Poker dictionary

Abbreviations used by poker players in chat rooms

Dictionary

Action — active bets (bet-raise-reraise)

All-in — betting all the money a player has. See also Disconnect protection

Ante — a forced bet, made by all players before deal (often used in Stud games)

Backdoor — a hand that requires two certain cards on the turn and on the river. For example, a player has three cards of the same suit on the flop, and if he catches another two cards of that suit on the turn and on the river, it is called a backdoor flush.

Bad beat — a situation, when a very strong hand gets beat by another player on the river.

Bad beat jackpot — some poker rooms offer jackpots in case of a bad beat, generally one has to lose with a hand not lower then Four of a Kind.

Bankroll — full amount of money, a player can afford to play for. Money on the player's poker room account makes his bankroll. In the broad sense, money that can be instantly put on player's account is also considered as a bankroll.

Bet — the act of placing money into the pot during the game, and it is also a bet itself.

Bet the pot — a bet that equals to the amount of the pot — in no limit and pot limit games, the amount of bet, starting from the flop is usually measured by the amount of the pot.

Bet for value — a bet, made to increase the pot, which is made against many opponents by a player, having not the best hand, when his odds to win the pot are higher than the part of the pot.

Big bet — in the two final rounds of the fixed-limit poker game the bets are twice bigger than on the previous rounds. These double bets are called big bets.

Big blind — In Texas hold 'em and Omaha it is required for the first two players to make blind bets. The second player as well as his bet, which is equal to one small bet, is called big blind.

Blinds — two players on the dealer's left and their forced bets, made before the cards are dealt.

Bluff — a bet, when your hand is likely to be weaker than your opponent's.

Bluffer — a player, who often bluffs

Board — cards set on the table

Bottom pair — Pair of the player's pocket card and the lowest card on the board.

Brick and mortar — real; used to speak about the real casino and poker rooms, in oppose to online and virtual ones.

Broadway — Straight from 10 to Ace

Broadway cards — cards from 10 to Ace

Busted — uncompleted draw

Button — small button, used to indicate the dealer; it is also said about this player, that he is sitting on the button.

Buy a free card — a trick, when player raises a bet at the last position on the flop, and then checks on the turn, if didn't catch the right card.

Call — if the player before you made a bet, to continue the game you need to match his bet.

Calling station — a player, who does not fold, but keeps calling till river. This type of player is weak and passive, the loosest one.

Cap — usually each round of betting has its limited amount of bets. If players make the maximum, it is said that they made a cap.

Cash game — regular single-table game, when a player can join or leave anytime.

Chase — a situation, when a player tries to draw with minimum outs.

Check — if no bets have been made before a player, he can continue the game without making a bet either.

Check-call — a player does not make a bet, but he calls if the bet is made after him.

Check-fold — check, when a player plans to fold after his opponent bets.

Check-raise — in one and the same betting round a player first checks and intends to make a raise, when a bet would be made after him. This trick is usually used against the player who had raised in previous round.

Chip — chips are used in poker to make bets.

Cold call — call in response to raise/reraise when a player hasn't yet bet in this round.

Collusion — when two or more players unite to play together against opponents..

Community cards — the cards the dealer puts on the board.

Complete — if no one raised, then a small blind makes half of the bet to complete his bet to the amount of big blind.

Connectors — two consecutive cards, that increase the probability to collect a straight.

Coordinated — flop or bord with a decent amount of the suited cards and/or connectors, which makes a high probability of flush or straight.

Counterfeited — an out is counterfeited, if a card you get makes a combination, but at the same time your opponents gets better one.

Crying call —when you realize that you will likely lose but still call at the river, because the chances of the pot sre very high.

Cut-off — the player, that sitts before the leader (on his right)

Dead money — the money put into the pot by the player that has already folded.

Dealer — the one that deals the cards. In the home game players usually become dealer in turn, casinos have a professional dealers, in online casinos the computer acts as a dealer, but players in turn are counted as dealers.

Dealer button — see 'button'.

Disconnect protection — a player, that has disconnected is counted to be going all-in on the money, he put before disconnection. Since the players can misuse the disconnect protection, the number of all-ins is limited and their use is being controlled.

Discount — decreasing of outs in a draw, in case these outs are counterfeited and there is a danger that you draw in vain

Dog — weak hand.

Domination — happens, when each of the two players has one matching card, but if the other card of one of them is stronger — he dominates, the player with a weaker card is called dominated. Domination is especially dangerous in case of aces.

Double belly buster — double inside straight, the player has an opportunity to finish two inside straights, which gives him the same chances, as in case of open ended straight

Double suited — two suited cards in Omaha

Draw — the combination that is weak, but has a potential to improve. The most frequently mentoned ones are — flush-draw (four cards till the flush) and straight-draw (four cards to straight).

Drawing dead — when a player will lose even if he draws a successful card, for example, a player draws a flush, when one of his opponents has already a full house.

Drop — the part of the pot, taken by a poker room for the organizing the game.

Early position — three players on the left of the big blind.

Expected value — an average amount of winning/ loss.

Fifth street — synonym of river the last round of betting.

Final Table — the last 10 players at the multi-tabling tournaments.

First in — the first player, that bets on this round of tournament.

Fish — weak player (usually loose and passive).

Fixed limit — limit poker.

Flop — the three cards put on the board and the following round of the betting.

Flush — one of the strongest poker hands — five cards of the same suit.

Flush draw — four cards of the same suit, that give a chance to collect a flush. If a player has three suited cards on flop, he can collect a backdoor flush.

Fold — To throw your hand away in respond to the opponent's bet.

Forced bet — a player, that has just joined the game, or returned to the game after a break has to make a compulsory bet (the same as the big blind)

Four of a kind — a very strong poker combination, four cards of the same rank.

Fourth street — a synonym of turn, round of betting next to last

Free card — if during a betting there were no bets, the next card is opened for free. Players with a draw in the last position often raise on the flop to make their opponents say 'check' on the turn, this allows them to get a free card.

Free roll — a tournament, that does not need any deposit, free to the player.

Full house — a strong oker combination, three cards of one rank and two of the other.

Full table — a game with 9 or 10 players.

Gap — cards that are required for the straight, it is also the gap between the pocket cards.

Gutshot straight — straight draw, which needs one certain card to be collected.

Hand ranks — list of the different hands according to their rank, from royal flush to the high card.

Heads up — a game between two players, when either the other players have fold or in one-on-one game.

High card — if a player hasn't colleted any combination, the strength of his hand is estimated according to the high card.

High limit — playing at high bets, beginning with $50/$100.

High-low — type of games, where the prize is divided between the highest and lowest hands.

Hole cards — the cards dealt face down to the player at Texas Holdem.

Implied odds — Pot odds adjusted for subsequent bets (bets on the next rounds of betting)

In position — means to be right after the opponent follow his actions.

Inside straight — the same as the Gutshot straight.

Isolation raise — to raise right after the player, who bets to make all the other players fold and to stay heads up

Kelly Criterion — in his article John Kelly proved, that a successful player needs to have a bankroll not less than 300 large bets, while the risks to lose all the money is minimal. Under this criterion you need to shift the limit — on higher or lower level, if you won or lost the amount required for the next limit.

Kicker — if the players have two matching pairs, sets or, four of the kind, wins the one that has a higher unpaired card, which is called kicker.

Last position — a player that is to bet in the last turn, on the right of small blind, remaining in a game.

Late position — button and the player, sitting before him.

Limit poker — betting amount, which can be made by each player in any round of betting, is fixed and determined by the limit of the board.

Limp — entering a game on the pre-flop by calling, without raising..

Loose — a player that plays too many hands; a game, that contains many loose players.

Loose aggressive — a characteristic of a player that plays many hands, bets a lot and keeps raising.

Loose passive — a characteristic of a player that plays many hands, goes till the river, calling the opponents' bets.

Low limit — limits from $1/$2 up to $5/$10.

Low pair — a pair, comprised of the player's pocket card and the weakest card of the board.

Maniac — loose aggressive player, plays almost all the deals, actively raises and reraises.

Micro limit — limits under $1/$2

Middle limit — limits from $10/$20 up to $50/$100.

Middle pair — a pair, comprised of the player's pocket card and the middle card on the board. It is also a pocket pair lower than the highest and higher than the lowest card of the flop.

Middle position — three players between early and late positions (sixth — eighth clockwise from the dealer).

Miss the blind — Being absent when the blind reaches a player. To prevent abuse, he will usually have to post a fee to get back in the game.

Miss the flop — when a flop didn't help a player, didn't bring him any playing hand or a strong draw.

Monster — a very strong and rare hand, which would be hardly bet by the opponents (usually beginning from full house and higher).

Move in — to put all the chips player has into the pot

Muck — 1. To fold, whithout opening the cards. 2. The pile of discards.

Negative expectation — a bet, that has a negative mathematical expectation, which a good player shouldn't make

No limit — an amount of bet, that a player can make at any round of betting, unlimited, any plauyer can goall-in.

Notes — players can make notes about their opponents in online soft.

Nut, nuts — the best possible combination on the particular board. The highest flush and straight are called nuts flush/straight.

Offsuit — cards of the different suit.

Omaha hold'em —Version of hold'em poker, it has two types — a regular high-low and 5 Cards Omaha.

One-on-one — a game of only two players.

Open — to make the first bet at the certain round of betting.

Open ended straight — four consecutive cards, give an opportunity to collect a straight with two cards.

Outs — cards, that help a player to improve to a better hand.

Overcall — a call over second, third etc. call after a bet or raise has already been made. One needs a very strong hand for the overcall.

Overcard — a pocket card, higher than the highest one on the board.

Overpair — a pocket pair, higher than the highest card on the board.

Overplaying — overestimating the strength of the hand, that leads to needless bets.

Pair — a weak poker combination, implying two cards of the same rank

Pass — synonym of 'check'.

Pat hand — a completed hand, pair or better.

Pocket pair — a pair, which a player gets on the pre-flop.

Poker face —absence of emotions, ability to keep a neutral look in any situation.

Position — lace where someone sits in relation to the dealer. Clockwise to dealer small blind and big blind, early, middle and late positions are distinguished.

Position bet — a bet, made by the last player, when everyone before him has said 'check'.

Positive expectation — a bet, that has a positive mathematical expectation.

Pot — the pile of chips in the middle of the table, which are the bets of the players.

Pot committed — a player has already made quite many bets, invested into the pot, that makes it difficult for him to fold, even if his chances to win are minimal.

Pot equity — a part of the pot (either money or chips), which you intend to win (a mathematical expectation is meant, depending from the probability of winning a pot.

Pot limit — an amount of bet, which a player can make at any round of betting, it is pot limited (including bets, made by a player at the current round of betting).

Pot odds — ratio of the size of a pot to the size of a bet, that is to be made by a player.

Preflop — an initial dealing of cards and the following round of betting.

Proposition player — a player paid by a poker-room for his playing. Proposition players are usually recruited by new poker rooms.

Protection bet — betting a hand that is strong but vulnerable, intending to protect his hand, preventing opponents from a free card, making them pay for the draw.

Push — in case players have an absolute equality of hands, they divide the pot between each other.

Quads — see 'Four of a kind'.

Rags — cards beginning from nine and lower.

Rainbow — 1. A flop of three different suits. 2. A board on the river with no more than two cards of any suit.

Raise — increase a bet that has been made by the previous player.

Rake — part of the pot, that is taken by a poker room for providing the game.

Read — an ability to define current hands of the players.

Reads — the information about the opponent's style of playing, helps to read his hands.

Rebuy — additional opportunity to buy chips, provided at some tournaments.

Represent — to play as if you have a certain hand. For example, getting a free card on the double flop or betting on the river, when the third suited card comes — shows the river.

Reraise — second raise, is also called 3-bet.

Ring game — regular poker game at a short or long table, not a tournament and not a one-on-one game.

River — the fifth card on the board, and the following last round of betting.

Rock — slang definition of a very tight player.

Round — 1. a round of betting between streets, 2. dealing of cards

Rounder — professional or half professional poker player. By the way, we recommend you to watch «Rounders» with Damon and Malkovitch.

Royal flush — the highest combination in poker, five suited cards up to ace.

Runner-runner — combinations, that require two certain cards on turn or river. Synonym of 'Backdoor'.

Satellite — not expensive tournament, that has a participation in a larger tournament. as a prize

Scare card — a card of the board that would enble the player to collect a strong combination. For example, when the third suited card, ace or forth card to straight come.

Second nut — the second theoretically possible combination at the board.

Semi-bluff — active playing with a weak hand, intending to take the pot before opening, but in this case the situation has chances to improve. Semi-bluff is usually used, when a player has a good draw.

Session — game session, the time period from joining the game till leaving the table.

Set — a strong poker combination, implies three cards of the same rank, collected from the pocket pair and the card on the board.

Shark — a good player (eats small fish — weak players)

Short handed — a game, when the number of players is less then nine. Poker rooms usually offer short-handed tables for 5 of six players.

Short stacked — playing with a very small stack, which will be not enough to make bets till river, the player will have to go all-in earlier.

Showdown — at the end of betting on river, the players open their cards and appoint a winner. In online poker only winning hand is shown, it is ok not to show the rest of the hands.

Side pot — If one of the players goes all in, but the opponents keep building the pot, then a second side pot is created, where go the bets made after the matching of that all-in.

Slow playing — a passive slow playing the strong hand (check or call), intending to keep as many players in the pot as possible and collect more money.

Sit-n-go — one-table tournaments without a definite time of the beginning, as soon as the players gather — they begin. Generally, these one-table tournaments are either full, short or one-to-one, but there can be two or three table tournaments.

Small bet — In limit poker in two initial betting rounds, the bets are twice smaller than on the following betting rounds. These bets are called small ones. The amount of the small bet is first indicated on the board limit.

Small blind — it's required in Holdem and Omaha for the first two players to make bets 'blindly'. 'Small blind' is the first player and his bet, which is half of the amount of the small bet.

Split the pot — if two or more players have absolutely the same combinations, they split the pot on equal parts between each other.

Spread limit — rare type of game, where the amount of bet, a player can make at any betting round, is limited from the top and the bottom with certain limits

Stack — 1. all the chips the player has for the game, 2. heap of chips.

Standard deviation — statistical term, measuring the spread of the factual results from average (mathematical expectation).

Steal the blinds — raising from late position, when there haven't been any bets in order to fold the blinds, and eventually take the pot on the pre-flop (or repeat a bet and take the pot on the flop).

Straight — a strong poker hand, five sequential cards.

Straight draw — four cards that for the straight, give an opportunity of collecting a straight.

Straight flush — second strongest combination, implies five consequent suited cards

Street — (do not mess with 'straight') a betting round, turn and river are sometimes called 4th and 5th streets.

Strong — characteristic of a good player.

Suited — cards of the same suit

Table image — the impression a player makes on the other players.

Tell — involuntary act, that allows an experienced player to indicate the opponent's cards. In online game the delay in actions serves as tell.

Texas hold'em — Texas Holdem, the most popular poker game.

Three bet — the same as 'reraise'

Three-of-a-kind — quite a strong poker combination, three cards of the same rank.

Tight — a player, playing only the best cards on pre-flop, has a low percentage of dealing.

Tight aggressive — a player, playing the best cards, he bets and raises aggressively. Usually tight aggressive players are the strongest ones.

Tight passive — a player, playing the best cards, but passively — seldom raises, often calls. On the low limits this type of player can be positive.

Tilt — lose of self-control, usually corresponded with the lose-aggressiveness. Usually comes as a result of losing to loose players at the current session.

Top — the highest hand.

Top kicker — the highest kicker at the opening on the equal combination.

Top pair — the same as the highest pair.

Tournament — the players pay a tournament deposit and get an equal amount of chips and play knock-out game, until only one player remains. The prize fund, made of the players' deposits, is usually spread between 10-30% of participants, that were the last to leave the game.

Trips — three cards of the same rank, note that the pair on the board is connected with a pocket card of a player.

Turn — the fourth community card and the following bettin round.

Two pair — a low poker combination, two cards of the same rank and two cards of the other.

Under the gun — the first player in an early position, sitting right after the big blind.

Under pair — a pair, which is lower than the weakest community card.

Wait for the blind — if you just joined, you wait until the big blind reaches you (not taking part in the game), thus avoiding an extra bet.

Weak — a characteristic of a bad player.

Wheel — A2345 straight.