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Ace-High
A five card poker hand containing no pair, but an ace.
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Aces Up
A five card poker hand containing two pair: A pair of aces and another pair.
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Active Player
A player still involved in the pot.
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Add-on
After the re-buy period is over in a re-buy tournament, players can add some more chips to their stack for the last time in that tournament.
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Advertise
To bluff with the intention of being caught by the other players in order to get them to call a future bet that`s not a bluff.
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All-In
To bet all the money you have at the table.
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Ante
All the players must put a specific amount in the pot before the first cards are dealt. Used in some poker games, for instance 7 card stud.
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Backdoor Flush / Straight
When a player makes a hand he wasn`t originally drawing at.
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Bad Beat
When a big hand is beaten by a long shot.
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Bankroll
The amount of money a player has available for poker.
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Belly Buster Straight Draw
Used interchangeably with inside straight.
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Bet
To put money in the pot as the first player on a specific betting round.
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Bet the pot
To bet the total amount of money currently in the pot in a big bet game.
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Big Bet (BB)
In limit poker, where the stakes are doubled on the two last betting rounds, a big bet is the unit you can bet / raise on the 2 last betting rounds.
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Big Blind
The largest blind bet in a game that has multiple blinds.
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Big Slick
A starting hand in Texas Hold’em containing an ace and a king.
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Blank
A card that is not if any value to a player’s hand.
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Blind
A forced bet that a player puts in before he receives his cards.
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Bluff
To over bet with a weak hand to try to get the other players to lay down their hands.
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Board
The cards that are face-up in a poker game.
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Bounty
A specific amount you receive when you knock out a player of a tournament.
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Bring In
To make the first optional bet in any poker game.
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Broadway Straight
A straight from 10 to A.
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Bullet
An ace.
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Bullets
A pair of aces.
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Bust
To lose all your money.
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Bust a player
To take all the chips from a player.
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Bust out
To be eliminated from a tournament.
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Button
When there is a house dealer, a button is put in front of a player to show that he is playing the dealer’s position. The button is passed to each player in clockwise order at the beginning of every new hand played.
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Buy in
The amount of money it costs to buy into a tournament.
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Call
To match the previous bet or raise.
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Calling Station
A player who`s next-to-impossible to bluff and who`ll call almost any bet made.
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Cap
When the maximum of raises possible on a betting round is reached.
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Cash game
A game that is played with real cash (converted into chips) as opposed to a tournament where all players start with equal amounts.
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Change gears
Adjusting play from loose to tight or vice versa.
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Check
If no one has bet before you on a betting round you have the option to check. It`s free and you send the action further to the next player.
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Check-Raise
To check and then raise in the same round when the action returns.
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Chip
A plastic token used in place of cash money.
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Cold Deck
A term often used to describe the deck by players who feel they`re not getting enough playable or winning hands.
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Collusion
When two or more players cheat in a poker game.
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Come Over The Top
To raise or re-raise a bet from another player.
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Community Card
The cards face up on the table that all the players can use.
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Cowboy
A king.
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Cowboys
A pair of kings.
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Crying Call
To call with an inferior hand.
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Dead Card
A card no longer in play or with no other like cards that are live.
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Dead Hand
A misdealt hand that is not valid.
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Door card
The first up card in a stud game.
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Double Belly Buster
A two-way inside straight.
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Down card
A card dealt facedown.
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Draw Out
To improve and beat an opponent who had a better hand prior to the draw-out.
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Drawing Dead
Drawing to a hand that it would be impossible to win with, regardless of the card or cards drawn. Also known as dead in the pot.
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Early, Middle and Late Position
The early positions in an eight-handed game are the first three players to act on their hand, the middle positions are the next three and the late positions are the last two..
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Family Pot
When most of the players at the table is active in a hand.
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Fish
A bad poker player.
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Flat Call
To call a bet without raising.
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Floorman
The person ruling in a poker room.
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Flop
A Hold’em and Omaha term describing the first three community cards that are turned simultaneously.
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Flopping a set
In Hold’em and Omaha, when a player forms a three-of-a-kind hand with one or two of the flop cards.
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Fold
To discontinue play in a hand and forfeit the pot.
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Forced Bet
A bet a player is forced to put in if he wants to participate in the hand. For instance an ante or a blind.
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Fourth Street
In stud poker, the fourth card dealt to each player. In Hold’em or Omaha, the fourth community card dealt.
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Free Card
A card that is received without any money having been put into the pot because all active players check on that round of play.
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Freeroll
A tournament that is free to enter, but with real prizes.
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Freeze-out
A tournament where no player can re-buy if knocked out or add more money to his original buy-in.
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Give Action
To call, bet or raise.
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Gut-Shot Straight Draw
An inside straight draw.
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Heads-Up
A poker hand or game involving only two players.
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High Roller
A gambler who plays for large sums of money.
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Hit and run
A player who sits down at a table and leaves immediately after winning a pot.
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Hot
A player who wins many pots and picks up many good hands within a short space of time.
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Ignorant End
The lowest possible straight.
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Isolate
To raise with the intention to get heads-up in the pot against another player.
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Jam
A pot in which several players are raising and re-raising.
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Key Card
An important card in a specific hand.
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Kicker
A side card to a pair or better.
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Knave
A jack.
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Lay Down
To fold your hand.
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Limp in
To call the opening bet.
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Loose Game
A game where most players play most pots.
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Loose Player
A player who involves himself in most of the hands, regardless of the strength of this hand.
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Maniac
A crazy player, who can do anything at anytime.
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Middle Pair
To hit the middle pair on the board.
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Monster
A very strong hand that most likely will win the pot.
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Move in
To bet all one`s chips on a single play.
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Muck
To fold your cards if someone shows a better hand than yours.
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Narrow the Field
To make a big bet to try to keep as few opponents as possible left in the pot.
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Nuts
The best possible hand at that point in the hand.
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Offsuit
Cards that are not of the same suit.
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On the come
To bet on a drawing hand.
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On tilt
When a player plays poorly after losing one or more big pots.
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Open ended straight draw
4 cards to a straight
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Out
A card that will make the hand for you.
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Outdraw
To hit a lucky card to win the hand.
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Overcall
To call a bet after one or more other players already have called.
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Overcard
A downcard in a player`s hand that`s higher than any card showing.
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Overpair
A pair in the pocket in Hold’em or Omaha that`s higher than any card on the board.
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Paint Cards
A jack, king or a queen.
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Pass
The same as fold. To give up your hand.
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Pat Hand
A hand that`s complete or one that a player does not draw to.
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Pick up
Win a relatively small pot without a contest.
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Playing the Board:
In Texas Hold’em If your best 5 card is equal to the 5 cards showing at the board.
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Pocket Rockets
A pair of aces in the hole.
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Position
Where a player sits relative to other active players in a particular pot.
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Pot
The total amount of money bet on a hand.
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Pot Odds
The odds of a bet compared to the amount of money already in the pot.
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Premium Hands
The top starting hands in a game.
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Rag
A low-valued card that appears to help no one. Also called a blank.
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Rainbow
A flop with 3 different suits.
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Raise
To bet more chips than the previous bettor within a round of play.
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Rake
The percentage extracted from the pot by the house dealer.
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Rank
The value of a card or a hand.
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Re-buy
In some tournaments it is possible to buy more tournament chips in the first levels. This is called Re-buy.
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Re-raise
To raise a raiser within a round of play.
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Read
To make an educated guess on what an opponent holds in his hand.
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Represent
To make it appear you have a hand that you might not have.
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Ring Game
A game with a player in every seat. A full game.
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River
The last community card dealt in a flop game.
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Rock
A player who only plays the very best starting hands.
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Rolled-up
In seven-card stud, when the first three cards are of the same rank.
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Rush
To win many pots within short time.
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Sandbag
Checking the probable best hand with the intention of raising.
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Sandwich
Two players having another opponent stuck in the middle of their betting.
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Sem-ibluff
Bluffing with a hand that has possibilities of improving.
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Set
Three of a kind.
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Short stack
A player in a game that has a little amount of chips, compared to the other players at the table.
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Shorthanded game
A poker game with few players. 6 or less.
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Showdown
When the cards are exposed at the end of a hand to see who wins.
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Slowplay
To play a strong hand weakly.
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Slowroll
To await showing a winning hand longer than necessarily.
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Smooth call
When a player calls, anticipating a raise by a player behind him.
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Splash The Pot
To throw the chips into the pot.
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Split pot
If one or more players show down the same hand at the river, the pot will be split between those players.
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Stack
The amount of chips you have at the table.
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Steal the pot
To win a pot on a bluff.
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Sucker
A player who thinks he knows how to play.
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Suited
Cards of the same suit.
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Table Talk
A conversation going on between the players at a poker table.
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Tell
A mannerism of a player that gives opponents an indication of the strength of their hand or whether or not they are bluffing.
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Toke
To tip the dealer.
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Top Pair
To hit the highest pair on the board.
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Trips
Three of a kind.
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Turn
The fourth of the five community cards coming at the table in Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
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Under The Gun
The first player to act in a betting round.
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Underdog
A hand that has a little chance of winning compared to the other hands.
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Wired Pair
A pair in your holecards.
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