“When People Use Poker Vocabulary, Do You Feel Like They’re Speaking A Different Language?”Here’s a sentence full of poker vocabulary: “There’s a bunch of donkey’s and fish, throwing a party in a mixed game. Let’s get some ammo and jam ‘em up!” You’ve spent a lot of time at the poker tables if you understood that. If you didn’t, this page is for you. Listed below are terms and phrases used in poker vocabulary, each with an explanation of their meaning. Scroll through at your leisure or skip to the word you’re looking for!
5 card draw- Players get five cards that can be exchanged for new ones. Up to four cards can be discarded. 5 card stud- A game played with first card dealt face down and the next four, face up. 7 card stud- First two cards are dealt face down. Next four are face up and last card is face down All-in- Announced when a player has all their chips in the pot and cannot bet anymore (common poker vocabulary used by the dealer). American airlines- Nickname for the texas hold em hand A-A. Ammo- Slang term for poker chips. Ante- An amount put in the pot by all players. Commonly used in stud poker games but can also be used in games with blinds. Bad beat- When a player has a slim chance to beat you, and they catch the card(s) they need. Badugi- A draw game using four cards, played for low hands. Baduci- A draw game using five cards, where half the pot goes to the best deuce seven hand and the other half goes to the best badugi hand. There are two other spellings for this poker vocabulary word. Badeucy and baducy. Bicycle- A five high straight, A-2-3-4-5 (creative poker vocabulary term). Big blind- An amount put in the pot by one player, before players receive cards. Blind man’s bluff- Variation of texas hold em where players don’t see their hole cards until a showdown. Bullets- Another term for the texas hold em hand A-A Burn card- Top card of the deck put on the table face down in front of the dealer. This is done to ensure the deck isn’t set up (not a common poker vocabulary term, still good to know!). Button- White placard that moves clockwise round the table after every hand. It’s used so players know who acts first and to indicate where the blinds are. Call- When a player puts the same amount of chips in the pot as the player in front of them. Calling station- A player that typically calls, not raise. Cap limit- A betting structure where each player can bet chips up to a certain amount for that hand. Cards speak- When cards get turned face up at a showdown, the whole table is allowed to read the hand, weather the player or dealer announced the hand. This ensures the best hand wins the pot. Chicago poker- Texas hold em variation where the lowest spade wins half the pot. Community cards- Cards in middle of the table that players use to make their best five card hand. Continuation bet- A bet made on the flop by the player that raised pre-flop. Cowboys- Term given to the texas hold em hand K-K. Crabs- Term used for the texas hold em hand 3-3 (this poker vocabulary term fits perfect!) Crazy pineapple- Community card game where players receive three hole cards before the flop and discard one after the flop. Crutches- Nickname for the texas hold em hand 7-7. Cutoff- The first seat counter-clockwise from the button. Deck- What the cards in the dealers hand are called. Deuce to seven- A draw game using five cards. Played for low hands only where the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2. Discard- Card turned in to dealer by player in exchange for an equal amount of cards. Dolly Parton- Nickname for texas hold em hand 9-5. Donkey- A reckless player (a favorite poker vocabulary term). Door card- The first card of the flop seen by the players, before the dealer spreads them. Double belly buster- If you hold 10-8 and the flop is 9-Q-6, you can catch a jack or 7 to make a straight. That's a double belly buster. Draw- If a player is in the process of making a hand (straight, flush) they’re on a draw. Also when a player turns cards in for new cards. Draw games- Poker game where players can turn in cards for new ones. Early position(s)- First three seats clockwise from the button. Fish- A player playing in a game that they can’t afford to play in. Flop- Three community cards in the middle of the table. Flush- Five cards of the same suit. Fold- To turn your cards in and give up any money in the pot. Full house- Three of a kind plus a pair, both in the same hand (K-K-K-Q-Q). Go off- A player whom usually bets that you can then raise, and get more money in the pot. Grinder- A player who plays poker for a living. They’re grinding a living. Gut shot- When you have four cards to a straight, but you need one right in the middle to make it. High card- If players make it to a showdown with no pair, the pot is awarded to the player with the highest card. Hole cards- A players cards that are face down. Hooks- Term used for the texas hold em hand J-J. Horse- A game made of five different poker games. Texas hold em, omaha high low, razz, 7 card stud and 7 card stud high low (eight or better). Jammed up- A game with multiple players raising and re-raising all the way to a showdown. Kill pot- A game where if a player wins two pots in a row, betting limits double the next hand. The betting limit stays at that limit until another player wins the pot. King crab- Nickname for texas hold em hand, K-3. Lady’s- Nickname used for texas hold em hand Q-Q. Late position- The three seats counter-clockwise from the small blind. Lay down- Turn your cards into the dealer and forfeit chips in the pot. Commonly used poker vocabulary term. Lazy pineapple- Community card game played with three hole cards, two of the three are used to make a five card hand. Limit- Betting structure where players can bet a fixed amount of chips at any given time. Limp- Enter the pot without raising. Another term for calling. Lowball- Draw game played with five cards. Best hand is A-2-3-4-5, suits don’t count. Middle position- The seats in between early and late positions. Mixed game- A game where two or more different poker games are played. Montana banana- Nickname for the texas hold em hand, 9-2. It’s said that this hand will win a pot when bananas grow in Montana! (only cowboy's know this poker vocabulary phrase) Motown- Texas hold em hand J-5 (Jackson five). The Jackson five made many profitable records for the record company Motown. Muck/Muck pile- Muck means to give your cards to the dealer, this pile of cards is called the muck pile. No-limit- If a game is played with a no-limit betting structure, players can bet anywhere from one chip to all their chips on the table. (the) Nuts- The best possible hand that can be made. Omaha- A community card game where players get four hole cards of which they can only use two. Omaha high low- Same as omaha, but the high takes half the pot, and the low takes the other half. Open ended- A four card straight where you can catch a card on the top or bottom to make it. Over bet- A bet made that is bigger than the pot. Pat/stand pat- In draw games you’re pat if you do not discard any of your cards. Pineapple- Community card game where players get three hole cards and discard one before the flop. Position- Where you are at in the betting round (early, middle, late). Post- The action of putting your blinds in the pot. Pot limit- A betting structure where you can put any amount of chips in the pot up to the size of the pot. I.e. If there is $47 in the pot you can bet anywhere from $1-$47. Pot odds- Amount of chips in the pot versus the amount it costs to call. If there are 100 chips in the pot and it’s 20 to call, the pot odds are 5 to 1. Quads- Term for four of a kind. Rail- Area around a poker table. Rail bird- A person that is watching a poker game, but not participating. Raise- To enter the pot for an amount greater then the previous player put in. Ram & jam- When players raise and re-raise each other in a single betting round. Razz- A stud game played for low hands only. Red bird- In casino’s a chip worth $5 is called a red bird. River- What the fifth community card is called. Rock- A player that plays very few hands. Rockets- Another term for A-A! Rock Garden- A game where players are playing very few hands. Rolled up- A term used in 7 card stud when your first three cards are matching. Rounder- A player that makes a living playing poker. Going to games where the money is, making the rounds. Poker vocabulary word made popular by the poker movie staring Matt Damon. Royal flush- An ace high straight with cards of the same suit. A poker vocabulary term I hope you use same day, as you stack a huge pot! San Francisco- Nickname for the texas hold em hand 4-9, after San Francisco’s football team, the 49’ers. Scoop(er)- Term used in split pot games where one player wins both high and low. Set- Term used for three of a kind when you have a pair in your hole cards and you match it with another card on the flop. Shark- An aggressive player that seeks out weak players and takes their chips! Showdown- When betting is finished and players turn their cards face up on the table. Side pot- When one player has no chips left but other players do, their bets will be put in a separate pot. The all-in player cannot win the side pot. Singers- Nickname for the texas hold em hand 10-10. Single draw- A draw game with one drawing round. Small blind- An amount of chips put in the pot by the player next to the button. Usually half the amount of the big blind. Snowmen- Nickname for the hand 8-8. They look like snowmen if you use your imagination! Splash around- Carelessly throwing chips onto the poker table. Splash the pot- When you throw chips directly into the pot (big no-no in live games!). Split pot- A pot that gets divided amongst two or more players. Steel wheel- A five high straight flush. Straight- Five cards in numerical order. Straight flush- Five cards of the same suit in numerical order. String bet- A bet where a player puts chips in the pot, reaches back to their stack, grabs more chips and try’s to put them in the pot. Stud games- Any game played with each player having exposed cards. Suck out- When a player catches a card to beat you. This poker vocabulary makes you think of a giant dirt devel, sucking a players winning card out of the deck! Suit- A symbol on each card. Diamonds, hearts, clubs, or spades. Texas hold em- Community card game where players get two hole cards. Throw(ing) a party- When a player is basically giving their chips away. Tilt(ing)- A player who is acting on their emotions, this is sometimes coupled with poor play (the poker vocabulary term all players try to stay away from). Triple draw- A game played with three separate opportunities to discard. Trips- Three of a kind with matching cards on the flop and the other in your hole cards. Turn- The fourth card on the table in community card games. Under the gun- The position next to the dealer. One of the worst positions to play a hand from. Value bet- This bet is made when you think your opponent will call with a hand that is worse than yours. Walking sticks- Another term for the hand 7-7 (some poker vocabulary terms are very creative). Wheel- A five high straight, A-2-3-4-5. Wild card- A card that plays as whatever card you would want. Sometimes used to make only a straights and flushes. Yo-yo- A player who’s chip stack goes up and down, up and down, up an… you get the idea! I hope you understand poker vocabulary now! Good luck at the tables. |
