Poker Glossary

Pocket 4's.

To slow play. To play the hand slow and wait until later in the hand to show strength by betting or raising.

A tournament that does not award cash to its winners, but a seat (or seats) in a subsequent "target" tournament.

To win the entire pot.

To call.

A powerful concept first discussed by David Sklansky. It is a bet or raise that you hope will not be called, but you have some outs if it is.

Three of a kind when you have two of the same rank in your hand, and there is one on the board.

A well-known poker game in which players get three down cards and four up cards. You play the best five of those seven cards.

This is the final round of betting in Seven Card Stud and Stud 8 or Better.

A shark is a good player and typically wins. In the poker ecosystem, sharks feed on fish.

A shill is a poker player who is paid by the house and plays with the house money. He or she essentially tries to winmoney for the house at the poker game. Employing shills is considered immoral and is usually illegal and makes the game unfair for all other players.

A game is said to be short-handed when the total amount of players falls below a certain number.

A player with a very small number of chips compared to the rest of the players.

When two or more players play through the riverto determine the winning hand. After the river betting round, players show their hands to each other to determine the winner.

The mixing and rearranging of the cards before each hand is dealt so that the cards are organized in a coincidental order. This is done by the dealer.

To expose one's cards.

Any bet made outside the pot.

A separate pot(s) which is contested by remaining active players when one or more players are all-in.

A cash bonus that an online poker room gives to new players that sign up and make a deposit at the poker room. Typically, the poker room makes the bonus a percentage of the player's first deposit. Also known as a Deposit Bonus.

Tournaments that only require one table, as the tournament limits the number of Players required to start the tournament. Also known as STT.

Also known as SNG. Most often, a sit and go tournament is a single-table tournament. This means that once tenpeople register for the tournament, the tournament commences. Sit and go tournaments are very popular online, but they are somewhat rare in brick and mortar casinos.

In Seven-card Stud, this is the fourth 'up' card dealt to the player (their 6th card). It is also the 4th round of betting.

To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay in the pot.

An antagonistic way of revealing that you have the winning hand, a little at a time. This is done to irritate a player who thinks they have the winning hand.

The smaller of the two forced bets preflop. The person in first position posts the small blind, which is equivalent to half the big blind.

To call one or more bets with a hand that is strong enough for a raise.

A soft game is an easy money game or a game which features players who play too many hands, and go too far with them.

To toss chips directly into the pot rather than put them in a stack in front of you. It's onsidered bad etiquette and is is frowned upon because it can obscure the amount of money actually being wagered.

A pot which is shared by two or more players because they have equivalent hands.

1) A pile of chips. (2) To cheat by prearranging cards to be dealt.

A poker room that allows a player to carry multiple bonuses at once and work on clearing each one before their respective expiration dates is said to allow Stackable Bonuses.

The money with which a player enters a game.

To decline a draw.

When a player remains in the game by calling rather than raising.

(1) To "steal" a pot is to make a bet when it appears no one else has anything. (2) To win the pot by bluffing.

Betting aggressively to fold the blinds before the flop. Generally done from late position, with everyone else presumably already out.

A straight flush A-5.

Typically made by the player one to the left of the big blind, it is an optional, extra blind bet, equal to twice the big blind. This is effectively a raise, and forces any player who wants to play to pay two bets. Furthermore, the "straddler" acts last before the flop, and may re-raise.

Five consecutive cards of any suit.

A hand with the potential of becoming a straight.

Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

The limits put on the blinds/ante, bets, and raises in any particular game.

One of the two basic forms of poker game (the other is Draw poker) and played with open or exposed cards (up-cards) and with one or more concealed cards known as hole cards (down-cards).

When someone hits a draw against you to win the hand.

Any one of the four suits of cards: clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades.

Referring to a Hold'em starting hand with two cards of the same suit. Suited hands are better than unsuited hands because of flush possibilities.

Two hole cards of the same suit that are consecutive in rank. e.g. 8 and 9 of clubs.