Poker Terms and Definitions

What does that mean? Well, at Go Horse Betting, we have the answer.

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Action

Opportunity to act by making a check, call, bet, raise or fold. It is also indicative of a very active game (i.e. lots of bets and raises)

Active player

Any player still remaining in a particular hand

Ante

Required money invested in the pot before any cards are dealt. The ante is not to be considered part of the bet

All-in

When a player bets all his/her remaining chips on a single hand

American Airlines

Pocket aces

B&M

Shortened term for a brick and mortar cardroom as opposed to an online cardroom

Backdoor

Catching two cards in a row, on the turn and the river, to complete a hand

Bad Beat

An unlucky turn of events that causes a player to lose a usually strong hand

Bet

To place money/chips into the pot

Bet Blind

To place a bet without looking at one’s cards

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.) In World Poker Tour (tournament play) this amount increases after each timed round.

Big Slick

Hole cards comprised of an Ace and a King

Blind

A required bet made before any cards are dealt. There are two types of blinds – a big blind and a small blind with the small blind typically being half the size of the big blind

Bluff

To bet or raise so to make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she holds in order to win the pot

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.

Boat

Poker hand that contains a full house. Also referred to as a full boat

Broadway

Poker hand that contains an ace high straight

Bubble

The last non-paying spot in a poker tournament

Burn

To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between betting rounds before the next community card

Button

A white disk also known as the dealer button serves to recognize which player sitting at the table is the dealer for that particular hand. After each hand has completed, as with standard poker rules, the button moves clockwise to the next active player. This is done, because there is an advantage to having to act last and so each player gets his fair share of early, late and middle positions

Buy-in

The amount of money it costs to enter a poker tournament

Call

To place money/chips equal to another player’s bet amount

Calling Station

A player who usually calls other player’s bets instead of betting or raising

Canine

Hole cards comprised of a King and a Nine

Check

When a player’s action is not to bet when there have been no other bets made in a particular round

Check-Raise

When a player initially checks and then raises in the same betting round

Community Card

A face up card that may be used by all players at a table

Connector

A starting poker hand in which your two hole cards are only one rank apart

Cowboys

A pair of kings

Crabs

A pair of threes

Dead Man’s Hand

Poker hand that contains two pair; Black Aces and Black Eights. This was the winning hand that Wild Bill Hickok was shot with

Deal

To give players and the board cards throughout a poker game

Dealer

The nominal player, who distributes the cards during a hand of poker. Each player takes a turn dealing and is designated as such by a dealer button. Also called a button

Donkey

A disparaging insult that poker players use against other players. This is not allowed in the chat area

Double Up

To increase your chip stack by 100%

Down Cards

A player’s cards that are dealt face down which only he can see. Also called Hole cards

Draw

A situation in which a player needs one card to complete a poker hand

Drawing Dead

A situation in which a player cannot statistically beat another player’s cards regardless of what cards come up

Ducks

A pair of deuces

Early Position

One of the three positions to the immediate left of the big blind

Even Money Pot

A situation in which a player’s chances of winning a pot are about 50%

Family Pot

A hand in which all the players call prior to the flop

Fifth Street

The fifth face up card dealt. Also known as the river

Flop

The first three community cards dealt face up

Flush

Poker hand that contains five cards of the same suit

Fold

Concede the pot by not calling a previous bet. A player who folds is no longer active

Forced Bet

A mandatory bet that starts the action on the first round of a poker hand

Four-of-a-Kind

Poker hand that contains four cards of equal rank

Fourth Street

The fourth face up card dealt. Also known as the turn

Free Roll

A tournament that requires no entry fee

Gut-shot Straight

Poker hand in which you need one card to complete a straight draw. Also called Inside straight

Hand

A player’s best five cards

Heads-up

A situation in which poker is played one on one

Hi-Lo

A poker game in which the pot is awarded to both the highest and lowest hand

Hole Cards

A player’s cards that are dealt face down which only he can see. Also called Down cards

Implied Odds

The odds that a player factors into his calculation of pot odds to account for being called if you complete your hand

Inside Straight

Poker hand in which you need one card to complete a straight draw. Also called a gutshot straight

Kicker

The highest unpaired card in a player’s hand

King Crab

Poker hand containing a king and a three

Ladies

A pair of queens

Lay Down

To fold a hand

Late Position

Position on a round of betting where the player must act after most of the other players have acted (usually considered to be the two positions next to the button).

Limp In

To only call the big blind before the flop

Limit Poker

Variation of poker in which the bet amounts are preset

Main Pot

The initial pot where betting started prior to a player(s) going all-in

Maniac

A loose, aggressive player who likes to raise a lot of pots

Marginal play hand

A hand that is statistically weak and probably should not be played according to the odds

Middle Position

Somewhere between the early and late positions on a round of betting (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left of the button).

Missed Blind

A mandatory bet that is not posted.

When a new player sits down at an Omaha poker game, he must either post the equivalent of the big blind or wait for their turn in the big blind. This prevents Omaha players from gaining an advantage by avoiding the blinds and jumping in and out of games. If you have missed one or both blinds, our software will prompt you if to put in the correct amount. You can also wait for the blind to get to your position. This is called coming in on the blind. All blinds in poker are considered live bets and therefore, according to poker rules, have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting action returns to their position.

Muck

To discard or throw away your cards

No Limit Poker

Variation of poker in which there are no preset betting amounts

No Limit Texas Hold'em

The No-limit betting form of Texas Hold'em gives all players the option to in turn, bet any amount at any point during the game. Due to its huge popularity it is used in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Tour (WPT). We offer loads of great tournaments that give our customers the best opportunities to win huge cash prizes and all expense paid trips to these massively televised events.

Nuts

The best possible poker hand given the face up cards

Off Suit

A term used to describe a hand with cards that are of different suits

Open-ended Straight

Poker hand in which two different cards can be used to complete a straight draw. The two cards being on either end of the four connected cards

Open Seat

A seat at a game that is currently available for any player to sit in

Out(s)

A number of cards that are needed to complete a winning hand

Overcard

A card that is higher than any card on the board

Overpair

A pair of pocket cards which are higher than any community cards on the board

Pocket Pair

A pair of pocket cards

Post

To place money/chips in the pot

Pot

The money/chips where all bets go for players to win

Pot Limit Poker

Variation of poker in which the maximum bat that a player can make is the amount of the pot at the time of the bet

Pot Odds

A calculation that is used to decide if it is worth calling a bet to remain in a hand. Pot odds are calculated by dividing the size of the pot by the amount of money it costs to call a bet.

Qualify Low

Make a hand that is eligible to win half the pot in a high-low split game

Quads

Poker hand that contains four cards of equal rank

Rabbit Hunting

Looking for the cards that would have come up after all players have folded their hands. This is considered bad etiquette.

Raise

To increase the previous bet

Rake

Money/chips taken from the pot to compensate the site for hosting the game

Rathole

When a player is up in a particular poker session and then takes money/chips from the table and returns to play with a smaller bankroll

Railbird

Someone who looks on or watches a poker game after he has busted out or can’t afford the stakes. It is bad etiquette to use the chat function in a game if you are a railbird

Read

To make your best guess at what your opponent’s hand is

Represent

To pretend and play as if you have a strong hand when certain cards are shown on the board

Reraise

To raise against an existing raise

Ring Game

A real money game of poker at a regular table as opposed to a tournament game that is player with a preset number of chips

River

The fifth face up card dealt. Also known as fifth street

Runner

A poker hand that is made only by hitting the correct cards on the turn and the river

Satellites

Everybody Plays Poker offers many great ten handed qualifying mini tournaments called Satellites. This gives our customer the opportunity to win seats in some of the worlds largest World Poker Tour Events, The World Series of Poker as well as huge cash prizes and amazing all expenses paid trips around the world. Players only have to put up a much smaller amount than the buy-in to a tournament in hopes of winning a seat to the much larger tournament.

Seat position

The position of a player in relation to the dealer’s button

Set

Poker hand that contains three cards of equal rank. Also call trips

Show

To expose one’s cards

Shuffle

Mixing cards prior to the deal

Short Stack

A relatively small amount of chips compared with the other players at the table

Showdown

The point in a particular hand when all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over to determine the best five card hand

Slowplay

Intentionally underbetting a strong hand in order to lure other players into calling

Side Pot

The pot(s) from all side bets. Any player(s) All-in can not win any side pots that they did not invest in.

Sitting Out

A player leaving the table or being timed out is "Sitting Out". In a live game, if a player sits out, there is a time limit for a player to remain out at which time he will be removed from the game

Small Blind

The amount put in the pot by the person immediately to the left of the dealer "button" prior to the cards being dealt.

Smooth-Calling

Intentionally calling other players bets with a strong hand in order to lure other players into the pot

Snowmen

A pair of eights

Split Pot

A pot which is shared and won by two or more players

Suck Out

A winning hand that is made by a player who catches a lucky card on the river

Suited Connectors

A starting poker hand in which your two hole cards are only one rank apart and are of the same suit

Tell

A hint or giveaway that a player unknowingly gives as to the strength of his hand

Tilt

Term for a player that is playing wildly and recklessly by playing far too many hands because they have become emotionally unbalanced

Top Pair

Poker hand in which you combine one of your hole cards with the highest exposed card on the flop

Turn

In flop games, the fourth community card dealt.

Under the Gun

The position to the immediate left of the big blind

Value Bet

A bet that you would like an opponent to call instead of fold because you believe the chances are better that you will win rather than lose the hand

Variance

The positive or negative swings in ones bankroll. This is not necessarily a measure of a player’s skill level but it is a good indicator of a player’s style

Village People

Poker hand containing four queens

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