Poker Definitions and Slang

Ace-High: A hand that only has an Ace as its highest card. This hand has no pairs, straights, or flushes.

Aces Up: Two pairs when the higher pair is Aces. If a player has a pair of 8’s and a pair of Ace’s, he would say he has Aces up.

Action: The act of putting chips into a pot. If a player makes a large bet and a lot of players call or raise, the player is getting a lot of action.

Active Player, Active Hand, Active: Players who are still in contention for winning the hand. If six players are at a table and four fold, there are two active players.

Add-On: When a tournament allows players to buy additional chips at a set point during the tournament. If a player pays for more chips to add to his current stack, he is buying an add-on.

Advertise: When a player makes a deliberate move early in the game to convey a specific image. If a player plays a bad hand to showdown in order to give the impression that he is very loose, he is said to be advertising.

Aggressive: A playing style that describes players who bet and raise large amounts during the hand. An aggressive player doesn’t necessarily play a lot of hands, but he does bet a lot in the hands he does participate in. If a player raises the pot before every flop he sees, the player is aggressive.

Alabama Night Riders: Three Kings.

All-In: When a player bets all of his chips on one hand. If a player makes a great hand and bets the rest of his chips, he is all-in. The option to bet any amount and go all-in is the key distinction between limit and no limit Texas Holdem.

American Airlines: Another term to describe a pair of Aces, usually when they are the two down cards.

- 15 -

Angle or Angle Play: When a player seeks out a way to gain an edge over his competition. If a player is pretending he is acting like he will raise a player’s bet to scare him away, he is using an angle play.

Ante: The forced amount that all players must put into the pot before the hand begins. Some games use blinds, some use antes, and others use a combination of both. (See: Blinds)

Baby: A small card like a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. If you have a pair of 4’s, you have a baby pair.

Backdoor: A hand that requires the fourth and fifth cards on the table. If you need two consecutive spades after the flop in order to complete your flush, you have a backdoor flush draw. (See: Runner-Runner)

Backing Into: While playing a certain hand, unintentionally completing a better hand. If you flop a straight, and then while playing that hand you catch a flush, you backed into the flush.

Bad Beat: When you lose to a statistically worse hand. If only two cards will complete your opponent’s hand and he catches one of them, you will suffer a bad beat.

Bankroll: The money that you have to play poker with. The size of your bankroll has a major impact on what stakes you can play. If you have a $1,000 bankroll, you cannot play $100-$200 limit poker.

Belly Buster: When a player has four cards of a straight but needs a card in the middle of the straight to complete the straight. For example, if a player has 8d, 9h, Jc, Qs, he is on a belly buster straight draw (he needs the ten).

Bet Blind: When a player makes a bet without even seeing the next card. After the flop, the player to the right of the dealer can bet blind before the next card is even turned over. This is also known as betting in the dark. You can also check blind.

Bicycle: A popular slang term for using the Ace as a low card. For example, if the Ace was used with a 2, 3, 4, and 5 to form a straight.

Big Blind: The larger of two forced bets made to the left of the dealer to ensure betting on every hand. The big blind is the player to the left of the small blind.

Big Slick: Being dealt Ace-king at the beginning, one of the strongest starting hands you can get.

- 16 -

Big Bet: In limit poker, the larger of the two possible. If the game has a $5-$10 limit, $5 is the small bet and $10 is the large bet. Big bets are allowed after the fourth card is turned over on the table.

Blinded Out: Being forced out of a game by the forced blinds.

Bluff: When a player pretends to have a strong hand in order to win the pot even when he doesn’t have good cards.

Board: The community cards, or the cards everyone can use, turned face up on the table.

Boat: A full-house. Also known as full-boat

Bottom Pair: A pair of the lowest cards shown on the table. For example, if a 5, 7, 8, and Q are on the board, and you have a pair of fives, you have the bottom pair.

Broadway: A straight with the Ace as the highest card: 10, J, Q, K, A.

Bullets: A pair of Aces.

Busted Hand: When a player was drawing to complete a hand but failed. If you hold four spades after the flop, but no more spades appear, you hold a busted hand.

Bust: To run out of chips or money.

Button: The small disc that travels around the table to indicate who is the dealer for the hand. This player is also the last one to act in every betting round after the flop, which means it’s the best positioning to have at the table.

Buy-In: The amount of money that a player spends to play a certain poker game.

Buying The Pot: Placing a huge bet to scare everyone into folding.

Calling Station: A nickname given to a player who seems to call bets all the time, even when they don’t have a great hand.

Calling Someone Down: When a player just calls every bet made by a player to avoid getting re-raised. This is done when a player wants to stay in the hand but has a marginal hand.

- 17 - Cards Speak: At the end of the hand, the winner of the hand is the one with the best cards regardless what verbal announcement he makes.

Chasing: Waiting for a card to be dealt that will complete your hand.

Check raise: When a player checks to fake weakness only to raise the pot when it is his turn again. Players use the check raise to trap players when they hold good cards.

Check Blind: Same as betting blind. Checking before you even see the next card. Same as a check in the dark.

Coin-Flip: When two hands are statistically even (or close to it) and the winner will be based on luck.

Cold Deck: A deck that has been arranged by cheating players to con honest players out of their money.

Community Cards: The cards that are turned face up on the table and can be used by any of the players in the hand. (Same as the board.)

Cowboys: Kings.

Dead Money: Money put into the pot by players who have folded their hands.

Deuces: A pair of 2’s.

Double Belly Buster: When two different cards can complete a hand. For example if you have 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, either a 3 or an 8 will give you a straight. This is also known as a double gut shot.

Down Cards: The two cards that are dealt face down to each player at the beginning of every hand.

Draw: When a player holds a hand that still needs cards to be complete. If a player is holding four spades, but needs a fifth spade for a flush, that player is on a flush draw.

Drawing Dead: When a player holds a hand that cannot possibly win against an opponent’s hand, no matter what remaining cards are dealt.

Ducks: A pair of 2’s.

- 18 - Early Position: The first players who act in each round of betting. Players acting in early position must be pickier about what cards they play.

Easy Money: Money won from new, inexperienced, or untalented players.

Expected Action: A prediction about what moves a player will make later on in the hand. If you are thinking about making a bet, but you expect another player will raise you, you are taking an expected action into consideration.

Exempted Outs: Cards that can be dealt that will improve your hand, but will help other players more. If you hold AsKs, the Ad would improve your hand, but if there were already 3 diamonds on the table, it is likely that the Ad is an exempted out (because it helps someone make a flush).

Face Card: A Jack, Queen or King.

Million Dollar Poker Star

learn and earn