The following is a glossary of poker terms used in the card game of poker.It supplements the glossary of card game terms.Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon poker slang terms. This is not intended to be a formal dictionary; precise usage details and multiple closely related senses are omitted here in favor of concise treatment of the basics. RiverStars is one of the many nicknames for PokerStars, referring to players being drawn out on the river at a supposed higher frequency than normal. A “river rat” is a player who seems to be constantly making their hand on the river. In order to catch up on the river, you need to have been behind earlier in the hand. Players who have a tendency to chase are frequently behind, and are therefore more likely than tighter player.
There are a number of terms and phrases that are used often
in poker. In this glossary we have provided definitions and
explanations of the most common ones, as well as abbreviations, acronyms, and slang terms used for poker hands. You can
check out the different sections on this page below:
General Poker Terms
The following is a list of the general terms that are most
often used while playing poker. Knowing the phrases listed below
will help you fit in better at any poker game or tournament that
you might play in and some of these may even be useful while
sitting in at a table.
| A-Game: | A player playing their A-game is playing to the very best of their ability. |
| ABC Poker: | A playing style that’s strategically sound but does not involve making any particularly advanced moves. |
| Ace Out: | To beat an opponent with ace high. |
| Act: | To make a move (bet, fold, call, raise etc.) at the required time. For example, “It’s your turn to act”. |
| Acting Out of Turn: | A player that makes a move when it’s not their turn is said to have acted out of turn. |
| Action Card: | A community card that’s likely to result in significant betting from two or more players. |
| Action Flop: | A flop that’s likely to create multiple draws and/or strong hands. |
| Active Player: | A player who is still involved in the pot. |
| Add-On: | A single purchase of additional chips in a tournament, that’s usually offered to all players at the end of a rebuy period. |
| Aggressive: | A style of play that involves frequently opening or raising pots. |
| Aggression Factor: | A statistic found in most heads up displays that provides an indication as to how aggressive a player is. It’s calculated by dividing the total number of bets and raises made by the total number of calls made. |
| Air: | A very weak hand. Commonly associated with a bluff (e.g. “he raised with air” means he made a bluff with a weak hand). |
| Alligator Blood: | A resilient player that copes well with bad results is said to have alligator blood. |
| All In: | Betting all of your chips on the current hand. |
| Ammunition: | A slang term used to refer to a player’s chips, often shortened to ammo. |
| Ante: | A forced bet that all players must pay before the hand starts in some forms of poker; it’s also used in tournaments, usually in the later rounds. |
| Angle Shooting: | The deliberate breaking of a rule, or spirit of a rule, to try and gain an advantage. |
| Auto Top-Up: | A cash game feature offered by most online poker sites that automatically tops up a player’s stack to the maximum buy-in if they fall below it, providing they have enough money in their account. |
| Avatar: | An image used to represent each player at the table at online poker sites. Usually the avatar can be customized. |
| Backdoor: | A term applied to a drawing hand that needs an appropriate card on both the turn and river to complete the river. |
| Bad Beat: | Losing a hand that was the favorite to win at one point. |
| Bad Beat Jackpot: | A jackpot that’s offered by many poker rooms, live and online, and is paid out when a particularly bad beat occurs. Typically it has to be a very strong hand, such as quads, beaten by an ever stronger hand. |
| Bankroll: | The total amount of money that a player has to play poker with. |
| Barrelling: | The act of betting out in a round having already bet out in the previous round, or rounds. |
| Battle Of The Blinds: | When the only remaining players in a hand are those who paid the blinds in that hand. |
| Bet: | To put money into the pot when you are the first person to act (subsequent bets are either calls or raises). |
| Big Blind: | The larger of the two forced bets that must be placed before the hand starts in some forms of poker. |
| Bink: | A word used to describe a player hitting one of their outs. |
| Blank: | A card that is of no value (e.g. “I was hoping for a heart on the river, but it came down a blank”). |
| Blind: | A forced bet that must be placed before the hand starts in some forms of poker. |
| Blocking Bet: | A bet made with the aim of keeping an opponent’s bet smaller than it might otherwise have been, and controlling the size of the pot. |
| Bluff: | Betting or raising to try and make your opponent(s) fold when you don’t think you have the best hand. |
| Board: | The shared cards, or community cards, used in some forms of poker. |
| Bonus: | Extra funds that many online poker sites offer customers as an incentive for joining or playing. |
| Bot: | An automated computer program that plays poker online without the need for human interaction. Not allowed at most poker sites. |
| Bottom Pair: | A pair made using the lowest card on the board and a matching card in your hand. |
| Bounty: | A cash prize offered in some tournaments for eliminating a specific player, or players. |
| Bring In: | A forced bet in stud poker games. |
| Bubble: | The highest finishing position in a poker tournament that’s outside the pay outs. For example, if the top ten players are paid then eleventh place is the bubble. |
| Bumhunter: | An online poker player who plays only those players that are perceived to be weak. |
| Busto: | A slang term for being knocked out of a tournament or running out of money. |
| Button: | A marker used to show which player is the dealer in the hand. |
| Buy-In: | In a cash game, the amount of money used to buy chips. In a tournament, the cost of entry. |
| Call: | To match the current bet in a betting round. |
| Calling Station: | A player that tends to call frequently, rarely raising or folding. |
| Card Dead: | A term used to describe a prolonged period of bad cards. |
| Case Card: | The last card of a particular rank in the deck. For example, if three Aces have been dealt, then the fourth Ace is the case Ace. |
| Cash Game | In cash games, as opposed to tournament games, each hand is played for real money and players can join or leave at any time. |
| Cashing: | To finish in the pay out positions in a tournament. |
| Change Gears: | To change a style of play. For example, moving form a tight aggressive style to a lose aggressive style. |
| Chase: | To call a bet, or bets, hoping to improve a hand. |
| Check: | To bet nothing, which is only possible if no-one else has bet during a betting round. |
| Check-Raise: | To check and then raise a bet made by another player in the same round. |
| Chip And A Chair | A poker expression used to state that no matter how low in chips a player gets in a tournament they still have a chance; all they need is a chip and a chair. |
| Chip Leader: | In a tournament, the player currently with the most amount of chips. |
| Chop: | An agreement by the players left in a tournament to divide the remaining prize money between them. |
| Coffee Housing: | Using verbal statements in a way deliberately meant to deceive an opponent, or opponents. |
| Coin Flip | A situation where two players are all-in in a pot, and they both have a roughly even chance of winning. |
| Combo Draw: | A drawing hand that has more than one chance to improve. For example, four cards to a straight and a flush is a combo draw. |
| Coming Over The Top: | Raising, or re-raising, another player’s bet. |
| Community Card(s): | The shared card(s) that are dealt face up for all players to use in some forms of poker. |
| Connectors: | Two, or more, cards that are of consecutive rank; for example Jack/10 or 3/4. |
| Continuation Bet: | In some forms of poker, a type bet that is made after the flop by the player who opened the betting in the first round. |
| Cooler | A situation where a very good hand is beaten by one even better. For example, four of a kind being beaten by a straight flush. |
| Crying Call: | A call that’s made by a player that thinks he’s probably beaten, but calls anyway. |
| Cut Off: | A position at the poker table that’s directly to the right of the dealer button. |
| Dealer: | The person dealing the cards, or the player that’s in the dealer position with someone else actually dealing the cards. |
| Dealer’s Choice: | A game where the dealer gets to choose which particular form of poker is played in each round. |
| Deuce: | A slang term for the 2 card. |
| Donk / Donkey: | A low standard player. |
| Downswing: | A prolonged period where a player loses consistently. |
| Draw: | Holding a draw, or drawing hand, means there’s a good chance for the hand to improve from additional cards. For example (in Texas Holdem), if you hold a Queen and a Jack in your hand and there’s a 10 and 9 on the flop you are drawing to a straight if the turn or river is a King or an 8. |
| Drawing Dead: | When you hold a hand that cannot beat an opponent’s hand no matter what cards come. |
| Dry Board: | When the community cards make it unlikely that any player can have made a particularly strong hand, such as a flush or a straight. |
| Dry Pot: | A side pot that has no money in it. When a player goes all in and is called (but not raised) by more than one opponent, a side pot is created, but it doesn’t contain any money. |
| Early Position: | Describes the position of the first few players to act during a round of betting. |
| Equity: | SThe amount of expected value a player has in any given situation. For example, if a player has a 60% chance of winning a $100 pot, then their equity at that point is $60. |
| Expected Value: | Commonly known as “EV”, a concept in poker that defines the long term profitability of a specific action or situation. |
| Exposed Cards: | Cards that are face up for everyone to see. They can be the community cards in a game such as Texas or the face up cards in a player’s hand in 7 Card Stud. |
| Fake Think: | When a player pretends to think about a decision when in fact they have already made their mind up. |
| Family Pot: | A pot in which all, or most, of the players in the game are active. |
| Fancy Play Syndrome: | The act of getting unnecessarily tricky in any given hand or situation. |
| Felt: | A slang term for a poker table. For example, “I just had a great session at the felt”. |
| Field: | A collective term for all the players in a tournament. |
| Final Table: | The last table in a multi-table tournament. |
| First Position: | Describes the position of the first player to act during a round of betting. |
| Fish: | A low standard player. |
| Fixed Limit: | A betting structure where there’s a maximum amount that can be bet and raised in each betting round. |
| Float: | The act of calling a bet with the intention of making a bluff in a subsequent betting round. |
| Flop: | In some poker games that involve community cards, these are the first three community cards that are dealt. |
| Flatting: | The act of calling a bet without raising. |
| Flush: | A hand that’s made up entirely of cards from one suit. |
| Fold: | To discard a hand and become inactive in the current pot. |
| Fold Equity: | The probability of a player causing his opponent to fold by raising or betting. |
| Forced Bet: | A bet that a player must make, such as a big blind or an ante. |
| Four Of A Kind: | A hand that contains four cards of the same rank. |
| Freeroll: | A type of poker tournament that’s free to enter. |
| Freezeout: | A type of poker tournament that has a fixed entry fee and where players are eliminated when they lose all their chips, until one player has won all the chips in play. |
| Full House: | A hand that contains three card of one rank, and two cards of another rank. |
| Full Ring: | A cash game with 9 or 10 players. |
| Fundamental Theory/Theorem of Poker: | A theory that appears in “The Theory of Poker”, a book written by David Sklansky. The theory essentially states that the basic idea of poker is to make an opponent play differently than he would if he could see all the cards. |
| Going South: | The act of removing winnings from the poker table but continuing to play; this is a practice that’s frowned upon. |
| Grinder: | A player that seeks to make consistent, usually small, profits over a prolong period of time. |
| Guaranteed Tournament: | A type of tournament where the prize pool is guaranteed to be at least a certain amount, regardless of number of entrants. |
| Gut Shot: | A slang term for an inside straight draw. |
| Hand For Hand: | A stage of a multi-table tournament where each table must wait until all tables have finished their current hands before starting the next. |
| Hand History: | A record of hands played at online poker rooms. Used by players to study and analyze their play. |
| Heads Up: | A game, or stage of a tournament, when there are just two players. |
| Heads Up Display: | A tool used when playing poker online that overlays the screen with a display that shows various useful statistics on a player’s opponents. |
| Heater: | A period where a player gets a run of very good results. |
| Hero Call: | A call based on a marginal read on an opponent. |
| Hijack: | A position at the poker table that is two seats to the right of the dealer button. |
| Hit And Run: | Winning a big pot and then leaving the table straight after. |
| Hole Cards: | The face down cards that are dealt to each player. |
| Independent Chip Model: | A mathematical model that can be used to calculate a player’s equity in a tournament. |
| In The Money: | A position in a poker tournament that wins a share of the prize money. |
| Inside Straight Draw: | A drawing hand that needs one more card to complete a straight, where the required card is somewhere in the middle of the straight. For example, 9/8/6/5 or 9/7/6/5. |
| Insta Call: | To call a bet immediately without having to think about it. |
| Jack It Up: | A slang term for raising a pot. |
| Jam: | A slang term for going all in. For example “I jammed the pot”. |
| Juice: | A slang term for rake. |
| Junk: | A hand that has very low value. |
| Kicker: | The highest unpaired card in a hand. |
| Knockout Tournament: | A tournament in which each entrant has a bounty and players win a bounty every time they knock another player out. |
| Late Position: | Describes the position of the last few players to act in a hand. |
| Limit: | The minimum or maximum bet or raise that can be made. Also a term used instead of fixed limit. |
| Limp: | To call a bet rather than raising, when entering the pot. |
| Loose: | A style of play that involves playing a lot of hands. |
| Loose/Aggressive: | A combination of the loose and aggressive styles of play. |
| Made Hand: | A hand that doesn’t need further cards to improve. |
| Misdeal: | A deal where there has been a mistake made and must then be redealt. |
| Muck: | A slang term for folding a hand. |
| Multi Table Tournament: | A type of tournament that is played over more than one table. |
| Multi Tabling: | The act of playing online poker at several tables simultaneously. |
| Multi Way Pot: | A pot where several players are involved. |
| Nit: | A slang term for a very tight player, that only plays high value hands. |
| No Limit: | A betting structure where players can bet as many of their chips as they want. |
| Nosebleed Stakes: | Very high stakes games of poker. |
| Nuts: | A slang term for the best possible hand in a particular situation. |
| Off-suit: | Cards that aren’t of the same suit. |
| Open: | To make the first bet in a hand. |
| Open Ended Straight Draw: | A drawing hand consisting of four cards in ranking sequence, needing one more card to complete a straight. For example, 9/8/7/6 or 6/5/4/3. |
| Out of Position: | When a player has to act before his opponent (s) in a betting round. |
| Out Of The Money: | Any position in a tournament that isn’t awarded any of the prize money. |
| Outs: | Cards that will improve a hand and make it more likely to win. For example, if you have four cards of one suit then all other cards of that suit are outs to complete your flush. |
| Over Bet: | A bet that is bigger than the size of the pot. |
| Pair: | A hand that contains two cards of the same rank. |
| Passive: | A style of play that involves mostly checking and calling rather than betting and raising. |
| Pocket Cards: | The face down cards dealt to a player. |
| Pocket Pair: | A pair dealt to a player in his pocket cards. |
| Position: | The location of a player in the betting order during a hand. |
| Pot: | The total amount of money and/or chips wagered in a hand that’s won by the player with the best hand. |
| Pot Limit: | A betting structure where the maximum bet is equal to the current size of the pot. |
| Pot Sized Bet: | A bet that’s equal to the current size of the pot. |
| Pot Sized Raise: | A raise that’s equal to the current size of the pot. |
| Pre-Flop: | The stage of a hand when the flop hasn’t yet been dealt. |
| Push: | A slang term for going all in. For example “I thought my hand was best, so I pushed”. |
| Quads: | A slang term for four of a kind. |
| Qualifier: | A tournament where the winner, or winners, qualify for another tournament with a larger entry fee. |
| Rag: | A low value/worthless card. |
| Railbird: | A spectator of a poker game. |
| Raise: | To make a bet larger than previously made bets in the betting round. |
| Rake: | Money that’s taken from a pot by the house at the end of each round, as payment for running the game. |
| Read: | Insight into what an opponent may be holding. For example, “I had a read on him, and thought I was beat so I folded”. |
| Rebuy Tournament: | A type of tournament where players can buy back in after they have lost all their chips, for an agreed period of time. |
| Re-raise: | To raise after a raise has already been made. |
| Ring Game: | An alternative term for cash game. |
| River: | In some poker games that involve community cards, this is the final community card that’s dealt. |
| Rock: | A slang term for a very tight player. |
| Royal Flush: | A hand that contains the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of one suit; the best possible hand. |
| Set: | A three of a kind using a pocket pair and a matching card on the board. |
| Shark: | A slang term for a very strong player. |
| Short-Handed: | A cash game with six players or less. |
| Short Stack: | In cash games, a stack that is smaller than half the maximum buy-in. In tournaments, a stack that is noticeably lower than the average stack. |
| Shove: | A slang term for going all in. For example, “I wanted him to fold, so I just shoved”. |
| Showdown: | The stage of a hand when, if more than one player has completed the final betting round, remaining players show their hands to see who has won. |
| Side pot: | An additional pot that can be created during a hand if one player goes all in and other players continue to bet. |
| Single Table Tournament: | A tournament that involves players at one table only. |
| Sit and Go: | A type of tournament that has no fixed start time and begins whenever the required number of players have joined. |
| Slow Roll: | To take an unnecessary amount of time to make a decision when holding a strong hand. |
| Small Blind: | The smaller of the two forced bets that must be placed before the hand starts in some forms of poker. |
| Snap Call: | To call a bet immediately without a great deal of thought. |
| Split Pot: | When two, or more, players have the same value hand and share the pot. |
| Straight: | A hand that consists of five sequentially ranked cards. For example, 9/8/7/6/5. |
| Straight Flush: | A hand that consists of five sequentially ranked cards, of the same suit. For example, the 9 of Spades, the 8 of Spades, the 7 of Spades, the 6 of Spades, and the 5 of Spades. |
| Suck Out: | To win against a hand that was favorite to win at some point during the hand. |
| Suited: | Cards of the same suit. |
| Suited Connectors: | Two, or more, cards that are of consecutive rank and the same suit. |
| Tell: | A noticeable change in the behavior/demeanor of a player that provides a clue to how strong their hand might be. |
| Three Of A Kind: | A hand that consists of three cards of the same rank. |
| Tight: | A style of play that involves playing only strong hands. |
| Tight/Aggressive: | A combination of the tight and aggressive styles of play. |
| Tilt: | When a player loses control of their emotions, usually caused by a bad result or a bad beat, and plays recklessly. For example, “I got sucked out on too many times and went on tilt for a while”. |
| Top Pair: | A pair made using the highest card on the board and a matching card in your hand. |
| Trey: | A slang term for the 3 card. |
| Trips: | A three of a kind hand using one card from hole cards and two from the community cards. |
| Turbo Tournament: | A type of tournament where the blind levels increase more quickly. |
| Turn: | In some poker games that involve community cards, this is the fourth community card that’s dealt. |
| Two Pair: | A hand consisting of two cards of equal rank and another two cards of a different equal rank. For example, two Kings and two 10s. |
| Under The Gun: | A position at the poker table that is directly to the left of the blinds. |
| Under The Gun + 1: | A position at the poker table directly to the left of Under The Gun. |
| Value Bet: | A bet made by a player that is hoping to get called because they expect to win. |
| Voluntarily Put In Pot: | A statistic used for heads up display which shows, as a percentage, the number of times a player chooses to enter a pot. |
| Went To Showdown: | A statistic used in heads up displays that shows, as a percentage, the number of times a player goes to showdown. |
| Wheel: | A slang term for a straight consisting of Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. |
Poker Acronyms & Abbreviations
The following is a list of acronyms and abbreviations that
are often used in poker. Some of these aren’t unique to poker,
but they are often used in chat at online poker rooms and forums
where poker is discussed.
| AF: | Aggression Factor |
| AFAIK: | As Far As I Know (used in chat/forums) |
| AI: | All In |
| AIPF: | All In Pre Flop |
| AK: | Ace King (an ace and a king as your hole cards) |
| AMC: | All My Chips |
| AO: | Add On |
| APPT: | Asia Pacific Poker Tour |
| APT: | Asia Poker Tour |
| ATC: | Any Two Cards |
| B&M: | Bricks & Mortar (used to describe a live poker room, as opposed to an online one) |
| B/C: | Bet / Call (describes when a player bets and then calls a raise) |
| B/F: | Bet / Fold (describes when a player bets and the folds to a raise) |
| B3B: | Bet – 3 bet (describes when a player bets, is raised, and then re-raises) |
| BBJ: | Bad Beat Jackpot |
| BR: | Bankroll |
| BRB: | Be Right Back (used in chat/forums) |
| BTW: | By The Way (used in chat/forums) |
| BWDIK: | But What Do I Know (used in chat/forums) |
| C/C: | Check / Call (describes when a player checks and then calls a bet) |
| C/F: | Check / Fold (describes when a player checks and then folds to a bet) |
| C/R: | Check / Raise (describes when a player checks and then raises a bet) |
| C-Bet: | Continuation Bet (a bet made after the flop by the pre-flop raiser) |
| CK: | Check |
| CO: | Cut Off |
| EP: | Early Position |
| EV: | Expected Value (+EV for positive expected value, -EV for negative expected value) |
| FE: | Fold Equity |
| FH: | Full House |
| FL: | Fixed Limit |
| FPS: | Fancy Play Syndrome |
| FT: | Final Table |
| FTOP: | Fundamental Theory/Theorem of Poker |
| FWIW: | For What It’s Worth (used in chat/forums) |
| FYI: | For Your Information |
| GG: | Good Game (typically used in chat at online poker rooms when a player busts out) |
| GL: | Good Luck (used in chat) |
| GTD: | Guaranteed (as in guaranteed prize pool in a tournament) |
| HE: | Hold’Em |
| HH: | Hand History |
| HJ: | Hijack Position |
| HoH: | Harrington on Hold’em (a very popular poker strategy book) |
| HTH: | Head To Head |
| HU: | Heads Up |
| HUD: | Heads Up Display |
| ICM: | Independent Chip Model |
| IIRC: | If I Recall Correctly (used in chat/forums) |
| IMHO: | In My Humble Opinion (used in chat/forums) |
| IMO: | In My Opinion (used in chat/forums) |
| ITM: | In The Money |
| LAG: | Loose Aggressive |
| LHE: | Limit Hold’Em |
| LP: | Late Position |
| MHIG: | My Hand is Good (used in chat) |
| MTT: | Multi Table Tournament |
| NH: | Nice Hand (used in chat) |
| NL: | No Limit |
| O8: | Omaha Hi-Lo |
| OESD: | Open Ended Straight Draw |
| OESFD: | Open Ended Straight Flush Draw |
| OOP: | Out Of Position |
| OOTM: | Out Of The Money |
| OTOH: | On The Other Hand (used in chat/forums) |
| PF: | Pre Flop |
| PFR: | Pre Flop Raise (a raise before the flop is dealt) |
| PL: | Pot Limit |
| PLO: | Pot Limit Omaha |
| PLO8: | Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo |
| PSB: | Pot Sized Bet |
| PSR: | Pot Sized Raise |
| PTL: | Player To My Left |
| PTR: | Player To My Right |
| R + A: | Rebuy and Add-On |
| ROI: | Return On Investment |
| SB: | Small Blind |
| SH: | Short Handed |
| SNG: | Sit and Go Tournament |
| SS: | Short Stack |
| STT: | Single Table Tournament |
| TAG: | Tight Aggressive |
| TPBK: | Top Page Best Kicker |
| TPTK: | Top Pair Top Kicker |
| TY: | Thank You (used in chat/forums) |
| UTG + 1: | 1 position to the left of Under The Gun |
| UTG: | Under The Gun |
| VB: | Value Bet |
| VNH: | Very Nice Hand (used in chat) |
| VPIP: | Voluntarily Put In Pot |
| WPT: | World Poker Tour |
| WSOP: | World Series of Poker |
| WTSD: | Went To Showdown |
Poker Hand Slang
Our guide to the slang terms used to describe poker hands is
divided into two lists. The first contains popular terms used to
describe combinations of hole cards and the second contains
terms used for other hands. These lists are by no means
exhaustive but do a great job of getting you started.
Slang Terms for Hole Card Combinations
| Ace Magnets: | A pair of kings. |
| Ace Rag: | An ace and a low card. |
| Acey-Deucey: | An ace and a two. |
| Aja: | An ace and a jack. |
| American Airlines: | A pair of aces. |
| Anna Kournikova: | An ace and a king. |
| Apple Jacks: | An ace and a jack. |
| Athos: | An ace and a ten. |
| Beer Hand: | A seven and a two. |
| Big Chick: | An ace and a queen. |
| Big Lick: | A nine and a six . |
| Big Slick: | An ace and a king. |
| Bookends: | An ace and a ten. |
| Bullets: | A pair of aces. |
| Candy Canes: | A pair of sevens. |
| Canine: | A king and a nine. |
| Cherries: | A pair of sixes. |
| Countdown: | A ten and a nine. |
| Cowboys: | A pair of kings. |
| Crabs: | A pair of threes. |
| Dimes: | A pair of tens. |
| Ducks: | A pair of twos. |
| Hockey Sticks: | A pair of sevens. |
| Jaybirds: | A pair of jacks. |
| Kojak: | A king and a jack. |
| Ladies: | A pair of queens. |
| Little Slick: | An ace and a two. |
| Magnum: | A pair of fours. |
| Nickels: | A pair of fives. |
| Pocket Rockets: | A pair of aces. |
| Pothooks: | A pair of nines. |
| Quack: | A queen and a jack. |
| Rounders Hand: | An ace and a nine. |
| Royal Couple: | A king and a queen. |
| Snakes: | A pair of fives. |
| Snowmen: | A pair of eights. |
| Tina Turner: | A queen and a ten. |
Slang Terms for Other Poker Hands
| Aces and Spaces: | A pair of aces with three other worthless cards. |
| Aces Up: | A two pair hand, when one of the pairs is aces. |
| Aces Uppy: | See Aces Up. |
| Alabama Knight Riders: | Three of a kind, kings. |
| Arkansas Flush: | A flush made using four suited cards from the community cards. |
| Baby Flush: | A flush made with low hole cards. |
| Big Bobtail: | An outside straight flush draw. |
| Boat: | Any full house. |
| Bobtail: | An outside straight draw. |
| Broadway: | A straight of ten to ace. |
| Dead Man’s Hand: | Two pair, aces and eights. |
| Devil’s Hand: | Three of a kind, sixes. |
| Forest: | Four of a kind, threes. |
| Four Horsemen: | Four of a kind, kings. |
| Four Pips: | Four of a kind, aces. |
| Golf Bag: | An all club flush. |
| Gutshot: | An inside straight draw. |
| Huey, Dewey, and Louie: | Three of a kind, twos. |
| Mighty Ducks: | Four of a kind, twos. |
| Mommas and Poppas: | Two pair, kings and queens. |
| Quads: | Any four of a kind. |
| Slot Machine: | Three of a kind, sevens. |
| Steel Wheel: | A five high straight flush. |
| Three Wise Men: | Three of a kind, kings. |
| Trips: | A three of a kind hand using one card from hole cards and two from the community cards. |
| Wheel: | A five high straight. |
| Yacht Clu | b: Four of a kind, fours. |
What is very interesting to me as a lifelong poker player is the number of poker related words and sayings that have worked their way into mainstream conversation in the business world and elsewhere. A few obvious examples which shouldn’t require explanation would include: hold your cards close to your chest, I’ll call that bluff, I’d rather be lucky than good, and he’s got a real poker face.
While you may already be aware of many poker related words and sayings, there are sure to be many that, as a beginner to poker, you probably won’t know. Over the years poker has accumulated a number of unique words and phrases that regular players use as their own language and can be incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Here is an example of a seasoned poker player describing a hand to a friend:
“I had pocket rockets and the flop comes Ace, two rags, rainbow giving me top set. Can you believe that donkey, Harry, goes runner, runner and cracks my set with his 23-to-1 shot flush draw? It’s just like him; he’s such a calling station”.
If you completely understand this description then you might not need this lesson. However, if it seems like a different language then, fear not, by the end of this lesson you will understand what it all means. In this lesson we’ll explain just what some of those colourful expressions mean along with a list of terms which any poker player, who aspires to become conversant in the game needs to know.
Glossary of Poker Terms
Let’s start off with a list of poker terms that you’ll need to be familiar with. After this all important glossary, we’ll return to the above “poker speak” example as it is the kind of conversation you will hear from other more experienced players.
All-in- When a player puts all of his chips into the pot he is said to be all-in. That player does not participate in anymore bets above his all-in amount. A side pot is created for the other players. The all-in player is eligible for the main pot only.
Ante – A small forced bet that all players are required to post before the deal. An ante is used in stud poker versus posting blinds as in hold‘em. Antes are also common in tournaments in addition to the blinds at the later levels.
Back Door – A hand which is made back door requires both the turn card and river card to make the hand. An example would be holding a three flush after the flop and needing two more of the same suit to complete your flush. This is also called runner/runner.
Bad Beat – A good hand that is “cracked” or beaten by a better hand that usually was way behind but hit a lucky draw. Every poker player has more than one bad beat story to tell!
Big Slick – This is the nickname for the two card holding of Ace-King.
Blinds – The mandatory bets made by the first two players to the left of the dealer button. They are called the small and big blinds.
Bluff – Making a bet without the best hand in the hope that your opponent(s) will fold and you will win the pot.
Calling Station – A player who calls too often is a calling station. The term is used in a derogatory manner mainly since these players call without the correct pot odds they many times hit long shot winning hands which frustrates other players.
Common Poker Terms
Cards Speak – The best hand is determined by each of the players turning their cards face up with no declaration. The values of the cards speak for themselves.
Check Raise – To check when it is your turn to bet and then, after someone else bets, to raise that player’s bet.
Donkey – An opponent who plays poorly and seems to be throwing his money away. This is the current term for a pigeon, a sucker or a fish.
Double Belly Buster – This is a hand with two inside straight draws. As an example, 79TJK can become a straight with either an 8 or a queen. This draw has the same number of outs (8 winning cards) as an open ended straight draw except the double belly buster is much more deceptive.
Drawing Dead – A draw such that no matter what card you get you will lose. As an example: You have four spades with the King while your opponent holds a pair of Aces along with four spades including the Ace of spades. You’re hoping to draw a spade on the river to make a King high flush. If the spade comes you will lose to an Ace high flush and since your opponent already has a pair of Aces you cannot win. You are said to be drawing dead.
Fish – See donkey – a player who plays the game poorly.
Flop – After the first round of betting, three community board cards are dealt called the flop.
Gutshot – An inside straight draw with only four outs. Drawing to a QJ98 would require one of the four tens to make a straight.
Heads-up – Playing against a single opponent.
Implied Odds – This is an extension of pot odds and represents the ratio of the total amount you expect to win if you complete your hand to the amount you would need to call to continue. While pot odds are an exact calculation, implied odds takes some guess work and knowledge of your opponents’ tendencies.
Inside Straight Draw – See gut shot.
Isolate – To make a raise with the intention of forcing others to fold in hopes of being able to play heads up against a single opponent is to isolate him.
Limp – To just flat call the amount of the big blind is to limp into a hand.
Monster – A very strong hand that is almost certainly the winner.
Muck – Folding your hand is to muck it. The pile of dead cards is called the muck.
Nuts – Based upon the board it’s the best available hand. An unbeatable hand is often called “the Brazils” and “a lock”.
Out – An out is a card that improves your hand, usually to winning status. If you hold the and there are two hearts on the flop, you have nine outs to the nut flush – the remaining nine hearts in the deck.
Pocket Rockets – A pair of Aces in your hand in hold’em.
Pot Odds – The ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of money it will cost to call the current bet. If the pot holds $100 and it will cost you $20 to call, the pot is laying you 5-to-1 odds.
Quads – The nickname for four of a kind – e.g. “he had quad Kings”.
Rags – Refers to a worthless card. Rags are normally small board cards in hold’em.
Origin Of Poker Term Riverside
Rainbow – Three or four board cards of different suits. If a flop contains three different suits it is said to be rainbow. If the turn is a card of the fourth suit, a flush will not be possible.
River – The fifth and final community board card dealt in hold’em.
Runner-Runner – A hand that is made with both the turn and the river cards. Two running cards are runner-runner. If, on the flop, you have a three flush and both the turn and river are of the same suit making you a flush, you’ve gone runner-runner.
Sandbag – Hiding the strength of your hand by slow playing it early on in order to make more money later in the hand. It’s a deceptive ploy to increase profit.
Set – When holding a pocket pair, having one of that same rank hit the board creates a set.
String Bet – This is an illegal move which occurs when a player does not orally declare his intention to raise but puts out chips to call and then reaches back to his stack to get more chips for a raise.
Tilt – A player who has lost his discipline and is playing too loosely and very aggressively in a desperate attempt to win a pot is said to be on tilt. This is normally caused by a series of bad beats that has frustrated the victim.
Trips – Differentiated from a set, trips occur when two of the same rank is on the board and you hold another of them in your hand. The reason it differs from a set is that only one person can hold the three cards to a set while two people can have the same trips when two of them are on the board.
Turn – The fourth community board card dealt between the flop and the river.
Under the Gun – The first player to the left of the button who must act first is said to be under the gun.
Wheel – The smallest possible straight consisting of Ace-2-3-4-5. It is also called a bicycle wheel or just a bike.
Poker Speak – Revisited
Now that you’ve read through the glossary covering a myriad of poker definitions, do you understand what that poker player at the beginning of this lesson was telling his friend? Just in case you missed something, we’ll translate his statement. We’ll repeat the statement as written, with the unique poker words/phrases in bold, and then we’ll make the translation.
I had pocket rockets and the flop comes Ace, two rags, rainbow giving me top set. Can you believe that donkey, Harry, goes runner, runner and cracks my set with his 23-to-1 shot flush draw? It’s just like him; he’s such a calling station.
Translation:
I had two Aces in the hole and the three cards the dealer dealt come Ace, two small cards with three different suits giving me the best/highest three of a kind. Can you believe that unskilled, bad player, Harry, he hit two of his needed suit in a row, one on the turn and the other on the river and beats my three of a kind with his long shot flush draw? It’s just like him, he’s a weak player who calls way too much and sometimes gets lucky.
See how much more concise poker speak is? If you’re just getting into the game and have not been using poker speak – trust me, you will be. In fact, by the end these lessons I’ll bet you’ll be speaking Poker fluently.
Related Lessons
By Tom 'TIME' Leonard
Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.