Poker Terms & Slang

A comprehensive guide to common terms, definitions and slang used in Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and other variations of live poker games. This list is followed by a glossary of terms and definitions related to custom printed and personalized poker chips.

A

AA: The poker hand consisting of two aces.
Ace-High: A hand in which the highest-ranking card is an Ace, and no other combination is formed.
Action: The betting activity during a poker game. The term can also refer to the decision-making of a player.
All-In: When a player bets all of their remaining chips in a single bet.
Ante: A small forced bet that each player must make before the start of each hand.
Ace-king (AK): A starting hand that consists of an Ace and a King.
Ace-queen (AQ): A starting hand that consists of an Ace and a Queen.

B

Bad Beat: When a hand that was statistically expected to win loses to a long-shot hand.
Bankroll: The total amount of money a player has set aside for playing poker.
BB: Abbreviation for "big blind," the forced bet placed by the player two seats to the left of the dealer before the start of each hand.
Bet: A wager made by a player during the game.
Big Blind: The largest forced bet at the start of a hand, made by the player two seats to the left of the dealer.
Big Slick: A hand consisting of an ace and a king.
Blind: A forced bet made before the start of a hand to create action.
Bluff: A bet or raise made by a player who does not have a strong hand in order to try and win the pot.
Board: The community cards in the middle of the table that all players can use to form their best hand.
Boat: Another term for a full house.
Bounty: A reward offered for eliminating a specific player from a tournament.
Bring-In: A small forced bet made by the player with the lowest upcard in a game of Seven-Card Stud.
Broadway: A straight that consists of the highest possible cards (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten).
Bubble: The point in a poker tournament at which the next player to be eliminated will receive no prize money.
Burn: The act of discarding the top card of the deck before dealing out community cards.
Button: A small, round marker used to indicate the position of the dealer in a hand of poker.

C

Call: To match the current bet.
Cap: The maximum number of bets or raises allowed in a single round of betting
Card Protector: An object placed on top of a player's cards to prevent them from being accidentally exposed or mucked.
Cards Speak: A rule in some casinos where the actual cards determine the winner of a hand, rather than a player's verbal declaration of their hand.
Cash Game: A poker game in which players play with real money rather than tournament chips.
Check: To pass on making a bet, with the option to call or raise later in the betting round.
Check-Raise: To check with the intention of raising if another player bets.
Chip: The round, flat object used to represent currency in a poker game.
Chip Leader: The player with the most chips in a tournament or cash game.
Community Cards: The cards dealt face-up in the middle of the table that all players can use to form their best hand.
Connectors: Two cards of consecutive rank, such as 7-8 or J-Q.
Counterfeit: A situation in which a player's hand loses value due to the appearance of additional cards that match the rank of the player's hand.
Cut-Off: The player one seat to the right of the dealer, considered to have a positional advantage.

D

Dead Blind: A blind bet made by a player who has just returned to the table after missing their turn in the blinds.
Dead Hand: A hand that is no longer valid due to a rule violation or other reason.
Dead Money: Money in a pot that is contributed by players who are no longer in the hand.
Dealer: The player who deals the cards in a game of poker.
Dealer Button: A marker used to indicate the dealer position, which rotates clockwise around the table.
Deuce: A card with a rank of two.
Dominated Hand: A hand that is very likely to be beaten by another hand, usually because the other hand has a higher kicker.
Drawing Dead: When a player attempts to draw to a hand that cannot possibly win.
Drawing Hand: A hand that has the potential to improve with the addition of further cards.
Drop: To fold.

E

Early Position: A seat at the poker table that is among the first to act in each round of betting.
Equity: A player's share of the pot based on their chances of winning the hand.
Expected Value (EV): The average amount of money a player expects to win or lose over time with a particular action or strategy.

F

Family Pot: A pot in which all or most of the players have called the initial bet.
Fish: A derogatory slang term for a weak or inexperienced player.
Fixed Limit: A betting structure in which bets and raises are limited to a predetermined amount.
Five-Card Draw: A poker game in which each player is dealt five cards and has the opportunity to discard and replace some or all of them.
Flop: The first three community cards dealt face-up in the middle of the table.
Flush: A hand consisting of five cards of the same suit.
Fold: To forfeit a hand and all chips in the pot.
Forced Bet: A bet that is required to be made before a hand can begin.
Four of a Kind: A hand consisting of four cards of the same rank.
Full house: A hand that consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

G

Gutshot: A straight draw in which a player is missing one card in the middle of the sequence.
Green Chips: Poker chips with a value of $25.
Grinder: A player who consistently wins small pots over time.

H

Hand: The cards held by a player during a round of play.
Heads-Up: A game in which
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only two players are involved.
High Card: A hand in which no combination is formed, and the highest-ranking card determines the winner.
Hole Cards: The two cards dealt face-down to each player at the start of a hand.

I

Implied odds: The ratio of the potential profit to the cost of a call.
Inside Straight: A straight draw in which a player is missing a card in the middle of the sequence, such as holding 9-10-J-Q and needing a 8 to complete the straight.

J

Jackpot: A special prize offered in some casinos for achieving a particular hand or accomplishment.
Jacks or better: A form of video poker where a pair of Jacks or better is required to win.

K

Kicker: A card that is used to break a tie when two players have the same hand rank.
Kill Pot: A pot in which a player has won two consecutive hands and must make a larger forced bet to continue playing.

L

Limit: A betting structure where there is a fixed limit on the amount that can be bet or raised during each round.
Limp: To enter a hand by calling the minimum bet rather than raising.
Live Blind: A blind bet that is not considered dead, even if the player who posted it is not at the table.

M

Main Pot: The pot that all active players are eligible to win, created by the initial bets and raises.
Monster: A very strong hand.
Muck: To discard one's hand without revealing the cards to the other players.
Multi-Way Pot: A pot that involves three or more players.

N

No-Limit: A betting structure in which players can bet any amount up to their entire stack.
Nit: A slang term for a very tight and conservative player.
Nut Flush: The highest possible flush in a particular game.
Nuts: The best possible hand at a given point in the game.

O

Odds: The probability of a particular event occurring, such as winning a hand or hitting a particular draw.
Omaha: A poker game where players are dealt four cards and must use two of them in combination with three community cards to make the best hand.
Open-ended straight draw: A straight draw where there are four possible cards that can complete the hand, such as 9-8-7-6.
Out: A card that would improve a player's hand.

P

Pair: A hand consisting of two cards of the same rank.
Pot: The total amount of money in the center of the table that players are competing to win.
Pot-Limit: A betting structure in which players can bet up to the current size of the pot.
Pocket Cards: Another term for hole cards.
Position: A player's relative location to the dealer, which can affect their strategic options in a hand.
Post: To place the required forced bet before the start of a hand.
Pot Odds: The ratio of the size of the pot to the size of the bet required to call.
Preflop: The betting round that occurs before the flop is dealt.
Probe Bet: A small bet made by a player who was not the aggressor in the previous betting round.
Push: Another term for going all-in.

Q

Quads: Another term for four of a kind.

R

Rake: The portion of each pot that is taken by the casino as a fee for hosting the game.
Raise: To increase the size of a previous bet.
Red Chips: Poker chips with a value of $5.
River: The fifth and final community card dealt face-up in the middle of the table.
Rock: A player who plays very few hands and is known for their tight, conservative style.

S

Set: Three of a kind, with two of the cards in the player's hand and one on the board.
Short stack: A player with a small number of chips compared to the other players at the table.
Showdown: The final phase of a hand in which the remaining players reveal their cards and the winner is determined.
Sit-and-Go: A type of tournament that begins as soon as a predetermined number of players have registered.
Small Blind: The smaller forced bet at the start of a hand, made by the player to the immediate left of the dealer.
Split Pot: A pot that is divided equally among two or more players with the same hand rank.
Stack: The total amount of chips a player has in front of them.
Straight: A hand consisting of five cards in sequence, regardless of suit.
Straight Flush: A hand consisting of five cards in sequence and of the same suit.
String Bet: A bet made in multiple
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stages or motions, which is not allowed in most casinos.
Suited: Two or more cards that share the same suit.

T

Table Stakes: A rule that limits the amount a player can bet or lose in a hand to the amount of chips they have on the table at the start of the hand.
Tell: A physical or verbal clue that a player inadvertently gives about the strength of their hand.
Texas Hold'em: The most popular form of poker, in which each player is dealt two hole cards and shares five community cards with the other players.
Three of a Kind: A hand consisting of three cards of the same rank.
Tight: A style of play that involves playing only very strong hands.
Tilt: A state of emotional or mental frustration that causes a player to play recklessly or irrationally.
Top Pair: A hand in which a player's hole cards form a pair with the highest-ranked card on the board.
Trips: Another term for three of a kind.
Turn: The fourth community card dealt face-up in the middle of the table.

U

Under the Gun: The player to the immediate left of the big blind who must act first before any other player.

V

Value Bet: A bet made with a strong hand in the hopes of getting called by a weaker hand.

W

Wheel: A straight that consists of Ace-2-3-4-5.
Wild Card: A card that can be used to represent any rank or suit, depending on the game being played.
WSOP: Short for World Series of Poker, the most prestigious annual poker tournament series in the world.

X

X-ray Vision: A non-existent ability to see through opponents' hole cards.

Y

Yellow Zone: A range of chip stacks in a tournament in which players should be more cautious and selective in their hand selection.
Yo-Yoing: A player who constantly loses and wins chips, indicating a lack of consistent play.

Z

ZeeJustin: The online poker screen name of Justin Bonomo, one of the most successful and respected poker players of all time.
Zigzag: A term used to describe a player who changes their betting patterns frequently to confuse their opponents.

Here's a list of terms related to customized or personalized poker chips:

Artwork: The visual design elements that are printed on the surface of the poker chip.
Ceramic: A type of material that is commonly used to manufacture high-quality custom poker chips.
Chip Inlay: A technique where a custom image or design is placed in the center of a poker chip.
Clay: A type of material that is traditionally used to manufacture poker chips.
Color Fill: A process of adding color to the recessed areas of a custom poker chip.
Customization: The process of creating a personalized poker chip by adding custom text or images.
Denomination: The value assigned to a poker chip.
Direct Printing: A printing process where custom designs or images are printed directly on the surface of the poker chip.
Edge Spots: The markings or design elements that are placed along the edge of a poker chip.
Embossed: A technique where custom text or images are raised above the surface of a poker chip.
Foil Stamping: A printing process where custom designs or text are stamped onto the surface of a poker chip using metallic foil.
Full Color: A printing process that allows for the use of multiple colors on a custom poker chip.
Graphic Design: The process of creating visual designs or layouts for custom poker chips.
Hot Stamping: A printing process where custom designs or text are stamped onto the surface of a poker chip using heat and metallic foil.
Inlay Label: A custom image or design that is placed in the center of a poker chip and covered with a protective label.
Laser Engraving: A technique where custom text or images are engraved onto the surface of a poker chip using a laser.
Logo: A custom symbol or design that represents a business, organization, or individual.
Mold: The form used to shape and manufacture poker chips.
Personalization: The process of adding custom text or images to a poker chip.
Photo Insert: A technique where a custom photo or image is inserted into the center of a poker chip.
Printing: The process of adding custom designs, text, or images to the surface of a poker chip.
Security Features: Custom design elements or features added to a poker chip to prevent counterfeiting or fraud.
Text Only: A custom poker chip design that only includes custom text.
UV Printing: A printing process where custom designs or text are printed onto the surface of a poker chip using ultraviolet light.
Wooden: A type of material used to manufacture custom poker chips that have a more natural, rustic look.