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All In - When you have no more money to
bet with, while in the middle of a hand, you go "All In" by
betting the remaining chips you have (Even if it doesn't "Call"
the previous bet in full). After you go All-In, the other players
who bet will
create a side-pot, in which you have no stake.
-
Ante - A small bet that everyone at the
table is required to pay before each hand (in games with an
ante). e.g. 7-card stud. Hold em uses Blinds instead of Ante's,
however in some tournaments, an ante from each player is
required after a certain time (Usually when blinds start getting
fairly big.).
-
Bankroll (Stash, Wad,
BR) - This is gambling
money, set aside specifically for wagering.
-
Bet - A wager by putting chips into the
pot, causing other players to Call, Raise, or Fold.
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Big Blind (BB) - Hold'em does not have
"Antes". Instead, a BB and SB are posted (consecutively) by the
two players to the left of the "Button". The Big Blind is
usually twice the amount of the Small Blind.
-
Bluff - Playing strong when you actually
have a weak hand, in the hopes that all other players will fold,
giving you the pot.
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Board - The playing table
-
Bracelet, The - The golden "Trophy" of
professional tournament players. Highly Prized.
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Bullets - A pair of Aces
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Bump (Bump it) - To Re-Raise
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Button - When there is a dedicated
dealer, a small plastic disc called the "dealer button" is used
to indicate who is effectively in the dealer position. After the
flop, the dealer is the last person to act in a round of
betting. The button is moved one player to the left, after each
hand. See also Position.
-
Buy - To "Buy a pot" means you wager so
much the other players are afraid to call, thus folding.
-
Call - To match a bet, without Raising
it.
-
Cap (Capped pot, Cap a bet) - In Limit
poker, the highest possible pot or bet.
-
Chase - To call a bet in the hopes of
making your hand. A player who "Chases" a lot depends on luck.
-
Check - When it is your turn and there
are no bets to call, you may check and pass your turn to the
next player without betting.
-
Check-Raise - A ploy to act as if you
have a weak hand, in the hopes that another player will bet so
that you may Raise, and up the pot with a second hand of
betting. This is an effective play in a limit game, to raise the
pot by capping the bet.
-
Chip(s) - Casino "Tokens", usually round
and of varying denominations. These are used to bet with, as
cash is rarely used on the gaming floor.
-
Community Cards - The five upturned cards
on the board. You use three of them to make a hand, in addition
to your two "Pocket" cards. (Unless "playing the board".)
-
Draw - On a
Draw... looking for a card to fill your hand.
-
Face Card - A Jack, Queen, King, or Ace.
Also known as Royals.
-
Fifth Street - This is the fifth and
final community card dealt. Also known as "River".
-
Fish - An inexperienced, weak player.
-
Flop - The first three community cards,
which are dealt face up on the board.
-
Flush - Five cards of the same suit
-
Fold - To discard your hand and forfeit
any bets made.
-
Four of a kind - Four cards of the same
rank. (i.e. 9999 or KKKK).
-
Fourth Street - The fourth community card
dealt on the board. Also known as the "Turn" card.
-
Freeroll - A tournament with no entry
fee. Many online casinos offer promotional freeroll tourneys
with cash prizes.
-
Full House (Full Boat)
- Three of a Kind + 1 pair - Beats all lower
hands, however a higher Full House will take the pot. (Picture
describes "(3) Aces full of (2) Kings" - which beats " (3) Kings
full of (2) Aces").
-
Heads Up - Playing another player 1 on 1.
-
High Card -
When no hands are made, the highest held card(s) win.
-
Hole Cards - These are your two "Pocket"
cards, dealt facedown so the other players can't see them.
-
Kicker - If two or more players have the
same hand, their second Hole card is the kicker. The player with
the highest Kicker card will win the pot.
-
Ladies - A pair of Queens
-
Limit Poker
-
Loose - A player who plays a majority of
hands and bets a lot. A Loose player depends on a lot of luck.
-
Muck - To fold or discard your cards
without showing them.
-
No Limit (NL)
-
Nuts, Nutz, Nut
-
Nut Straight -
Having the top straight.
-
Pair - Two cards that are paired. (88,
77, JJ, KK, 22, etc)
-
Pocket - These are your two "Hole" cards,
dealt facedown so the other players can't see them.
-
Pocket Pair - When your hole cards are
paired (i.e., JJ).
-
Pocket Rockets
(Bullets) - When you have a pair of
Aces in your pocket cards.
-
Position - Where you sit in relation to
the Button. Your position should have a LOT to do with how you
play a hand, as you are either "Behind the button" where you can
see what the other players are going play their hands, or to the
other extreme, in front of the button where you have to "set the
standard" and make your play before the others.
-
Preflop - The round of betting before the
Flop cards are dealt.
-
Quads - 4
of a kind (Poker hand)
-
Rainbow -
when the flop is all different suites
-
Raise - To Call a bet, then up the
stakes. (i. e., double the previous bet). To Re-raise just means
to Raise the previous raised bet.
-
Rake - When
the "House" takes a fixed amount of each pot as a fee. "Rake the
pot"
-
River - This is the fifth and final
community card dealt. Also known as "Fifth Street".
-
Rock - A player who folds anything but
the highest pocket cards, and bets minimally.
-
Rock Garden - A table of players who are
all playing like "Rocks".
-
Rounder - A Professional or Semi-pro
poker player who earns his/her living from cards.
-
Royal Flush (Royal Straight Flush)
- 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace (Top 5 cards) in the
same suit, any suit. A very rare hand, beats all others.
-
Semi-Bluff - Bluffing (Playing Strong)
when you don't really have a hand, but have a chance of drawing
out and getting the best hand by the time River is dealt.
-
Side Pot -
When a player is "All-In" a side pot is created for those
betting after.
-
Slow Play - Playing as if you do not hold
the highest hand, when you actually do, Checking or Calling
without Raising the pot, allowing the other players to put more
money in, without scaring them off.
-
Small Blind (SB) - Hold'em poker does not
have "Antes". Instead, a BB and SB are posted (consecutively) by
the two players to the left of the "Button". The Small Blind is
usually half the amount of the Big Blind.
-
Splash (As in "Splash the pot") -
To throw your bet in the pot, scattering the chips. This makes
it hard to count the actual bet and is considered BAD etiquette
in poker.
-
Straight - Five consecutive cards of any
suite. (i.e., A2345 or 45678)
-
Tell - An unconscious gesture that
reveals information about your hand.
-
Tight - A
person that plays only strong hands, bets minimally, and folds a
lot. See "Rock"
-
Tilt - A player "On Tilt" or "Tilted" is
somebody that is playing emotionally and losing a lot of hands.
-
Turn - The fourth community card. Also
known as "Fourth Street".
-
Upcard - Any card that is dealt up on the
table.
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WPT - World Poker Tour
-
WSOP - World Series of Poker
