Poker Phrases In Common Use

Brown trout is a phrase that began as a joke on the Two Plus Two message forums. If you hear someone use it at the poker table, you know they read 2p2. Buck is a common slang term fo the dealer button, or is used to describe a poker chip with a value of one dollar. Bullet describes a bet or a buyin in poker. It’s typically used in the phrase “to go all-in.” When playing poker, going all-in is when the player takes his or her chips and literally moves all of them into the pot. This usually applies in no-limit Texas Hold’em games. The other players must either match the bet to continue playing or fold.

1. Poker Phrases In Common Use Adjectives
2. Poker Phrases In Common Use Music
3. Poker Phrases In Common Use For A
4. Poker Phrases In Common Use Words

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.

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.

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.

Poker Phrases In Common Use Adjectives

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.

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.

WHAT IS POKER LINGO

While learning to play poker online like at the spin palace casino or in a home game or tournament you will hear other players using poker lingo, poker lingo is table slang for the many spoken terms by poker players also referred to as poker terms and poker slang on and off the poker table, beginners would be wise to learn the spoken terms in order to improve there game and get a better understanding of some of the various names poker hands can also be referred to, some of the basic poker lingo you may have already picked up while playing poker would include all-in, call, fold, raise ect.

Don't Show Weakness Know Your Poker Lingo

The home of poker has put together a comprehensive list of poker lingo and a detailed explanation of the poker lingo found below, knowing your poker lingo can also give other opponents an impression of you being a seasoned player and add strength to your game, after all not knowing your poker lingo when chatting to other players would show weakness and would definitely be exploited by them.

• All-in: When you do not have enough money to cover the required bet, you will be forced to contribute the remainder of your money to the pot. You will then play for an amount proportional to your contribution. This action is known as an all-in.

Please note that if you are disconnected from the poker room during the play of a hand, you will be considered all-in. This prevents you from being penalized during the period of disconnection.

• Ace-High: A hand with an Ace but no flush, straight or pairs.

• All-In: Wagering all your poker chips /money on at once.

• Auto-Muck: (Online) To have the software automatically fold your hand at the showdown if it isn't a winner.

• Auto-Post: (Online) To have the software automatically post your blind so it doesn't have to ask you each time.

• Blind Bet: A blind bet refers to the first bet that is placed by each player. This is a mandatory bet that is placed before the cards are dealt. The blind bet is considered to be a live bet for the first round. This bet is only applicable to certain games: Texas Holdem, Omaha and 1-on-1 Poker Play.

• Buy-in Amount: The buy-in amount is the amount of money that each player must bring to a game.

• Buy-in Limit: The buy-in limit is the minimum amount required to buy into a 1-on-1 game. This limit also applies to Seven Card Stud.

• Call: This takes place when a player places a bet equivalent to the previous bet.

• Dealer Button: The dealer button indicates the dealer's position at the table.

• Flop: This refers to the first three community cards that are dealt at the table. This is applicable to Texas Hold'em , and Omaha .

Flop Games : Games where five, face-up community cards are available for use by all the players who are also dealt personal and secret hole cards.

• Fold: A player is said to fold when he throws in his cards. Once a player folds, he is not eligible to win the pot. He also is not responsible for contributing past that point.

• Heads-up: To play against only one other player.

• Hole Cards : A player's own, secret down cards.

• Muck: To muck means to fold a hand without showing it to the rest of the poker table.

• Nuts : The best possible hand that can be made from the existing cards. The nuts can change as a hand progresses.

• Pot: The pot is the money that builds up during the course of a game. The pot grows from player antes, bets and raises. The pot's value depends on the stakes of the game and the amount that players bet. The pot is awarded to the winner of the hands in each round. If two players have equivalent winning hands, they will split the pot. The house also takes a small percentage.

• Raise: A raise increases the betting stakes for the participating players at the poker table. A bet must be matched first before it is increased.

• Re-raise : Increase the previous raised bet.

• Rake: Money taken out of the pot by the casino for acting as a mediator for players. This amount is called the rake.

• River Card: The River Card is the last community card to be dealt.

• Runs: Each betting cycle is known as a run. One cycle is defined a round of bets from the first player to the last player.

• Sitting Out: When a player leaves the table for a short amount of time, it is referred to as sitting out. Players who sit out for long periods of time (more than 15 minutes) or miss two rounds of blinds are removed from the poker table.

• Slow Play : Playing a strong hand as if it were a weak hand in order to deceive your opponents.

• Small Blind: The player sitting to the left of the dealer posts the first bet, which is known as a small blind. The small blind is a mandatory bet that equals half of the lower bet. I.e. in a $3/$6 game, the small blind would be $1.50.

• Texas Hold'em : A flop game where a player makes the best five card hand from any combination of his two hole cards and five community cards.

• Street: The Street is the term used to refer to different betting stages. Betting commences on the Third Street and concludes on the Seven Street. There are five rounds of betting in total. This applies to 7 Card Stud.

• Table Stakes : Only the poker chips on the table in front of a player during the current hand are available.

• Tells : A poker player's unconscious actions or habits that disclose the strength of his hand to his opponents.

• Texas Hold'em : A flop game where a player makes the best five card hand from any combination of his two hole cards and five community cards.

• Third Street: This refers to the first round of betting when each player has three cards. The player who holds the lowest card brings-in the betting. This applies to Seven Card Stud.

Poker Phrases In Common Use Music

• Tight : Patient, conservative player who plays very few hands and waits for strong cards.

Poker Phrases In Common Use For A

Tight Game or Table : A game where few players remain in a pot until the end of a betting round. Many players fold early in a hand.

• Turn Card: This refers to the fourth community card dealt and applies to Texas Hold'em and Omaha .

• Visible Cards: Visible cards are any cards that are dealt face up to players. Players use them to complete five card combinations.

•WSOP : (abbrev.) World Series of Poker

• WPT : (abbrev.) World Poker Tour

• WPTC : (abbrev.) World Poker Tour Championship

• Ante: Each player must contribute an ante, or minimum bet, to the pot before betting begins. This is completed before the ards are dealt.

• B&M: Brick and Mortar. This refers to a poker game in a casino, as opposed to an online casino .

Poker Phrases In Common Use Words

Big Blind: The big blind is a mandatory bet that is placed by the player to the left of the player who places the small blind. The big blind is equivalent to the lower bet of the card game. I.e. the big blind for a $3/$6 game is $3.

• Big Pair: A big pair is a pair that is worth 10 or more.

• Bring-in: A bring-in is a forced bet that is placed by the player who holds the lowest card in the first round of betting (also known as the Third Street). Note: this is only applicable to Stud games, 5Card Stud and 7Card Stud.

• Calling Station: A player who will pay to see the last card no matter what.

• Cap: Betting will be capped after it has been raised three times in one round. After this, players have two options: call or fold.

• Check: By choosing to check, you are permitted to stay in a game without placing any bets. You may only do this if no other bets have been placed in that betting round.

• Coffee housing: Coffee housing refers to chat that has the purpose of misleading or manipulating other players. Coffee housing is expressly forbidden.

• Community Cards: These cards are dealt to the table face-up, and are used by all players to complete their five-card hands.

• Equalized: Once the players have given the same amount of money to the pot, the game is considered equalized.

• Freeze out: A tournament with no re buys available ,when your out your out.

• Fast Play : Play aggressively and raise often, regardless of the strength of a hand.

• Fifth Street: The Fifth Street is the name for the third round of betting. Each player has five cards at this time. In this round, bets are set to the highest limit. The card room sets all betting limits. In the Fifth Street, the highest-ranking player begins the next round of betting.

• Hooks: A pair of Jacks.

• Hose (H.O.S.E.): A mixed game where you play Hold'em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud (high), and Seven-Card Stud (high-low).

• Inside Straight : A sequence of cards missing one of the inside cards.

• Last To Act : The last player to act. In Texas Hold'em, this position is the player on the dealer button.

• Live Blinds: Live blinds are blind bets that are in play. For example, if one player posts a small blind and a second player joins and posts a big blind, the first player has to balance out the betting since the big blind is live.

• Loose: A player who plays many hands regardless of the strength of the cards he is holding.

• Loose Games or Table : A game with lots of action where many players remain in most pots.

• Lowest Card: This is the card with the lowest value, given that Aces are high, and determines which player needs to bring-in the betting. Should players have the same card, the lowest is determined by suit. Clubs are the lowest suit followed by Diamonds, Hearts and Spades, respectively. Note: this is only applicable to Stud games, 5Card Stud and 7Card Stud.

• Pocket Cards: Pocket cards are the face down cards dealt to players.

• Post Now: When new players join the card game, they are given the choice to post immediately or wait for the big blind. Players who choose to post immediately are required to post the equivalent of a big blind bet. They receive their cards at once.

• Playing the Board : In a flop game, using the five community cards as your best hand.

• Position : Where you are seated in relation to the dealer button and determines when you bet.

• Rags : Cards seemingly worthless to all players.

• Satellite: A tournament that allows you entrance to another poker tournament if you win.

• Seventh Street: The Seventh Street is the fifth and last round of betting. In this round, each player has seven cards. This applies to 7 Card Stud .

The following rules apply to the Seventh Street:

The first player from the Sixth Street also makes the first play in the Seventh Street
The River Card is dealt face down
If there are multiple players remaining after another betting round, the game is decided by a showdown
Each player must reveal his/her best possible five-card hand
The winner gets the pot
Showdown Poker: If multiple players remain in the card game after the last betting round, they all show their hands to decide upon a • winner. The player who has the highest-value hand wins the pot.

• Sixth Street: This is the name for the fourth round of betting. In this round, each player has six cards. This term applies to Seven Card Stud .

The following guidelines apply to the Sixth Street:

Bets are set at the highest limit
The next round is initiated by the player with the highest ranking hand
Please note that the poker room sets the betting limits