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 a pair of Aces.

Action
(1) Opportunity to act. If a 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 somebody has made the flush."

Active Player
A player who is still in the pot.

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

All-in
To run out of chips while betting or calling. In table stakes 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."

American Airlines  
In Hold'em, a pair of Aces in the hole. Better known as Pocket Rockets.

Ante
A small portion of a bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Most hold'em games do not have an ante; they use "blinds" to get initial money into the pot.

 

Assault Rifle  
In Omaha, hole cards that are A-K-4-7 of any suit(s).

Backdoor
Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing hand. For instance, suppose you have As-8s. The flop comes Ad-7c-3s. 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 [1]
A very good hand, often a full house or higher, that is beat by an even better hand.

 

Bad Beat [2]
To have a 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.

 

Bad-Beat Jackpot
In some cardrooms, a prize that is shared by the players in a game, when a very good hand (usually Aces full, or better) is beaten by a higher hand. Jackpots are usually financed by taking a drop ($1 is a common amount) from every pot. A typical division of the jackpot will give the losing hand 50 %, the winning hand 25 %, and the other players at the table share the remaining 25 % of the Jackpot.

Big Blind
The larger of the two blinds typically used in a hold'em game. The big blind is a full first round bet. See also "blind" and "small blind."

 

Big Bogtail
An open-ended 4-card straight flush.

Big Slick
A nickname for AK (suited or not). Its origins are unknown.

Black
When referring to chips, black usually stands for $100 casino chips. "This guy sits down with a stack of blacks and raises the first bet." Not ALL casinos use black for $100 but that is the common usage.

Blank
A board card that doesn't seem to affect the standings in the 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 players immediately to the left of the button. See also "live blind."

Bluff
To make a bet or raise with a poor hand, in hope that the remaining active player(s) will fold.

Board
All the community cards in a hold'em game -- the flop, turn, and river cards together. Example: "There wasn't a single heart on the board."

Boat
A Full House, three of a kind and a pair.

Bobtail Straight
See Open-end Straight.

Bot
Short for robot. In a poker context, a program that plays poker online with no (or minimal) human intervention.

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.

Brick & Mortar
A "real" casino or cardroom with a building, tables, dealers, etc. This is in contrast to an online poker site.

Broderick Crawford
In Hold'em, hole cards of 10-4. From the 1950s TV series "Highway Patrol", starring Broderick Crawford.

Bubble
(1) The point at which only one player must bust out before all others win some money. (2) The person who was unfortunate enough to finish in that position.

Buck
See Button. (Unrelated to one Michael Buck, this is said to be the origin of the term "buck" to represent one dollar).

Bug
A limited wild card, represented by the Joker. May be used as an Ace, or as any card to complete a straight or flush (or straight flush). See also: Wild Card. Only used at certain tables in certain card rooms, most frequently in draw lowball.

Bullet[s]
Ace[s].

Bump
Slang for Raise.

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 player recognizing or glimpsing the next card to be used on the board.

Button
A distinctive token held by the player sitting in the theoretical dealer's position, when a house dealer is used. The button rotates around the table so that every player has an opportunity to be the last to act. Also, "The Button " can refer to the player who currently has the button. ("I was the button and called the blind".) Synonyms:Buck, Puck.

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.

Buy-In
An amount of money you pay to enter a tournament. Often expressed as two numbers, such as $100+9, meaning that it costs $109 to enter the tournament; $100 goes into the prize fund and $9 goes to the house.

Call
To put into the pot an amount of money equal to the most recent bet or raise. The term "see" (as in "I'll see that bet") is considered colloquial.

CALLER
One who calls. Sometimes used collectively, as in "3 callers".

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, as opposed to one or more "side" pots created if one or more players goes all-in. Also "main pot."

Chase
To continue in a hand, often at poor odds, in the hopes of catching a much better hand. "He called, chasing the flush."

Chat
Typed conversation that you can have with other players at an online poker site (or any online gathering, for that matter).

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 if you have the best hand.

Chip
A round gaming token used in place of cash for convenience in handling and counting. The standard form of currency in most casinos. See also: Check

Chop
An agreement between the two players with blinds to simply take their blinds back rather than playing out the hand if nobody calls or raises in front of them.

Clean Out
A card that would almost certainly make your hand best. If you are drawing at a straight, but there is a flush draw possible, then the cards that make your straight but also the flush are not clean outs.

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 that must call two bets "cold." This is different from calling a single bet and then calling a subsequent raise.

Come Hand
A drawing hand (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.

Community Cards
Cards that are available for every player to use in making a hand. Usually dealt face up somewhere in the middle of the table.

Computer Hand
Texas Hold'em hole cards of Q-7 offsuit. More generically, any hand that computer analysis/simulation determines is positive but turns out to be difficult to play in practice.

Connector
A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are one apart in rank. Examples: KQs, 76.

Court Card
A jack, queen or king.

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.

Cowboy
A king.

Crack
To beat a hand -- typically a big hand. You hear this most often applied 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.

Crying Call
A call that you make expecting to lose, but feel that you must make anyway because of the pot odds.

Cut-Off
The position (or player) who acts one before the button.

Dead Draw
See Draw Dead

Dead Man's Hand
Generically: two pair, aces and eights. Specifically: the black aces, black eights and nine of diamonds. The hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot to death.

Dead Money
(1) Money contributed to a pot by a player no longer in the pot.
(2) A player in a tournament who has no realistic chance of winning.

Dealer's Choice
In home games, a rule that permits the dealer to name which poker game to be played that hand. Often limited to selecting from a list provided.

Deuce
A two.

Dog
Shortened form of "underdog."

Door [Card]
A player's first upcard in stud games.

Double Belly Buster
A two-way inside straight.

Double Gutshot
Double Belly Buster

Doyle Brunson
In Hold'em, 10-2 in the hole. So named because Doyle Brunson won two straight WSOPs (q.v.) in 1975 and 1976 with 10-2 on the last hand. (Suited (spades) in 1975, unsuited in 1976).

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
To play a hand that is not yet good, but could become so if the right cards come. Example: "I'm not there yet -- I'm drawing." Also used as a noun. Example: "I have to call because I have a good draw."

Draw [Poker]
A class of poker games characterized by players being dealt 5 cards face-down and later having the opportunity to replace some of the original 5.

Draw Dead
Trying 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.

Early Position
Being one of the first players to act in a betting round. See also: Middle Position, Late Position.

Edge
An advantage over an opponent, either specific or subjective.

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.

Even-Money
A bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered. E.g., "Double or nothing" is an even-money bet.

Expectation

(1) The amount 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. Suppose in 100 hours of play, you win $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.

Extra Blind
A blind put in by a player just entering the game, returning to the game, or otherwise changing his position at the table. See also "blind" and "post."

Face Card
A jack, queen or king (a card with a face on it, not joker).

Family Pot
A pot in which all (or almost all) of the players call before the flop.

Fast Play
To play a hand aggressively, betting and raising as much as possible. Example: "When you flop a set but there's a flush draw possible, you have to play it fast."

Favorite
Before all the cards are dealt, a hand that figures to be the winner. Ant: Underdog.

Fifth Street
In stud poker, the fifth card to be dealt to each player. Sometimes used to refer to the last card dealt in Hold'em, although the more common term for this is River.

Fill
To draw a card that makes a five-card hand (straight, flush, full house, straight flush).

Fill Up
To fill a full house.

Fire
To make the first bet in a betting round. Used to emphasize that the player bet when a check was possible, showing strength.

Fish
A poor player -- one who gives his money away. It's a well-known (though not well-followed) rule among good players to not upset the bad players, because they'll stop having fun and perhaps leave. Thus the phrase, "Don't tap on the aquarium."

Fixed Limit
A betting structure where the amount of each bet is a specific fixed quantity. Usually specified as A-B, where A is the amount to bet in the first few betting rounds and B (larger than A) is the amount bet in the later rounds. Related terms: Flat Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit, Spread Limit.

Flat Call
To call a bet. Emphasizes that the caller did not raise.

Flat Limit
A variant of fixed limit where all bets are the same amount.

Floorman
The casino representative in charge of the card room or a section of a card room. Arbitrates disputes when unusual events happen.

Flop
The first three community cards, put out face up, all together.

Flush
A poker hand consisting of five cards all one suit.

Fold
To decline to call a bet, thus dropping out of a hand.

Fold Equity
The extra value you get from a hand when you force an opponent to fold. That is, if you don't have to see a showdown, your hand has more value than if you do.

Forced Bet
In some stud games a player may be required to make a bet to start the action on the first card. This is similar conceptually to blinds and antes, but in this case is dependent on the cards shown rather than player position. Usually the weakest hand is forced to bet.

Fossil
(derogatory) An elderly poker player.

Fourth Street
In stud poker, the fourth card dealt to each player. Sometimes used to refer to the fourth community card dealt in Hold'em, although the more common term for this is Turn.

Foul A hand
that 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 because of your reputation 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. If you don't get it on the turn, you can check as well, seeing the river card for "free."

Free Roll
One player has 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, because you can win the whole pot and your opponent can't. If no club comes, you split the pot with him; if it does come, you win the whole thing.

Full Boat
See Full House

Full House
A hand consisting of 3-of-a-kind and a (different) pair.

Gap Hand
A starting hand with cards more than one rank apart. For instance, T9 is a one-gap hand. 86 is a two-gap hand.

Gutshot Straight
A 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. Example: "It was heads-up by the turn."

High-Low Split
Forms of poker in which the pot is split between the best hand and best lowball hand.

Hit
As in "the flop hit me," meaning the flop contains cards that help your hand. If you have AK, and the flop comes K-7-2, it hit you.

Hold'em
Generic name for a class of poker games where the players receive a certain number (2 to 4) of hole cards and 5 community cards. Usually there are betting rounds after dealing the hole cards, then after dealing 3 upcards (Flop), after dealing a 4th upcard (Turn) and finally after dealing a 5th upcard (River).

Hole Cards
In stud and Hold'em, the face-down cards dealt to each player.

Hook
A Jack. So named because the "J" resembles a hook.

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.

Inside Straight
Four cards to a straight, where only one rank will complete the hand. E.g., 4-5-6-8 is an inside straight since only a 7 will fill (i.e., complete) the hand. Often called a GUT-SHOT. Compare: BOBTAIL STRAIGHT, OPEN-ENDED STRAIGHT.

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, jackpots have gotten over $50,000. Of course, the jackpot is funded with money removed from the game as part of the rake.

Jam
To move all-in in a no-limit (or pot-limit) game.

Joker
A 53rd card in the deck, distinct from the others, used as a wild card or as a BUG.

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.

Lady
A Queen

Lead
To bet first, even when one had the option to check. See also Fire.

Leak
A weakness in your game that causes you to win less money than you would otherwise. Example: "She takes her pocket pairs too far; it's a leak in her game.

Lid
The top card of the deck.

Limit Poker
A poker game wherein the amount to be bet is fixed, or at most variable within a prescribed minimum and maximum. Ant.: No-Limit Poker.

Limp
To call. Generally the term refers to pre-flop action. For instance: "He limped in early position with 77."

Liner
A face card. (Because you can see a line when the card is face down and the lower right corner is lifted).

Little Slick
In Hold'em, hole cards of A-2, suited or not.

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.

Live [Card]
In stud, a card probably not held by other players.

Live One
The best kind of opponent, a poor player with a lot of money to lose and in a hurry to lose it.

Lock
A hand that cannot be beat under any circumstances. Also: Nuts.

Loose
Playing more hands than the norm. Antonym: TIGHT.

Lowball
Generic term for poker where the lowest hand wins.

Main pot
The main pot, as related to one or more side pots, when there are one or more all-in player(s). The main pot is the one in which all active players participate.

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.

Made Hand
A hand to which you're drawing, or one good enough that it doesn't need to improve.

Micro-Limit
Games so small that they couldn't be profitably dealt in a real cardroom. They exist only at online poker sites. You might arbitrarily call games $.25-.50 and smaller "micro-limit."

Middle Position
Betting positions approximately halfway around the table from the first player to act.

Misdeal
A hand dealt incorrectly that must be re-dealt.

Mites and Lice
A hand consisting of two pair, threes over twos.

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. Example: "He didn't have any outs so he mucked his hand."

Nickel
Five dollars, usually represented by a red casino check.

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 from limit poker.

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 might say they had the "nut straight."

Offsuit
A hold'em starting hand with two cards of different suits.

Omaha
A variant of Hold'em where each player receives 4 hole cards and must use exactly two of them (together with 3 of 5 board cards) to make a hand. Often played high-low split with an 8 qualifier for low.

One-eyed
The jack of hearts, jack of spades or king of diamonds. So named because the characters are drawn in profile, thus showing only one eye.

One-Gap
A hold'em starting hand with two cards two apart in rank. Examples: J9s, 64.

On the Come
A situation where the player does not have a complete hand but hopes to make one if the right cards come up.

On Tilt
Playing worse (usually, more aggressively) than usual because a player has become emotionally upset.

Open
Make the first bet in a hand, especially in draw poker.

Open-end Straight
Four cards to a straight which can be completed by drawing a card at either end. E.g., 6-7-8-9 is an open-ended straight. Also: Bobtail Straight. Compare: Inside Straight.

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.

Pair
Two cards of the same rank.

Pass
Opposite of bet. To check, if checked to. To fold, if bet to.

Pat
A hand that you make on the flop. For instance, if you have two spades in your hand and the flop has three spades, then you've flopped a pat spade flush.

Pay Off
To call a bet when 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 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."

Pocket Pair
A hold'em starting hand with two cards of the same rank, making a pair. Example: "I had big pocket pairs seven times in the first hour. What else can you ask for?"

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. Example: a player leaves one seat at a table and takes another in such a way that he moves farther from the blinds. He is required to post an extra blind to receive a hand. See also "extra blind."

Pot-Committed
A state where you are essentially forced to call the rest of your stack because of the size of the pot and your remaining chips.

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 1 out of 12, 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 protect his blinds, no matter how bad his cards are."

Prop
Also Proposition Player. An employee of the gaming establishment whose primary purpose is to keep enough players at a table to prevent breaking up the game for lack of players. Unlike SHILLs (q.v.) "props" make a small hourly wage but play with their own money, winning or losing based on their skill.

Puck
A token denoting the dealer position. See Button.

Put On
To mentally assign a hand to a player for the purposes of playing out your hand. Example: "He raised on the flop, but I put him on a draw, so I re-raised and then bet the turn."

Quads
Four of a kind.

Qualifier
A minimum standard that a hand must meet in order to win. Usually applied to the lowball side of a high-low split pot.

Quarter
Twenty-five dollars, often symbolized by a green casino chip.

Race
In tournaments it is sometimes convenient to remove all lower- denomination chips from play, as the remaining players' stacks tend to grow. Small chips are converted to larger chips and any odd chips are "raced off" in the following way: each player with odd chips places them in front of his stack and is dealt one card for each chip. Highest card (rank and suit) takes all the small chips and converts them to higher-denomination chips.

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.

Rail
A barrier dividing the card playing area from a public area.

Railbird
A spectator behind the rail.

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."

Read
To determine whether an opponent has a good, medium or bad hand by observing his personal behavior. An inexact science.

Rebuy
An option to buy back into a tournament after you've lost all your chips. Tournaments may offer one or more rebuys or (often) none at all.

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 river, you can throw away just about anything but the nuts.

Rolled Up
In seven-card stud, being dealt three of a kind in the first three cards.

Royal Flush
An ace-high straight flush, the best possible hand in regular poker.

Runner
Typically said "runner-runner" to describe a hand that was made only by catching the correct cards on both the turn and the river. Example: "He made a runner-runner flush to beat my trips." See also "backdoor."

Rush
A winning streak. Also "On a Rush".

Sandbag
Playing a strong hand as if it were only a fair one. See also SLOWPLAY.

Scoop
To take all of a pot that is normally split, either by winning both halves outright or winning one half when no players qualify for the other half.

Satellite
A tournament that does not award cash to its winners, but a seat (or seats) in a subsequent "target" tournament.

Scare Card
A card that 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.

Seat Charge
A periodic fee for playing poker, paid by all players at a table. Most often seen at all tables in California card rooms and at higher limit tables everywhere. Also TABLE CHARGE.

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. See "top pair."

See
To call, as in: "I'll see you" or "I'll see that bet".

Sell
As in "sell a hand." In a spread-limit game, this means betting 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. Example: you have Ks-Qs, and the flop is Th-5s-Jc. If you bet now, it's a semi-bluff. You probably don't have the best hand, and you'd like to see your opponents fold immediately. Nevertheless, if you do get callers, you could still improve to the best hand.

Set
Three of a kind when you have two of the rank in your hand, and there is one on the board.

Seventh Street
The seventh card dealt in 7-card stud.

Shark
A good/crafty player often posing as a fish early in the game.

Shill
A card room employee who plays with House money, and does not share in any of his (her) winnings or losses. Shills are used to facilitate starting games, and keeping them going. Compare: PROP.

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. Carl, however, can still win all the money in the original or "center" pot.

Sixth Street
The sixth card dealt in 7-card stud.

Slow Play
To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay in the pot.

Small Blind
The smaller of two blind bets typically used in a hold'em game. Normally, the small blind is one-third to two-thirds of a first round bet. See also "big blind" and "blind."

Smooth Call
To call. Smooth call often implies slow playing a strong hand. Example: "I flopped the nut flush but just smooth called when the guy in front of me bet -- I didn't want to scare anybody out."

Soft-Play
To go easy on another player at the table (e.g., not betting or raising against him). Suppose you and your brother are the last two people left in a hand. On the river, you have the nuts, but he bets. If you don't raise, you are "soft-playing" him. Please note that soft-playing is prohibited in tournaments and can result in penalties, up to and including forfeiture of winnings.

Splash the Pot
To toss chips directly into the pot rather than put them in a stack in front of you. Don't do it.

Split Pot
A pot that 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.

Stack
The amount of money (the stack of chips) a player has on the table. See also: STAKE

Stake
The amount of a player's Buy-in, or the amount of money they are willing to play with in a given session. Compare: Bankroll.

Stand Off
To call a raise. "Opener raises, I stand off".

Steal
To win the pot by bluffing.

Steam
Playing wildly, calling and raising a lot, because one is upset. Compare: On Tilt.

Stop-and-Go
A play where you call (rather than re-raising) a raise, but then come out betting on the next card.

Straight
A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence but not in suit.

Straight Flush
A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence and the same suit.

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 poker games. The typical definition of a structured hold'em 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.

Stud
Any of several poker games in which some of each players' cards are exposed.

Suicide King
King of Hearts. So named because in the drawing the king appears to be stabbing himself in the head.

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 Charge
A fee paid for playing. See Seat Charge.

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.

Tap
In no-limit games, to wager all of one's money in one bet.

Tapped [Out]
Out of money. Can refer to a player running out of money in the course of a hand, thus still active for the main pot; or can refer to a player who has lost his bankroll and can no longer play.

Texas Hold'em
A Hold'em game where players receive two hole cards and may use zero or more of them, together with 5 board cards, to make their hands. See Hold'em.

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.

Thin
As in "drawing thin." To be drawing to a very few outs, perhaps only one or two.

Three of a Kind
3 cards all the same rank.

Third Street
In stud, the third card dealt to each player.

Tight
A style of play that entails playing fewer hands than average. Antonym: Loose.

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").

To Go
The amount a player must call if he wishes to continue playing. Example: "The big blind was $20. Sarah raised $40 more, making it $60 to go."

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. See "second pair."

Top Set
The highest possible trips. Example: you have Tc-Ts, and the flop comes Td-8c-9h. You have flopped top set.

Top Two
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the two highest cards on the board.

Top and Bottom
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the highest and lowest cards on the board.

Trey
A three.

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 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 that, 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.

Wheel
A straight from ace through five.

White Black Bird
A hand so astonishingly rare as to be unworthy of the opponents' consideration, e.g., being dealt a pat royal flush in 5-card draw.

Wild Card
A joker or standard card that, by player agreement and/or dealer's choice, can be used to represent any card desired. See also Bug.

Wired [Pair]
A pair in the hole. In 5-card stud, a door card that pairs the hole card.

World Series of Poker
A series of several different poker games with relatively large buy-ins, culminating in a $10,000 buy-in no-limit Hold'em tournament, the winner of which is crowned the World Poker Champion. Sponsored by Binion's Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas.

WSOP
Acronym for World Series of Poker.