Texas Holdem Vocabulary Terms

Terms All In – When a player bets all of his/her remaining chips Ante – In No Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament play, the amount of chips charged per hand dealt (above and beyond the blinds) whether or not you decide to participate in the hand. Generally, there is no ante charged at the beginning levels. Unless you know the lingo, learning the game may be slow going, so take the time to study this comprehensive glossary of common Texas Hold’em terms before you move on to rules and strategy. All-In – The trademark declaration of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, all-in is the phrase used by a player to signal that they are wagering all of their chips.

* A to G . H to P . Q to Z

A
Aces Wired - (Also, Bullets) Two Aces back-to-back (in the hole).
Act - When its your turn to act, you either check, call, fold, open bet, or raise.
Action - A wager or bet of any kind. The placing of money into the pot (e.g. many bets and raises is described as 'a lot of action').
Add-on - To buy additional chips in a tournament that allows it.
Aggressive - A player who frequently raises and re-raises is said to be aggressive.
Alligator Blood - (USA) A tough player is good under pressure.
All-in - When a player bets all his wagering money available on the table.
Ante - In poker, a small bet as the minimum bet that each player is required to put into the pot before a new hand starts. A compulsory opening or starting bet, applied in games with an ante, put up by players before each hand; e.g. Casino Stud Poker, 7-card stud.

B
Back Door - A hand made using the last two cards dealt in seven card stud or Texas Hold'em (e.g. 'a back door flush').
Back-to-back (BB) - When a player is dealt a pair with the first two cards.
Bad Beat - Losing a pot holding a very strong hand you were sure would win.
Bank - The financial backer of a gambling operation.
Banker - In a card game, dealer or the players who books the action of the other bettors at the table.
Bankroll - The total amount of money you have the intention of gambling with.
Base Deal - Dealing from the bottom of the deck. A form of cheating.
Behind - Before the last cards have been dealt, if you don't have the best hand you are 'behind'.
Belly Buster - An inside straight draw.
Berry Patch - (USA) An extremely easy game.
Bicycle Wheel - The hand A2345, also called a wheel or bicycle.
Big Bet - The largest betting amount in limit games.
Big Blind - In flop games, two bets are usually posted before any cards are dealt. The 'small' blind by the player to the left of the dealer and the 'big blind' (double the small blind) by the player to the left of the small blind.
Big Slick - Ace King as your hole cards in Hold'em.
Blank - A card that appears not to help anyone.
Blind Bet - A bet posted without the player sees any of his cards.
Blinds - A forced bet in Hold 'em.
Bluff - To bet strong with a weak hand, aimed at misleading the other players in the hope that they will fold.
Board - The community cards dealt face-up in the center of the table in a flop game (e.g. Hold'em) or the up cards in a stud game (e.g. seven card stud).
Boat - Another term for a full house.
Bottom Pair - Making a pair with the lowest card on the flop.
Bracelet - Winning a championship event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) earns the player a Gold Bracelet. Highly prized amongst poker professionals.
Brass Brazilians - The best hand, also known as 'the nuts'.
Brick - A 'blank' in seven card stud (e.g. a card that appears not to help your hand).
Brit Brag - A 3-card poker game, with variations. Has many combinations and options open to the player.
Bring In - To 'bring it in' is to make the first bet on the first round of a hand. In seven-card stud, the bring-in is a mandatory bet made by the player with the lowest upcard in the first round of betting.
Broadway - An Ace high straight.
Brush - The employee at a cardroom is sometimes referred to as the 'brush'.
Bug - A joker.
Bullets - A pair of aces in the hole. (Also, Aces Wired)
Bump - To raise.
Buried - A buried pair is a pair in the hole in seven card stud - a pair in the first two down cards.
Burn - A 'burn card' is a card discarded from the top of the deck at predetermined points in deals (in case a player has seen it). In card games after a shuffle and cut, one card is placed on the bottom of the deck or in the discard tray, which is called burning the card.
Bust - To run out of money. 'Busted out' in competitions where its final.
Busted Hand - A hand of less value than a pair (e.g. if you miss a straight, you have a busted straight).
Button - A flat disc called the dealer button. The player with the button is the last to receive cards on the deal.
Buy - To buy a pot is to make a bet large enough that other players would be unlikely to call.
Buy-in - The chips which players buy to gamble.

C
Call - To call is to match the current bet.
Calling Station - A player who calls too often.
Cap - The limit on the number of raises in a round of betting in limit games.
Cardroom - Cardrooms are the rooms in which poker is played, or the organizations that run those rooms. Most casinos that offer poker have a separate room, or at least a roped-off area, designated as the cardroom.
Card Shark - A person who is an expert at cards.
Cards Speak - Is the rule that the value of your hand is determined solely by your cards. You don't have to declare your hand properly in order to claim the part of the pot you deserve.
Caribbean Stud Poker - Also called 'Casino Stud Poker', A casino table game based on the standard 5-card stud poker game played on a Blackjack-type table. Some casinos also offer a progressive jackpot paid to high ranking hands. This table game is played with one deck of cards.
Carpet joint - A big card room with comforts.
Case - The fourth card of a particular rank.
Case Money - Emergency money.
Casino Hold'em Poker - Casino Hold´em poker uses the concept of Texas Hold´em Poker but allows the player to play against the house.
Catch - If cards are helping you or are treating you well, you are 'catching cards'.
Catching Cards - Getting favorable cards.
Check - Pass the turn of calling the first bet in a betting round to the next player.
Check-Raise - To check and then raise a bet in the same betting round.
Checks - (USA) Poker chips.
Chop - To return the blinds to the players who posted them and move on to the next hand (when no-one wants to play the hand).
Coffeehousing - To talk about one's hand, usually with the intention of misleading other players.
Cold Call - To call more than one bet (e.g. one player bets, the next raises and the next calls).
Color Up - To exchange one's chips for ones of higher value.
Come Hand - A hand which must improve to be able to win.
Community Cards - Cards dealt face-up in the middle of the table and their rankings are shared by all the players.
Connectors (Connected) - Cards of consecutive ranks, especially pocket cards, are called connectors. If they're also of the same suit, they're called Suited Connectors.
Cowboys - Kings.
Crack - When a powerful hand is beat it is 'cracked' (e.g. pocket aces).
Crying Call - A call by a player who is virtually certain they will not win the pot, and probably knows it.
Cut - To split the deck of cards before they are dealt.
Cut Card - Colored faceless plastic card used to cut the cards after the shuffle.

D
Dead - A hand that is no longer eligible to win the pot.
Dead Money - An inexperienced player who has virtually no chance at winning a tournament. Their chips are said to be 'dead money'.
Deal - To give out the cards during a hand.
Designated Dealer - In a poker room where each game has a resident dealer, a different player serves as the designated dealer for each hand. In poker games like Texas hold‘em, the player to the left of the dealer bets first.
Deuce - Twos are sometimes called deuces.
Discard Tray - A tray on the dealer’s right side that holds all the cards that have been played or discarded.
Dominate - A starting hand that will almost always beat another starting hand is said to dominate that hand. For example, in Hold'em poker, AK dominates K2. Most of the time K2 makes a playable hand, AK will make a better hand. However, a 2 might still lose the hand.
Door Card - The first card dealt face up to each player in seven card stud poker.
Draw - To draw a card (e.g. if you need a card to make a straight, you are on a 'straight draw' or are 'drawing to a straight'. In draw poker, the second round of cards that are dealt. The word draw has slightly different meanings in different contexts, although generally it has something to do with receiving more cards, with the hope of improving your hand. Draw games are games where at some point during the hand you are allowed to discard some or all of your cards, to be replaced from the deck. Drawing two is thus exchanging two of your cards. 'The draw' is the point during the game at which players may do this. By default, when someone asks you if you want to play some draw, they usually mean five card draw. In other poker games, drawing simply means staying in the game with the hope of improving your hand when more cards come. When you stay in a hand with the hope of improving, you are said to be 'on a draw'.
Drop - (Also, Fold) To abandon your hand or throw away your cards without calling a bet.
Down to the Felt - Totally out of money, broke.

E
Eight ball - $800.00.

F
Face Cards - The jack, queen, and king of any suit of cards.
Family Pot - When all players enter a pot.
Fast - Aggressive.
Fast company - Tough players. Sometimes meaning unscrupulous.
Favorite - The hand that is expected to win most often in a particular situation.
Felt - The surface of most poker tables. A player who is running low on chips is said to be 'down to the felt'.
Fifth Street - The fifth card dealt in a hand of stud poker. In seven-card stud, the third round of betting is called fifth street because players have five cards. In Texas hold‘em poker, fifth street is the fifth card on board and the final round of betting.
Fill - To draw a card that makes a five-card hand (straight, flush, full house, straight flush).
Fill up - To fill a full house.
Fish - A poor player.
Fishing - A player who stays in a poker game longer than advisable generally is fishing for the card or two that will make the hand a winner.
Fishhooks - Jacks.
Flat Call - As opposed to calling, flat calling emphasises the fact that you didn't raise.
Flop - A number of games, such as hold'em and omaha, are played with five community cards. The first three of these cards are dealt all at once, face up, and are called the flop. Games with a flop can be called flop games.
Flush - Five cards of the same suit.
Fold - (Also, Drop) To abandon a poker hand. When a player declines a bet and drops out of the hand.
Foul - In pai gow poker, a hand is fouled when the two-card Low hand is set higher than the five-card High hand, or when the hands are set with the wrong number of cards. A fouled hand is a losing hand.
Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank, also known as Quads.
Fourth Street - The fourth card dealt in a hand of stud poker. In seven-card stud, the second round of betting is called fourth street because players have four cards. In Texas hold‘em poker, fourth street is the fourth card on board and the third round of betting.
Free Card - Seeing the next card without having to call a bet (e.g. if everyone checks).
Freeroll - When you have a hand that will at least share the pot but still has a chance of winning, you are said to be freerolling. Also used in online poker rooms in order to demonstrate a site's looks and feel to new players before playing for real money. When a site offers Freeroll it means you can sign up and play for free against other players who also requested Freeroll play.
Freeze-out - Any tournament format in which you cannot re-buy.
Full House - A hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

G
George - A poor player.
Give the office - (USA) To give a warning regarding cheating.
Glimmer - Money.
Going All-in (Also known as 'All-in') - In cardroom poker, to call with (to bet) all your chips. If another player bets more chips than you have in a No Limit game, you can go All-in and stake your total stack against an equivalent amount of your opponent's stack.
Goulash joint - A restaurant or bar that runs a regular card game hidden in a back room.
Greek Dealer - (Also, Mechanic) A player who cheats when dealing.
Grinder - A player who only aims to win a little money each day.
Gutshot - An inside straight draw.

* A to G . H to P . Q to Z

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Exercise: How to play Texas Hold'em poker continued

In the following conversation between two friends (Peter and Juan), Peter continue to explain to Juan how to play Texas Hold'em in English.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Juan:'So in the first round of game of Texas Hold'em. After the two players have had to put blind bets (bets that two of the players have to make before any of the players receive their first two cards). What do the rest of the players do when they are all dealt their two private/hole cards?'

Peter:'All the players have to decide if they want to continue in the game by putting money into the pot or if they want to leave the game, which is called to fold. Because two of the players have have put money into the pot with the blind bets, the rest of the players have to match the amount put in by the person who has the big blind button in front of them if they want to continue playing (including the player with the small blind button, who has to double the amount they put in at the start of the game).'

Juan:'Does a round happen each time new cards are given to the players or shown in the middle of the table face up?'

Peter:'Yes. A round is when the players can bet their money or chips in a game. In Texas Hold'em the first round is normally called the pre-flop. It begins when the players are given their two hole or private cards.
The second round begins when the dealer deals the three shared or community cards in the middle of the table. When the first three community cards are dealt. This second round is called the flop in Texas Holdem.
The third round (which is called the turn) begins when the dealer adds a fourth community card in the middle of the table. The last round (which is called the river) begins when the dealer deals the fifth and last community card on the table.
After all the players left in the game have put the same amount of chips/money into the pot in 'the river' round, the round ends and they then have to show their cards to see who has won the game.'

Juan:'So, I know how the first round starts, after the two players to the left of the player with the dealer button put the blind bets into the pot and all the players receive their first two cards. But which player starts the second round?'

Peter:'In all the rounds except the first it is the first player who is still playing and is sat to the left of the player with the dealer button who starts the round. In the first round, it is player sat to the left of the player with the big blind button who starts the round.'

Juan:'So, does the player beginning a round always have to put chips/money into the pot if they want to continue playing?'

Peter:'No, they don't. If they don't want to put chips/money into the pot, they say check and then it goes to the next player. If that player also doesn't want to put chips/money into the pot, they can also say check and then it would go to the next player. But if that player thinks he has a good hand/cards they can decide to put chips/money into the pot. The first time in a round (except in the first round) that a player puts money into the pot is called a bet.'

Juan:'So if a player makes a bet of $20. What does the next player have to do? Can they say check and not put any chips/money into the pot?'

Texas Holdem Terms Slang

Peter:'No. When somebody has already put chips/money into the pot, they can't check, they also have to gamble chips/money or fold/leave the game.
The next player has three options. The first option is that they can fold/leave the game. The second option is to put the same value of money/chips into the pot that the last player has put into the pot. This is called to call. So if the last player put $20 in, when you call you also put $20 in.
The last option is to put more chips/money into the pot than the last player. This is called to raise. So if the last player put $20 in, and you raise by $10, you put $30 in.'

Juan:'So when does a round end?'

Peter:'A round ends when all the players who haven't folded and are still playing have put in the same amount/value of chips/money into the pot. So in a game of 4 players, if player 1 checks, player 2 folds, but player 3 makes a bet of $30 and player 4 then raises by $10 the round continues and it goes back to player 1 again. If player 1 wants to continue playing, he/she has to match the $40 that player 4 put in and call (put $40 into the pot).
It then continues to player 3 again. If player 3 wants to continue playing, he/she has to match the $40 of player 4 by calling and adding another €10 to the pot. The round will then finish because all the remaining players have each put $40 into the pot.'

Juan:'A little bit confusing, but it makes sense. I've seen people in the movies playing poker and they don't say call or raise or bet, but say all-in. What does that mean?'

Peter:'It's very common in films with poker games. The phrase all-in means that a player in a round puts all of his or her chips they have on the table in front of them (called his or her 'table stakes') into the pot.'

Juan:'Ok, but what happens if one of the players has put $120 into the pot in a round and one of the other players only has $100 of chips on the table. They would have to fold/leave the game in that round because they don't have the chips/money to match what has been put into the pot in that round?'

Peter:'No they don't have to fold. If the player has a good hand and thinks that they could win the game, they could go all-in in the round.'

Juan:'But you said that all players have to put the same amount of money into the pot to continue playing in the game? If one of the players has put $120 into the pot and one of the other players has gone all-in and only put $100 in, it doesn't seem fair to the player who has put the extra $20 in!'

Peter:'In that situation, if these are the only two players left in the game, the player who has put $20 extra into the pot, removes it and then the dealer deals the remaining community cards and then each player shows their hands to the dealer and to the other players to see who has won.'

Texas Holdem Terminology

Juan:'But what happens if there are more than two players left when somebody goes all-in? Do all the players have to remove the extra chips/money they have put into the pot?'

Peter:'It gets a little complicated now. If there are more than two players left in a game when one of the players goes all-in, the chips/money is separated into two different pots (the main pot and the side pot) so the poker game can continue if the other players want to put more chips/money into the game.
For example, imagine there are three players left in a poker game. At the start of the third round, player 1 bets $50, player 2 only has $40 left, so he goes all-in with his/her $40. Player 3 raises by €10, so puts $60 into the pot. The round returns to player 1, who calls, so matches the $60 of player 3 by adding $10 to his/her original $50.
To make it fair for all the players, $40 from each player is put into what is called the main pot. All three players could win this main pot. The extra money ($20 each) which has been put into the game by players 1 and 3 is put into another pot which can only be won by them two (not player 2). This is called a side pot and this is where all the chips/money will be placed in the next round until the game finishes.'

Juan:'So when all three players show their cards at the end of the game, which is called the showdown, if player 1 has three number 7s, player 2 has four Queens and player 3 has two number 10s. Player 2 will win the chips/money in the main pot, but who wins the chips/money in the side pot?'

Peter:'Player 1 will win the chips/money in the side pot because his hand is better than Player 3's hand.'

Juan:'That makes sense.'