Poker Term Definitions

This is a partial list of common poker terms.  You may hear these terms thrown around a home game, charity tournaments, and even on the televised big money tournaments. 

Ace - X Suited: An ace and another card of the same suit - A-5 or A-J.

Action: Loose betting or gambling.

Advertise: Making loose plays with the intent of making the table think you are a loose player, thus inducing extra action from the table later in the game

.All-In: Moving all of your chips into the pot

.All-In Protection: The concept that you cannot be bet out of or eliminated from a pot just because you run out of money on the table.  For example, if the pot has $100 in it and you only have $75 left, you may call that portion of your opponent's $200 bet by putting all $75 of your chips in the pot.  If you win the pot, you win the original $100 plus $75 of your opponent's $200 bet.

American Airlines: Pocket Aces, A-A.

Backdoor: Catching two cards in a row to make a particular hand.

Bad Beat: Unlucky turn of events, usually on the river, that causes you to lose a had.

Bankroll: Amount of money that you are willing to risk on poker.

Belly Buster: Straight draw in which only one card will complete your had, also called an "inside straight draw".

Bet | Betting out| Betting into: To initiate the betting after a new card is dealt.  When no one has bet in front of you, on your turn to act you may bet or check

Betting Round: Betting that occurs from the time a new card is dealt until the action is complete.

Bettor: Player who first voluntarily puts money into the pot

Big Blind: Blind that is two to the left of the button.  The big blind always costs one betting unit.

Big Money Streets: In limit poker, the betting rounds in which the bets are doubled.

Blank: Card that doesn't help your hand.

Blind: Money posted directly to the left of the button, before the cards are dealt.  There are two blinds, and the small blind is generally half the size of the big blind.

Bluff: Bet that conveys to others that you have a stronger hand than you actually have.

Board: Face-up cards.

Boat: Full house.

Broadway: Ace-high straight.

Broke: To be out of money, to run out of chips in a poker tournament.

Bubble: Last non-paying spot in a tournament.

Building a Pot: Raising in order to increase the amount of money in the pot

.Busted: See Broke

Button: Physical and symbolic designation of the person who is "dealing" and therefore last to act in the betting rounds.

Buy Another Card: Call a bet to see the next card dealt.

Buy-In: Amount of money you start playing with in a game, or the amount it costs to enter a tournament.

Call: To match another player's bet.

Calling Someone Down: Calling all of another player's bets, because you believe that you have a better hand.

Calling Station: Someone who calls other players too often.

Cashed: Placed in the money in a poker tournament.

Catching a Card: Having a card come that was one of hte cards needed to win a pot.

Chasing: Constantly trying to hit the long shots.

Check: Not to bet.  When no other players have bet, you also have the option not to bet without folding your hand

Check-Raise: To check and then raise within one betting round.  You may check initially and then when it is your turn to act again, raise someone else's bet.

Chip, a Chair and a Prayer: A phrase used when someone has only a couple of chips left in a tournament.

Cold: Used to describe a situation in which the game seems to b going poorly and you haven't been winning many pots over the period of at least an hour.

Cold Call: Calling three or four bets without having invested any money previously in the pot.

Community Card: Card that may be used by each player  at the table.

Cowboys: A pair of Kings

Dead: See Drawing Dead

Deal: Passing out the cards to the players and board throughout the entire hand

Down Cards: A players private hole cards, which are dealt facedown and which only he can see.

Draw: Situation in which a player needs one card to complete a poker hand.

Drawing Dead: Used to describe a situation in which a player cannot win the hand, regardless of what cards come up.

Drawing Hand: See Draw.

Dry Aces: A pair of aces with no other draws.

Ducks: Pocket deuces, 2-2.

Dump: Fold.

Eagle: World-class poker player.

Early Position: One of the three positions to the immediate left of the big blind.

Elephant: Player who plays too many hands and calls too many bets.

Endgame: Strategy pertaining to the last five players or fewer left in a poker tournament

Even-money Pot: Used to describe a situation in which a player's chance of winning the pot is roughly 50%.