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poker terms
I thought some of you might be able to use these
Action: Betting. If someone says “there has been action” then they are saying that there has been at least one bet in the hand. Also, the player whose turn it is to act is said to have the action. “The action is on you Paul.”
Add-on: At the end of the re-buy period in a poker tournament, there will be one final opportunity to add-on. That is to say, one final opportunity to purchase a set amount of tournament chips for a set amount of money.
All-in: When a player puts the last of his money in the pot he is said to be all-in. The all-in player is not eligible to win money in excess to what they have placed in the pot themselves. So, if Albert, Bob, and Paul start the hand with $50, $50 and $10 respectively then the most that Paul could finish with is $30 (his own $10 plus $10 from each of Albert and Bob).
Ante: A forced bet. Each player posts an ante. The combined antes make up the pot prior to the first betting round.
Bicycle: The same as a bike. A straight to the 5 (5-4-3-2-A).
Big-bet: In a fixed limit poker game, the larger of the two bets. In $10-20 hold’em the big bet is $20.
Bike: A straight to the five (5-4-3-2-A).
Blind: A forced bet. In hold’em there is usually a small-blind to the immediate left of the button and a big-blind immediately to the left of the small-blind. They generally replace an ante and define the betting for the first round of betting in hold’em. A player can make an unforced blind bet. You will frequently hear players say “I check blind” meaning that they are checking before they see the next card or cards (be it the flop, turn, 6th street or whatever).
Bluff: A bet with a hand that you do not believe is the best hand. When you bluff you are hoping that all of your opponents will fold and you will be awarded the pot since you are the sole remaining player.
Board: Either the community cards in hold’em or the up cards of a single player in 7-Stud. If a player “plays the board” in hold’em that means his poker hand consists of the five community cards and neither of his hole cards.
Broadway: A straight to the ace (A-K-Q-J-T).
Brush: The house staff person who is taking care of the seating list. He will ensure that games are filled in an orderly fashion. In small cardrooms the brush, chip runner and floorperson positions are often filled be a single person.
Button: An object on the table (usually a plastic disk) marking which player is the “dealer.“ The button acts last and is therefore the most powerful desirable seat to be in since you will have position on all of your opponents throughout the hand.
Buy-in: The minimum amount of money that one must put up as their table stake to be allowed to play. Frequently it is ten times the small bet. In a $10-20 hold’em game the buy-in will be $100. In a poker tournament it is the amount of money that you must put up to play. The main event at the World Series of Poker boasts a buy-in of $10,000.
Call: To equal the amount of the previous bet.
Cap: To put in the final bet. In a hold’em game with a maximum of three raises then the player who puts in the final raise “caps it.”
Cards speak: The best hand will be awarded the pot. You do not need to declare your hand, your cards speak. The dealer will figure out who has the best hand.
Check: To pass the action to the next player without putting any money in the pot. This option is only available where you are the first to act, or where there has not yet been a bet.
Chip runner: The house staff person who will get chips for a seated player.
Dealer: The staff member who is dealing the cards and running the game. In hold’em the player with the button might also be called the dealer.
Doorcard: In 7-Stud a players first faceup card is his doorcard.
Draw: The hand you are hoping to develop. If you have a flush draw then you do not yet have a flush, but there are more cards to come and you might still get your flush. You are “drawing” for a flush.
Fifth street: In hold’em it is the fifth and final community card (the river). In 7-stud is the fifth card (the third faceup card).
Fixed limit: A betting structure in which all bets and raises are at the fixed amount. So, in $5-$10 hold’em the first two betting rounds feature bets and raises of $5 and last two betting rounds bets and raises as $10. You cannot bet $4 or $9. Betting is “fixed.“
Flop: In hold’em there are five community cards. The first three cards are turned faceup at the same time. These three cards are the flop.
Flush: A poker hand consisting of five cards from the same suit.
Fold: To discard your hand. If you fold you have no chance of being awarded the pot.
Forced bet: A bet which must be made. In hold’em the big blind and small blind are forced bet. In 7-stud the player with the smallest door card must make a forced bet to start the action.
Full house: A poker hand consisting of a three of a kind and a pair.
Gutshot: A straight draw in which there is a specific card required to make the straight. For example, 9-8-6-5 and A-K-Q-J and both gutshots. There is one card needed for a straight, namely a seven in the first case and a ten in the second case.
Hand: A hand of poker is used to refer to the play of everything from the dealing of the cards to the awarding of the pot. In 7-std
Heads-up: A hand with only two players remaining. In many cardrooms, once a pot becomes heads-up there is no limit on raises.
Hold’em: The usual, although shortened name for “Texas hold’em.“ A form of poker in which each player makes a five card poker hand by combing his two pocket cards with five community cards in the centre of the table.
Hole cards: Your first two cards in 7-stud. It can also be your first two cards in hold’em, but generally 7-stud uses the term “hole” and hold’em uses the term “pocket.”
House: The casino or cardroom. It refers to the location and staff. The brush, chip runner, dealer and floorperson are the house staff.
Inside straight: Same as a gutshot.
Jackpot: Many cardrooms offer a bad beat jackpot. When a particular set of criterion are met then the jackpot is paid. A hold’em jackpot might have the following criterion: Aces full of jack must lose and both players must use both their hole cards.
Kicker: The card in your hand that will be used to break a tie. It is a common event in hold’em. If one player holds A-K and the other player A-J then first player will win because his king is a “bigger kicker.”
Kill: In a “kill” game when one player wins two pots in a row then the betting limit for the next hand will be increased. “The kill is on.” In a $10-20 hold’em game, if there is a “half-kill” then when one player wins two pots in a row the game will be $15-30 for the next hand. If there is a “full-kill” then the game will be $20-40 for the next hand.
Limit poker: A betting structure in which there is a strict limit on the amount you can bet. Limit poker can be played fixed limit or spread limit.
Main pot: At the beginning of a hand all players are eligible to win the main pot. If a player runs out of money and goes all-in then he will remain eligible for the main pot and the other players will be contesting the main pot and the side pot.
Muck: The pile of cards made up of the discards. If you fold, you “muck” which is too say you put your cards with the discards.
No-limit: A betting structure in which the only limit on the amount a player can bet is the amount of money he has as part of his table stake. No-limit and pot-limit are sometimes referred to as “big bet poker.”
Open: It is the first bet. If you make the first bet, you “open” the betting.
Open-end straight draw: A straight draw in which either one of two cards will complete the straight. For example, 8-7-6-5 is an open-end straight draw since either a nine or a four will make a straight.
Option: In hold’em the big blind can raise even if no other player has. He has the “option” of raising. This is the only time when a player may bet (post the big blind in this case), get called and then still put in a raise.
Over button: In some games players can take an over button. Then, if only players with over buttons remain in the pot the game switches to the agreed higher betting limit. Suppose you are in a $10-20 hold’em game. Six players have over buttons and four do not. If all four of the players without over buttons drop out, then the six remaining players will switch to $20-40 for the remainder of that hand.
Pair: Two cards of the same rank. When combined with three other non-matching cards it is the five card poker hand “one pair.”
Pocket: Your face down cards. In hold’em and 7-stud they are the first two cards dealt to you. In 7-stud it is more common to refer to your face down cards your “hole.”
Position: Your place in the order of betting. You are said to “have position” on your opponent if you act after him.
Post: To place your small blind or big blind bet in hold’em. Usually in hold’em if you are a new player in the game you will be made to post a big blind. You can wait until it is your natural turn to post the big blind or you may post it early to get in the game for the current hand.
Pot: The money that has been contributed, through betting, by all the players. The pot is awarded to the player who remains “in the pot” and has the best hand at the showdown. If only one player remains then there is no showdown and the sole remaining player is awarded the pot.
Pot-limit: A betting structure in which a bet or raise may be up to the amount of the pot. For example, if the pot is $2 then Paul can bet $2. Larry can then raise to $8 (he calls the $2 and raises the amount of the pot which is now $6). Paul could re-raise to $28 ($8 plus the $20 in the pot) and Larry could re-re-raise to $96 ($28 plus the $68 in the pot). No-limit and pot-limit are sometimes referred to as “big bet poker.”
Pot odds: That ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of the bet you must call. If there is $100 in the pot and you must call $10 then your pot odds are 10 to 1.
Pre-Flop: In hold’em, everything that occurs prior to the flop being placed by the dealer.
Raise: To raise the bet from its current level. Raising is not an option until the betting has been opened. In a $6-12 7-stud game with a three-raise maximum you could pay $24 in a $6 betting round. Opening bet $6, one raise to $12, two raises to $18, and three raises to $24.
Rake: The money that the house takes from the game. At low limits the rake is usually taken every hand and typically as a percentage to a maximum. For example, the house might take 10 percent to a maximum of $3. If the pot get to $30 then the house will get $3, but any money that goes into the pot after that will not be “raked.”
Re-buy: When poker tournaments allow players to buy more chips after the start, those chips purchases are called re-buys. They will only be allowed for a set amount of time. A poker tournament without re-buys is called a freeze out.
Re-raise: Any raise after the first raise. Paul bets $10, Larry raises to $20, and Steven re-raises to $30.
River: The final card. In hold’em it is the fifth card on the board. In 7-stud it is the 7th card received by a player.
Royal flush: A poker hand consisting of A-K-Q-J-T all of the same suit
Runner-runner: A hand that is made by drawing two required cards one after another. In hold’em, if Paul has A-K and the flop is T-7-2 then he will get a runner-runner straight if the turn is a Q and the river is a J.
Scare card: A card which looks likely to have improved your opponent’s hand.
Showdown: Starting with the last player to open or raise, player turn their hands face up. The dealer awards the pot to the winner of the showdown which is to say, the player with the highest ranking poker hand.
Shuffle: At the start of each hand, the dealer mixes (shuffles) the order of the cards.
Spread-limit: A betting structure in which the play may choose the amount of the bet between the minimum and maximum. In spread-limit $2-10 7-Stud the opener can choose to bet as little as $2, as much as $10 or any whole dollar amount in between. Raises, however, must at least match the previous bet. If Paul opens with $5 then Larry cannot raise by $2 to $7. Larry must raise by at least $5 and as much as $10.
Starting hand: The cards you hold before the first betting round. In hold’em your starting hand is your pocket cards and in 7-stud you starting hand is your holecards plus your doorcard.
Straight: A poker hand consisting of five cards of consecutive rank. For example, 8-7-6-5-4.
Straight flush: A straight in which the cards are also from the same suit.
Table stakes: A player may only bet or call with money he has on the table at the beginning of the hand. Nor are you allowed to remove any money from the table until you quit the game entirely.
Tell: A conscious or unconscious act which provides a clue as to the nature and quality of a player’s hand.
Texas hold'em: Usually called just “hold’em.” A form of poker in which each player makes a five card poker hand by combing his two pocket cards with five community cards in the centre of the table.
Three of a Kind: A poker hand consisting of three cards of identical rank.
Two Pair: A poker hand consisting of two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. For example A-A-9-9 is two pair (often referred to by the higher pair as “aces up”).
Wheel: Same as a bike. A straight to the five (5-4-3-2-A).
Wild Card: A card which can be used as any other card to make you hand. If jack are wild then J-7-6-5-4 would be a straight to the eight (the J acts as an eight).
Action: Betting. If someone says “there has been action” then they are saying that there has been at least one bet in the hand. Also, the player whose turn it is to act is said to have the action. “The action is on you Paul.”
Add-on: At the end of the re-buy period in a poker tournament, there will be one final opportunity to add-on. That is to say, one final opportunity to purchase a set amount of tournament chips for a set amount of money.
All-in: When a player puts the last of his money in the pot he is said to be all-in. The all-in player is not eligible to win money in excess to what they have placed in the pot themselves. So, if Albert, Bob, and Paul start the hand with $50, $50 and $10 respectively then the most that Paul could finish with is $30 (his own $10 plus $10 from each of Albert and Bob).
Ante: A forced bet. Each player posts an ante. The combined antes make up the pot prior to the first betting round.
Bicycle: The same as a bike. A straight to the 5 (5-4-3-2-A).
Big-bet: In a fixed limit poker game, the larger of the two bets. In $10-20 hold’em the big bet is $20.
Bike: A straight to the five (5-4-3-2-A).
Blind: A forced bet. In hold’em there is usually a small-blind to the immediate left of the button and a big-blind immediately to the left of the small-blind. They generally replace an ante and define the betting for the first round of betting in hold’em. A player can make an unforced blind bet. You will frequently hear players say “I check blind” meaning that they are checking before they see the next card or cards (be it the flop, turn, 6th street or whatever).
Bluff: A bet with a hand that you do not believe is the best hand. When you bluff you are hoping that all of your opponents will fold and you will be awarded the pot since you are the sole remaining player.
Board: Either the community cards in hold’em or the up cards of a single player in 7-Stud. If a player “plays the board” in hold’em that means his poker hand consists of the five community cards and neither of his hole cards.
Broadway: A straight to the ace (A-K-Q-J-T).
Brush: The house staff person who is taking care of the seating list. He will ensure that games are filled in an orderly fashion. In small cardrooms the brush, chip runner and floorperson positions are often filled be a single person.
Button: An object on the table (usually a plastic disk) marking which player is the “dealer.“ The button acts last and is therefore the most powerful desirable seat to be in since you will have position on all of your opponents throughout the hand.
Buy-in: The minimum amount of money that one must put up as their table stake to be allowed to play. Frequently it is ten times the small bet. In a $10-20 hold’em game the buy-in will be $100. In a poker tournament it is the amount of money that you must put up to play. The main event at the World Series of Poker boasts a buy-in of $10,000.
Call: To equal the amount of the previous bet.
Cap: To put in the final bet. In a hold’em game with a maximum of three raises then the player who puts in the final raise “caps it.”
Cards speak: The best hand will be awarded the pot. You do not need to declare your hand, your cards speak. The dealer will figure out who has the best hand.
Check: To pass the action to the next player without putting any money in the pot. This option is only available where you are the first to act, or where there has not yet been a bet.
Chip runner: The house staff person who will get chips for a seated player.
Dealer: The staff member who is dealing the cards and running the game. In hold’em the player with the button might also be called the dealer.
Doorcard: In 7-Stud a players first faceup card is his doorcard.
Draw: The hand you are hoping to develop. If you have a flush draw then you do not yet have a flush, but there are more cards to come and you might still get your flush. You are “drawing” for a flush.
Fifth street: In hold’em it is the fifth and final community card (the river). In 7-stud is the fifth card (the third faceup card).
Fixed limit: A betting structure in which all bets and raises are at the fixed amount. So, in $5-$10 hold’em the first two betting rounds feature bets and raises of $5 and last two betting rounds bets and raises as $10. You cannot bet $4 or $9. Betting is “fixed.“
Flop: In hold’em there are five community cards. The first three cards are turned faceup at the same time. These three cards are the flop.
Flush: A poker hand consisting of five cards from the same suit.
Fold: To discard your hand. If you fold you have no chance of being awarded the pot.
Forced bet: A bet which must be made. In hold’em the big blind and small blind are forced bet. In 7-stud the player with the smallest door card must make a forced bet to start the action.
Full house: A poker hand consisting of a three of a kind and a pair.
Gutshot: A straight draw in which there is a specific card required to make the straight. For example, 9-8-6-5 and A-K-Q-J and both gutshots. There is one card needed for a straight, namely a seven in the first case and a ten in the second case.
Hand: A hand of poker is used to refer to the play of everything from the dealing of the cards to the awarding of the pot. In 7-std
Heads-up: A hand with only two players remaining. In many cardrooms, once a pot becomes heads-up there is no limit on raises.
Hold’em: The usual, although shortened name for “Texas hold’em.“ A form of poker in which each player makes a five card poker hand by combing his two pocket cards with five community cards in the centre of the table.
Hole cards: Your first two cards in 7-stud. It can also be your first two cards in hold’em, but generally 7-stud uses the term “hole” and hold’em uses the term “pocket.”
House: The casino or cardroom. It refers to the location and staff. The brush, chip runner, dealer and floorperson are the house staff.
Inside straight: Same as a gutshot.
Jackpot: Many cardrooms offer a bad beat jackpot. When a particular set of criterion are met then the jackpot is paid. A hold’em jackpot might have the following criterion: Aces full of jack must lose and both players must use both their hole cards.
Kicker: The card in your hand that will be used to break a tie. It is a common event in hold’em. If one player holds A-K and the other player A-J then first player will win because his king is a “bigger kicker.”
Kill: In a “kill” game when one player wins two pots in a row then the betting limit for the next hand will be increased. “The kill is on.” In a $10-20 hold’em game, if there is a “half-kill” then when one player wins two pots in a row the game will be $15-30 for the next hand. If there is a “full-kill” then the game will be $20-40 for the next hand.
Limit poker: A betting structure in which there is a strict limit on the amount you can bet. Limit poker can be played fixed limit or spread limit.
Main pot: At the beginning of a hand all players are eligible to win the main pot. If a player runs out of money and goes all-in then he will remain eligible for the main pot and the other players will be contesting the main pot and the side pot.
Muck: The pile of cards made up of the discards. If you fold, you “muck” which is too say you put your cards with the discards.
No-limit: A betting structure in which the only limit on the amount a player can bet is the amount of money he has as part of his table stake. No-limit and pot-limit are sometimes referred to as “big bet poker.”
Open: It is the first bet. If you make the first bet, you “open” the betting.
Open-end straight draw: A straight draw in which either one of two cards will complete the straight. For example, 8-7-6-5 is an open-end straight draw since either a nine or a four will make a straight.
Option: In hold’em the big blind can raise even if no other player has. He has the “option” of raising. This is the only time when a player may bet (post the big blind in this case), get called and then still put in a raise.
Over button: In some games players can take an over button. Then, if only players with over buttons remain in the pot the game switches to the agreed higher betting limit. Suppose you are in a $10-20 hold’em game. Six players have over buttons and four do not. If all four of the players without over buttons drop out, then the six remaining players will switch to $20-40 for the remainder of that hand.
Pair: Two cards of the same rank. When combined with three other non-matching cards it is the five card poker hand “one pair.”
Pocket: Your face down cards. In hold’em and 7-stud they are the first two cards dealt to you. In 7-stud it is more common to refer to your face down cards your “hole.”
Position: Your place in the order of betting. You are said to “have position” on your opponent if you act after him.
Post: To place your small blind or big blind bet in hold’em. Usually in hold’em if you are a new player in the game you will be made to post a big blind. You can wait until it is your natural turn to post the big blind or you may post it early to get in the game for the current hand.
Pot: The money that has been contributed, through betting, by all the players. The pot is awarded to the player who remains “in the pot” and has the best hand at the showdown. If only one player remains then there is no showdown and the sole remaining player is awarded the pot.
Pot-limit: A betting structure in which a bet or raise may be up to the amount of the pot. For example, if the pot is $2 then Paul can bet $2. Larry can then raise to $8 (he calls the $2 and raises the amount of the pot which is now $6). Paul could re-raise to $28 ($8 plus the $20 in the pot) and Larry could re-re-raise to $96 ($28 plus the $68 in the pot). No-limit and pot-limit are sometimes referred to as “big bet poker.”
Pot odds: That ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of the bet you must call. If there is $100 in the pot and you must call $10 then your pot odds are 10 to 1.
Pre-Flop: In hold’em, everything that occurs prior to the flop being placed by the dealer.
Raise: To raise the bet from its current level. Raising is not an option until the betting has been opened. In a $6-12 7-stud game with a three-raise maximum you could pay $24 in a $6 betting round. Opening bet $6, one raise to $12, two raises to $18, and three raises to $24.
Rake: The money that the house takes from the game. At low limits the rake is usually taken every hand and typically as a percentage to a maximum. For example, the house might take 10 percent to a maximum of $3. If the pot get to $30 then the house will get $3, but any money that goes into the pot after that will not be “raked.”
Re-buy: When poker tournaments allow players to buy more chips after the start, those chips purchases are called re-buys. They will only be allowed for a set amount of time. A poker tournament without re-buys is called a freeze out.
Re-raise: Any raise after the first raise. Paul bets $10, Larry raises to $20, and Steven re-raises to $30.
River: The final card. In hold’em it is the fifth card on the board. In 7-stud it is the 7th card received by a player.
Royal flush: A poker hand consisting of A-K-Q-J-T all of the same suit
Runner-runner: A hand that is made by drawing two required cards one after another. In hold’em, if Paul has A-K and the flop is T-7-2 then he will get a runner-runner straight if the turn is a Q and the river is a J.
Scare card: A card which looks likely to have improved your opponent’s hand.
Showdown: Starting with the last player to open or raise, player turn their hands face up. The dealer awards the pot to the winner of the showdown which is to say, the player with the highest ranking poker hand.
Shuffle: At the start of each hand, the dealer mixes (shuffles) the order of the cards.
Spread-limit: A betting structure in which the play may choose the amount of the bet between the minimum and maximum. In spread-limit $2-10 7-Stud the opener can choose to bet as little as $2, as much as $10 or any whole dollar amount in between. Raises, however, must at least match the previous bet. If Paul opens with $5 then Larry cannot raise by $2 to $7. Larry must raise by at least $5 and as much as $10.
Starting hand: The cards you hold before the first betting round. In hold’em your starting hand is your pocket cards and in 7-stud you starting hand is your holecards plus your doorcard.
Straight: A poker hand consisting of five cards of consecutive rank. For example, 8-7-6-5-4.
Straight flush: A straight in which the cards are also from the same suit.
Table stakes: A player may only bet or call with money he has on the table at the beginning of the hand. Nor are you allowed to remove any money from the table until you quit the game entirely.
Tell: A conscious or unconscious act which provides a clue as to the nature and quality of a player’s hand.
Texas hold'em: Usually called just “hold’em.” A form of poker in which each player makes a five card poker hand by combing his two pocket cards with five community cards in the centre of the table.
Three of a Kind: A poker hand consisting of three cards of identical rank.
Two Pair: A poker hand consisting of two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. For example A-A-9-9 is two pair (often referred to by the higher pair as “aces up”).
Wheel: Same as a bike. A straight to the five (5-4-3-2-A).
Wild Card: A card which can be used as any other card to make you hand. If jack are wild then J-7-6-5-4 would be a straight to the eight (the J acts as an eight).
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