Texas Holdem jargon,

Glossary

Aces Up : A pair of aces with any other pair

Action : A player's turn to act.

Ajax : Ace/Jack in the hole

All-in : Betting all of your remaining chips.

Ante : Forced bet that players must make before seeing any cards.

This guarantees money in the pot for each hand.

Back Door : Hand made in the last two cards.

Bad Beat : Losing when you have a very strong hand,

usually to a very unlikely draw on the last card.

Bankrole : The total amount of money you plan to gamble with.

Base Deal : Dealing cards from the bottom of the deck rather than the top.

A form of cheating

Beer Hand : 7 and 2 hole cards for Texas Hold 'em.

The worst possible starting hole cards

Bicycle : A Straight, A-5.

Big Lick : 6 - 9 unsuited in the hole.

Big Slick : Pocket Ace/King

Blank : Poor card that has no impact on the game. Also called a rag.

Blinds : Mandatory bet before each round. Usually the player,

two places to the left of the dealer, will have to pay the Large Blind,

and the player to the immediate left of the dealer will have to bet half

as much for the Small Blind

Bluff : To bet strongly with a poor hand, as if you have strong hand

in an attempt to make others fold.

Board : The visible cards in a poker game.

Bottom Pair : The lowest pair on the board in Hold'em or Omaha.

For example if the flop is 2c, 7h, Ks, and you have the 2h,

and 10d in the hole, then your pair of twos is the bottom pair.

Bring in : To open a round of betting

Broadway : An Ace High Straight

Bullets : A pair of Aces in the hole.

Burn : To discard the top card of the deck. This is done to prevent

anyone from being able to determine the next card.

Button : The marker that signifies the dealer's spot. The player with

the button receives the last card dealt in a round.

Buy In : The amount you must pay to enter a game.

Call : To match the current high bet.

Cap : In many limit games there is a restriction on the number

of bets allowed each round. A player caps the betting by

making the last allowable raise.

Cards Speak: A rule that says the cards determine the best possible hand,

not the player. If a player has a better hand than he realizes,

the better hand is the one that is used.

Chase : Calling when you have not yet made your hand.

Check : To basically skip your turn to bet. This still allows you to bet later

in the round should anyone else bet. This is similar to betting $0.

Check Raise : To check at first, then raise should anyone else bet. This is done

as a way to lure other players into betting when you think they may

fold if you bet outright.

Cold Call : To call both a bet and a raise.

Counterfeit : A card that does not help you, but is likely to make an

opponent’s hand better than yours.

Crying Call : When some calls even though they are almost certain they are beat.

Deuce : A two

Donkey : A bad player. A fish.

Family Pot : A round where everyone calls the opening bet.

Fish : Poor player

Flop : The first three community cards in games such as

Texas Hold'em or Omaha

Heads Up : A one on one poker match or round.

Hilton Sisters: Wired queens

Hole : The first two down cards in poker game.

Hooks : A pocket pair of Jacks

Ladies : Queens

Lay Down : To fold

Nut flush : Highest possible flush

Nuts, The : The best possible hand, given the cards on the board.

Nut Straight : Highest possible straight.

Odds : The probability of making your hand.

Off Suit : Cards with different suits, usually referring to hole cards.

For example 8c, 9s might be called 8, 9 off suit.

On Tilt : Betting wildly or making poor bets. Usually after a bad beat.

Open : Make the first bet in a round.

Outs : Any remaining card that will give you the winning hand.

For example if you have the 8, 9, 10, Q in various suits,

and have not seen a Jack, then you have four outs to a Straight.

Overcard : A hole card higher than the highest card on the board


Pocket : First two down cards in poker game.

Pocket Pair : Two cards of the same rank in the hole

Pot Limit : A limit on the maximum allowable raise. The limit is the

amount currently in the pot.

Pot Odds : The ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount

it will cost you to call the current bet

See : To Call

Semi-Bluff : Like a bluff except that your hand might be good enough

to win if someone calls you.

Set : Three of a kind.

Suited : Cards of the same suit

Tell : Something a player will do that gives away the strength of his hand.

Tight : A conservative player who doesn't play many hands.

Wired : Pocket cards of the same rank.

W.S.O.P : The World Series of Poker. Annual series of poker tournaments

held at Binions Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. The final event

is a No-Limit Texas Hold’ em tournament with a buy in of $10,000.