Like any other sub-culture, the poker world has many bits of unique slang. Many of the poker world's memes are derived from other general internet culture trends. Communities such as 4chan oddly enough tend to lead the way in the memes of today's internet and, like any other online community, online poker players have picked up on those memes and made them their own. We don't claim that every bit of poker slang is only poker-specific. That is definitely not the case. But some (such as, say, swongs) are completely poker-specific. Invented by a poker player, used on a poker forum and sustained by the poker community. There are countless terms similarly qualifying as poker-only slang.

• What Do Poker Terms Mean
• Poker Terms And Phrases

So why is this page here? Obviously, a Poker Terms reader could simply browse their way through the site and find all of the terms that are listed here. The problem is, there are many terms that simple don't interest those who are simply wondering about poker slang and how they can learn as much as they can as quickly as possible. For instance, terms like iMEGA and Doyle Brunson are not considered to be poker slang -- but they both have their own pages on Poker Terms.

Without further ado, here is a list of the poker slang (304 terms found) that is currently in the Poker Terms database, ordered alphabetically:

1. Poker Slang Terms. Poker is a fascinating game which almost seems to have it’s own language. If you spend any time in a poker room, you’ll hear dozens of phrases and terms with no idea what people are on about. In this article, we will provide an A to Z on the most common poker slang terms.
2. This is a different type of poker strategy article because it focuses on poker terms and phrases for Texas Hold’em poker tournaments, but don’t undervalue the article for that reason. Despite the article not focusing on direct poker strategy, it will impact your mindset, and poker mindset is the #1 factor.

Poker terms and phrases used at the poker table, including poker glossary definitions explained in detail to improve your understanding of the game. Poker Terms and Definitions. Action (1) Opportunity to act. If a player appears not to realize it's their turn, the dealer will say 'Your action.' (2) Bets and raises.

3Bet

A 3Bet is when a player makes a raise against the first raiser in a hand. (read more)

4Bet

The term 4Bet refers to the act of making a re-raise raise against a player that 3Bet. (read more)

6max

6max is a slang term used for any poker game where the maximum number of players at the table is limited to six. (read more)

ABC Poker

The term ABC Poker refers to playing basic (read more)

Ace High

The hand of Ace High is one that simply has a high card of ace and nothing else, not even a pair. (read more)

Action Card

An action card is a card that comes on the turn or river that will cause significant betting for two or more players in a hand. (read more)

Airball

Airball is a term used by poker player when they have managed to miss their perceived outs in a hand. (read more)

Ajax

Ajax is poker slang for a starting hand with one ace and one jack. It's called Ajax because Ace-Jack and the popular cleaner sound very similar. (read more)

All in the Flop Buddy

All in the flop, buddy, is a term that was widely used by a NYC poker player named Alfonse to describe his reasons for playing almost any 2 cards preflop. (read more)

American Airlines

American Airlines is poker slang for pocket aces. Also known as bullets or pocket rockets. It's the strongest starting hand in poker. (read more)

Ammunition

Ammunition, also known as ammo, is a slang term often used at a poker table when referring to chips. (read more)

Angle

An angle is a maneuver in a poker game that is usually legal but ethically questionable. People who employ angles are dubbed 'angle shooters.' (read more)

Ante Off

When a player is absent from the table and the antes cause them to go broke it's referred to as an ante off situation. (read more)

Arsenal

Arsenal is another combat-themed poker metaphor. It is a term used to designate a player's collection of moves and gears. (read more)

Avoidance

Prahlad Friedman introduced the concept of 'avoidance' in a rap song that premiered during an episode of the World Series of Poker on ESPN. (read more)

Back Into a Hand

When a player backs into a hand they are in the pot to make one hand but end up drawing to another. (read more)

Backdoor

Backdoor straights and backdoor flushes are the bane of many poker players' existence. Making a backdoor hand means you've sucked out on an opponent. (read more)

Backer

Backers are people who put up the money for others to play in poker games. Backers are usually either poker players themselves or businessmen. (read more)

Bad Beat Story

A bad beat story is a tale of woe about a poker hand in which a player lost when he was, at one point, a statistical favorite to win. (read more)

Barreling

The term barreling refers to the action of firing bets into a pot on multiple streets. (read more)

Bee Stinger

Bee stinger is a Haligonian term for the act of geting owned in a poker situation, getting sucked out on, or simply losing a poker hand. (read more)

Behind

Behind refers to the situation when the given hand is not currently best. (read more)

Big Blind Special

The slang term Big Blind Special refers to when the player on the big blind wins a big hand hand despite having poor cards because nobody raised pre-flop. (read more)

Big Lick

The term Big Lick is a reference to a specific hand in Hold'em, 69 as a play on words from Big Slick and a reference to the sexual act of 69. (read more)

Bing Blang Blaow

Bing Blang Blaow is a celebratory phrase uttered when defeating an opponent an opponent in a hand of online poker. (read more)

Blank

A blank is a card that hits no player in a hand. It is the same thing as a blank or air and means that a player's hand has not improved. (read more)

Blocker

In Hold'em and Omaha having a card that turns one if your opponent's outs as one of your own is referred to as a blocker. (read more)

Bloodbath

The term bloodbath is clearly meant to evoke a gory, ruinous, disastrous event, like what you might see in a gladiator movie and similar to a bad day in poker. (read more)

Blowup

A blowup is a psychological or tactical meltdown, a term that usually applies to action which takes place in a poker tournament. (read more)

Boat

The word 'boat' or the term 'full boat' is a slang term for a 'full house,' one of the highest ranking hands in most poker games. (read more)

Bonus Whoring

Bonus whoring is is a way to quickly build a bankroll without being a winning player. Bonus whores deposit, clear a bonus, then cash out. (read more)

Bottom End

When you have the bottom end of something in poker, that means you have the worst version, typically referenced to a straight. (read more)

Bounty

Bounties are prizes in poker tournaments that are awarded to a player who busts a player assigned as the bounty. The bounty money comes out of the prizepool. (read more)

Box

Box refers to the are occupied by a poker dealer. It is a cleared space in the middle of the table where the dealer's chair, and chip tray are setup. (read more)

Brag

A brag in a poker sense is when a poker player boasts of his or her accomplishments in some sort of public forum. (read more)

Break

A break is when play is suspended in a tournament to allow players to rest, eat or go to the bathroom. (read more)

BrokerStars

BrokerStars refers to the state of having little or no money in your Pokerstars account. This term was popular when Pokerstars had the biggest games on the net. (read more)

Brown Trout

Brown trout is a phrase that began as a joke on the Two Plus Two message forums. If you hear someone use it at the poker table, you know they read 2p2. (read more)

Buck

Buck is a common slang term fo the dealer button, or is used to describe a poker chip with a value of one dollar. (read more)

Bullet

Bullet describes a bet or a buyin in poker. It is one of many combat-related terms, like ammunition and trigger, that arise in poker slang terms. (read more)

Bump

The slang term Bump refers to a player that wishes to raise a bet. (read more)

Buried

The term 'buried' follows aloing the lines of 'stuck' as a more severe way of describing being at a deficit in a poker game or gambling session. (read more)

Buried Pair

Buried Pairs are 'pairs in the hole', or two downcards of the same value. It's a term used in stud poker to differentiate itself from a 'split pair.' (read more)

Busted

Busted either refers to a draw that failed to hit or when a player loses all his or her chips in a tournament. (read more)

But How Much Did You Lose

But How Much Did You Lose is a classically annoying question asked of poker players by outsiders to the game in the context of a discussion about winning, (read more)

Buy the Button

Buying the button describes two completely different things in poker - a procedure that involves posting both of the antes. Second, a limit hold 'em move. (read more)

Cambodia

Cambodia is a bizarre hand nickname that originated in NYC for the hole cards 74o (74-suited is known as 'Cambodian Slick'). (read more)

Canine

The term Canine is slang for a specific hand for a hand in holdem when someone is dealt any combination of K9. (read more)

Card Dead

Card dead is a way for a poker player to state that he is 'running bad' by noticing that he has not recently received many playable poker hands. (read more)

Cardrack

Cardrack is a poker slang term that means someone is experiencing a hot run of cards. Being a cardrack is sort of the opposite of being 'card dead.' (read more)

Cards in the Air

'Cards in the air' is an expression used to indicate that dealing has or will begun in a poker tournament, i.e. 'cards in the air at noon.' (read more)

Cards Speak

Cards speak is a regulation in poker games that outlines the fact that an exposed hand will always 'play' or be considered 'live.' (read more)

Care Bears

Care Bears is a term used by the unlikeable Eric Molina at the 2006 WSOP to take the place of curse words so that he would not get penalized for swearing. (read more)

Cashout

The term cashout is used when a player takes their money off of an online poker room or turns in poker chips at the cashier at a casino. (read more)

Catch

Catch is referenced in poker as when you hit a card you need on a draw or when you call someone and expose their failed bluff attempt. (read more)

Chameleon

The term chameleon is a reference to a player that changes and varies their style of play from wild to tight at a moment's notice. (read more)

Check in the Dark

To check in the dark is to check before seeing what the next card is dealt on the board. (read more)

Checked Around

The term Checked Around describes when a hand is in a multi-way pot and all players in the hand check on a given street. (read more)

Chino

Chino is a verb that describes the fine art of borrowing money from poker players with no specific way of repaying the loan. (read more)

Chip and a Chair

Chip and a chair is an expression that is somewhat similar to 'it's not over until it's over:' You can come back to win a poker tournament even with one chip. (read more)

Chirp

Chirping is what happens after someone wins a pot and suddenly becomes talkative. It is a representation of the mood swings that exist in a poker game. (read more)

Chop the Blinds

When one wants to chop the blinds, it means the hand only has the small and big blinds left and they both decide to kill the hand and take back their blinds. (read more)

Clamp

Having your opponent in a clamp indicates that your hand is so much stronger than his, it will require nearly super-human strength to escape and win the hand. (read more)

Clicking Buttons

Clicking buttons is meant to denote an instance when an online player seems to be playing erratically--essentially randomly clicking buttons. (read more)

Coffeehousing

Coffeehousing refers to the act of talking during a poker, hand, usually in an effort to gain information, sometimes in the form of needling. (read more)

Cold Call

When a player makes a cold call, it is when they are faced with a raise and have no money in the pot already and make a call. (read more)

Cold Deck

A cold deck in poker is equivalent to a 'cooler.' It refers to a situation in which two hands are forced into an unavoidable clash due to their strength. (read more)

Combo Draw

A combo draw is a hand that has multiple draws to different hands such as both a straight and a flush. (read more)

Come

When you are 'on the come' in poker, it refers to the fact that you are drawing; it is also one of the most common bets in a game of craps. (read more)

Comeup

The comeup is a poker slang term used to describe a positive series of results in a gambling situation that nets an extraordinary profit. (read more)

Complete

Completing is a concept that arises in stud games and refers to a bet made after the bring in that is eqal to the amount of the lowest betting limit. (read more)

Computer Hand

Computer Hand is a nickname given to the starting hand Queen-Seven in Texas Hold'em. It derives its name from a computer simulation of starting hands. (read more)

Continuation Bet

A continuation bet is when a player bets out at the flop who was the raiser during the previous round of betting. (read more)

Contributed Rakeback Method

The contributed rakeback method is a way of calculating the amount of rake a player accumulates by only counting the times that player puts money in the pot. (read more)

Cool Million

The term 'cool million' is simply an ironic way of referring to one million dollars in a poker situation. Such as, 'He bought in for a cool million.' (read more)

Coordinated

Coordinated boards are the opposite of ragged boards in poker. The term 'coordinated' refers to community cards that are connected and/or suited. (read more)

Countdown to Busto

The term Countdown to Busto refers to when a player always breaks bankroll management and his or her friends begin a countdown to when they are broke. (read more)

Counterfeited

Counterfeited describes a poker situation where a hand that once had value of its own has been rendered null and void due to the board texture. (read more)

Cowboys

The nickname Cowboys is given to pocket Kings (KK) in Texas Hold'em. (read more)

Crabs

The slang term Crabs is a nickname for the starting hand of 33 in Hold'em, a reference to how a 3 looks like a sideways crab. (read more)

Crack

Cracking cards means overcoming a strong hand with a weaker one. It's often used in conjunction with cracking aces or a pocket pair. (read more)

Cranberry

A cranberry is gambler parlance for a poker chip that is worth twenty-five thousand dollars. It is called a cranberry because of its reddish hue. (read more)

Credit Card Roulette

Credit Card Roulette is a randomized way to gamble on communal costs; it is often used by poker players to determine who picks up the check at a restaurant. (read more)

Crowbar

Crowbar is another term invented by NYC legend Alfonse, in which he would taunt his opponents by stating that he would 'crowbar' them, beating them in a hand. (read more)

Crying Call

Crying call refers to a situation where you are likely to be paying off your opponent and less likely to be calling with the best hand. (read more)

Dangler

A dangler refers to a card in Omaha that is one card that doesn't work well with the other three cards in a hand. (read more)

Dark

The term dark is an action declared by a player first to act after the better round closes but before the next card is revealed. (read more)

Dark Tunnel Bluff

A Dark Tunnel Bluff is a repeated continuation bet on multiple streets based on the belief you have to bet but do so without thinking why. (read more)

Dead Blind

A dead blind is posted when a player returns to a game after leaving the table while the game was still running. (read more)

Dead Button

A dead button is when a player leaves the table as the button is about to placed on him. (read more)

Dead Card

Dead cards refer to cards that would be useful for making a poker hand but have already been exposed or discarded. Dead cards are critical for computing outs. (read more)

Dead Hand

A dead hand is one that has been disqualified from play typically due to a rules infraction. (read more)

Dealt Rakeback Method

The dealt rakeback method is a way of calculating the amount of rake a player accumulates by counting every time that player is dealt a hand in a raked pot. (read more)

Deuce

Deuce is the preferred, if not unanimously used, term for a 'two' in poker. If you say you have a 'pair of twos' it is likely that you will be mocked. (read more)

Dime

The term 'dime' is a classic example of gambler lingo, as it reduces the substantial amount of one thousand dollars to a metaphorical unit of one small coin. (read more)

Dirty Outs

A dirty out is when a player has a given amount of outs but when several of those outs actually might give an opponent a better hand. (read more)

Dirty Stack

A dirty stack is a stack of chips that has mixed denominations within it. (read more)

Dolly Parton

The hand 95 (any suit) is referred to as the Dolly Parton because of her role in the famous 1980s movie 9 to 5. (read more)

Dominated

Dominated is a term used when one hand is a significant underdog to another hand. (read more)

Donator

The title of donator is given to someone who routinely spews his money at the poker tables or generally plays losing poker. (read more)

Doomswitch

A oft-used expression on poker forums, the term doomswitched refers to a player running bad. In other words, they've been getting unlucky. (read more)

Door Card

Door card, also know as the window card, is the first card visible in a stud hand, or the first card revealed by the dealer as he spreads the flop. (read more)

Double Belly Buster

A Double Belly Buster is a hand with 2 gut-shot straight draws. (read more)

Double Gutter

A double gutter is a draw to eight outs for a straight, It is equivalent to an open-ended, or 'up-and-down' straight draw, but looks different. (read more)

Downswing

Downswings in poker are a series of negative long term results. One losing session does not constitute a downswing, but a net losing result does. (read more)

Drawing Thin

Drawing Thin is a term used to describe when a player is drawing to very few outs. (read more)

Dream Table

Dream table is a phrase poker players employ to describe a table draw in a poker tournament in which they are facing off against especially weak players. (read more)

Dry Board

A dry board in poker refers to a flop that is not a coordinated (and and most likely safe) grouping of cards. (read more)

Ducks

The hand 22 in Hold'em is referred to as Ducks since the number 2 resembles the profile of a swimming duck. (read more)

Dust Off

The term 'dust off' referes to the act of losing money in a poker game or gambling situation in a frivolous or unthinking manner. (read more)

Edge

Edge is a concept that is almost as intrinsic to poker playing as 'EV' and describes the relationship a player's possibilities of success in a poker game. (read more)

Face Card

A face card is a card that has a face on it, meaning any King, Queen or Jack. (read more)

Fade

Fade, or 'fade outs' is a poker term that indicates a player had to dodge many outs in order to win a poker hand. Related to the term 'hold.' (read more)

Fifth Street

Fifth Street is the fifth card dealt in a Stud game or the river card in a game of Hold'em or Omaha. (read more)

Fill Up

The slang term Fill Up describes when two pair or a set hits a card - usually when the board pairs - that turns their hand into a full house. (read more)

Fish

A fish is an inexperienced poker player. It's also called the sucker. Made famous by the movie (read more)

Fist Pump

Fist pump is a metaphorical expression for a situation in which you are very happy to be calling or going all in during a poker hand. (read more)

Flag

Flag is the slang term for a casino chip that has a value of five thousand dollars. Flags often get stored or exchanged for use in large buyin games. (read more)

Flat

Flat, or 'flatting' refers to calling a poker bet as opposed to raising. It may also refer to a style of tournament payout structure. (read more)

Flat Tire

The nickname of (read more)

Flop a Set

To flop a set is to hit a third card of its kind while holding a pocket pair. (read more)

Forced Bet

Forced bets are simply antes and blinds, or any kind of bet that is required from each player at the table at random in order to generate action. (read more)

Forward Motion

Forward Motion is a rule held by most casinos constituting any movement of chips towards the pot to be a committing action. (read more)

Four of a Kind

Four of a kind refers to when a player holds all four cards of the same rank. (read more)

Four To A Flush

The term four to a flush refers to when a player has four cards, but not five, towards a flush and is drawing to get the fifth card of that suit. (read more)

Fourth Street

Fourth Street is the fourth card dealt in a game of Stud or the turn card in a game of Hold'em or Omaha. (read more)

Frenzy

When a poker player is in a frenzy, he is usually on tilt for an extended period of time. Degenerate behavior and poor decision making are common. (read more)

G Bucks

Similar to Sklansky Bucks, G Bucks are a more accurate way to estimate your equity after running a certain scenario over and over. (read more)

Gamey

Gamey, related to the expression 'running game,' is a phrase in poker circles meant to indicate that a particular play or action might not be 'on the level.' (read more)

Gapper

The term 'gapper' is usually heard in the form of 'one-gapper,' 'double-gapper' etc. It refers to the space between two hole cards, the opposite of a connector. (read more)

Gears

Gears refers to a trait possessed by some poker players who vary their play, as opposed to being stuck playing one particular style or another. (read more)

Gift

A gift in poker is similar to a 'donation' and refers to a poker play that is so glaringly bad, it amounts to one player simply giving his opponent the pot. (read more)

GodMode

GodMode is a reference in the poker world to a donkey that always comes up with the nuts. (read more)

Going South

Going South is the generally frowned upon practice of taking money off the table after winning some pots. (read more)

Grinder

A grinder in poker is someone who plays significantly over-bankrolled while also playing a style that will slowly win them money at a consistent pace. (read more)

Ground Skinner

Ground skinner is the southern poker player's version of the term 'walk.' It simply represents some geographical dialectical flavor in poker slang. (read more)

Guarantee

A Guarantee is used in poker when a casino or online poker room puts out a guaranteed prize pool amount for a tournament. (read more)

Gypsying

The term gypsying refers to a situation in double-limit games where players open by calling the blind. (read more)

Hachem Syndrome

Hachem Syndrome describes the completely unnatural sense of entitlement that some WSOP champions are overcome by in the years following their victory. (read more)

Hand For Hand

The term hand for hand is when a money bubble is approaching and multiple tables will play a hand and wait until all other tables are finished to start next. (read more)

Hanger

A hanger is a card at the bottom of the deck that sticks out further that the rest and is a sign of cheating. (read more)

He Called Me With Jack High

'He called me with jack high' is an infamous quote from the 2004 WSOP directed towards James McManus by homeless poker player Elix Powers. (read more)

Hero

The hero in a poker hand is the one you are taking the perspective of while watching it happen either live or in a hand history. (read more)

Hero Call

A hero call is when a player makes a marginal call solely based on a pure read or gut feel. (read more)

High Card

High card refers either to a poker ranking, such as 'ace-high' or to the process of dealing out cards in order to give some reward to the highest card. (read more)

High Society

When ordering stacks of high society, you are asking for a stack of the highest denomination of chips at that casino or card room. (read more)

Hit By the Deck

Hit By the Deck is an expression used to indicate that a poker player is experiencing an unusually good run of cards in a short period of time. (read more)

Hold

Hold is an expression that indicates that a poker player hand has remained in the lead, usually in a situation where it was vulnerable. (read more)

Hollywooding

Hollywood is a verb used to describe the mode of pretending or acting in a poker hand, used both for deception and saving face. (read more)

Idiot End

The 'idiot-end' in poker refers to the low end of a straight, also sometimes known as the 'sucker-end' or 'sucker straight.' (read more)

In The Hunt

When a player says he is 'in the hunt,' it means he is still alive in a poker tournament, usually with a reasonable chance of winning. (read more)

In The Money

The term (read more)

It Depends

'It depends' reflects the flexibility and numerous variations presented in most poker situations, which are often not cut-and-dried. (read more)

Jackson Five

Jackson Five is a good example of the sort of annoying nicknames Vince Van Patten assigned to random poker hands in his capacity as WPT commentator. (read more)

Jam

When a player moves in all of his chips to go (read more)

Juice

Juice is synonymous with other terms like 'rake' and 'vig' and refers to the amount of money a gambling operator withholds from the amount being wagered. (read more)

Kill Button

A Kill Button is a designation given to a player that has to post an over-blind that increases the betting limit. (read more)

Kill Stack

A kill stack is one that's small in size but represents a large number of chips. (read more)

Knish's Truck

Knish's Truck is a reference to the movie Rounders, in which Michael McDermott must resort to finding income by doing truck deliveries for Joey Knish. (read more)

Kojack

The slang term Kojack is given to the starting hand of King-Jack in Hold'em, a reference to the 1970s cop television show. (read more)

Laydown

Laydown describes the act of folding a poker hand, usually used to indicate a very difficult fold or a very easy fold. (read more)

Live Ace

A live ace is a type of qualifying low hand in omaha eight-or-better that involves a hole card being duplicated on the board. (read more)

Live One

'Live one' is an old-fashioned expression for the fish, the donk, the donator, in a poker game. As a poker term, it is somewhat antiquated. (read more)

Lock

A lock is an unbeatable poker hand or, in other forms of gambling, a proposition or wager that is guaranteed to win. (read more)

Lock Lock

'Lock lock' is a term that is used most often in games of Omaha eight-or-better when someone has the best possible low and the best possible high hand. (read more)

Longhanded

The term longhanded refers to a poker game played with seven or more (usually 9 or 10) players sitting at the table. (read more)

Makeup

Makeup is the term used to describe the accumulated losses in a staking arrangement in which past buyins must be recouped before profits are split. (read more)

Master Baiter

In poker, a master baiter is someone who baits other poker players in a masterful manner. (read more)

Meh

The word meh is often used on poker forums to communicate apathy and indifference towards a subject matter. (read more)

Mid-Stakes

Definition of the Poker Term Mid-Stakes (read more)

Minraise

A minraise is simply a raise that is equal to the original bet. It stands out as an unusual play in games of big bet poker, and is often considered weak. (read more)

Misdeal

A misdeal in poker occurs in a poker hand when the deal is corrupted. For instance, when one of the first two cards off the deck is exposed, it is a misdeal. (read more)

Monster

A monster poker hand is a hand that has excessively high value. The most obvious examples might be a rolled up hand (trips in stud) or pocket aces. (read more)

Multi-way Pot

A multi-way pot is one where there are three or more players left in the hand vying for the pot. (read more)

Mush

Mush is a related term to 'cooler' in the William H. Macy sense. It can also be used as a verb to describe the same thing--the generation of bad luck. (read more)

Needle

Needling refers to the act of taunting someone during a poker game in an effort to get under his skin and cause him to play worse as a result. (read more)

Negative Expectation

A negative expectation is a poker play that will lose money in the long run. (read more)

Negative Freeroll

A negative freeroll when a player goes all in and can only either tie or lose in the hand. (read more)

Nitfest

The term nitfest is usually mentioned in the context of discussing a poker game where there is limited action or most of the players are especially tight. (read more)

Nosebleed

Nosebleed refers to poker games that are extremely high stakes, generally much higher than the most regularly played high stakes poker games. (read more)

Nothing

When a poker player says he has nothing, he means he doesn't even have a pair and is playing a high card. (read more)

Number One

'Number one' is the term for the best possible hand, a wheel, in 2-7 lowball, consisting of 7,5,4,3,2. Similar, 'number 2' consists of 7,6,4,3,2. (read more)

Nut Air

The nut air is when a poker player has the best possible hand on a board without holding a pair or better. (read more)

Nut Low

A nut low hand is the best possible low hand in games of split-pot poker or lowball. In a vacuum, the nut low hand is a wheel. (read more)

Nut No Pair

Nut no pair is a colloquial hand ranking that indicates the best possible cards that do not create a pair with the board in Texad hold 'em. (read more)

Nut Nut

Nut nut is a synonym of 'lock lock' and refers to an occurence when someone has the best possible high hand and the best possible low hand in a split-pot game. (read more)

Observer

An observer is someone who is watching an online poker game but is not seated at the table, otherwise known as a railbird. (read more)

Omahahahahaha

Omahahahahaha is a slang term for the poker game Omaha. (read more)

One Chip Rule

The one chip rule applies to live poker and states that if a player puts out one chip into the pot after a bet, it is considered a call. (read more)

One Eyed Jack

A one eyed jack is a nickname for the jack of spades and the jack of hearts, which only have one eye showing. (read more)

One Player to a Hand

The one player to a hand rule is meant to define self-interested play in poker games. It is a standard for live poker and exists in a gray area online. (read more)

Open

Opening refers to the act of initiating the betting in a poker game, genereally indicating the first bet made in a poker hand after the blinds. (read more)

Open Shove

The move Open Shove refers to when a player acts first in a hand and shoves all of their chips in (all in) to raise. (read more)

Open-Ended

Open-ended straight draws, aka 'up-and-down straight draws,' are identical in strength to 'double-gutters' and refer to a straight draw that has eight outs. (read more)

Option

Option is the choice given to a player in the big blind (or straddle) to raise the action or check the action during a poker hand. (read more)

Overbet

An overbet is a bet that is larger than the size of the pot in a poker game. E.g. If the pot has one hundred dollars in it and someone bets a hundred and fifty. (read more)

Overlay

An overlay occurs when a poker room has to add money into the prize pool for a tournament because not enough players entered to meet the guarantee. (read more)

Paint

The term paint is used in poker and refers any card with a picture on it, specifically a King, Queen or Jack. (read more)

Pass

Pass is another way of saying 'fold' in poker, to give up or laydown a hand. The term has origins in British poker circles. (read more)

Pat

Pat is to draw poker what 'made hand' is to other forms of poker such as Omaha or Hold 'Em and refers to a hand that will not improve via drawing cards. (read more)

Perfect Perfect

Catchin 'perfect perfect' describes a poker situation in which a person has to catch the exact two specific runner-runner cards to beat his opponent's hand. (read more)

Plus V

It's commonplace to hear poker players say 'plus ev' in reference to their supposed positive expectation. But 'plus v' simply means plus value. (read more)

Poker Face

Poker face is a well-known term used to describe the type of expressionless visage necessary to keep opponents guessing in a poker game. (read more)

Poker Gods

Poker players almost universally will pray and curse the Poker Gods who apparently control the fate and outcome of every poker hand. (read more)

Positional Awareness

The term positional awareness in poker refers to the conscious alertness of where a player sits in a hand and if it is an advantage. (read more)

Price

The word price refers to the cost to a player to make a call on any given street. (read more)

Pumped Up

'Pumped up,' or simply 'pumped,' refers to a state of having a large bankroll in poker, the opposite of being 'busto.' (read more)

Put Me Here

The feature known as Put Me Here is found on most poker sites and moves your position to the one specified by the player while rotating the rest accordingly. (read more)

Pwned

Pwned is a derivative of owned, a term used to describe one player totally dominating another. (read more)

PZD

PZD refers to the process of getting peaced out in a poker situation. It was brought into mainstream consciousness by poker player Cory Carroll. (read more)

Qualifying Low

A qualifying low hand in hi low split games is one that fits the minimum requirements to count as a low hand, such as 8 or better. (read more)

Race

Race is poker slang for a poker situation that is a coinflip, or roughly 50/50 chance for both opponents to win. (read more)

Ragged

'Ragged' describes a flop or a board texture that involves unsuited and non-connected cards; it ithe opposite of a 'coordinated' or 'draw-heavy' board. (read more)

Rags

Rags are crappy cards in poker, they are opposite of 'premium hands' or 'monster hands.' Examples of 'rag hands' in Hold 'Em are too numerous to list. (read more)

Railing

When a poker player is simply watching the action rather than playing, they are known to be 'railing' the game, and are often referred to as a railbird. (read more)

Rake Race

A rake race is a competition to see who can accumulate the most paid rake at a rakeback affiliate site and results in a monetary prize. (read more)

Rakeback Pro

A rakeback pro is a player who is not a winning player in terms of win-rate but earns neough rakeback to produce a profit. (read more)

Re-Raise

Re-raising is often frustratingly used by amateurs as a synomym for 'raise.' A re-raise can only occur in relation to an existing raise. (read more)

Redraw

A redraw is a made hand that has a draw to an even better hand. (read more)

Reload

Reload is a slang term in poker for when a player deposits money into a poker account that they already opened before. (read more)

Represent

When you play as if you hold a particular hand, you represent it with your style of play on that hand. (read more)

Results Oriented Thinking

Results oriented thinking is a faulty way of examining the merits of a certain play in poker, often times as a justification of a poor play. (read more)

RiverStars

RiverStars is one of the many nicknames for PokerStars, referring to players being drawn out on the river at a supposed higher frequency than normal. (read more)

Robusto

Robusto is the hilarious-sounding way to describe being the opposite of 'busto,' in other words, having a bankroll or being 'pumped-up.' (read more)

Rolled Up

A rolled up hand in stud is the strongest possible starting hand. This applies to both games of stud 'straight high' and stud eight or better. (read more)

Rough

Rough, of course, is the opposite of 'smooth,' a way of describing drawing to a flawed low hand in a game like 2-7 or having a weak razz hand. (read more)

Royal Cards

Royal cards are any that can make up a royal flush, which include any Ace, King, Queen, Jack or Ten. (read more)

Run

'Run' is a term that's similar in concept to a 'rush' in poker or gambling, and it is usually expressed as 'making a run.' (read more)

Running Like a Kenyan

The phrase 'running like a Kenyan' is an expression amongst poker players to brag how they are running great over a long period of time. (read more)

Sailboats

The nickname Sailboats was given to the Hold'em hand 44, a reference to how the number 4 looks like the profile of a boat. (read more)

Sandbagging

Sandbagging refers to when a player makes a call with a very good hand to disguise its strength to keep the opponent betting. (read more)

Second Pair

The term second pair means that a player has the second biggest pair possible given the board. (read more)

Session

The term session refers to the duration of time a player begins and ends playing poker. (read more)

Set Under Set

The term set under set refers to when two players show their hands in a Hold'em or Omaha game and one has a higher set than the other. (read more)

Shark

A shark is an expert poker player. Sharks prey on amateur players, often called fish or newbies. Sharks exist in poker tournaments and cash games. (read more)

Shill

A shill is a casino employee who plays on house money and helps to start and fill games. (read more)

Ship It

Ship it is an expression said by poker players after they have won a pot as a way of saying 'send the money in the pot my way.' (read more)

Shot Taker

Shot takers are those who play in games that they are either under-rolled for, or in games that present a very long shot of winning. (read more)

Shuffle Up and Deal

'Shuffle up and deal' is the self-explanatory phrase uttered--usually by a tournament director--before a poker tournament begins. (read more)

Sit and Go Madness

Sit and Go Madness is an occasional promotion at Full Tilt Poker where players compete in a leader board for Sit and Go tournaments for a weekend. (read more)

Sklansky Bucks

Sklansky Bucks refers to the equity in a poker hand as opposed to the amount of actual money won. It is a way of analyzing EV as opposed to results. (read more)

Sleeper

Sleeper straddles are defined in contrast to 'live' straddles and can be placed from any position at the table, only becoming 'live' if the action is folded. (read more)

Slowroll

To slow roll an opponent means to act weak while holding the nuts, taking time to reveal the hand with the express purpose of tilting or insulting an opponent. (read more)

Smooth

Smooth is a term used to describe drawing to a good hand in a low-oriented game like 2-7 or having a fairly strong low hand in a stud game. (read more)

Snapcall

Snapcall is usually meant as a metaphorical indication that the situation at hand is such an obvious call that it can be done quickly without further thought. (read more)

Snowmen

The term Snowmen is slang for a specific hand for a hand in Hold'em when someone is dealt pocket eights, otherwise 88. (read more)

Sounds Rigged

Instead of saying 'that's too bad' many poker players will use the term 'sounds rigged' instead. (read more)

Speed Limit

The term Speed Limit is a nickname given to the starting hand of 55 in Hold'em, a reference to the speed limit on highways. (read more)

Spite Call

Spite calls are made in thin or marginal situations in poker in an attempt to 'spite' the person whose bet you are calling. (read more)

Split Pair

Split pair is a seven card stud term that indicates one of the hidden downcards matches the exposed card on third street to make a pair. (read more)

Stack

The word 'stack' can mean two things in poker--as a noun, the physical block of chips a player holds; as a verb, the action of taking an opponent's chips. (read more)

Stack-Off

Stacking off is a term that means going allin on a poker hand. It may indicate that the player going allin does not have a quality hand. (read more)

Stakehorse

Horse is the figurative term for a player who is backed. It is derived from the same notion that someone might have a financial interest in a racing horse. (read more)

Steam

Steaming is often a byproduct of tilt, a style of playing poker characterized by frustration, over-aggressive tendencies and a lack of rationality. (read more)

Steamraise

Steamraise refers to a raise made when a player is 'steaming' and on tilt. It is a leak in a player's game if he plays differently when steaming. (read more)

Step

The word step refers to a specialized tournament that leads to another tournament in a specific series that ends in a large prize. (read more)

Stop Loss

A stop loss is when a player set a particular limit to the amount they will lose in a session and if they hit that limit will immediately quit playing. (read more)

Street

Street is the term used to describe a round of action in a poker game, such as the flop, turn and river in games that use community cards. (read more)

Structure

Structures refer to the format for a poker tournament. The primary aspects of a tournament structure are time levels, blind jumps and starting chips. (read more)

Stuck

Stuck is a common poker colloqialism to describe being at a deficit over any time-frame or to be in the midst a losing gambling session. (read more)

Suicide King

A Suicide King is the nickname for the King of Hearts which is depicted with a knife going through his own head. (read more)

Suited Gappers

Suited Gappers are two cards that share the same suit but have a single gap in denomination between them, such as 7s 9s. (read more)

Super Satellite

Super Satellites are a mult-table tournament (MTT) form of satellite poker, usually giving away several seats to the target tournament as opposed to one. (read more)

Superuser

Superusers are online players who are capable of seeing all the hole cards at a table. The discovery of superusers created a major scandal in online poker, (read more)

Sustainable Rate

The phrase 'sustainable rate' refers to the ability (or inability) of a player to maintain the current win-rate over a long period of time. (read more)

Swings

Swings are the short term wins and losses that are intrinsic to the gambling experience. In poker, swings are also sometimes referred to as 'variance.' (read more)

Swongs

Swongs are one thing, but... This famous lilholdem954 quote arose from an instant message chat with Peter #1PEN Neff. (read more)

Table

As a Poker Term, 'table' means to turn your cards faceup at an appropriate time during a poker hand. Of course it may also refer to a piece of furniture. (read more)

Table Image

Table image describes the way poker players view each other while playing poker. Though it plays a role in online poker, it is more relevant to the live form. (read more)

Table Presence

Table presence is a concept closely related to 'table image' and describes the aura a poker player emits at the poker table. (read more)

Table Talk

Table talk refers to any discussion that takes place throughout the process of playing poker at a poker table. It is related to 'coffeehousing.' (read more)

Tank

Tank refers to the process of being lost in deep thought in the middle of a poker hand, or the time one takes to make a difficult decision. (read more)

Tapping the Glass

Tapping the glass refers to the counter-intuitive approach that frustrated players use to vent, educating weaker players in the process. (read more)

Telegraph

Telegraph is a specific type of poker tell in which a player who hasn't acted yet gives a clear physical indication of what he intends to do. (read more)

Tell

A tell is an indication of hand strength unintentionally given off by an opponent, including physical tells and verbal tells. (read more)

Ten-eight-cious

Ten-eight-cious is a term recently coined by Bill Edler to describe the hand T8 (a ten and an eight), particularly when the hand wins. (read more)

Texas Dolly

Texas Dolly is a nickname given to famous poker player Doyle Brunson. (read more)

Texture

Texture refers to the composition of a board in Hold 'Em or Omaha. Terms like 'ragged' or 'coordinated' refer to board textures. (read more)

The Worst Day of the Year

The worst day of the year is a famous expression to describe the day when a poker player busts out of the World Series of Poker main event. (read more)

Third Streeet

Third street is mostly a stud poker term to indicate the action or conditions present after the first three cards are dealt. Less commonly it refers to a flop. (read more)

Three Bet

Three-betting is a bit of poker slang that is often used as a substitute for 're-raise,' becauseit is useful for distinguishing itself from further raises. (read more)

Top Top

Jamie Gold told his opponent that he had 'top top,' top pair, top kicker, during his run at the 2006 World Series of Poker title. (read more)

Tournament Life

Some tournament players cringe when they hear the term 'tournament life' while others base their entire game around the concept. (read more)

Trigger

When you 'pull the trigger' in poker, you are usually bluffing on a later street. It is another war-related poker term, related to 'bullet' and 'ammunition.' (read more)

Underfull

Underfull is a full house that is not the nut full house, but rather a full house composed of one of the lower cards on board, like 44 on a board of 88743. (read more)

Unopened

The term unopened in poker refers to when a pot has not been raised during pre-flop activity. (read more)

Up and Down Straight Draw

An Up and Down Straight Draw is a term used for an open ended straight draw. (read more)

Upswing

Upswings are the opposite of downswings, a net result, usually observed over a long time frame, that have a positive monetary result. (read more)

Value Bet

Value bets in poker are made with the intention of getting paid-off by a worse hand. In essence, it is the opposite of bluffing. (read more)

Vegas and the Fuckin' Mirage

Vegas and the fuckin' Mirage is what Mike McDermott says he is thinking about when he wants his opponent to think Mike is 'pondering a call.' (read more)

Wake Up

Wake up refers to a situation when the action goes to a poker player who looks at his hole cards to discover a monster hand. (read more)

Walking Chips

When you see someone walking around the tournament area, schmoozing, you might ask him if he has 'walking chips,' slang for a big chip stack. (read more)

wat

Wat is a word used on internet message boards in response to a post that makes absolutely no sense. It is short for (read more)

Way Ahead Way Behind

The term Way Ahead Way Behind points to specific points in a hand where a player is either way ahead or way behind. (read more)

Wayne Gretzky

The hand of pocket nines is also known as Wayne Gretzky as he is the most famous athlete to don the number 99. (read more)

Weak Tight

Weak tight describes a losing style of poker playing that is characterized by being overly tight and overly passive. (read more)

Wet Board

A wet board in poker refers to a flop that has a highly coordinated (and potentially dangerous) grouping of cards. (read more)

What Lodden Thinks

What Lodden Thinks is a prop betting game that revolves around guessing what some other person will think about a subject. (read more)

Whiff

Whiff is an expression that refers to an instance of missing draws in a poker hand. Like if a player has a diamond draw and the river is a black deuce. (read more)

Whoever Invented Chips Was a Genius

Whoever invented chips was a genius is the second part of an expression designed to indicate that chips allow people to forget the value of money. (read more)

Window Card

The window card is synonymous with the 'door card,' the first card revealed on a Hold 'Em or Omaha board, or the first upcard dealt in a stud hand. (read more)

WPT Celebrity Invitational

The WPT Celebrity Invitational is an annual event hosted by the World Poker Tour and Commerce Casino that pits poker players against celebrities. (read more)

Wrap

Wrap is the term for a straight draw in Omaha that can be filled with three or more card values from the deck. A wrap will have between 9 and 20 outs. (read more)

YHS

The acronym YHS stands for Your Hand Sucks and is used on poker forums or within chat boxes. (read more)

What is very interesting to me as a lifelong poker player is the number of poker related words and sayings that have worked their way into mainstream conversation in the business world and elsewhere. A few obvious examples which shouldn’t require explanation would include: hold your cards close to your chest, I’ll call that bluff, I’d rather be lucky than good, and he’s got a real poker face.

While you may already be aware of many poker related words and sayings, there are sure to be many that, as a beginner to poker, you probably won’t know. Over the years poker has accumulated a number of unique words and phrases that regular players use as their own language and can be incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Here is an example of a seasoned poker player describing a hand to a friend:

What Do Poker Terms Mean

“I had pocket rockets and the flop comes Ace, two rags, rainbow giving me top set. Can you believe that donkey, Harry, goes runner, runner and cracks my set with his 23-to-1 shot flush draw? It’s just like him; he’s such a calling station”.

If you completely understand this description then you might not need this lesson. However, if it seems like a different language then, fear not, by the end of this lesson you will understand what it all means. In this lesson we’ll explain just what some of those colourful expressions mean along with a list of terms which any poker player, who aspires to become conversant in the game needs to know.

Glossary of Poker Terms

Let’s start off with a list of poker terms that you’ll need to be familiar with. After this all important glossary, we’ll return to the above “poker speak” example as it is the kind of conversation you will hear from other more experienced players.

All-in- When a player puts all of his chips into the pot he is said to be all-in. That player does not participate in anymore bets above his all-in amount. A side pot is created for the other players. The all-in player is eligible for the main pot only.

Ante – A small forced bet that all players are required to post before the deal. An ante is used in stud poker versus posting blinds as in hold‘em. Antes are also common in tournaments in addition to the blinds at the later levels.

Back Door – A hand which is made back door requires both the turn card and river card to make the hand. An example would be holding a three flush after the flop and needing two more of the same suit to complete your flush. This is also called runner/runner.

Bad Beat – A good hand that is “cracked” or beaten by a better hand that usually was way behind but hit a lucky draw. Every poker player has more than one bad beat story to tell!

Big Slick – This is the nickname for the two card holding of Ace-King.

Blinds – The mandatory bets made by the first two players to the left of the dealer button. They are called the small and big blinds.

Bluff – Making a bet without the best hand in the hope that your opponent(s) will fold and you will win the pot.

Calling Station – A player who calls too often is a calling station. The term is used in a derogatory manner mainly since these players call without the correct pot odds they many times hit long shot winning hands which frustrates other players.

Cards Speak – The best hand is determined by each of the players turning their cards face up with no declaration. The values of the cards speak for themselves.

Check Raise – To check when it is your turn to bet and then, after someone else bets, to raise that player’s bet.

Donkey – An opponent who plays poorly and seems to be throwing his money away. This is the current term for a pigeon, a sucker or a fish.

Double Belly Buster – This is a hand with two inside straight draws. As an example, 79TJK can become a straight with either an 8 or a queen. This draw has the same number of outs (8 winning cards) as an open ended straight draw except the double belly buster is much more deceptive.

Drawing Dead – A draw such that no matter what card you get you will lose. As an example: You have four spades with the King while your opponent holds a pair of Aces along with four spades including the Ace of spades. You’re hoping to draw a spade on the river to make a King high flush. If the spade comes you will lose to an Ace high flush and since your opponent already has a pair of Aces you cannot win. You are said to be drawing dead.

Poker Terms And Phrases

Fish – See donkey – a player who plays the game poorly.

Flop – After the first round of betting, three community board cards are dealt called the flop.

Gutshot – An inside straight draw with only four outs. Drawing to a QJ98 would require one of the four tens to make a straight.

Heads-up – Playing against a single opponent.

Implied Odds – This is an extension of pot odds and represents the ratio of the total amount you expect to win if you complete your hand to the amount you would need to call to continue. While pot odds are an exact calculation, implied odds takes some guess work and knowledge of your opponents’ tendencies.

Inside Straight Draw – See gut shot.

Isolate – To make a raise with the intention of forcing others to fold in hopes of being able to play heads up against a single opponent is to isolate him.

Limp – To just flat call the amount of the big blind is to limp into a hand.

Monster – A very strong hand that is almost certainly the winner.

Muck – Folding your hand is to muck it. The pile of dead cards is called the muck.

Nuts – Based upon the board it’s the best available hand. An unbeatable hand is often called “the Brazils” and “a lock”.

Out – An out is a card that improves your hand, usually to winning status. If you hold the and there are two hearts on the flop, you have nine outs to the nut flush – the remaining nine hearts in the deck.

Pocket Rockets – A pair of Aces in your hand in hold’em.

Pot Odds – The ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of money it will cost to call the current bet. If the pot holds $100 and it will cost you $20 to call, the pot is laying you 5-to-1 odds.

Quads – The nickname for four of a kind – e.g. “he had quad Kings”.

Rags – Refers to a worthless card. Rags are normally small board cards in hold’em.

Rainbow – Three or four board cards of different suits. If a flop contains three different suits it is said to be rainbow. If the turn is a card of the fourth suit, a flush will not be possible.

River – The fifth and final community board card dealt in hold’em.

Runner-Runner – A hand that is made with both the turn and the river cards. Two running cards are runner-runner. If, on the flop, you have a three flush and both the turn and river are of the same suit making you a flush, you’ve gone runner-runner.

Sandbag – Hiding the strength of your hand by slow playing it early on in order to make more money later in the hand. It’s a deceptive ploy to increase profit.

Set – When holding a pocket pair, having one of that same rank hit the board creates a set.

String Bet – This is an illegal move which occurs when a player does not orally declare his intention to raise but puts out chips to call and then reaches back to his stack to get more chips for a raise.

Tilt – A player who has lost his discipline and is playing too loosely and very aggressively in a desperate attempt to win a pot is said to be on tilt. This is normally caused by a series of bad beats that has frustrated the victim.

Trips – Differentiated from a set, trips occur when two of the same rank is on the board and you hold another of them in your hand. The reason it differs from a set is that only one person can hold the three cards to a set while two people can have the same trips when two of them are on the board.

Turn – The fourth community board card dealt between the flop and the river.

Under the Gun – The first player to the left of the button who must act first is said to be under the gun.

Wheel – The smallest possible straight consisting of Ace-2-3-4-5. It is also called a bicycle wheel or just a bike.

Poker Speak – Revisited

Now that you’ve read through the glossary covering a myriad of poker definitions, do you understand what that poker player at the beginning of this lesson was telling his friend? Just in case you missed something, we’ll translate his statement. We’ll repeat the statement as written, with the unique poker words/phrases in bold, and then we’ll make the translation.

I had pocket rockets and the flop comes Ace, two rags, rainbow giving me top set. Can you believe that donkey, Harry, goes runner, runner and cracks my set with his 23-to-1 shot flush draw? It’s just like him; he’s such a calling station.

Translation:

I had two Aces in the hole and the three cards the dealer dealt come Ace, two small cards with three different suits giving me the best/highest three of a kind. Can you believe that unskilled, bad player, Harry, he hit two of his needed suit in a row, one on the turn and the other on the river and beats my three of a kind with his long shot flush draw? It’s just like him, he’s a weak player who calls way too much and sometimes gets lucky.

See how much more concise poker speak is? If you’re just getting into the game and have not been using poker speak – trust me, you will be. In fact, by the end these lessons I’ll bet you’ll be speaking Poker fluently.

By Tom 'TIME' Leonard

Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.