It’s back to Poker school, with a definitive list of brief explanations for some of the terms you will encounter at the poker table.
Want to be top of the class?...if you have any further terms that you would like to share, send an email to the CPIR Team and we will offer a $5.00 bonus* for each term that we feature: TopOfTheClass@CPinsidereviewer.com
So sharpen your pencils, sit up straight and get back to the basics of poker terminology.
Action: Another term for turn to act "betting"
Add-on: In specific tournaments players are given the chance to buy additional chips on top of the balance of your chips sitting on the table, this known as the tournaments add-on.
American Airlines: Poker term for a pocket pair of Aces = A-A
Bad Beat: This is a very contentious part of poker, as to what is counted as a bad beat, yet all players will at some point experience this in their playing career. One thing that is certain about a bad beat is that after being in a very commanding position you will loose to another player, giving them the pot with what had seemed a very low % of victory.
Bankroll: The funds a player has set aside to use to gamble.
Blind: Forced bets placed by the first two players in front of the dealer button, found in both "Hold'em" and Omaha poker.
Bicycle: A hand showing A-2-3-4-5 of various suits.
Big Blind: A statutory bet for the player two seats to the left of the button; this is equal to double the amount of the Small Blind Example: $01.00 Small Blind = $02.00 Big Blind
Bluff: To bet or raise with an inferior hand that has little or no chance of improving, whilst retaining a confident demeanor in play.
Board: Expression used referring to the cards placed on the table, for all to use in the hand.
Boat: Poker term for full house: Example: A-A-A-K-K
Bounty: In some variations of tournaments, players are awarded a set amount for knocking out a selected player of a tournament.
Bullets: A pocket pair of Aces.
Burn Card: In order to increase the chances of fairly dealt hands, the cards on the top of the Deck are burned and discarded to then lay the community cards.
Button: A disc used to represent the dealer position that moves from player to player in a clockwise direction around the table. Yet in Casinos or professional games a designated dealer will be present, meaning games can progress at high speed and the players can concentrate on their game.
Buy-in: The Buy-In is the amount of funds you bring in to a Cash Game table or a tournament, in Cash Games this is the amount of funds you bring to the table to play with and in a tournament a set amount of funds for entry.
Call: To match a bet/s previously made at the table (minimum amount to play)
Cash Game: Also known as a Ring Game, this is a variation of the poker game where by each hand is played with real money (mostly in the form of chips).
You will bring your Bank Roll to the table and can leave your seat at any time with either nothing or what ever funds you have won from the other players. This said, whilst playing, it is generally not permitted to remove a section of your chips from play, this known as Going South.
Especially in No-Limit poker you may find that operators have maximum buy-ins set for the table, to stop high chip stacks.
When playing online you will pay a Rake for each hand for the use of the tables, this will vary from the table sizes yet doesn’t vary much from site to site.
Check: When having the option to continue in that hand without betting, but it is not possible to Check when the previous player has placed a bet.
Check-Raise: To give the impression of a weak hand by Checking with the intention of raising after a player has bet the "Action" is back on you.
Coffeehouse: Coffeehousing is to talk at the table regarding the current hand/previous hands; this is generally frowned upon as it can be very misleading about the cards you possess. Table rules vary, but it is normally counted as unethical.
Community cards: Cards that are open to all players to use in their hand combinations, found on their backs in the middle of the poker table. Community cards are found in Hold 'em and “Omaha”.
Cowboys: Poker term for pocket/hole card Kings. K-K
Deal: To give cards to players, entering them in the hand, either by a designated dealer or by the player who is at the position with the Dealer Button.
Drawing Hand: A hand where you hold a specific combination of cards that could potentially be a very strong hand, yet only with the addition of one or two cards that would make your set.
Family Pot: Is where three or more players are contending for the pot, generally indicating loose play or a very good Flop.
Fifth Street: The fifth community card found in Omaha", this is often known as The River in Hold'em and used to refer to the fifth card in Stud.
Fish: The term used to describe an unskilled player who generally will play loosely, erratic and weak.
Five Card Draw: A variation of poker whereby each player is Dealt five Hole Cards one at a time, then the betting rounds begin. As long as there are two or more players involved in the hand, then the Draw phase will begin, meaning the player can select which cards they wish to "Burn" and which to retain. After the betting rounds the Showdown commences with two or more players.
Flop: The first Community Cards laid on the table that all players can use for hand combinations (found in Hold'em and Omaha)
Flush: Five card set, the entire same suit, the flush being the 5th highest ranked hand.
Flush Draw: When attempting to make a Flush a player holds a hand that will become very strong with the addition of a certain card/s, yet without do not make your Flush and is a very weak hand.
Fold: To Muck your cards and count yourself out of a particular hand.
Fourth Street: The fourth community card can be found in both Hold'em or Omaha, 4th street is also know as the Turn.
Full House: A relatively strong poker hand (4th highest ranking) in which you hold three cards of one card level and two of another. Example: A-A-A-K-K
Heads-Up Play: When a hand is played by only two players or also Heads Up Tournament, and therefore a tourney for only two players.
High-Low poker: Any poker variation where the highest and lowest hands can win one/both of the two pots on the table. Success comes from the player who is holding the highest or lowest hand combination.
Example: A Bicycle A-2-3-4-5 is a straight, but is also considered the lowest possible hand.
Hold'em: A variation of the game of poker, an ever growing popular form, that has become the staple diet of many poker players. In Hold'em all seated players receive two Pocket Cards, then after the five betting rounds Five Community Cards are systematically dealt face-up on the table in three stages, firstly the Flop the Turn and then the final River. The player with the best five card combination of the seven cards open to use, will win the Pot.
Hole cards: Face down dealt cards only visible to the holding player, also known as Pocket Cards.
Inside Straight Draw: Also known as a Belly Buster Draw this is where a player holds a hand with four of the five cards needed, only missing the middle card that will make your Straight complete. Example: A-2-/-4-5 - Only receiving one of the four “3's” in the pack would make your complete Straight. This is the opposite problem of obtaining an Open Ended Straight Draw, where cards on either end could complete the hand (see Open Ended Straight Draw)
Kicker/Side Card: A kicker has a special importance in Texas Hold'em, as it is fairly common that the winning hands maybe decided by the "Kicker". In the event of that, two or more players obtain the same result at the end of the showdown and then the player with the higher Kicker will win the pot. However, depending on the hands the players have made from their Hole Cards and "Community Cards" and doesn’t involve the Hole Cards kicker, then there would be a split pot.
Limit Poker: A variation of poker where the size of the bets are pre-determined, if the Small Blind of limit poker is $1.00 then the Big Blind will be $2.00. In each betting round the maximum bet can only be double the Big Blind, with a straight Call the Small Blind. Limit Poker is a very common form of poker only surpassed in recent popularity by No-Limit.
Miss: When holding a drawing hand where you simply need one card to complete set and you don’t receive the card needed.
uck: To Fold your cards; to choose to go out of that particular hand.
No-Limit Poker: No-Limit poker has become one of the most popular forms of poker, with both new and old generation of poker players alike. No Limit has no maximum bet structure so all funds can be placed in the pot at anytime or you can go "All In".
Nuts: Possessing the best possible hand/cards, in respect to the cards you have and that on the Board.
Omaha: Another variation of poker, with a number of similarities to Hold'em poker due to its use of Community Cards. All seated players receive four facedown or Hole Cards of which players use to make a combination with the community cards that are to be laid on the table. Like Hold’em the players see the Flop, Turn and River cards On Their Backs. At the end, all players must use two of their Hole Cards and three cards from the Board to form the highest five card hand.
Open-ended straight draw: Possessing consecutive numerical cards, which allows a player to complete their Straight, with the addition of one card on either end. Example: 2-3-4-5 – An “A” or “6” will complete the Straight
On their Backs: Poker term to indicate cards are face up and open for all players to see.
Pair: Two cards of the same numerical value that make a pair, being the 2nd lowest poker hand. Example: A_A pair of ace
Pocket Pair: To be dealt two Hole Cards of the same value.
Position: An incredibly useful facet that can give a great advantage once understood through the experience of playing. Your position is your placement on the table within a particular hand i.e. to be the last to act will give you more information to work with when deciding what to do with your hand.
Pot: The funds on the table that all players still playing in that hand can contest for.
Pot-Limit poker: One of many variations of the poker game, within the Pot-limit game all players are only permitted to Raise to the value of the Pot on the table.
Pot Odds: The calculation of risk to a player whilst deciding to play, taking into account the cards, Position and the size of the Pot
Raise: When 2nd or further positioned to act in the hand, players are given the option to "Raise", this meaning a player can double (or increase further depending on variation) the bet previously made.
Rake: The amount of money the poker room (Casino in offline play) takes from the pot of each hand for hosting the tables to make money from Cash Games. Online Rake will vary slightly from operator to operator, yet all are capped at a certain USD($) figure per round.
Rock: The word used to describe a slow/conservative player that will display restraint and that will only ever Bet or Raise with a good hand.
Seven Card Stud: A variation of poker where each player receives a total of seven cards throughout the game, three of these cards are face up, in most games an Ante is placed to start the hand and the cards being dealt. In seven card stud there are five betting rounds, these are known as: Third Street – Fourth Street – Fifth Street – Sixth Street and the final stage Seventh Street. The Seventh Street /River card is dealt face down, a final round of betting takes place and then to a showdown. The winner of the Pot will be decided by the player to make the best five card hand from the total of seven cards available.
Showdown: The showdown is the final stage after the betting rounds are complete in a poker hand involving two or more players. If you are the winner of the Pot your cards are laid on the table, online you can choose not to show your cards known as to Muck your cards.
Slow-Play: The act of deception, which is used to convince other players that you possess a weak hand, whilst actually holding an extremely strong hand. When appearing to slow-play, especially in Pot Limit or No limit your opposition may feel they are in a stronger position than you, when in fact your hand has a much higher % of success.
Small Blind: The first mandatory bet on the table for the player to the left of the Dealer Button the small blind being half the size of the Big Blind. Example: If the small blind is $1.00 then the Big Blind is $2.00.
Straight: A hand made from five consecutive numerical cards. Example: A-2-3-4-5.
Straight flush: A hand comprising of five consecutive cards in both numerical order and of the same suit. Example: 8-9-10-J-Q of Clubs.
Stud Poker: A variation of poker in a number of forms including Seven Card Stud and Five Card Stud, whereby the seated players are dealt both face-up and face down cards over multiple betting rounds. Generally there is no continuous rotation of the position to “Act” as normally chosen by the player with the best face up cards of that particular hand, yet this can change from game to game.
Suits: There are four card suit's; Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades. Each can congregate to give a hand such as a Flush or can be used to decide which player is to act as Dealer in the first round of the poker game.
Texas Hold'em: A variation of the game of poker, an ever growing popular form, that has become the staple diet of many poker players. In Hold'em all seated players receive two Pocket Cards, then after the five betting rounds Five Community Cards are systematically dealt face-up on the table in three stages, firstly the "Flop" the “Turn” and then the final River. The player with the best five card hand combination of the seven cards open to use will win the Pot.
Tilt: Is the effect of frustration and anger after suffering an unfortunate hand or run, meaning a player will be more likely to make reckless decisions. There maybe a radical change of play and instead of awaiting good cards players affected may play aggressively in an attempt to win chips lost previously.
Trips: A hand consisting of three cards of a numerical value, otherwise known as Three Of A Kind.
Turn: The 4th Community Card known as the Turn card or 4th betting round known as the turn round in both Hold'em and Omaha
Quads: A hand consisting of four cards all of a numerical value, otherwise known as Four Of A Kind. Example: A-A-A-A-K.
Wild Card: When playing a Wild Card poker game a selected card can be counted as any variant you wish, with a view of making your complete hand. Before the game a number is selected to be wild and then can be used at any point.
Wagered amount: The total amount of funds spent/bet over the duration of a certain time.
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