Online Poker
Poker
jargon
The
large and growing jargon of poker includes many terms. This page contains brief definitions of the most common terms you may encounter in text or at play. If possible, a link to a more complete article on the topic is given. Though space is not an issue here, the list has been trimmed to primarily those poker-specific terms one might find in poker texts or in common use in casinos.
Various poker hands have been given many names, and these are listed in List of slang names for poker hands. Finally, this is not meant to be a formal dictionary; precise usage details and multiple closely related senses are omitted here in favor of concise treatment of the basics.
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top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
0-9
A
A-B-C, A-B-C-D
1. A sequence of the lowest poker cards in a ace-to-five low, ace-to-six low.
aces and spaces
A hand with one pair of aces, and nothing else. Used derogatorily, especially in games such as seven-poker cards stud, where two pair is a typical winning hand.
action
1. A player's turn to act. The action is on you.
2. A willingness to gamble. I'll give you action or There's plenty of action in this game
3. A bet, along with all the calls of that bet. For example, if one player makes a $5 bet and three other players call, he is said to have $5 "in action", and to have received $15 worth of action on his bet. Usually this term comes into play when figuring side pots when one or more players is all in. See table stakes.
action button
A marker similar to a kill button, on which a player places an extra forced bet. Typically in a stud game, a player is required to post an amount representing a completion of the bring-in to a full bet. For example, in a stud game with $2 and $4 betting limits and a $1 bring-in, a player with the action button must post $2; after the poker cards are dealt, the player with the low poker cards must still pay the $1 bring-in, then when the betting reaches the player who posted the $2, he is required to leave it in as a raise of the bring-in (and has the option to raise further). Players in between the bring-in and the action button can just call the bring-in, but they know ahead of time that they will be raised by the action button.
action player
Euphemism for a less skillful player who bets and calls frequently with inferior hands.
add-on
In a live game, to buy more chips before you have busted. In tournament play, a single rebuy for which all players are eligible regardless of their stack size. This is usually allowed only once, at the end of the rebuy period.
advertising
To make an obvious play or expose poker cards in such a way as to deliberately convey an impression to your opponents about your style of play. For example, to make a bad play or bluff to give the impression that you bluff frequently (hoping opponents will then call your legitimate bets) or to show only good hands to give the impression that you rarely bluff (hoping opponents will then fold when you do).
aggressive
A player who frequently bets and raises. Compare to "passive"; see also aggression (poker), "loose", "tight".
air
In a table stakes.
all blue/all pink
A flush, "blue" usually referring to black suits and "pink" to red ones. Occasionally one hears "all green" or "all purple".
Alligator blood
A tough player who plays well under pressure is said to have "alligator blood".
ammo, ammunition
Chips in play. I'm going to need more ammo for this game. Compare to "fire".
angle
A technically legal, but borderline unethical, play. For example, deliberately miscalling one's own hand to induce a fold, or placing odd amounts of chips in the pot to confuse opponents about whether you mean to call or raise. A player employing such tactics is called an "angle shooter".
ante
Once meaning a first-round bet, now a type of forced bet before poker cards are dealt. See tournament
play, to force an absent player to continue paying antes, blinds, bring-ins, or
other forced bets so that the contest remains fair to the other players. Go
ahead and take that phone call. We'll ante you off until you get back. Also
"blind off".
B
baby
A low-ranked poker cards, usually used in Seven-poker
cards stud or
2. A hand made other than the hand the player intended to make. I started with four hearts hoping for a flush, but I backdoored two more kings and my trips won.
back in
1. To enter a pot by checking and then calling someone else's open on the first betting round. Usually used in games like Jackpots, meaning to enter without openers.
2. To enter a pot cheaply or for free because of having posted a blind.
back into
To win a pot with a hand that would have folded to any bet. For example, two players enter a pot of draw poker, both drawing to flushes. Both miss, and check after the draw. The player with the ace-high draw "backs into" winning the pot against the player with only a king-high draw. Also to make a backdoor draw, for example, a player who starts a hand with three of a kind, but makes a runner-runner flush, can be said to back into the flush.
bad beat
An event in which a player with a high expectation of winning the pot loses. This expectation may be based on having an unusually strong hand beaten by an even stronger one, or by having an opposing player make an extremely unlikely draw. "Bad beat stories" are frequent topics of conversation at poker tables. Lou Krieger started a tradition among some players of charging $1 to listen to one. In some casinos there is a "bad beat jackpot" awarded to a player who suffers a particular beat, for example, having four of a kind beaten.
Bankroll
The amount of money that a player has to wager for the duration of his or her poker career.
behind
1. Not currently having the best hand. I'm pretty sure my pair of jacks was behind Lou's kings, but I had other draws, so I kept playing.
2. Describing money in play but not visible as chips in front a player. For example, a player may announce "I've got $100 behind" while handing money to a casino employee, meaning that he intends those chips to be in play as soon as they are brought to him.
belly buster
An inside straight draw. Also called a "gutshot".
berry patch
A game with many unskilled or "live" players; a lucrative opportunity for profit.
bet
1. Any money wagered during the play of a hand.
2. More specifically, the opening bet of a betting round.
3. In a fixed limit game, the standard betting amount. There were six bets in the pot when I called.
betting structure
The set of specific rules for any game covering how much one may or must bet at any point in the game, including forced bets, limits, and raising cap. See betting structure.
bicycle, bicycle wheel
The hand A-2-3-4-5. See wheel.
big bet
In a fixed limit game where the limit is higher in later rounds than in early rounds, the higher amount is called a "big bet". That $10-$20 game looked good, but I only had 8 big bets in my pocket at the time.
big bet game
A game played with a no limit or pot limit betting structure.
big slick
A slang term for a Texas Hold'em starting hand that consists of an Ace and King regardless of suit.
blank
A poker cards, frequently a community poker cards, of no apparent value. I suspected Margaret had a good draw, but the river poker cards was a blank, so I bet again. See "brick".
bleed
To lose small amounts continually, so as to add up to a large loss. I won that large pot with my kings, but then I bled it all off over the next hour.
blind
1. A type of forced bet. See blind.
2. A term applied to any action taken by a player before seeing some piece of information to which that player would normally be entitled before that action. For example, a player who would be first to act after the draw in a draw poker game might dispoker cards poker cards and then announce "I bet $10 blind" before looking at his replacement poker cards. One can similarly check blind, raise blind, etc. Also "dark" or "in the dark".
blind stud
A stud poker game in which all poker cards are dealt face down. Was popular in bluff.
bluff-catcher
On the last betting round, a hand that cannot win if the opponent is making a legitimate value bet, but that might win if the opponent's bet was a pure bluff. It looked like Jim and I were both drawing for a flush. I missed and he bet, but I figured the pair of nines I caught along the way made a bluff-catcher, so I called.
board
1. The set of community poker cards in a community poker cards game. If another spade hits the board, I'll have to fold.
2. The set of face-up poker cards of a particular player in a stud game. Zack's board didn't look too scary, so I bet into him again.
3. The set of all face-up poker cards in a stud game. I started with a flush draw, but there were already four other diamonds showing on the board, so I folded.
boat
A full house. See also "full boat", "tight".
bobtail
An open-ender, or "outside" straight draw. Occasionally used to refer to an inside straight draw or a four-poker cards flush draw as well.
bomb
A brick.
bone
A chip, often of small denomination.
book
Four of a kind.
bottom end
The lowest of several possible straights,
especially in a community
poker cards game. For example, in
bottom pair, bottom set
In a community poker cards game, a pair (or set) made by matching the lowest-ranking board poker cards with one (or two) in one's private hand.
box
The chip tray in front of a house dealer, and by extension, the house dealer's position at the table. You've been in the box for an hour now; don't you get a break?
boxed poker cards
A poker cards encountered face-up in the assembled deck during the deal, as opposed to one overturned in the act of dealing. Most house rules treat a boxed poker cards as if it didn't exist; that is, it is placed aside and not used. Different rules cover poker cards exposed during the deal.
break
1. In a draw poker game, to dispoker cards poker cards that make a made hand in the hope of making a much better one. For example, a player with J-J-10-9-8 may wish to break his pair of jacks to draw for the straight, and a wheel.
2. To end a session of play. The game broke at about 3:00.
brick
A blank, though more often used in the derogatory sense of a poker cards that is undesirable rather than merely inconsequential, such as a poker cards of high rank or one that makes a pair in a low-hand game.
brick and mortar
A poker game played in person with real physical poker cards at a traditional casino. The term is meant to distinguish brick and mortar games from online poker games. Abbreviated "B&M".
bring in
To open
a betting round.
bring-in
A kind of forced bet. See bring-in.
broadway
An ace-high straight. A "broadway poker cards" is any poker cards that might make such a straight, namely a 10, J, Q, K, or A.
brush
A casino employee whose job it is to greet players entering the poker room, maintain the list of persons waiting to play, announce open seats, and various other duties (including brushing off tables to prepare them for new games, whence the name).
buck
A token used to mark the position of the dealer. See Buck.
bug
A wild poker cards that can serve to fill a straight or flush, but which otherwise plays as an ace. See bug.
bullet
1. An ace.
2. A chip. See "ammo".
bully
To bluff repeatedly at all opportunities, or a player who does so. See "run over".
bump
To raise. I raised $5, and Joe bumped it to $20.
burn, burn poker cards
To deal a poker cards directly into the dispoker cards, often at the start of the second and subsequent rounds of a multiple-round game (for example, before giving players their draws in a draw poker game, or before the flop in a community poker cards game). This is done for several reasons, including protecting the players against marked poker cards, making it easier to recover from irregularities in the deal, and others.
button
1. A token (also called a buck) used to mark the position of the dealer. In casino games with a house dealer, a buck may still be used to mark the position of the player who acts last on that deal (which would normally be the dealer in a home game). See Buck
2. The player currently seated in the position marked by the button. The button raised last round, so I checked into him.
buy-in
The minimum required amount of chips to become involved in a game (or tournament). For example, a $4-$8 fixed limit game might require a player to buy at least $40 worth of chips to play. This is typically far less than an average player would expect to play with for any amount of time, but large enough that the player can play a number of hands without buying more, so the game isn't slowed down by constant chip-buying.
buy short
To buy into a game for an amount smaller than the normal buy-in. Some casinos allow this under certain circumstances, such as after having lost a full buy-in, or if all players agree to allow it.
buy the button
A rule originating in northern California casinos
in games played with blinds,
in which a new player sitting down with the button to his right (who would
normally be required to sit out a hand as the button passed him, then post to
come in) may choose to pay the amount of both blinds for this one hand (the
amount of the large blind playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small
blind as dead money), play this hand, and then receive the button on the next
hand as if he had been playing all along.
C
call
To match the current bet amount, maintaining one's interest in the pot. See call.
calling station
A weak player who frequently checks and calls, but rarely raises.
cap
A limit on the number of raises allowed in a betting round. Typically three or four (in addition the opening bet). In most casinos, the cap is removed if there are only two players remaining either (1) at the beginning of the betting round, or (2) at the time that what would have otherwise been the last raise is made.
poker cards speak
1. Describing a split-pot game, one without a declaration.
2. A common house rule stating that properly shown hands at showdown may be read by anyone, and need not be announced. See poker cards speak.
case poker cards
The last available poker cards of a certain description (typically a rank). The only way I can win is to catch the case king., meaning the only king remaining in the deck.
cash plays
See "money plays".
catch
To receive needed poker cards on a draw. I'm
down 300--I can't catch anything today. or Joe
caught his flush early, but I caught the boat on
catch up
To successfully complete a draw, thus defeating a player who previously had a better hand. I was sure I had Karen beat, but she caught up when that spade fell.
cat-hop
In five-poker cards draw, a longshot draw requiring two desired poker cards to make a hand, specifically drawing two poker cards to a straight or flush, or drawing two poker cards to a small pair and kicker to make a full house.
center pot
The main pot in a table stakes game where one or more players are all in.
chase
1. To continue to play a drawing hand over multiple betting rounds, especially one unlikely to succeed. Frank knew I made three nines on fourth street, but he chased that flush draw all the way to the river.
2. To continue playing with a hand that is not likely the best because one has already invested money in the pot.
check
1. To bet nothing. See check.
2. A casino chip.
check out
To fold, in turn, even though there is no bet facing the player. In some games this is considered a breach of etiquette equivalent to folding out of turn. In others it is permitted, but frowned upon.
check-raise
To check, and then raise someone else's open. See check-raise.
cheese
A poor hand. Throw that piece of cheese in the muck and move on to the next hand.
chip
A token representing money used for betting.
chip along
To bet or call the minimum required to stay in, often done with little or no reflection. See also "white check".
chip declare
A method of declaring intent to play high or low in a split-pot game with declaration (see declaration).
chip up
To exchange lower-denomination chips for higher-denomination chips. In tournament play, the term means to removing all the small chips from play by rounding up any odd small chips to the nearest large denomination, rather than using a chip race.
chip race
In tournament play, the act of removing all the small chips from play by dealing random poker cards to players holding odd chips, and awarding a proportional number of larger chips to the highest-ranking poker cards. See chip race.
chop
1. To split a pot because of a tie, split-pot game, or player agreement.
2. To play a game for a short time and cash out; see "hit and run".
3. A request made by a player to a dealer after toking a large-denomination chip that he wishes the dealer to make change.
4. To chop blinds.
chop blinds
An agreement between neighboring players having posted blinds that if all other players fold to them, they will each retrieve their respective blind amounts and dispoker cards their hands rather than playing out the hand. This is done to avoid excessive charges by the casino for small pots. It is generally frowned upon by casinos, so it usually takes the form of the small blind folding, and then the player with the large blind refunding the small blind amount while the dealer isn't looking. Agreement must be made ahead of time.
closed
1. Describing a betting round, the condition that no player is eligible to raise, either because the last raise was called by all players, or because the cap was reached.
2. Describing a poker game, one in which each player's poker cards are concealed from all opponents. See closed.
cockroach
Euphemism for a player who frequently raises the pot in an blantant attempt to steal the antes or blinds.
coffeehouse
To make annoying smalltalk during a game, to make comments about a hand in progress, or to make deceptive comments about one's own play.
cold
1. Consecutive, as in I caught three cold spades for the flush.
2. Unlucky, as in I've been cold all week.
cold call
To call an amount that represents a sum of bets or
raises by more than one player.
cold deck
A deck previously arranged to produce a specific outcome, then surreptitiously switched into the game. Called "cold" because such a deck switched in during play will not have been warmed by the dealer's hands. I can't believe Jim got those four kings the same time I got four sixes--it was like being cold-decked. Also "ice".
collusion
A form of cheating involving cooperation among two or more players. See collusion.
color change, color up
To exchange small-denomination chips for larger ones.
combo, combination game
A casino table at which multiple forms of poker are played in rotation.
come bet, on the come
A bet or raise made with a drawing hand, building the pot in anticipation of filling the draw. Usually a weak "gambler's" play, but occasionally correct with a very good draw and large pot or as a semi-bluff.
community poker cards
A poker cards dealt face-up to the center of the table (not to any one player's hand), which can be used in some way by multiple players according to specific game rules. See community poker cards, community poker cards game.
completion
To raise a small bet up to the amount of what would be a normal-sized bet. For example, in a $2/$4 stud game with $1 bring-in, a player after the bring-in may raise it to $2, completing what would otherwise be a sub-minimum bet up to the normal minimum. Also in limit games, if one player raises all in for less than the normally required minimum, a later player might complete the raise to the normal minimum (depending on house rules; see table stakes).
connectors
Two or more poker cards of consecutive rank.
countdown
1. Especially in lowball, two hands very nearly tied that must be compared in detail to determine a winner, for example, 8-6-5-3-2 versus 8-6-5-3-A.
2. The act of counting the poker cards that remain in the stub after all poker cards have been dealt, done by a dealer to ensure that a complete deck is being used.
counterfeit
Most often used in community poker cards games, a poker cards appearing on the board that doesn't change the value of one's own hand, but that makes it much more likely for an opponent to tie or beat you, often because it duplicates what was previously a valuable poker cards in your hand. Also "duplicate". See counterfeit.
cow
A player with whom one is sharing a buy-in, with the intent to split the result after play. To "go cow" is to make such an arrangement.
cowboy
A king. And he's flopped a pair of cowboys
crossfire
See "whipsaw".
Folding to dealt hand when the action to check is an option.
crying call
A call made reluctantly on the last betting round with the expectation of losing (but with some remote hope of catching a bluff).
cutoff
The seat immediately to
the right of the dealer button. Also "pone".
D
dark
Describing an action taken before receiving information to which the player would normally be entitled. I'm drawing three, and I check in the dark. See "blind".
dead blind
A blind that is not "live", in that the player posting it does not have the option to raise if other players just call. Rarely used.
dead button
A dealer button placed in a position where there is no player. This occurs in some casinos when the player who would otherwise be entitled to the button leaves the game (other casinos move the button forward to the next player).
dead hand
A player's hand that is not entitled to participate in the deal for some reason, such as having been fouled by touching another player's poker cards, being found to contain the wrong number of poker cards, being dealt to a player who did not make the appropriate forced bets, etc.
dead man's hand
A dead man's hand is the famous hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot and killed in 1877. This hand contains of a pair of aces and a pair of eights.
dead money
1. Money placed into a pot that does not represent equal bets and calls by active players in the pot. This can be the earlier bets of players who have folded, or money placed in the pot before the deal.
2. By extension, it is used as a derogatory term for money put in play by unskilled players who are legally eligible, but unlikely, to win it back. Can also refer to the player: Let's play that stud game--Joe and Diane are dead money.
deadwood
The muck.
deal
1. To distribute poker cards to players in accordance with the rules of the game being played.
2. A single instance of a game of poker, begun by shuffling the poker cards and ending with the award of a pot. Also called a "hand" (though both terms are ambiguous).
3. An agreement to split tournament prize money differently from the announced payouts.
4. See "business".
dealer
The person dealing the poker cards, or the person who assumes that role for the purposes of betting order in a game, even though someone else might be physically dealing. In the latter case, that player is often marked with a button, and may be called "the button".
declare
To verbally indicate an action or intention; see declaration.
decloak
To raise after having sandbagged for a time (making it clear that you were, in fact, sandbagging). See "in the bushes".
deep
Describing a large amount of money, either in play or having been lost. How deep are you? (meaning "How much money do you have", in anticipation of making a very large bet). I won that large pot, but I'm in much deeper than that.
defense
1. Playing to minimize investment or loss rather than maximize a win; for example, with a drawing hand that is risky but that you think should call an opponent's bet, you might make a smaller "defensive bet" yourself that you think your opponent will just call, rather than checking and calling a larger bet, or showing weakness.
2. Occasionally calling with weak hands to discourage opponents from bullying, especially when in the blinds.
See Defense
deuce
1. A 2-spot poker cards.
2. Any of various related uses of the number two, such as a $2 limit game, a $2 chip, etc.
deuce-to-seven
A method of evaluating low hands. See Deuce-to-seven lowball.
dispoker cards
To take a previously dealt poker cards out of play. The set of all dispoker cards for a deal is called the "muck" or the "deadwood".
dog
Underdog; that is, a player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player. Frequently used when the exact odds are expressed. Harry might have been bluffing, but if he really had the king, my hand was a 4-to-1 dog, so I folded.
dominated hand
A hand that is extremely unlikely to win against
another specific hand, even though it may not be a poor hand in its own right.
Most commonly used in
donation
A call made by a player who fully expects to lose; made either out of boredom or irrational optimism.
door poker cards
1. In a stud
game, a player's first face-up poker cards. Patty paired her door poker
cards on
2. Window poker cards.
double-ace flush
Under unconventional rules, a flush with one or more wild poker cards in which they play as aces, even if an ace is already present. See Double ace flush.
double-board, double-flop
Any of several community poker cards game variants (usually Texas hold 'em) in which two separate boards of community poker cards are dealt simultaneously, with the pot split between the winning hands using each board.
double-draw
Any of several Draw poker games in which the draw phase and subsequent betting round are repeated twice.
double gutter, double belly buster
In games involving six or more poker cards, a draw to a straight that can be filled by two ranks, but that is not an open-ender. For example, K-J-10-9-7, which can become a straight with any Q or 8.
double through, double up
In a big bet game, to bet all of one's chips on one hand against a single opponent (who has an equal or larger stack) and win, thereby doubling your stack. I was losing a bit, but then I doubled through Sarah to put me in good shape.
down to the felt
All in, or having lost all of one's money. Refers to the green felt surface of a poker table no longer obscured by chips.
draw
1. Draw poker.
2. To replace one or more poker cards in one's hand with new ones from the deck stub, as in draw poker.
3. The act of staying in a hand in hopes of improving, usually to a straight or flush--on a draw.
4. A drawing hand.
drawing hand
In any game, an incomplete hand which is not likely to win unless future poker cards, received by whatever means the game specifies, improve it. For example, having four club-suited poker cards but no pair in a stud game, hoping that one of the poker cards to come will be a fifth club, making a flush. See draw.
drawing dead
Playing a drawing hand that will lose even if successful (a state of affairs usually only discovered after the fact). I caught the jack to make my straight, but Rob had a full house all along, so I was drawing dead.
drawing live
Not drawing dead; that is, drawing to a hand that will win if successful.
drawing thin
Not drawing completely dead, but chasing a draw in the face of poor odds. Example: a player who will only win by catching 1 or 2 specific poker cards is said to be drawing thin.
drink pot
A pot won by a player with the agreement that drinks will be bought from the proceeds. See "pot".
drop
1. To fold.
2. Money charged by the casino for providing its services, often dropped through a slot in the table into a strong box. See "rake".
dry pot
A side pot with no money. Created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent, but not raised. Bluffing into a dry pot is a play that cannot possibly earn a profit, so doing so is considered foolish. It may also be unethical, because it serves to protect the all-in player at the expense of the bettor and the other players, and so is a form of collusion.
duplicate
To counterfeit,
especially when the counterfeiting poker cards matches one already present in
the one's hand.
E
early position
In a betting round with multiple players involved, those who bet first are said to be in early position. See position.
equity
One's mathematically expected income from the current deal, calculated by multiplying the amount of money in the pot by one's probability of winning. For example, if the pot currently contains $100, and you estimate that you have a one in four chance of winning it, then your equity in the pot in $25. Compare to "expected value".
expectation
1. Expected value.
2. One's typical win rate for a particular game, ignoring variance. That is, how much one expects to win (or lose) per hour or per hand over the long run.
expected value, EV
In probability theory, the overall expected payoff of a particular event, calculated by multiplying the probability of each possible outcome by the payoff from each. For example, if there are two possible outcomes from an event (say, flipping a coin), one of which pays $2 and the other of which pays nothing, your EV for the event is $1 (in the long run, if this event happened many times, you would average $1 per event). In poker, one generally associates an EV with a particular action. One's EV from calling a bet, for example, is the sum of all possible outcomes from calling the bet multiplied by the probability of each. Note that since a bet costs money to make, the payoff of some outcomes--and therefore the EV itself--may be negative.
exposed poker cards
A poker cards whose face has been deliberately or
accidentally revealed to players normally not entitled to that information
during the play of the game. Various games have different rules about how to
handle this irregularity. Compare "boxed poker cards".
F
family pot
A deal in which every (or almost every) seated player called the first opening bet.
fast
Aggressive. I was afraid of too many chasers, so I played my trips fast.
feeder
In a casino setting, a second or third table playing the same game as a "main" table, and from which players move to the main game as players there leave. Also called a "must-move table."
fence-hopper
See "hop the fence".
1. The last poker cards dealt to the board in community poker cards games. Less common than river.
2. The fifth poker cards dealt to each player in stud poker.
fill, fill up
To successfully draw to
a full
house, typically starting with two
pair or three
of a kind. Jerry
made his flush when I was betting my kings up, but I filled on
fire
To make the opening bet of a round, following the same analogy by which chips are called "ammo". I called Ken's bet on fourth with a draw, but I bricked, and when he fired again I had to fold. or I think Randy suspected my earlier bet was a bluff, but when I fired a second shot he let it go.
fish
1. An unskilled player, or an otherwise skilled player playing carelessly.
2. To risk money on a long-shot bet
five of a kind
A hand possible only in games with wild poker cards, defeating all other hands, comprising five poker cards of equal rank. See five of a kind.
fixed limit, flat limit
A betting structure in which a player never chooses the amount to bet, only whether to bet a fixed amount or not. See fixed limit.
flat call
A call, in a situation where one might be expected to raise. Normally I raise with jacks, but with three limpers ahead of me I decided to flat call.
floorman, floorperson
A casino employee whose duties include adjudicating player disputes, keeping games filled and balanced, and managing dealers and other personnel. Players may shout "floor!" to call for a floorperson to resolve a dispute, to ask for a table or seat change, or to ask for some other casino service.
flop
In a community
poker cards game, the first set of community poker cards dealt, and the betting
round that follows. In
flop game
Community poker cards game.
flush
A hand comprising five poker cards of the same suit. See flush.
fold
To relinquish one's poker cards, forfeiting any further interest in the pot for this deal. See fold.
forced bet
Money that a player is required to place into the pot by the rules of the game. The three common forms are blinds, and bring-ins.
forced-move
In a casino where more than one table is playing the same game with thesame betting structure, one of the tables may be designated the "main" table,and will be kept full by requiring a player to move from one of the feeder tables to fill any vacancies. Players will generally be informed that their table is a "forced-move" table to be used in this way before they agree to play there. Also "must-move".
forward motion
A house rule of some casinos states that if a player in turn picks up chips from his stack and moves his hand toward the pot ("forward motion with chips in hand"), this constitutes a commitment to bet (or call), and the player may not withdraw his hand to check or fold. Such a player still has the choice of whether to call or raise.
foul hand
A hand that is ruled unplayable because of an irregularity, such as being found with too many or two few poker cards, having been mixed with poker cards of other players or the muck, having fallen off the table, etc. Compare "dead hand".
four-flush
Four poker cards of the same suit. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most. See "bobtail", "four-straight".
four of a kind, fours
A hand containing four poker cards of equal rank. See four of a kind.
four-straight
Four poker cards in rank sequence; either an open-ender or one-ender. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most. See "bobtail", "four-flush".
1. The fourth poker cards dealt to the board in community poker cards games. Less common than turn.
2. The fourth poker cards dealt to each player in stud.
fox hunt
After a hand is over, a fox hunt means to reveal the next poker cards that would have come up. If the next poker cards would have been the final poker cards, such as in a community poker cards game with a fixed number of poker cards, this is called rabbit hunting. Such activity is usually prohibited in most casinos.
free poker cards
A poker cards dealt to one's hand (or to the board of community poker cards) after a betting round in which no player opened. One is thereby being given a chance to improve one's hand without having to pay anything. I wasn't sure my hand was good, but I bet so I wouldn't give a free poker cards to Bill's flush draw.
freeroll
1. A situation in which a player is guaranteed to at least break even and may possibly profit. Common in split-pot games. See freeroll.
2. A tournament with no entry fee. Sometimes offered as a casino promotion, or as a reward for earlier play.
freezeout
A winner-take-all tournament. That is, a game in which play continues until one player has all the chips.
full, full boat, full hand, full house
A hand with three poker cards of one rank and two of a second rank. The term "full hand" seems to have been the original, but today "full house" is standard. See full house, "boat", "tight".
full bet rule
In some casinos, the rule that a player must wager
the full amount required in order for his action to constitute a raise. For
example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing an opening
bet of $4 who wagers $7 is deemed to have flat called, because $8 is required
to raise. The alternative is the "half bet
rule".
G
garbage
1. The muck.
2. A worthless hand.
grinder
A player who earns a living by making small profits over a long period of consistent, conservative play. See "rock".
guts, guts to open
1. A game with no opening hand requirement; that is, where the only requirement to open the betting is "guts", or courage.
2. Any of several poker variants where pots accumulate over several hands until a single player wins. See guts.
gutshot
An inside straight draw.
gypsy
To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Also "limp".
H
half bet rule
In some casinos, the rule that placing chips equal to or greater than half the normal bet amount beyond the amount required to call constitutes a commitment to raise the normal amount. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing a $4 opening bet who places $6 in the pot is deemed to have raised, and must complete his bet to $8. The alternative is the "full bet rule".
half kill
A kill for less than double the normal limits. For example, a $6 game may have a kill for $9 rather than the usual $12.
half-pot limit
A betting structure resembling pot limit, but which allows maximum raises of half the amount in the pot rather than the full amount.
hammer
1. To bet and raise aggressively. Nora kept hammering, so I folded.
2. "Having the hammer" is being in last position, especially head up. You've got the hammer; I check to you.
hand
1. The set of poker cards played by one player.
2. A single instance of a game of poker, begun by shuffling the poker cards and ending with the award of a pot. Also called a "deal" (though both terms are ambiguous).
hand for hand
In tournament play, the act of equalizing the number of hands played at two or more tables by waiting for slower tables to finish each hand before beginning the next hand on every table. This is usually done to ensure an accurate finishing order to distribute prize money.
hard