Poker Terms

Bad Beat

A term that most poker players know far to well. The term Bad Beat means you lost a trick that you were favored to win. Usually a result of someone waiting for the river card and lucking out.

Belly-Buster

This is also known as an inside straight draw or gut shot.

Big Slick

Having either an Ace or a King in your poker hand.

Blinds

Poker is no fun unless there is some kind of money on the line, blinds ensure that this happens. There are two different kinds of Blinds in a Hold'em game. There is the Small Blind, which is the minimum amount the person to the left of the dealer must throw in, to the left of the Small Blind player is the Big Blind player. The person in this position must throw in the maximum blind. This structure makes sure that there is always money in the pot, the size of the Blinds varies depending on the limits in the game.

Board

The Board is a term used to describe the community cards dealt to the table. When Board cards are combined with the cards in a players hand it makes up their poker hand.

Button

Usually the Button is a large white chip with the word Dealer on it. It is placed in front of the person dealing, if the table has it's own dealer than the Button is placed in front of the person in the dealer position.

Check-raise

One of poker's most effective moves is the Check-raise. This happens when someone checks their bid to another player, after the opponent bids the player who checked than raises. A Check-raise is an easy way to get people to invest in a trick when they don't have great cards.

Flop

In Texas Hold'em each player is dealt two cards, these are their private or pocket cards. The dealer will then deal the table cards, this action is called a Flop. The first Flop will reveal three cards, the dealer will deal two more cards during the trick after each respective rounds of betting.

Flush Draw

One of the more dangerous things in poker is the infamous Flush Draw. When a player is dealt four cards of the same suit before the river card they have a Flush Draw. They need one more card for the Flush and are waiting for the fifth card of the same suit.

Gut Shot

A Gut Shot is just as dangerous to a Flush Draw and just as tempting. When a player has a Gun Shot, they have four of the five cards needed for straight before the river is turned. Once they get five consecutively numbered cards they then have the straight.

Inside Straight Draw

Same as a Gut Shot.

Kicker

A Kicker is a term for a tie-breaking card. If both players have a pair of Aces the person with the higher card in their hand other than the Ace will win the hand.

Implied Odds

Implied Odds is the odds someone as a hand based on their betting patterns compared to the pot size.

Limp

A Limp is when you call the minimal amount to see the next flop.

Maniac

A Maniac can be a dangerous player to square up against and at the same time they can make you a profit. When someone bets too hard on bad cards all the time they are a Maniac player. This practice may win you some money sometimes, but will most likely loose your money in the long run.

Muck

Muck is when you fold your hand to another player before showing your cards.

Nuts or Nut Hand

Having a Nut Hand is something that every poker player lives for. When a player has the Nuts they have the best possible poker hand at the table and can't be bet. The hard part is getting people to play with you.

Outs

The number of Outs is the number of cards left in the deck that will make up the players poker hand.

Pocket Rockets (American Airlines)

When you have Pocket Rockets is means that you have two Aces in your hand.

Rake

The Rake is the commission that the house makes off a poker game at a casino.

River

The River card is last table card dealt by the dealer.

Semi-bluff

When someone Semi-bluff's a hand it means that they start betting hard on a hand that is not quite made yet. An example would be someone betting hard when they have a Gut Shot with a river card waiting to be turned. A lot players use a Semi-bluff to scare their opponent away from the hand.

Short-handed

When a table is Short-handed it means that few of the original players in a poker game are left in the poker game.

Slow-play

Slow-play is when you act like you have nothing in your hand by taking your time, making small bets or just calling. Eventually a player Slow-playing will make a big raise after the river card is dealt, hoping that their opponent will call since they are invested in the pot.

Smooth Call

A Smooth Call is similar to a Slow-Play accept the player will play a little aggressive. Usually they will just call or make small bets.

Stone Cold Bluff

When someone wins a trick by bluffing with a hand that has no possibility of winning it's referred to as a Stone Cold Bluff.

Tilt

When a player is upset or feels that they are a non factor in a game they may go on Tilt. This means that will make irrational calls and play aggressive. A player on Tilt with some lucky breaks is a scary player.

Trips

Trips is another term for three-of-kind.

Turn

The Turn is when dealer show the table card after the flop. The Turn is between the Flop and the River card.