A
Aggressive or aggression
Compare to "loose", "tight", "passive".
All day
The total current posted bet. Used to indicate that the speaker is referring to the total bet, versus
Wagering all your chips/money on at once
Altogether
The total current posted bet. Used to indicate that the speaker is referring to the total bet,
versus the difference the acting player would need to post. Also "all day" or "straight".
Ammo, ammunition
Chips in play.
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.
B
Baby
A low-ranked card, usually used in lowball games. Also "spoke" when between ace and five.
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.
Back into
To win a pot with a hand that would have folded to any bet.
Bad beat
Is a subjective description of when a hand that had been a significant mathematical favorite to win
loses to what had been an inferior hand.
Behind
Not currently having the best hand.
Belly buster
An inside straight draw. Also "gutshot".
Berry patch
A game with many unskilled or "live" players; a lucrative opportunity for profit.
Bet
1. Any money wagered during the play of a hand.
2. More specifically, the opening bet of a betting round.
Big blind special
A situation in which (assuming no raising) the player in the big blind is dealt weak hole cards, but
ends up making the best hand because he or she was able to see the flop for free.
Blank
A card, frequently a community card, of no apparent value. Also "rag". Compare to "brick", "bomb".
Bleed
To lose small amounts continually, so as to add up to a large loss.
Blind
1. A type of forced bet..
2. In the "dark".
Blind off, Blinded out
To have one's stack reduced by paying ever increasing blinds in tournaments.
Bluff
A pure bluff, or stone-cold bluff, is a bet or raise with an inferior hand that has little or no chance of
improving.
Bluff-catcher
On the last betting round, a hand that cannot win if the opponent is making a legitimate value bet,
but that might win if the opponent's bet was a pure bluff.
Board
The set of community cards in a community card game.
Boat
Slang for a full house.
Bomb
A "brick". Compare to "blank", "rags".
Bottom end
The lowest of several possible straights. 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 treat a boxed card as if it didn't exist; that is, it is placed aside
and not used.
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 "bomb". Compare to "rags".
Bring in
1. To open a betting round.
2. A kind of forced bet.
Broadway
Any card ten or higher. AKQJT is a Broadway straight.
Bubble
The last finishing position in a poker tournament before entering the payout structure.
Bullet
An ace.
Bully
To bluff repeatedly at all opportunities, or a player who does so. Compare to "run over".
Bump
To raise.
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
Calling station
A weak player who frequently checks and calls, but rarely raises.
Cards speak
"Cards speak" means that any verbal declaration as to the content of a player’s hand is not binding. A
hand is judged on its actual merits, not a player's verbal declaration.
Case card
The last available card of a certain description (typically a rank).
Catch
To receive needed cards on a draw.
Catch up
To successfully complete a draw, thus defeating a player who previously had a better hand.
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. Usually used in Texas Hold 'Em. Compare with "runner-runner".
Center pot
The main pot in a table stakes game where one or more players are all in.
Chase
1. To call a bet to see the next card when holding a drawing hand when the pot odds do not
merit it.
2. To continue to play a drawing hand over multiple betting rounds, especially one unlikely to
succeed.
3. To continue playing with a hand that is not likely the best because one has already invested
money in the pot.
Check
1. To bet nothing.
2. A casino chip.
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.
Check-raise
A common deceptive play in which a player checks early in a betting round, hoping someone else will
open. The player who checked then raises in the same round.
Cheese
A poor hand.
Chip along
To bet or call the minimum required to stay in, often done with little or no thought.
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 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. To play a game for a short time and cash out. Also "hit and run".
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.
Clean out
A card that is likely to make your hand the best at the table.
Coffeehouse
To make annoying small talk during a game, to make comments about a hand in progress, or to make
deceptive comments about one's own play.
Collusion
A form of cheating involving cooperation among two or more players.
Color change, color up
To exchange small-denomination chips for larger ones.
Complete hand
A hand that does not need improvement to win, in contrast to a drawing hand.
Connectors
Two or more cards of consecutive rank.
Crack
To beat a better hand, mostly heard in reference to the best Hold em hole cards, AA.
Crossfire
When a player is caught in the middle between two raisers and is induced to call each bet because of
the pot odds.
Crying call
A call made reluctantly on the last betting round with the expectation of losing (but with some
remote hope of catching a bluff).
Cutoff
The seat immediately to the right of the dealer button.
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. Compare to "blind".
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) that is posted in addition to a live blind equal to the big blind.
Dead hand
A player's hand that is not entitled to participate in the deal for some reason, such as having been
fouled by touching another player's cards, being found to contain the wrong number of cards, being
dealt to a player who did not make the appropriate forced bets, etc.
Deadwood
The muck.
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.
Declare
There are several actions in poker called declaration, in which a player verbally, formally, expresses
his intent to take some action (which he is then required to perform at a later point). A verbal
declaration in turn is binding.
Decloak
To raise after slow playing for a time (making it clear that you were, in fact, slow playing).
Deep
Describing a large amount of money, either in play or having been lost.
Dirty stack
A stack of chips that has a chip of the wrong denomination mixed in.
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
See underdog.
Dominated hand
A hand that is extremely unlikely to win against another specific hand, even though it may not be a
poor hand in its own right.
Donation
A call made by a player who fully expects to lose; made either out of boredom or irrational optimism.
Donk, donkey
Epithet for an inexperienced, unskilled, or foolish poker player.
Double belly buster, double gut-shot, double inside straight
Double inside straight draw.
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.
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).
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.
Drop
1. To fold.
2. To drop ones cards to the felt to indicate that one is in or out of a game.
Dry pot
A side pot with no money. Created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent,
but not raised. Bluffing into a dry pot is a play that cannot possibly earn a profit, so doing so is
considered foolish. It may also be unethical, because it serves to protect the all-in player at the
expense of the bettor and the other players, and so is a form of collusion.
Dump, dumped
To lose a large quantity of ones stack to another player on a particular hand or set of hands in short
succession.
E
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. Compare to "boxed card".
F
Family pot
A deal in which every (or almost every) seated player called the first opening bet.
Fast
Aggressive play. Compare to "speeding".
Fifth street
The last card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "river".
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
In a multi-table tournament: to remain in the game long enough as to make it to the last round of
players that can fit at one standard tournament table (usually 9 or 10 players).
Fire
To make the opening bet of a round, following the same analogy by which chips are called "ammo".
Fish
1. An unskilled player who plays loosely and passively, calling a lot of bets.
2. To risk money on a long-shot bet
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,
Flat call
A call, in a situation where one might be expected to raise.
Float
To call a bet with an inferior hand, with the intention of bluffing on a later betting round.
Flush
A hand comprising five cards of the same suit.
Fold
To discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot. Folding may be indicated verbally or by
discarding one's hand face down into the pile of other discards called the muck.
Forced bet
See Blinds.
Forward motion
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. Compare to
"string bet".
Fouled hand
A hand that is ruled unplayable because of an irregularity, such as being found with too many or
two few cards, having been mixed with cards of other players or the muck, having fallen off the
table, etc. Compare to "dead 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-ender or one-ender.
Fourth street
The fourth card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "turn".
Fox hunt
See rabbit hunt.
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.
Freeze-out
The most common form of tournament. There's no re-buy, play continues until one player has all the
chips.
Full, full boat, full hand, full house
A hand with three cards of one rank and two of a second rank. Also "boat".
G
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.
Garbage
1. The "muck".
2. A worthless hand.
Going south
To sneak a portion of your chips from the table while the game is underway. Normally prohibited in
public card rooms. Also "ratholing".
Gutshot
An inside straight draw. Also "belly buster".
Gypsy
To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Also "limp".
H
Hammer
1. To bet and raise aggressively.
2. "Having the hammer" is being in last position, especially head up.
Head up, heads up
Playing against a single opponent.
Here kitty kitty
A conspicuously small bet made with a very powerful hand in the hope of getting a call from one or
more opponents who would otherwise fold to a normal-sized bet.
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.
Hollywood
Overt acting to deceive other players. Also refers to taking excessive time to act.
I
Idiot end, ignorant end
The bottom end of a straight. Compare to "sucker straight".
Immortal
Unbeatable; often said of a hand that a player knows cannot be beaten under the circumstances of
play. Also "lock", "nuts".
Improve
To achieve a better hand than one currently holds.
Inside straight
See inside straight draw. Also "belly buster", "gutshot". Compare to outside straight draw.
In the bushes, in the weeds
A player slow playing is said to be "in the bushes" during the time he is quietly checking and calling
while others bet aggressively.
In the money
To place high enough in a poker tournament to get prize money.
In turn
A player, or an action, is said to be in turn if that player is expected to act next under the rules.
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.
ITM
Abbreviation of in the money.
J
Jack it up
To raise.
Jackpot
A large pool of money collected by the house and awarded for some rare occurrence, typically a bad
beat.
K
Keep (a bettor) honest
To call a final bet while not expecting to win, for the primary purpose of discouraging future bluffs.
Kitty
A pool of money built by collecting small amounts from certain pots, often used to buy refreshments,
cards, and so on. The home-game equivalent of a rake.
L
Laydown
A tough choice to fold a good hand in anticipation of superior opposition.
Lead
The player who makes the last bet or raise in a round of betting is said to have the lead at the start
of the next round.
Limp, limp in
To enter a pot by simply calling instead of raising.
Live bet
A bet posted by a player under conditions that give him the option to raise even if no other player
raises first; typically because it was posted as a blind or straddle, or to enter a new game.
Live cards
Cards that will improve your hand that have not been seen among anyone's upcards, and are
therefore presumably still available. A player's hand is said to contain "live" cards if matching either
of them on the board would give that player the lead over his opponent. Typically used to describe a
hand that is weak, but not dominated.
Live game
A game with a lot of action, usually including many unskilled players, especially maniacs.
Live one
A weak player, especially a maniac.
Lock up
To "lock up" a seat in a cash game means to place a poker chip, player's card, or other personal effect
on the table in front of the seat, to signify that the seat is occupied even though the player may not
be present.
Loose
See loose/tight play. Compare to "tight", "aggressive", "passive".
Loose cannon
A player who is not afraid to put money in the pot; one who is "gambling" a lot and liable to lose all
his money at any given time.
M
Made hand
Already complete. Compare to a drawing hand.
Maniac
A loose and aggressive player. A player who bets constantly and plays many inferior hands.
Match the pot
To put in an amount equal to all the chips in the pot.
Misdeal
A deal which is ruined for some reason and must be redealt.
Move in
In a no-limit game, to "move in" or to "go all in" means to bet one's entire stake on the hand in play.
Muck
1. To fold.
2. To discard one's hand without revealing the cards. Often done after winning without a
showdown or at a showdown when a better hand has already been revealed.
3. The discard pile "There were only a couple of cards in the muck"
N
Nuts, or simply "The Nuts"
The strongest possible hand in a given situation. The second-nut hand or third-nut hand (and so on)
may refer to the second and third best possible hands.
O
Offsuit
Cards that are not of the same suit.
Open ended
Open ended straight draw, An outside straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw".
Option
The right to raise possessed by the big blind if there have been no raises.
Outside straight, outside straight draw
See open ended straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw".
Overcard
1. A community card with a higher rank than a player's pocket pair.
2. A higher card. Ted held two overcards to Jill's pair with two cards to come.
Overpair
In community card games, a pocket pair with a higher rank than any community card.
Over the top
To re-raise.
P
Paint
The face cards, Jacks, Queens, and Kings, in a deck. In Texas hold'em, a flop can be said to be "all
paint" if it consists of only these cards. This is also called a "Picasso Flop".
Passive
A style of play characterized by checking and calling. Compare to "aggressive", "loose", "tight".
Pat
Already complete. Also see made hand.
Pay off
To call a bet when you are most likely drawing dead because the pot odds justify the call.
Picasso flop
Slang for "paint".
Pigeon
A bad player. Also "donkey", "fish".
Play the board
In games such as Texas Hold 'Em, where 5 community cards are dealt, if your best hand is on the
board and you go to the showdown you are said to "play the board".
Play twice
See deal twice.
Pocket pair
In community card poker or stud poker, when two of a player's private cards make a pair. Also "wired
pair".
Poker face
A blank face that does not reveal anything about the cards being held. Often used metaphorically
outside the world of poker.
Position bet
A bet that is made more due to the strength of the bettor's position than the strength of the bettor's
cards.
Post
To make the required small or big blind bet in Texas Hold 'em or other games played with blinds
rather than antes.
Post dead
To post a bet amount equal to the small and the big blind combined (the amount of the large blind
playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small blind as dead money). In games played with
blinds, a player who steps away from the table and misses his turn for the blinds must either post
dead or wait for the big blind to re-enter the game. Compare to "dead blind".
Pot-committed
More often in the context of a no limit game; the situation where you can no longer fold because the
size of the pot is so large compared to the size of your stack.
Probe bet
A bet after the flop by a player who did not take the lead in betting before the flop (and when the
player that did take the lead in betting before the flop declined to act). Compare to "continuation
bet".
Push
To put yourself all-in.
Put on
To put someone on a hand is to deduce what hand the have based on their actions and your
knowledge of their gameplay. See also tells.
Q
Quads
Four of a kind.
R
Rabbit hunt
After a hand is over, a rabbit hunt means to reveal the last card that would have come up in a
community card game with a fixed number of cards. Such activity is usually prohibited in casinos.
Rack
A plastic tray used for storing a rack of chips.
Ragged
In community card poker games, if the community cards are likely to be of little or no use to anyone,
they are said to be ragged.
Rags
Worthless (or apparently worthless) cards. Most often refers to small cards in high-hand games, while
high cards in low games are more often called "bricks" or "bombs". Also "blank".
Rail
The rail is the sideline at a poker table - the (often imaginary) rail separating spectators from the
field of play. Watching from the rail means watching a poker game as a spectator.
Rainbow
Three or four cards of different suits, especially said of a flop.
Ram and jam
To aggressively bet, raise, and re-raise.
Ratholing
To "go south". See Going South.
Re-buy
An amount of chips purchased after the buy-in.
Re-deal
To deal a hand again, possibly after a misdeal.
Represent
To represent a hand is to play as if you hold it (whether you actually hold it or are bluffing).
Re-raise
Raise after one has been raised. Also coming "over the top".
Ring game
Also called cash games or live action games.
River rat
A player whose hand was dominated from the start, but improves his hand on the river to win the
pot. See "suck out".
Rock
A very tight player (plays very few hands and only continues with strong hands).
Rolled-up trips
Three of a kind dealt in the first three cards.
Rounder
A rounder is a skilled card shark who makes his/her living entirely at playing cards, opposite of a
rounder, a "fish."
Runner-runner
A hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and river. Also "backdoor". Compare to
"bad beat" and "suck out".
Rush
Winning streak. A player who has won several big pots recently is said to be on a rush.
S
Sandbag
See slow play (poker).
Scare card
A card dealt face up (either to a player in a game such as stud or to the board in a community card
game) that appears to create a strong hand for someone.
Second pair
In community card poker games, a pair of cards of the second-top rank on the board.
Semi-bluff
To bluff on one round with an inferior or drawing hand that might improve in a later round.
Set
Three of a kind, esp. The situation where two of the cards are concealed in the player's hole cards.
Set-up
A deck that has been ordered, usually King to Ace by suit (spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds). In
casinos, it is customary to use a set-up deck when introducing a new deck to the table. The set-up is
spread face up for the players to demonstrate that all of the cards are present before the first shuffle.
Short stack
A stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played.
Shorthanded
A poker game that is played with around six players or less.
Side pot
A separate pot created to deal with the situation of one player going "all in".
Slow play
To have an assumed made hand or the assumed best hand possible and make small bets to entice
others to call or raise adding money to the pot. . Also "sandbag".
Slow roll
To delay or avoid showing one's hand at showdown, forcing other players to expose their hands first.
When done while holding a good hand likely to be the winner, it is considered poor etiquette, because
it often gives other players "false hope" that their hands might win before the slow-roller's is exposed.
Small blind special
A situation in which (assuming no raising) a player is dealt weak hole cards in the small blind, but
ends up making the best hand because they got to see a relatively inexpensive flop. Compare to "big
blind special".
Soft-play
To intentionally go easy on a player (e.g. Not betting or raising against him when you usually would).
Speeding
To play very loose with no identifiable pattern, or to bluff frequently. Also known as speeding
around. Compare to "fast".
Spike
When a flop is spread out, if the first card revealed is the card an underdog needs, they spike that
card. More loosely, if any of the flop cards help you, then you spike it.
Splash the pot
To throw one's chips in the pot in a disorderly fashion. Not typically allowed, because the dealer
can't tell how much has been bet.
Split two pair
In community card poker, a two pair hand, with each pair made of one of your hole cards, and one
community card.
Stack
A collection of 20 poker chips of the same denomination, usually arranged in an orderly column.
Stand pat
In draw poker, playing the original hand using no draws, either as a bluff or in the belief it is the
best hand.
Steal
To win a pot by over betting the amount of the pot or by raising an amount that you believe will not
be called. This is sometime done when a player is in position. Also see "Position Bet".
Steam
Act of playing recklessly when one is frustrated. Compare to "tilt".
Steel Wheel
Is the poker hand 5-4-3-2-A, of the same suit, which is a five-high straight flush.
Straddle bet
The player immediately to the left of the big blind may place a live straddle blind bet. The straddle
must be a raise over the big blind. A straddle is a live bet; the player placing the straddle effectively
becomes the "bigger blind". Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If action returns
to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. The player to the left of a live
straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle.
Straight
1. Poker hand: Five cards in rank sequence.
2. When used with an amount, indicates that the speaker is referring to the total bet, versus
the amount being raised. Also "altogether" or "all day".
String bet
To call with one motion and raise with another, or to reach for more chips in the middle of laying a
bet/raise without stating the intended amount. String bets are prohibited in public cardroom rules.
Compare to "forward motion".
Stuck
Having lost money.
Suck out
To draw a winning hand despite poor odds.
Sucker straight
A straight completed on the low end of the possible straight on the board. Compare to "idiot end,
ignorant end".
Suited
Having the same suit.
Suited connectors
Having the same suit and connected.
T
Tell
A detectable change in a player's behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player's assessment
of their hand.
Third man walking
A player who gets up from his seat in a cash game, after two other players are already away from the
table, is referred to as the "third man walking". In a casino with a "third man walking rule", this
player may be required to return to his seat within 10 minutes, or one rotation of the deal around the
table, or else his seat in the game will be forfeited if there is a waiting list for the game.
Throwing a party
A player who is playing like a fool and gambling all of their money away is said to be throwing a
party.
Tight
See loose/tight play. Compare to "loose", "aggressive", "passive".
Tilt
A state of mental confusion or frustration in which a player knowingly adopts a sub-optimal, over-
aggressive strategy
To go
A term used to describe the amount that a player is required to call in order to stay in the hand.
Top pair
In community card poker games, top pair is a pair of the same rank as the highest ranking card on the
board.
Trey
A 3-spot card. Casino personnel refer to the 3♣ as the "trey of clubs".
Trips
Three of a kind. Compare to "set".
U
Under the gun
The playing position to the direct left of the blinds. The player who is under the gun must act first on
the first round of betting.
underdog
An underdog or dog is a player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player.
Frequently used when the exact odds are expressed.
Up and down straight draw
An open ended straight draw. Also called an 'up and down' or an 'up and down draw'.
V
Value bet
A bet "for value" is a bet made for the purpose of increasing the size of the pot, and which the player
wants his opponents to call.
W
Wake up
To "wake up with a hand" means to discover a strong starting hand, often when there has already
been action in front of the player.
Wash
To mix the deck by spreading the cards face down on the table and mixing them up. A dealer may
wash the deck before shuffling.
Weak ace
An ace with a low kicker (e.g. four). Also "small ace," "soft ace," "ace-rag."
Wheel
A wheel or bicycle is the poker hand 5-4-3-2-A, regardless of suit, which is a five-high straight, the
lowest-ranking of the straights.
Wired pair
A "pocket pair".
X
Y
Z
Aggressive or aggression
Compare to "loose", "tight", "passive".
All day
The total current posted bet. Used to indicate that the speaker is referring to the total bet, versus
Wagering all your chips/money on at once
Altogether
The total current posted bet. Used to indicate that the speaker is referring to the total bet,
versus the difference the acting player would need to post. Also "all day" or "straight".
Ammo, ammunition
Chips in play.
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.
B
Baby
A low-ranked card, usually used in lowball games. Also "spoke" when between ace and five.
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.
Back into
To win a pot with a hand that would have folded to any bet.
Bad beat
Is a subjective description of when a hand that had been a significant mathematical favorite to win
loses to what had been an inferior hand.
Behind
Not currently having the best hand.
Belly buster
An inside straight draw. Also "gutshot".
Berry patch
A game with many unskilled or "live" players; a lucrative opportunity for profit.
Bet
1. Any money wagered during the play of a hand.
2. More specifically, the opening bet of a betting round.
Big blind special
A situation in which (assuming no raising) the player in the big blind is dealt weak hole cards, but
ends up making the best hand because he or she was able to see the flop for free.
Blank
A card, frequently a community card, of no apparent value. Also "rag". Compare to "brick", "bomb".
Bleed
To lose small amounts continually, so as to add up to a large loss.
Blind
1. A type of forced bet..
2. In the "dark".
Blind off, Blinded out
To have one's stack reduced by paying ever increasing blinds in tournaments.
Bluff
A pure bluff, or stone-cold bluff, is a bet or raise with an inferior hand that has little or no chance of
improving.
Bluff-catcher
On the last betting round, a hand that cannot win if the opponent is making a legitimate value bet,
but that might win if the opponent's bet was a pure bluff.
Board
The set of community cards in a community card game.
Boat
Slang for a full house.
Bomb
A "brick". Compare to "blank", "rags".
Bottom end
The lowest of several possible straights. 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 treat a boxed card as if it didn't exist; that is, it is placed aside
and not used.
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 "bomb". Compare to "rags".
Bring in
1. To open a betting round.
2. A kind of forced bet.
Broadway
Any card ten or higher. AKQJT is a Broadway straight.
Bubble
The last finishing position in a poker tournament before entering the payout structure.
Bullet
An ace.
Bully
To bluff repeatedly at all opportunities, or a player who does so. Compare to "run over".
Bump
To raise.
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
Calling station
A weak player who frequently checks and calls, but rarely raises.
Cards speak
"Cards speak" means that any verbal declaration as to the content of a player’s hand is not binding. A
hand is judged on its actual merits, not a player's verbal declaration.
Case card
The last available card of a certain description (typically a rank).
Catch
To receive needed cards on a draw.
Catch up
To successfully complete a draw, thus defeating a player who previously had a better hand.
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. Usually used in Texas Hold 'Em. Compare with "runner-runner".
Center pot
The main pot in a table stakes game where one or more players are all in.
Chase
1. To call a bet to see the next card when holding a drawing hand when the pot odds do not
merit it.
2. To continue to play a drawing hand over multiple betting rounds, especially one unlikely to
succeed.
3. To continue playing with a hand that is not likely the best because one has already invested
money in the pot.
Check
1. To bet nothing.
2. A casino chip.
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.
Check-raise
A common deceptive play in which a player checks early in a betting round, hoping someone else will
open. The player who checked then raises in the same round.
Cheese
A poor hand.
Chip along
To bet or call the minimum required to stay in, often done with little or no thought.
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 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. To play a game for a short time and cash out. Also "hit and run".
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.
Clean out
A card that is likely to make your hand the best at the table.
Coffeehouse
To make annoying small talk during a game, to make comments about a hand in progress, or to make
deceptive comments about one's own play.
Collusion
A form of cheating involving cooperation among two or more players.
Color change, color up
To exchange small-denomination chips for larger ones.
Complete hand
A hand that does not need improvement to win, in contrast to a drawing hand.
Connectors
Two or more cards of consecutive rank.
Crack
To beat a better hand, mostly heard in reference to the best Hold em hole cards, AA.
Crossfire
When a player is caught in the middle between two raisers and is induced to call each bet because of
the pot odds.
Crying call
A call made reluctantly on the last betting round with the expectation of losing (but with some
remote hope of catching a bluff).
Cutoff
The seat immediately to the right of the dealer button.
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. Compare to "blind".
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) that is posted in addition to a live blind equal to the big blind.
Dead hand
A player's hand that is not entitled to participate in the deal for some reason, such as having been
fouled by touching another player's cards, being found to contain the wrong number of cards, being
dealt to a player who did not make the appropriate forced bets, etc.
Deadwood
The muck.
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.
Declare
There are several actions in poker called declaration, in which a player verbally, formally, expresses
his intent to take some action (which he is then required to perform at a later point). A verbal
declaration in turn is binding.
Decloak
To raise after slow playing for a time (making it clear that you were, in fact, slow playing).
Deep
Describing a large amount of money, either in play or having been lost.
Dirty stack
A stack of chips that has a chip of the wrong denomination mixed in.
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
See underdog.
Dominated hand
A hand that is extremely unlikely to win against another specific hand, even though it may not be a
poor hand in its own right.
Donation
A call made by a player who fully expects to lose; made either out of boredom or irrational optimism.
Donk, donkey
Epithet for an inexperienced, unskilled, or foolish poker player.
Double belly buster, double gut-shot, double inside straight
Double inside straight draw.
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.
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).
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.
Drop
1. To fold.
2. To drop ones cards to the felt to indicate that one is in or out of a game.
Dry pot
A side pot with no money. Created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent,
but not raised. Bluffing into a dry pot is a play that cannot possibly earn a profit, so doing so is
considered foolish. It may also be unethical, because it serves to protect the all-in player at the
expense of the bettor and the other players, and so is a form of collusion.
Dump, dumped
To lose a large quantity of ones stack to another player on a particular hand or set of hands in short
succession.
E
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. Compare to "boxed card".
F
Family pot
A deal in which every (or almost every) seated player called the first opening bet.
Fast
Aggressive play. Compare to "speeding".
Fifth street
The last card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "river".
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
In a multi-table tournament: to remain in the game long enough as to make it to the last round of
players that can fit at one standard tournament table (usually 9 or 10 players).
Fire
To make the opening bet of a round, following the same analogy by which chips are called "ammo".
Fish
1. An unskilled player who plays loosely and passively, calling a lot of bets.
2. To risk money on a long-shot bet
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,
Flat call
A call, in a situation where one might be expected to raise.
Float
To call a bet with an inferior hand, with the intention of bluffing on a later betting round.
Flush
A hand comprising five cards of the same suit.
Fold
To discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot. Folding may be indicated verbally or by
discarding one's hand face down into the pile of other discards called the muck.
Forced bet
See Blinds.
Forward motion
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. Compare to
"string bet".
Fouled hand
A hand that is ruled unplayable because of an irregularity, such as being found with too many or
two few cards, having been mixed with cards of other players or the muck, having fallen off the
table, etc. Compare to "dead 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-ender or one-ender.
Fourth street
The fourth card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "turn".
Fox hunt
See rabbit hunt.
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.
Freeze-out
The most common form of tournament. There's no re-buy, play continues until one player has all the
chips.
Full, full boat, full hand, full house
A hand with three cards of one rank and two of a second rank. Also "boat".
G
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.
Garbage
1. The "muck".
2. A worthless hand.
Going south
To sneak a portion of your chips from the table while the game is underway. Normally prohibited in
public card rooms. Also "ratholing".
Gutshot
An inside straight draw. Also "belly buster".
Gypsy
To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Also "limp".
H
Hammer
1. To bet and raise aggressively.
2. "Having the hammer" is being in last position, especially head up.
Head up, heads up
Playing against a single opponent.
Here kitty kitty
A conspicuously small bet made with a very powerful hand in the hope of getting a call from one or
more opponents who would otherwise fold to a normal-sized bet.
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.
Hollywood
Overt acting to deceive other players. Also refers to taking excessive time to act.
I
Idiot end, ignorant end
The bottom end of a straight. Compare to "sucker straight".
Immortal
Unbeatable; often said of a hand that a player knows cannot be beaten under the circumstances of
play. Also "lock", "nuts".
Improve
To achieve a better hand than one currently holds.
Inside straight
See inside straight draw. Also "belly buster", "gutshot". Compare to outside straight draw.
In the bushes, in the weeds
A player slow playing is said to be "in the bushes" during the time he is quietly checking and calling
while others bet aggressively.
In the money
To place high enough in a poker tournament to get prize money.
In turn
A player, or an action, is said to be in turn if that player is expected to act next under the rules.
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.
ITM
Abbreviation of in the money.
J
Jack it up
To raise.
Jackpot
A large pool of money collected by the house and awarded for some rare occurrence, typically a bad
beat.
K
Keep (a bettor) honest
To call a final bet while not expecting to win, for the primary purpose of discouraging future bluffs.
Kitty
A pool of money built by collecting small amounts from certain pots, often used to buy refreshments,
cards, and so on. The home-game equivalent of a rake.
L
Laydown
A tough choice to fold a good hand in anticipation of superior opposition.
Lead
The player who makes the last bet or raise in a round of betting is said to have the lead at the start
of the next round.
Limp, limp in
To enter a pot by simply calling instead of raising.
Live bet
A bet posted by a player under conditions that give him the option to raise even if no other player
raises first; typically because it was posted as a blind or straddle, or to enter a new game.
Live cards
Cards that will improve your hand that have not been seen among anyone's upcards, and are
therefore presumably still available. A player's hand is said to contain "live" cards if matching either
of them on the board would give that player the lead over his opponent. Typically used to describe a
hand that is weak, but not dominated.
Live game
A game with a lot of action, usually including many unskilled players, especially maniacs.
Live one
A weak player, especially a maniac.
Lock up
To "lock up" a seat in a cash game means to place a poker chip, player's card, or other personal effect
on the table in front of the seat, to signify that the seat is occupied even though the player may not
be present.
Loose
See loose/tight play. Compare to "tight", "aggressive", "passive".
Loose cannon
A player who is not afraid to put money in the pot; one who is "gambling" a lot and liable to lose all
his money at any given time.
M
Made hand
Already complete. Compare to a drawing hand.
Maniac
A loose and aggressive player. A player who bets constantly and plays many inferior hands.
Match the pot
To put in an amount equal to all the chips in the pot.
Misdeal
A deal which is ruined for some reason and must be redealt.
Move in
In a no-limit game, to "move in" or to "go all in" means to bet one's entire stake on the hand in play.
Muck
1. To fold.
2. To discard one's hand without revealing the cards. Often done after winning without a
showdown or at a showdown when a better hand has already been revealed.
3. The discard pile "There were only a couple of cards in the muck"
N
Nuts, or simply "The Nuts"
The strongest possible hand in a given situation. The second-nut hand or third-nut hand (and so on)
may refer to the second and third best possible hands.
O
Offsuit
Cards that are not of the same suit.
Open ended
Open ended straight draw, An outside straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw".
Option
The right to raise possessed by the big blind if there have been no raises.
Outside straight, outside straight draw
See open ended straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw".
Overcard
1. A community card with a higher rank than a player's pocket pair.
2. A higher card. Ted held two overcards to Jill's pair with two cards to come.
Overpair
In community card games, a pocket pair with a higher rank than any community card.
Over the top
To re-raise.
P
Paint
The face cards, Jacks, Queens, and Kings, in a deck. In Texas hold'em, a flop can be said to be "all
paint" if it consists of only these cards. This is also called a "Picasso Flop".
Passive
A style of play characterized by checking and calling. Compare to "aggressive", "loose", "tight".
Pat
Already complete. Also see made hand.
Pay off
To call a bet when you are most likely drawing dead because the pot odds justify the call.
Picasso flop
Slang for "paint".
Pigeon
A bad player. Also "donkey", "fish".
Play the board
In games such as Texas Hold 'Em, where 5 community cards are dealt, if your best hand is on the
board and you go to the showdown you are said to "play the board".
Play twice
See deal twice.
Pocket pair
In community card poker or stud poker, when two of a player's private cards make a pair. Also "wired
pair".
Poker face
A blank face that does not reveal anything about the cards being held. Often used metaphorically
outside the world of poker.
Position bet
A bet that is made more due to the strength of the bettor's position than the strength of the bettor's
cards.
Post
To make the required small or big blind bet in Texas Hold 'em or other games played with blinds
rather than antes.
Post dead
To post a bet amount equal to the small and the big blind combined (the amount of the large blind
playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small blind as dead money). In games played with
blinds, a player who steps away from the table and misses his turn for the blinds must either post
dead or wait for the big blind to re-enter the game. Compare to "dead blind".
Pot-committed
More often in the context of a no limit game; the situation where you can no longer fold because the
size of the pot is so large compared to the size of your stack.
Probe bet
A bet after the flop by a player who did not take the lead in betting before the flop (and when the
player that did take the lead in betting before the flop declined to act). Compare to "continuation
bet".
Push
To put yourself all-in.
Put on
To put someone on a hand is to deduce what hand the have based on their actions and your
knowledge of their gameplay. See also tells.
Q
Quads
Four of a kind.
R
Rabbit hunt
After a hand is over, a rabbit hunt means to reveal the last card that would have come up in a
community card game with a fixed number of cards. Such activity is usually prohibited in casinos.
Rack
A plastic tray used for storing a rack of chips.
Ragged
In community card poker games, if the community cards are likely to be of little or no use to anyone,
they are said to be ragged.
Rags
Worthless (or apparently worthless) cards. Most often refers to small cards in high-hand games, while
high cards in low games are more often called "bricks" or "bombs". Also "blank".
Rail
The rail is the sideline at a poker table - the (often imaginary) rail separating spectators from the
field of play. Watching from the rail means watching a poker game as a spectator.
Rainbow
Three or four cards of different suits, especially said of a flop.
Ram and jam
To aggressively bet, raise, and re-raise.
Ratholing
To "go south". See Going South.
Re-buy
An amount of chips purchased after the buy-in.
Re-deal
To deal a hand again, possibly after a misdeal.
Represent
To represent a hand is to play as if you hold it (whether you actually hold it or are bluffing).
Re-raise
Raise after one has been raised. Also coming "over the top".
Ring game
Also called cash games or live action games.
River rat
A player whose hand was dominated from the start, but improves his hand on the river to win the
pot. See "suck out".
Rock
A very tight player (plays very few hands and only continues with strong hands).
Rolled-up trips
Three of a kind dealt in the first three cards.
Rounder
A rounder is a skilled card shark who makes his/her living entirely at playing cards, opposite of a
rounder, a "fish."
Runner-runner
A hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and river. Also "backdoor". Compare to
"bad beat" and "suck out".
Rush
Winning streak. A player who has won several big pots recently is said to be on a rush.
S
Sandbag
See slow play (poker).
Scare card
A card dealt face up (either to a player in a game such as stud or to the board in a community card
game) that appears to create a strong hand for someone.
Second pair
In community card poker games, a pair of cards of the second-top rank on the board.
Semi-bluff
To bluff on one round with an inferior or drawing hand that might improve in a later round.
Set
Three of a kind, esp. The situation where two of the cards are concealed in the player's hole cards.
Set-up
A deck that has been ordered, usually King to Ace by suit (spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds). In
casinos, it is customary to use a set-up deck when introducing a new deck to the table. The set-up is
spread face up for the players to demonstrate that all of the cards are present before the first shuffle.
Short stack
A stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played.
Shorthanded
A poker game that is played with around six players or less.
Side pot
A separate pot created to deal with the situation of one player going "all in".
Slow play
To have an assumed made hand or the assumed best hand possible and make small bets to entice
others to call or raise adding money to the pot. . Also "sandbag".
Slow roll
To delay or avoid showing one's hand at showdown, forcing other players to expose their hands first.
When done while holding a good hand likely to be the winner, it is considered poor etiquette, because
it often gives other players "false hope" that their hands might win before the slow-roller's is exposed.
Small blind special
A situation in which (assuming no raising) a player is dealt weak hole cards in the small blind, but
ends up making the best hand because they got to see a relatively inexpensive flop. Compare to "big
blind special".
Soft-play
To intentionally go easy on a player (e.g. Not betting or raising against him when you usually would).
Speeding
To play very loose with no identifiable pattern, or to bluff frequently. Also known as speeding
around. Compare to "fast".
Spike
When a flop is spread out, if the first card revealed is the card an underdog needs, they spike that
card. More loosely, if any of the flop cards help you, then you spike it.
Splash the pot
To throw one's chips in the pot in a disorderly fashion. Not typically allowed, because the dealer
can't tell how much has been bet.
Split two pair
In community card poker, a two pair hand, with each pair made of one of your hole cards, and one
community card.
Stack
A collection of 20 poker chips of the same denomination, usually arranged in an orderly column.
Stand pat
In draw poker, playing the original hand using no draws, either as a bluff or in the belief it is the
best hand.
Steal
To win a pot by over betting the amount of the pot or by raising an amount that you believe will not
be called. This is sometime done when a player is in position. Also see "Position Bet".
Steam
Act of playing recklessly when one is frustrated. Compare to "tilt".
Steel Wheel
Is the poker hand 5-4-3-2-A, of the same suit, which is a five-high straight flush.
Straddle bet
The player immediately to the left of the big blind may place a live straddle blind bet. The straddle
must be a raise over the big blind. A straddle is a live bet; the player placing the straddle effectively
becomes the "bigger blind". Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If action returns
to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. The player to the left of a live
straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle.
Straight
1. Poker hand: Five cards in rank sequence.
2. When used with an amount, indicates that the speaker is referring to the total bet, versus
the amount being raised. Also "altogether" or "all day".
String bet
To call with one motion and raise with another, or to reach for more chips in the middle of laying a
bet/raise without stating the intended amount. String bets are prohibited in public cardroom rules.
Compare to "forward motion".
Stuck
Having lost money.
Suck out
To draw a winning hand despite poor odds.
Sucker straight
A straight completed on the low end of the possible straight on the board. Compare to "idiot end,
ignorant end".
Suited
Having the same suit.
Suited connectors
Having the same suit and connected.
T
Tell
A detectable change in a player's behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player's assessment
of their hand.
Third man walking
A player who gets up from his seat in a cash game, after two other players are already away from the
table, is referred to as the "third man walking". In a casino with a "third man walking rule", this
player may be required to return to his seat within 10 minutes, or one rotation of the deal around the
table, or else his seat in the game will be forfeited if there is a waiting list for the game.
Throwing a party
A player who is playing like a fool and gambling all of their money away is said to be throwing a
party.
Tight
See loose/tight play. Compare to "loose", "aggressive", "passive".
Tilt
A state of mental confusion or frustration in which a player knowingly adopts a sub-optimal, over-
aggressive strategy
To go
A term used to describe the amount that a player is required to call in order to stay in the hand.
Top pair
In community card poker games, top pair is a pair of the same rank as the highest ranking card on the
board.
Trey
A 3-spot card. Casino personnel refer to the 3♣ as the "trey of clubs".
Trips
Three of a kind. Compare to "set".
U
Under the gun
The playing position to the direct left of the blinds. The player who is under the gun must act first on
the first round of betting.
underdog
An underdog or dog is a player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player.
Frequently used when the exact odds are expressed.
Up and down straight draw
An open ended straight draw. Also called an 'up and down' or an 'up and down draw'.
V
Value bet
A bet "for value" is a bet made for the purpose of increasing the size of the pot, and which the player
wants his opponents to call.
W
Wake up
To "wake up with a hand" means to discover a strong starting hand, often when there has already
been action in front of the player.
Wash
To mix the deck by spreading the cards face down on the table and mixing them up. A dealer may
wash the deck before shuffling.
Weak ace
An ace with a low kicker (e.g. four). Also "small ace," "soft ace," "ace-rag."
Wheel
A wheel or bicycle is the poker hand 5-4-3-2-A, regardless of suit, which is a five-high straight, the
lowest-ranking of the straights.
Wired pair
A "pocket pair".
X
Y
Z
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
