It's time to expand the lingo. Texas Hold-Em is rich with names. Big Slick, Walking Sticks, Bullets, Motown, Beer Hand. Gut Shot, Flush Draw, Trips, Flop, Turn, River. Everything you do has a cool name in Texas Hold-Em.
Well, not everything. And that's the problem. There are a few clunkers out there: Union Oil? Blocky? Oldsmobile? Montana Banana? Or what about Broderick Crawford? Honestly now, when was the last time you were dealt a 10-4 and flipped those bad boys over announcing you've got the "Broderick Crawford"?
I'm betting we all innovate a bit in our own games. It's time to share. Send in your favorite names for hands, situations, whatever. Let's freshen this great language up.
Names that have ( )'s after them have been submitted by people as new lingo; all the others are already well-recognized, common names.
Actan intentional tell to throw off the other players.
Actionthe betting in a hand. Having no action means a hand doesn't have much money being bet.
Active Playera hand that is still playing.
Aggressivea player that tries to push people around with a lot of intimidating betting. This type of player tries to take control of the game with their betting.
All-inperhaps the most intense words you'll hear in Texas Hold-Em. This is when a player raises a bet by betting all of their chips.
Angleusing unfair tactics even though it's not technically against the rules.
Angle-Shootingusing unfair tactics even though it's not technically against the rules.
Antethe amount of money that every player at the table must put in the pot at the start of every hand. Some Texas Hold-Em games are played with an ante, some aren't.
Backdoorgetting a good winning hand with a few long-shot draw cards on the turn and the river.
Backraisesimilar to a check-raise, except this is a call-raise.
Bad Beatwhen you are a heavy favorite to win a hand based on the odds and then another player gets a really lucky card to beat you. Some casinos have a Bad Beat jackpot where you can win a lot of money if you get beat while holding four of a kind (or some other threshold for getting beaten when you have a killer hand).
Bankrollthe amount of money a player brings to a game.
Belly Buster Straight Drawthis is when someone needs just one more card to complete a straight, but they need to get a card in between some of their current cards (e.g. you have 5-6-8-9 and a 7 will complete your straight).
Bet for Valuea situation where you want people to call your bet because you believe you are winning the hand.
Bet the Potplacing a bet that is equal to the size of the pot.
Big Blingthe forced bet that must be made by the player seated two seats to the left of the dealer. A big blind is posted at the start of every hand by the player seated in that position.
Blanka face-up community card that doesn't help your hand. You'll see a lot of these.
Blindsthe forced bets that the two players to the left of the dealer must make at the start of a hand to get the action going. This refers to the Small Blind and the Big Blind.
Bluffthis is when someone acts and plays like they have good cards when they actually don't.
Boardthis refers to the face-up cards that everyone shares.
Board Cardsthis refers to the face-up cards that everyone shares.
Boata full house.
Bottom Dealingdealing from the bottom of the deck. Cheating.
Bottom Paigetting a pair of cards with the lowest community card.
Bricka face-up community card that doesn't help your hand. You'll see a lot of these.
Broadwayan ace-high straight.
Bumpto increase the size of the bet in a given betting round.
Burn cardsthe dealer must discard a card before the flop, before the turn and before the river; these are called the burn cards. The cards are burned because the deck has been idle for some time and this is supposed to prevent cheating.
Buymaking a raise in an attempt to push everyone else out of the hand, hence "buying the pot". Can also refer to "buying the button" if you try to push out the people between you and the button.
Buy-inthe amount of money it costs to join a game.
Callmatching the existing bet size in a given betting round.
Calling Stationa player that always calls, rarely raising and rarely folding.
Capplacing the final raise that is allowed in a round of betting.
Cards Speaka hand that wins no matter how you describe it.
Casethe last card of a certain value (e.g. the fourth king or the fourth seven).
Case Chipsthe last chips that a player has.
Cash Outleaving the game and turning in your chips for cash.
Checka bet of zero chips.
Check Raisechecking when the bet first comes to you and then raising when it comes back to you in the same round.
Chip and a Chairwhen you have one chip left.
Chopwhen multiple people split a pot. Usually this refers to a situation where the people agree ahead of time to split the pot without waiting to see how the hand turns out.
Cleaned Outlosing all your money.
Coin Tosswhen two players have nearly the same chance of winning a hand, and you might as well flip a coin to see who wins.
Cold Callto call and raise your first bet.
Community Cardsthis refers to the face-up cards that everyone shares.
Connectorusually used as "suited connectors" or "unsuited connectors". Refers to two adjacent numberical cards like 8-9 or J-Q.
Crackedwhen you are a heavy favorite to win a hand based on the odds and then another player gets a really lucky card to beat you. Some casinos have a Bad Beat jackpot where you can win a lot of money if you get beat while holding four of a kind (or some other threshold for getting beaten when you have a killer hand).
Dead Moneymoney put into the pot by players that folded.
Dealerthe person who deals the cards
Dealer buttona physical button that gets passed around the table. It indicates the player that is currently the dealer. The reason for this is that most casinos have a fulltime person that shuffles and deals the cards for a table, so the button rotates around the players to indicate who is the "virtual" dealer for each hand.
Dogthe player with the worst odds in a particular hand.
Dominated Handdecent starting cards that tend to lose against similar hands.
Dominating Handreally good starting cards that can get even better.
Double Upwhen you go all-in, someone calls, and you win, which basically doubles your chip total.
Down cardsthe two face-down cards each player gets dealt at the start of a hand
Drawgetting another card.
Drawing Deadwhen there is no card you can draw that would give you the winning hand.
Drawing Handa hand that needs to draw some cards to turn into something good, like a straight.
Early Positionthe first few players that have to bet at the table.
Even Moneya bet that will net the same amount back to you.
Fifth Streetthe last card that is dealt face up after the Turn.
Fisha losing player.
Fishingstaying in a hand hoping to hit a card so that you have something decent to player with.
Flat Callsame as a call, but really lets people know that the person didn't raise.
Floppedused as a verb to describe the hand you got when combining your pocket face-down cards with the flop cards (e.g. I flopped a pair).
Flushfive cards of the same suit.
Flush drawwhen someone needs another card to complete a flush.
Foldthrowing your cards away and giving up on the current hand.
Forced Betthis is the act of paying the small or big blind. Posting is sometimes required when sitting down at a table in a cardhouse.
Fourth Streetthe fourth card that is dealt face up after the Flop.
Free Cardwhen everyone checks, the next card is flipped over for "free".
Free Rollwhen two players are currently tied in the hand because they have equivalent cards, but one player can still win by hitting a flush.
Freeze-Outa style of Texas Hold-Em where people get knocked out when they lose all their chips.
Fullthis is a way of describing the the rank of the matching three cards in a full house (e.g. you have K-K-K-5-5 so you says "Kings Full").
Full Housea hand with three of one kind and two of another card.
Giving Awaywhen your style of play makes it obvious to other people what hand you have.
Grindinga player that waits for only really good cards before playing and doesn't take many chances.
Gutshot straight drawthis is when someone needs just one more card to complete a straight, but they need to get a card in between some of their current cards (e.g. you have 5-6-8-9 and a 7 will complete your straight).
Heads Upwhen a hand or a table is down to only two players remaining.
High Limithigh-stakes game played for a lot of money.
High Rollersomeone that has a lot of money and plays for high stakes.
Hitto catch a card that you want.
Hold Updescribes a situation where your statistical advantage in a hand stayed true all the way to the end of the hand and you won (usage: Your cards held up; I hope my cards hold up).
Hole cardsthe two face-down cards each player gets dealt at the start of a hand
Housethe place where you are playing.
Implied Oddsan advanced calculation of pot odds where you include the expected future betting as well.
Inside straight drawthis is when someone needs just one more card to complete a straight, but they need to get a card in between some of their current cards (e.g. you have 5-6-8-9 and a 7 will complete your straight).
Keeping Them Honestcalling on the river in case your opponent is bluffing.
Kickerthe second card in your face-down cards that gets used to break a tie (e.g. I have an ace-seven and you have an ace-two; my seven is better than your two so I would win a tie [note: only if the other community cards don't factor in])
Kill Gamea game with rules that make it played for higher stakes, often with a third blind.
Kill Pota forced bet by a player that has won several pots in a row.
Knocka bet of zero chips.
Late Blindthe requirement of posting a blind to join a table, no matter where you are seated.
Late Positionthe dealer and possibly the person to the dealer's right. These are the people that get to see how everyone else bets before they have to make their move.
Lay Downthrowing your cards away and giving up on the current hand.
Leadthe first person to place a bet.
Limit Hold-Emplaying Texas Hold-Em where the betting amounts are fixed, like 2/4 or 15/30. The first number refers to the only allowed betting increment before and right after the flop, and the second number refers the the only allowed betting increment after the turn and the river.
Limp Inwhen you only check or call to get to the flop.
Live Blindthe requirement of posting a blind to join a table, no matter where you are seated.
Live Handa hand that is still playing.
Long Shota hand that has hits even though it had very low odds.
Lookcalling the final bet on the river.
Loosea wild player that bets a lot, often times when they don't even have good cards. A very aggressive player.
Low Limita game that is played with small bet limits.
Main Potrefers to the pot that all players are participating in. See Side Pot.
Makeshuffle the deck.
Maniaca wild player that bets a lot, often times when they don't even have good cards. A very aggressive player.
Mechanica player who can cheat by arranging the cards.
Middle Pairgetting a pair of cards with a middle community card.
Middle Positionthe players that fall near the middle of the betting action in a round of betting.
Middling Pair (anonymous)getting a pair of cards with a middle community card.
Monstera huge hand.
Muckthrowing away your cards face-down at the end of a hand you stayed in. You'll do this when you see that someone else has better cards and you don't want to show people what you had. The Muck also refers to the pile of cards that have been folded or burned. Once your cards hit this, you have folded.
No Limit Hold-Emplaying Texas Hold-Em with no limits on the maximum bet size.
Offsuitwhen your face-down pocket cards have different suits.
On The Comewhen you don't have a hand yet but can make a good hand if the right cards show up.
On Tiltwhen someone has been beaten badly or made some bad plays, they often try to make up for it on the next few hands by playing a bit wild.
On the buttonwhen a person is sitting in the dealer position. This is a good position because you get to act last in the betting in the post-flop rounds.
Open Carda face-up card.
Open Paira face-up pair.
Open ended straight drawthis is when someone has four cards in a row and needs the remaining higher or lower card to complete the straight (e.g. you have 5-6-7-8 and either a 4 or a 9 will complete your straight).
Outsthe number of cards remaining in the deck that you want to see to win the hand.
Overcallcalling a bet after another person has already called.
Overcarda card that is higher than any of the community cards.
Overpaira higher pair than any possible pair showing on the table.
Painted cardsKings, Queens and Jacks.
Pairtwo cards of the same rank.
Pairtwo of a kind.
Passthrowing your cards away and giving up on the current hand.
Passivea player that always calls, rarely raising and rarely folding.
Pay Offcalling a bet on the river even when you think you are beat, but the amount to call is low enough that you feel like you have to call.
Paying For Information (glin)making a call on the river when you are sure you lost just to get some information on your the opponent plays.
Picture cardsKings, Queens and Jacks.
Play the Boardwhen the five community cards make the best hand for you (you pocket cards don't come into play).
Pocket Pairwhen your two face-down cards are a pair.
Pocket cardsthe two face-down cards each player gets dealt at the start of a hand
Post the Blindsthis is the act of paying the small or big blind. Posting is sometimes required when sitting down at a table in a cardhouse.
Postingthis is the act of paying the small or big blind. Posting is sometimes required when sitting down at a table in a cardhouse.
Potthe pile of chips in the middle of that table. It's all the money that is bet in a single hand and won by the best hand.
Pot Limit Hold-Emplaying Texas Hold-Em where the maximum anyone can bet at any point is equal to the size of the pot.
Pot Oddsthis is a way of thinking about whether or not you should call a bet. You can base your decision on the odds of you winning the hand versus the amount of money in the pot and the amount of money it would take for you to call.
Put Downthrowing your cards away and giving up on the current hand.
Quadsfour of a kind.
Race Handwhen two players have nearly the same chance of winning a hand, and you might as well flip a coin to see who wins.
Raggecommunity cards that are low and don't help anyone.
Ragsweak pocket cards.
Rainbowwhen the flop has three different suited cards.
Raiseto increase the size of the bet in a given betting round.
Rakethe percentage that is taken by the cardhouse on every pot.
Rankthe numberical value of a card (e.g. 4 or 10)
Rapa bet of zero chips.
Rat-holingtaking money off the table; hiding chips away. This is illegal.
Re-Buybuying chips again after the initial buy-in so you can keep playing.
Re-Raiseto raise someone else's raise.
Readwhen someone tries to figure out what another player has, based on their bets and the way they are acting.
Representto act as if you have some specific hand (e.g. acting like you have an Ace when an Ace showed up on the flop).
Ring gamea normal poker game where people can join in or leave at any point (unlike a tournament game).
River Cardthe last card that is dealt face up after the Turn.
Rocka player that waits for only really good cards before playing and doesn't take many chances.
Roundera high-stakes professional poker player.
Royal Flushthe best possible hand in poker. Ace-king-queen-jack-ten of the same suit. Good luck getting one of these.
Runbetting more than you should.
Rusha winning streak.
Sandbagwhen you have a really good hand but act like it is only mediocre.
Satellitea smaller tournament that is played to win a spot in a larger tournament
Scare Carda community card that shows up that would potentially mean disaster for you hand (e.g. you have a pair of Kings and an Ace shows up on the board).
Scoopwinning the whole pot.
Seematching the existing bet size in a given betting round.
Semi-Bluffmaking a big bet with a somewhat mediocre in an attempt to buy the pot, but if someone calls you still have some outs that would make a winning hand.
Setthree of a kind.
Shootouta tournament where everybody gets the same number of chips and you play until only one person wins all of the chips
Short Buybuying chips after the initial buy-in, where the amount of chips you get is less than the first buy-in.
Short Stackedwhen a player is getting low in their chip total.
Short handedwhen a full table is down to 4 or less players
Showdownthe end of a hand where all players who stayed in show their cards to see who won.
Side Potwhen someone goes all-in but there are still two other players in the hand with more chips, then another pot gets started between those two richer players so they can continue betting on the hand.
Sit and goa tournament where everybody gets the same number of chips and you play until only one person wins all of the chips
Sixth Street (marshman)this doesn't really exist. A lot of times people wish they could get one more card.
Slow Playwhen a player acts like they don't have a good hand even though they really do. This is done to get another player to bet some chips.
Slow Rollwhen you have the winning hand and stall before showing it to mess with your opponent's head.
Small Blindthe forced bet that must be made by the player seated to the left of the dealer. A small blind is posted at the start of every hand by the player seated in that position.
Soft Seata game filled with sub-par players where a pro can clean up.
Soft Spota game filled with sub-par players where a pro can clean up.
Splashing the Potthrowing your chips into the pot in a messy fashion.
Split Potwhen multiple people tie for the winning hand and the pot gets divided equally between those players.
Spread Limita style of game where the bets must be withing a certain range.
Stackyour pile of chips.
Stand Offcalling a raise.
Staymatching the existing bet size in a given betting round.
Steal Raiseraising in a late position in an attempt to win the pot since no one else was betting.
Stealing the Potraising in a late position in an attempt to win the pot since no one else was betting.
Steamingwhen someone has been beaten badly or made some bad plays, they often try to make up for it on the next few hands by playing a bit wild.
SteamrollingRe-raising to make other players call multiple raises.
Straddlea rare extra third blind bet to the left of the big blind, where the straddle is twice the big blind.
Straightfive cards in numerical order.
Straight Flushfive cards of the same suit that are all in numerical order (e.g. 8c-9c-10c-Jc-Qc)
String Betthe act of dragging out your bet amount so you can make a read on the other player's reactions. This is illegal.
Stringingthe act of dragging out your bet amount so you can make a read on the other player's reactions. This is illegal.
Stucka losing player.
Suitedwhen your face-down pocket cards have the same suit.
Table Stakesrefers to the rule that people can only bet with the chips that have on the table during the middle of a hand. People are not allowed to buy in for more chips in the middle of a hand.
Take downwhen someone wins the pot because every else folded.
Tellusually a subconscious act by a player that reveals some information about what kind of hand they have.
The Flopthe first three cards that are dealt face up and are shared by all players.
The Nutsthis refers to the best possible hand at the current time.
The Riverthe last card that is dealt face up after the Turn.
The Turnthe fourth card that is dealt face up after the Flop.
The buttona physical button that gets passed around the table. It indicates the player that is currently the dealer. The reason for this is that most casinos have a fulltime person that shuffles and deals the cards for a table, so the button rotates around the players to indicate who is the "virtual" dealer for each hand.
Tighta player that waits for only really good cards before playing and doesn't take many chances.
Tournamenta style of Texas Hold-Em where people get knocked out when they lose all their chips.
Trappingwhen a player acts like they don't have a good hand even though they really do. This is done to get another player to bet some chips.
Tripsthree of a kind.
Turn Cardthe fourth card that is dealt face up after the Flop.
Turtle (glin)a player that waits for only really good cards before playing and doesn't take many chances.
Turtle Up (glin)when someone wins a lot of chips and then starts playing very tight in an attempt to hold on to those chips.
Two Flushhaving two suited cards.
Two Pairwhen you have a hand with two pairs like 4-4-8-8-3.
Under the Gunthe person seated to the left of the big blind; this person must act first after the two pocket cards are dealt to every player.
Underdogthe player with the worst odds in a particular hand.
Underpaira pair that is lower than all of the cards on the table.
Unsuitedwhen your face-down pocket cards have different suits.
Upin a hand with two pairs, the "up" refers to the higher pair. (e.g. having A-A-3-3, you'd have "Aces Up")
Up Cardsthis refers to the face-up cards that everyone shares.
Walkwinning the pot with the big blind because no one bets at all.
Whalesomeone that has a lot of money and plays for high stakes.
Wired Pairwhen your pocket cards are a pair.
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