DICTIONARY

Action: The betting that will occur in a game. If the game would have a lot of action, there would be a lot of betting. If a game does not have much action it is tight and passive, with little betting.

All-in: Putting all of your money in the pot.

Ante: The required bet that would allow you to play in a hand. The most common ante at low limit poker is fifty cents. Many spread-limit games have no required ante at all.

Bad beat : Having a powerful hand get beat by a bigger monster. After spending an hour in a poker room, you will hear the first of many stories from other poker players about the bad beats they had suffered during play.

Bang away: Betting and raising aggressively to try to build the pot.

Bankroll: Money you have for your poker wagering.

Bet : Money that is put in the pot before other poker players have done so (when it becomes a call or raise).

Bettor: The person who has put the first amount of money in the pot.

Bluff: Placing a bet or raising when you do not believe your hand is the best.

Board: The face up cards on the table in a poker player’s hand.

Boat : Another term for a full house.

Bring-in: a forced bet required of the low card, it could be for a minimum (half of the small bet) or full amount
(a full small bet).

Busted draw: A hand that didn’t complete.

Buy-in: The amount of chips you start out with. Most card clubs have a minimum buy in for each table that changes as levels increase. Always start out with more than the minimum.

Call: Placing an amount of money in the pot that equals the amount of money that another player has bet.

Calling station: a person who will call most of the time, but not raise or fold.

Cap: Putting the last raise that is allowed in the pot. Frequently three raises are the maximum.

Case: The rank of last card in the deck. An example: you hold two pair, nines and fives. a nine is dead, and
you get the last (case) nine.

Cold call: Calling a bet that has been raised.

Check: Not betting anything when the action is to you.

Check-raising: Checking and raising when the action comes back to you.

Chip/Check: The round token used in play of hands. Different colors are used to separate denominations.

Come hand: Having a hand not yet made that has more cards to come. a four-straight on the sixth street is an example.

Crack: Beating a hand, usually a big one.

Crying call: Calling with a hand that you do not feel has a good chance to be the winner.

Dog: Slang term for an underdog.

Dord card: The first card exposed in a player’s hand.

Drawing dead: Drawing to a hand that will not win because another player has already made a larger hand.

Earlier position: The position of betting when you need to act before most of the other players in the hand. With eight players, early position includes the first three.

Family pot : a pot that involves most of the players at the table.

Fifth street : The fifth card that is dealt to each player.

Fill up: Making a full house.

Fish: An inexperienced player who makes many mistakes and tends to be very loose with his money.

Flush: Five cards that are of the same suit.

Forced bet : The required bet when you are the low card on the third street.

Fourth street : The fourth card that is dealt to each player.

Free card: A card given to each player when every player has checked.

Full house: Holding three cards of the same rank and two of another.

Gut shot : Drawing to an inside straight.

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