd-Th-6c, you have flopped second pair.
Sell
As in "sell a hand". In a spread limit game, this means
to bet less than the maximum when you have a very strong hand, hoping
players will call whereas they would not have called a maximum bet.
Semi-bluff
A powerful concept first discussed by David Sklansky. It is a bet
or raise that you hope will not be called, but you have some outs
if it is. A semi-bluff may be correct when betting for value is not
correct, a pure bluff is not correct, but the combination of the two
may be a positive expectation play.
Set
Three of a kind when you have two of the rank in your hand, and there
is one on the board.
Short Stack
A number of chips that is not very many compared to the other players
at the table. If you have $10 in front of you, and everybody else
at the table has over $100, you are playing on a short stack.
Showdown
The point at which all players remaining in the hand turn their cards
over and determine who has the best hand - i.e. after the fourth round
of betting is completed. Of course, if a final bet or raise is not
called, there is no showdown.
Side Pot
A pot created in which a player has no interest because he has run
out of chips. Example: Al bets $6, Beth calls the $6, and Carl calls,
but he has only $2 left. An $8 side pot is created that either Al
or Beth can win, but not Carl. Furthermore, any more bets that Al
and Beth make go into that side pot. Carl, however, can still win
all the money in the original or "center" pot.
Slow Play
To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay in the pot.
Split Pot
A pot which is shared by two or more players because they have equivalent
hands.
Split Two Pair
A two pair hand in which one of each of your cards' ranks appears
on the board as well. Example: you have T9, the flop is T-9-5, you
have a split two pair. This is in comparison to two pair where there
is a pair on the board. Example: you have T9, the flop is 9-5-5.
Spread Limit
A betting structure in which a player may bet any amount in a range
on every betting round. A typical spread limit structure is $2-$6,
where a player may bet as little as $2 or as much as $6 on every betting
round.
Straddle
An optional extra blind bet, typically made by the player one to the
left of the big blind, equal to twice the big blind. This is effectively
a raise, and forces any player who wants to play to pay two bets.
Furthermore, the straddler acts last before the flop, and may "re-raise."
String Bet
A bet (more typically a raise) in which a player doesn't get all the
chips required for the raise into the pot in one motion. Unless he
verbally declared the raise, he can be forced to withdraw it and just
call. This prevents the unethical play of putting out enough chips
to call, seeing what effect that had, and then possibly raising.
Structured
Used to apply to a certain betting structure in "flop" games
such as hold'em. The typical definition of a structured game is a
fixed amount for bets and raises before the flop and on the flop,
and then twice that amount on the turn and river. Example: a $2-$4
structured hold'em game - bets and raises of $2 before the flop and
on the flop; $4 bets and raises on the turn and river.
Suited
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are the same suit.
Example: "I had to play J-3 - it was suited."
Table Stakes
A rule in a poker game meaning that a player may not go into his pocket
for money during a hand. He may only invest the amount of money in
front of him into the current pot. If he runs out of chips during
the hand, a side pot is created in which he has no interest. All casino
poker is played table stakes. The definition sometimes also includes
the rule that a player may not remove chips from the table during
a game. While this rule might not be referred to as "table stakes",
it is enforced almost universally in public poker games.
Tell
A clue or hint that a player unknowingly gives about the strength
of his hand, his next action, etc. May originally be from "telegraph"
or the obvious use that he "tells" you what he's going to
do before he does it.
Tilt
To play wildly or recklessly. A player is said to be "on tilt"
if he is not playing his best, playing too many hands, trying wild
bluffs, raising with bad hands, etc.
Time
(1) A request by a player to suspend play while he decides what he's
going to do. Simply, "Time please!" If a player doesn't
request time and there is a substantial amount of action behind him,
the dealer may rule that the player has folded.
(2) An amount of money collected either on the button or every half
hour by the cardroom. This is another way for the house to make its
money (see "rake").
Toke
A small amount of money (typically $.50 or $1.00) given to the dealer
by the winner of a pot. Quite often, tokes represent the great majority
of a dealer's income.
Top Pair
A pair with the highest card on the flop. If you have As-Qs, and the
flop comes Qd-Th-6c, you have flopped top pair.
Trips
Three of a kind.
Turn
The fourth community card. Put out face up,
by itself. Also known as "fourth street."
Under the gun
The position of the player who acts first on a betting round. For
instance, if you are one to the left of the big blind, you are under
the gun before the flop.
Underdog
A person or hand who is not mathematically favored to win a pot. For
instance, if you flop four cards to your flush, you are not quite
a 2:1 underdog to make your flush by the river (that is, you will
make your flush about one in three times). See also "dog."
Value
As in "bet for value." This means that you would actually
like your opponents to call your bet (as opposed to a bluff). Generally
it's because you have the best hand. However, it can also be a draw
which, given enough callers, has a positive expectation.
Variance
A measure of the up and down swings your bankroll goes through. Variance
is not necessarily a measure of how well you play. However, the higher
your variance, the wider swings you'll see in your bankroll.
