Poker Terms
Mar 4th, 2007 by Blast Magazine Newsroom
MafiaPrince’s list of poker and gambling terminology. More to be added
Act: To do something when it is your turn. Either Check, Bet, Call, Fold or Raise.
All-In: Betting all of your chips into play. If you bet more than an opponent who calls you has, you only are wagering the amount the opponent has.
Backdoor: Needing both the turn and river card to make your hand. For example if you have two spades in your hand and only one comes on the flop. You have a backdoor flush draw because you need both the turn and river to be a spade to make your flush.
Bellagio: Hotel in Las Vegas where the high stakes poker cash games often take place.
Big Slick: A nickname for Ace-King.
Blank: A card that comes on the board that seemingly doesn’t affect the play of the hand. For example, if the board is Ad-Kd-Tc, and then the turn card is a 3h that would be considered a blank.
Boat: A nickname for a Full House.
Bottom Pair: A pair of the lowest card on the board. For example, if you have K-4 and the board is 4-7-10-Q-5, you have bottom pair.
Bracelet: Item generally given to the winner of a prestigious poker tournament. The bracelets most poker pros vy for and the ones most talked about are the World Series of Poker gold bracelets.
Broadway: An Ace-High Straight (A-K-Q-J-10).
Bubble: In tournaments, the bubble is the play that seperates those who make money and those who don’t. If a player finishes on the bubble, all players that finish after him make money from the tournament.
Bullets: A nickname for a pair of aces in the hole.
Bump: To raise.
Bust: To run out of money/chips.
Buy-In: The amount of money to play in a game. Cash games typically have a maximum and minimum buy-in that give you the equal dollar value of the amount you paid in chips. Tournaments, meanwhile, have a buy-in that will give you a number of tournament chips not equal to any dollar amount. Can also be used as a verb meaning to make your initial purchase into a game or tournament.
Call: To call is to match the bet another player has bet or raised.
Community Cards: Cards that are face-up in the middle that can be used by all players.
Cowboys: A nickname for Kings.
Dealer’s Choice: A format in poker games where the Dealer selects the game of poker to be played, generally for an entire round of play for purposes of blinds.
Deuce: A nickname for a two.
Family Pot: When every single player at the table is involved in a given hand.
Fast: Someone who is playing fast is playing aggressively.
Full House: A five card hand consisting of a pair and three of a kind.