Poker Dictionary (A-K)

Subject: Poker Dictionary (A-K) 08/03/09, 10:40 pm

A

Aces Full A full house with three aces and any pair.

Ace-High A five card hand that contains one Ace, with no straight or flush or a hand with no pair in it.

Aces Up A hand that contains two pairs, one of which is Aces.

Action Checking/Betting/Raising. A game in which players are playing a lot of pots is considered an “action” game.

Active Player Any player who is still in the hand.

Add-on A purchase of more chips (optional) at the end of the re-buy period in a tournament.

All-In When a player bets all his/her chips.: In online poker, you may be deemed “All-in” when you are disconnected (even if you have chips remaining).

American Airlines Two Aces.

Ante Money placed in the pot before the hand is begun.

B

Bad Beat When a hand is beaten by a lucky draw.

Belly Buster A draw and/or catch to an Inside Straight.

Bet To place chips into the pot.

Bet the Pot When a player bets the amount of the pot.

Bicycle A straight that is A-2-3-4-5.

Big Blind A designated amount that is placed by the player sitting in the second position, clockwise from the dealer, before any cards are dealt. (Players joining a game in progress must post a Big Blind, but may do so from any position.)

Big Slick A hand that contains an A-K.

Blind The bet(s) that must be made by the two players sitting directly to the dealerʼs left which will start the action on the first round of betting. The blinds are posted before any cards are dealt. (A “Blind” bet is one that is made in the dark without looking at your cards.)

Blind Raise When a player raises without looking at his hand.

Bluff To make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she might otherwise have by betting or raising when they do not have the best hand.

Boardcards The cards that are dealt face-up in a poker game for all players to see. In flop games, five cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. In Seven Card Stud, four cards are dealt face-up in front of each player.

Bottom Pair When a player uses the lowest card on the flop to make a pair with one of his own cards.

Broadway An Ace high straight (A-K-Q-J-10).

Bring-In The forced bet made on the first round of betting by the player who is dealt the lowest card showing in Seven Card Stud and Stud 8 or Better. In Razz (Lowball) it is the highest card showing
Bring It In To start the betting on the first round.

Broomcorn's Uncle A player who antes himself broke.

Bullets A pair of Aces.

Bump To raise.

Button Also known as the dealer button, it is a small round disk that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction following each hand, to theoretically indicate the dealer of each hand.

Buy-In The minimum amount of money required by a player to sit down in a particular poker game.

C

Call When a player chooses to match the previous bet.

Call Cold To call both a bet and raise(s).

Cap To take the last of the maximum amount of raises allowed per round of betting.

Cardroom The room or space in a casino where poker is played.

Case Chips A player's last chips.

Cash Out To leave a game and convert your chips to cash.

Check When it's a playerʼs turn to act and there has been no action in front of them and he opts not to bet, he “checks.”

Check-Raise When a player first checks and then raises in a betting round.

Chop To return the blinds to the players who posted them and move on to the next hand if no other players call. It also means to “split the pot”.

Collusion When two or more players conspire to cheat in a poker game.

Community Cards Cards that are face-up and used by all players.

Cowboys Two Kings.

D

Dead Man's Hand Two pair - Aces and Eights (Wild Bill Hickock was shot in the back while playing this hand).

Door Card This is the first exposed card, or “up” card, in a playerʼs hand in Stud games.

Down Card Hole cards. Cards that are dealt face down.

Doyle Brunson It's a Holdem hand consisting of a 10-2 (Brunson won the world championship two years in a row on the final hand with these cards).

Draw Lowball Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards with the option of discarding one or more and replacing them with new ones and the low hand wins.

Draw Poker Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards down with the option of discarding one or more and replacing them with new ones to attempt to make a better hand.

Drop Fold.

Ducks A pair of Twos.

Deuces A pair of Twos.

E

Early Position Position on a round of betting where the player must act before most of the other players at the table. (It's considered the two positions located to the left of the Blinds.)

F

Fifth Street Also known as the “river” card. In flop games, this represents the fifth community card on the table and the final round of betting. In Stud games, this is the fifth card dealt to each player and represents the third round of betting.

Five-card Draw A poker game in which the player is dealt five cards down. They have one draw to replace them and the best high hand wins the pot.

Five-card Stud A poker game in which each player is dealt five cards, one down and four up, with betting after 2, 3, 4, & 5 cards.

Flat Call Calling a bet without raising.

Flop In Hold'em and Omaha, the first three community cards that are dealt face-up in the center of the table all at one time. The “flop” also indicates the second round of betting.

Flop Games Poker games (Hold 'em and Omaha) that are played using community cards that are dealt face up in the center of the table.

Floorman An employee of the cardroom who makes rulings and decisions.

Flush Any five cards of the same suit.

Flush Draw When a player has four cards in his hand of the same suit and is hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.

Fold To throw your hand away when itʼs your turn to act.

Forced Bet A required bet that starts the action on the first round of a poker hand.

Four of a Kind Four cards of the same number or face value (“quads”).

Fourth Street In flop games, it is the fourth community card dealt (also known as “the turn”) and represents the third round of betting. In Stud games, it is the fourth card dealt to each player and represents the second round of betting.

Full House Any three cards of the same number or face value, plus any other two cards of the same number or face value.

G

Gut Shot To draw to and/or hit an inside straight.

H

Hand A playerʼs best five cards.

High-Card To decide the first dealer in the flop tournaments each user is dealt a single card and the player with the highest card (based on the card and the suit order - of spades, hearts, diamonds & clubs) becomes the theoretical dealer.

High-Low Split pot games.

Hold'em Also known as Texas Hold'em, where the players get two down cards and five community cards. See our complete Hold ʻem rules in our Game Rules section.

Hole Cards These are the Down Cards in front of the players.

House The casino or cardroom that is hosting the poker game.

I

Inside Straight Four cards which require another between the top and the bottom card to complete a straight.\ Players who catch this card make an Inside Straight.

J

Jackpot Poker A form of poker in which the cardroom or casino offers a jackpot to a player who has lost with a really big hand (usually Aces full or better).

Jacks-or- Better A form of poker in which a player needs to have at least a pair of jacks to open the betting.

K

Kansas City Lowball Form of lowball poker in which the worst poker hand (2, 3, 4, 5, 7 of different suits) is the best hand. Itʼs also known as Deuce to Seven.

Keep Them Honest To call at the end of a hand to prevent someone from bluffing.

Key Card A card that gives you a big draw or makes your hand.

Key Hand In a session or tournament, the one hand that ends up being a turning point for the player, either for better or worse.

Kicker The highest unpaired side card in a playersʼ hand.

Kick It Raise.

Kill Pot A method to stimulate action. It is a forced bet by someone who has just won a pot(s).

Knock Check.

Kojak A hand that contains a K-J.