Poker Articles

Freshman Poker (#9)
By Jan Fisher

There is so much jargon in the poker world that it will take many articles to give you just the backbone of the lingo. There are books on the market that are encyclopedias of the slang as well as many published lists such as this that are available to assist you. I suggest Poker Talk by Michael Wiesenberg for those of you who are interested in a complete list. I suggest that, since it may seem so overwhelming to a newbie, that you print out and save these lists and try to learn a few terms a day. Many of them are self-explanatory while others are way out there.

Many of these terms will become second nature to you and you will find yourself using them in all walks of life. Of course, people will look at you like you had three heads when you refer to the entrée in front of you as "the nuts" (that, in poker, is the best possible hand in the situation) but you will find yourself doing it. It will brand you a poker player. Things could be worse. OK, back to the alphabet we go.

Bluff - betting a worthless hand knowing that the only way to win the pot is for no one to call you

Board - the community cards in flop games and the upcards in stud games

Boat - a full house, full boat; three of a kind and a pair

Bullet - an ace

Bump - a novice's term for raise; to increase the size of the previous bet, usually double the amount

Burn Card - the top card on the deck before each dealing round; this card is always buried facedown under the chips by the dealer before a round of cards is delivered to the players

Button - the round disk placed in front of the player who receives the last card, acts last, and is theoretically the dealer in flop games; it moves clockwise one position after each hand

Cage teller or cashier - where players buy or cash in playing chips

Call - to put chips into the pot that are equal to the previous bet

Called hand - a hand that has been bet and called and must be shown to win the pot

Calling station - a player who plays unaggressively but calls most bets and therefore is difficult to bluff

Cap - the number of raises allowed of the total dollar amount of all bets and raises allowed on one street

Card rack - a player who seemingly gets more than his fair share of good cards

Cards speak - the ranking of a shown hand regardless of how it is verbally described

Case card - the last remaining card of a particular suit or rank

Chase - playing with a worse hand than an opponent and trying to catch up and win

Check - the same as pass; opting to remain in the hand but not bet; also used interchangeably with the term chip, as in gaming chip

Check blind - the same as check dark, passing before seeing your card or cards

Check-raise - passing and allowing another player to bet, then raising that bet

Chop the blinds - also chopping; players agree to take back their posted blinds without playing out the hand if no one else calls or raises

Cold call - calling a bet or bets without previously putting money into the pot

Color change - the same as color up; trading chip denominations either higher or lower

Community card(s) - card(s) used by everyone involved in the pot; the boardcards in flop games, and seventh street in stud when the dealer runs out of cards

Concealed pair - in stud, when the first two downcards are of the came rank

Connectors - two sequential hole cards in a hold'em hand

Counterfeit - having a card appear on the board that duplicates one in your hand, giving you a worse hand and oftentimes costing you all or part of the pot

Cowboy - king

Cracked - beaten

Please remember that these definitions are not always complete applications of the terms, but are those that pertain to low-limit games for the most part. This list seems overwhelming. Be patient, it all will fit together. Class dismissed!

Please email me with any terms you are unclear of or with your poker related questions. I will answer any emails that I receive. Write to me at Jan@PokerPages.com