Poker Terminology

If you want to become a pro at poker, it doesn't hurt to get acquainted with the Poker Jargon. Here are some of the various terms and expressions that you are likely to come across at a Poker game.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R T S U V W

A
	Ace-High	Quando un giocatore non ha nessun punto ma solo l'asso come carta più alta.

	Add-on	In alcuni tornei i giocatori possono acquistare delle chips addizionali, dette add-on. L'add-on differisce dal re-buy in quanto tutti i giocatori ancora presenti nel toreno possono effettuare l'add-on.


	All-in	Quando un giocatore punta tutte le sue chips. Un giocatore in all in può vincere solo il corrsipettivo puntato. Se altri giocatori continuano a puntare oltre all'ammontare dell'all-in si crea un piatto secondario.

	American Airlines	Due assi in mano .

	Ante	Una puntata obbligatoria che tutti i giocatori devono mettere nel piatto prima di iniziare una mano. Di solito si tratta di un piccolo ammontare e va a formare il piatto iniziale.

	ATM	Ovvero Bancomat. Questo soprannome viene dato a quei giocatori che perdono continuamente.

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B
	Bad Beat	La situazione in cui una mano forte è battuta da una mano ancora più forte.


	Bet	Puntata. Significa mettere i soldi nel piatto.

	Bet the Pot	Puntare l'intero valore del piatto.

	Betting Round	Un giro di scommesse.


	Big Blind	Controbuio. Una puntata obbligatoria effettuata dal giocatore che siede al secondo postoa sinistra del dealer.

	Big Slick	Asso e K come mano iniziale.

	Blank	This is a card that appears not to help any players. eg. If the flop is J,Q,K of hearts and the turn is a 3 of clubs. The 3 of clubs would be referred to as a blank.

	Blind	Buio. Puntata effettuata prima che le carte siano state date.

	Blind Raise	This is a term used for a player who raises without looking at his cards.

	Bluff:	This is the term used for a play where a player is trying to represent a better hand that he has,

	Board	this is another term for community cards.

	Brick and Mortar	This is the name given to a real life casino that is not on-line.

	Broadway	The highest possible straight 10, J, Q, K, A

	Bubble	This is the name given to the last non paying position in a tournament. eg. If the tournament pays 1 to 10 players position 11 is the bubble.

	Bullets	Two aces as Pocket cards.

	Burn	To discard the next card in the deck face down. This is done before the flop, turn and river cards are dealt.

	Button	This is a marker to depict the position of the current dealer. It is usually a disc with the letter D in it.

	Buy-In	E' la quantità di denaro cocon la quale si accede a una partita.
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C
	Call	To match the last bet made by a player.

	Calling Station	This is the name given to a bad player who calls most hands down to the show down. He rarely raises or folds.

	Cap	the last of the allowed number of raises within one betting round. To Limit hold'em the fourth raise is the cap.

	Cash Out	To leave a table and convert your chips to cash.

	Cash In	To reach a position in a tournament where you receive a cash prize.

	Check	To pass the action to the player to your left. This is only available if there have been no bets made in the same betting round.

	Check Raise	This is a term used for a player who checks and then raises when someone makes a bet in the same betting round.

	Collusion	This is the term used for two or more players who are working together to cheat in a Poker game.

	Community Cards	These are cards that are placed in the middle of the table and may be used by all players. In Texas Hold'em and Omaha, these community cards are dealt in three stages. The Flop, Turn and River.

	Connectors	These are starting hands that run sequentially. Eg 8,9, or K,A.

	Cowboys	Two Kings as Pocket cards.

	Cut off	This is the name given to the position of the player just before the button.
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D
	Dead Bet	This is a non-active bet. It is a penalty for player who has missed posting a small and big blind. The dead bet is usually the same value as the small bind.

	Dead Man's Hand	Two Pair, Aces and Eights (Wild Bill Hickock was shot in the back while holding this Hand).

	Dealer	The player who's turn it is to deals cards to other players.

	Doyle Brunson	This is a 10 and a 2 as pocket cards. (Doyle Brunson won the world Series of Poker two years in a row on the final Hand with these cards).

	Draw	To stay in the game to receive another card or cards from the deck.

	Drawing Dead	To be in a situation where no matter what cards you draw, you cannot win.

	Drawing Hand	This is a hand that has no value at present but has significant potential to improve with a draw.

	Ducks	A Pair of Twos as Pocket cards

	Deuces	A Pair of Twos as Pocket cards

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E
	Early Position	This is the position a player is in when it comes to his turn in a betting round. In a 10 player game, Usually the first 2 or 3 players to act are early position.

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F
	Family Pot	This is a hand where all players call and are in the game at the time the flop is dealt.

	Fifth Street	The fifth community card. In hold'em and Omaha the 'River' is sometimes referred to as fifth street.

	Fish

	Flat Call	To call.

	Flop	This is the term given to the first three community cards that are dealt simultaneously in Omaha or Texas hold'em games.

	Flush	This is a 5 card hand where all cards are of the same suit.

	Flush Draw	This is the term given when a player is attempting to draw a card to complete a flush.

	Fold	This means that a player chooses not to take further part in a hand and forfeits any chips he may have committed to the pot.

	Four of a Kind	This is a very strong hand in Poker consisting of 4 cards of the same number or face value such as KKKK or 7777.

	Fourth Street	The fourth community card. In hold'em and Omaha the 'Turn' is sometimes referred to as fifth street.

	Freeroll	This is a tournament with a prize but players do not need to pay to take part in it. These are usually sponsored by card rooms such as ourselves.

	Full House	This is a strong hand consisting of a Three of a Kind and a Pair. eg. AAA66 or 55599.

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G
	Gut Shot	When you manage to draw a card that completes an inside straight. Eg drawing a 6 when you are holding 3,4,5 and 7.
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H
	Hand	A player's best five cards or one full round of poker.

	Heads Up	When a player plays one on one with another player.

	High Card	When a player has not been able to make a pair or better, his highest card is his High Card.

	Hold'em	Short for Texas Hold'em. This is the most popular form of poker.

	Hole Cards	These are the face down cards that a player receives and only he can see or use them.
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I
	Inside Straight Draw	This is when a player is drawing to complete an inside straight. Eg a player who is holding 4, 5,7 and 8 and needs a 6 to complete his straight.

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J
	Jackpot Sit and Gos	These are Sit and Go tournaments that offer a Jackpot if you manage to place first or second in a predetermined amount of tournaments.

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K
	Kicker	When you hold a Pair, Two pair, Three of a kind or four of a kind in the event of a draw, the next highest card in your hand is the Kicker. The player holding the highest kicker is the winner. eg. 44K85 in this hand the K is the kicker.

	King Kong	Two Kings as Pocket cards.

	Kojak	A King and a Jack as Pocket cards.

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L
	Ladies	Two Queens as Pocket cards.

	Lay Down	This is when a player folds a good hand because he believes the hand has been beaten.

	Late Position	This is the position a player is in when it comes to his turn in a betting round. In a 10 player game, usually the last 2 or 3 players to act are considered in Late position.

	Lead	The first player to bet in a betting round.

	Limit Poker	This is a variation of Poker where the betting units are limited. eg. In a $10 / $20 limit game, a player will only be able to bet in units of $10 for the first two betting rounds and $20 for the last two betting rounds.

	Limp In	To enter a pot by calling and not raising.

	Live Blind	This is the term for a blind that is placed by a player that still has the option to raise when the action gets to him.

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M
	Main Pot	This is the place where all bets go to. Once a player has gone all -in, side pots are created and that is where bets will go to from then on.

	Maniac	This is an aggressive player who plays with any cards.

	Middle Position	This is the position a player is in when it comes to his turn in a betting round. In a 10 player game, usually the players who are 4th ,5th and 6th to act are considered to be in middle position.

	Miss	This is the term used when a player does not get the card he was hoping to draw.

	Muck	To discard your hands without showing them to the rest of the players.

	Monster	This is the term used for a very strong hand. Usually the best hand possible or a hand close to it.

	Multi table	This is the term used for a player who plays more than one table at a time.

	Multi Table Tournament	This is a tournament where more than one table will be running at the same time.

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N
	No Limit Poker	This is a variation of Poker where the betting units are not limited. eg. In a $10 / $20 no limit game, a player will have to bet a minimum of $20 however there is no maximum amount that he can bet. The most he will be able to bet is the amount of chips he has left at the table.

	Nuts	This is the term used for the best possible hand when taking into consideration the community cards that have been dealt. eg. If the community cards are A,A,2,6,9, the nuts would be had by the player holding A,A as the highest possible hand available wouuld be 4 of a kind aces.

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O
	Off suit	Cards of different suits.

	Omaha Poker	This is a popular form of Poker. Players get 4 hole cards and 5 community cards. The player needs to make his best hand using 3 community cards and 2 hole cards.

	Open	To make the first bet in a betting round.

	Open Ended Straight Draw	This is a situation where a player is hoping to draw one of two cards that will complete a straight. Eg igf the player is holding 4, 5, 6 and 7 he will need to draw a 3 or an 8 to complete his straight.

	Open Card	a card dealt face up for all players to see.

	Outs	This is the term for the number of cards that could be in the deck that will make your hand. eg. If you have 2 hearts and there are 2 hearts on the board, there could still be 9 hearts in the deck to make your hand. So you would have 9 outs.

	Over Cards	This is the term for pocket cards that are higher than the cards dealt in the flop or turn. Eg if the flop is 4, 5, 9 and you hold AK, then your AK are Over Cards.

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P
	Pair	This is a Poker hand. Two cards of the same value. Eg 44 or KK.

	Pass	Another term for 'check'

	Picture Cards	This is the term for Jacks, Queens or Kings.

	Playing the Board	This is the term used for a situation when a players cards cannot improve the community cards so he will only the 5 community cards as his best hand. Eg, a player who holds 44 and there is 7788A on the table as community cards, the player will be playing the board as his 44 do not improve the 2 pair out there already.

	Pocket Cards	These are the face down cards that a player gets in Hold'em or Omaha Poker.

	Pocket Rockets	Two aces as Pocket cards.

	Position	This is the term used to refer to your seat in relation to the dealer. Position is a very important factor for skilled players as the later your position the more information you will have on your opponents.

	Post	The act of placing a blind bet.

	Pot	The pool where all chips that have been bet in a hand are placed.

	Pot Committed	This is a situation where you have to call a bet because you have invested a large amount of chips to the pot and have very few chips left in your stack. eg. If you have a pair of aces but you are convinced your opponet has a flush you may still call with the last $10 of your stack to win a $500 pot.

	Pot Limit Poker	This is a variation of Poker where the maximum bets at any time is relative to the amount of money in the pot.

	Pot Odds	This is the term used for the ratio of money you will win in return to your bets and the chances of you winning the pot. Pot odds are used to determine whether you should pay to draw for a card or to call with a weak hand.
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Q
	Quads	Another word for Four of a Kind.

	Qualifying Low Hand	This is the term used to describe a hand that is valid a s a "Low" hand in Li/Lo Poker. Low3 hands are 5 card hands containing different cards that are all under 8. eg. A,2,3,5,6 is a low hand. Low hands can also be straights or flushes.

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R
	Rags	This is the term given to unconnected and unsuited low cards either as pocket cards or in the flop. Eg. A flop of 3,7, 10 would be considered a ragged board. 2, 7 off suit as pocket cards would be considered rags.

	Rainbow	This is the term given to community cards when there are no matching suits and there fore no flush possibilities. Eg 4h, 5c, 9s is rainbow flop.

	Raise	To call a bet by a previous player and add extra money on to of his bet.

	Rake	This is a small percentage of the pot that is collected from each pot as commission for the house.

	Razz	This is the name for Seven card stud Lo poker. In this game the lowest hand is the winning hand.

	Re Buy	This is the opportunity to continue playing in a tournament once you have been eliminated. There are many rules for Re-Buys but usually players would be allowed to buy once or more than once for the first hour of a Re-Buy tournament.

	Re Raise	To call a previous raise and make another raise in one move.

	Ring Games	These are Poker tables where players may sit in and leave anytime they please.

	River	This is the term given to the 5th community card dealt in Omaha or Texas hold'em games.

	Rock	This is the name given to a player who is very conservative and only plays with premium starting hands such as AA AK AQ etc.

	Royal Flush	This is the highest possible high hand in Poker. It consists of 10,J,Q,K,A of the same suit.
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S
	Satellite	This is the name of a Tournament where the prizes are seats to another Tournament.

	See	To Call a bet.

	Set	This is a three of a Kind when when a player holds two cards of the same value and one appears as a community card.

	Seven Card Stud	This is a popular form of Poker. Players get 7 cards each, 3 face down and 4 face up. They need to make the best 5 card hand out of the 7 available.

	Seventh Street	This is the 7th and last card dealt in 7 card stud games.

	Showdown	At the end of all betting round if all bets are called, players will enter the showdown stage. During the Showdown, the player who was called needs to show their hand, any player holding a better hand needs to show his hand, all other players have the option to Muck. The player holding the highest hand is the winner.

	Side Pot	Once a player has gone All-In, the main pot is closed and a side pot will open where all future bets will be placed. The player who is All-In will only be entitled to win the Main pot and not the side pots.

	Sit In	To join a Poker table and take a seat.

	Sit Out	To stay sitting in a poker table but not be dealt any cards. This is usually allowed for a short period of time.

	Sixth Street	This is the name given to the 6th card dealt in 7 card stud games.

	Slow Play	This is the act of making no bets or just calling bets whilst holding a strong hand. This is usually done to mislead opponents into thinking you have a poor hand and trying to get them to bet big in order to try to make you fold your hand.

	Small Blind	This is a bet that needs to be placed before any cards are dealt. The player immediately to the left of the dealer needs to place this bet.

	Soft Play	This is the act of making smaller or no bets against an opponent because you do not wish to take his money or chips. This behavior is not allowed at Tam Tam Poker.

	Solid	This is the name given to a strong poker player who is conservative but also very skilled and will play a wide range of hands.

	Speed Limit	A Pair of fives.

	Split Pot	When two or more players have equal hands, the pot is divided equally amongst them.

	Stack	Pile of chips.

	Stay	To continue being part of the hand by checking or calling bets.

	Straight	A Poker Hand that is made up of 5 cards running in sequence such as 4,5,6,7,8 or 2,3,4,5,6

	Straight Flush	A Poker Hand that is made up of 5 cards running in sequence and of the same suit. eg. 8,9,10,J,Q of hearts.

	String Bets	This is the term used for the action of not placing all the chips you want to raise on the table in one go. This is not applicable for online Poker. In Live Poker String Betting is usually not allowed. The reason behind this is that a Players may place enough money to call a bet, look at his opponents reactions and then raise. Players are allowed to declare how much they want to raise and place the bet in several gos though.

	Suck Out	To win a hand by out drawing your opponent. Normally this would mean that the draw was very lucky like drawing two cards to make a straight or flush, or having two pairs and hitting a full house on the river.

	Suited	This is the term for a staring hand that are suited but do not run sequentially such as 8J of hearts or 2A of diamonds.

	Suited connectors	This is the term for a staring hand that are suited and run sequentially such as 89 of hearts or JQ of diamonds.

	Suits	This is the name of the four different type of card groups you can get. The four suits are Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.
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T
	Texas Hold'em	This is the name for the most popular form of Poker. In Texas Hold'em players are dealt 2 pocket cards and 5 community cards.

	Tell	This is the name given to a movement or a gesture that a player may involuntarily do that may give a clue to his opponents of the hand that he may be holding.

	Tilt	When a player gets a bad beat or is out played, he may become very emotional and go "On Tilt". This means that he will play in a very loose and aggressive manner and more often than not with very poor hands.

	Third Street	This is the name of the first 3 cards dealt in 7 card stud.

	Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same value such as 3,3,3 or A,A,A

	Tight Player	This is a player who plays very few hands and usually only plays with premium starting hands.

	Treys	A Pair of Threes.

	Trips	Another word for Three of a Kind.

	Turn	This is the term given to the 4th community card dealt in Omaha or Texas hold'em games.

	Two Pair	This is a Poker hand containing two separate pairs of cards of the same value such as 8899A or 44JJK
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U
	Under the Gun	This is the term given to the position of the player who is first to act on the first betting round. The player to the left of the big blind.

	Underdog	This is the term for a player or players hand when the odds are against him. For example if two players go all in pre-flop and one of them has AA and the other has KK the player with the KK is the underdog.

	Up Card	This is a card that has been dealt up for all to see.
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V
	Value bet	This is a bet where a player is giving his opponent favorable odds to call him. This bet is usually placed by a player who has a good hand and wants to increase the value of the pot and does not necessarily want his opponent to fold.

	Value call	This is the term for a situation where a player calls a bet even if he feels that he is beaten only because the pot is very big in relation to the bet that needs to be called. Eg. In this situation a player who has a low pair may call a $5 bet for a pot of $90 as he is getting very good odds.
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W
	Waiting List	Once a Table is full, players can join a waiting list. Once a seat becomes available, the players from the waiting list can take the empty seat.

	Walking Sticks	This is another name for a Pair of Sevens.

	Wheel	A straight 5 high. A, 2, 3, 4, 5.
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