The following is a glossary of poker terms used on our website. Many a time you can find yourself playing online or in a live poker room and hear your opponents using traditional poker lingo. Sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't.

A

Aggressive- A player who produces a lot of action. One who raises and reraises all the time.

All in- To invest all of one's chips in the pot.

Ammunition- Poker chips.

Ante- A blind bet placed by each player in the beginning of the game before any cards are dealt.

B

Blind- In Texas Hold 'em, a mandatory bet placed by a player before he receives any cards.

Bluff- Whatever maneuver designed to mislead opponents. There is a fine line between bluffing and cheating.

Button- A position that represents the game's dealer.

Bet in- A fee poker players are required to pay in order to participate in the game.

C

Call- To place the same amount as the previous player.

Card sharp- A player who cheats.

Cash in- Replace playing chips with real money. Typically done when a player quits the game.

Check- To stay in the hand, without making any move.

D

Dead money- 1. Chips placed in the pot by a player who is eventually forced to quit the game. 2. In tournament play, a player with marginal winning odds.

Deuces wild- A poker variation in which the deuces act as wild cards. In Deuces Wild, the deuces can adopt the rank or suit of any other card.

Donkey- A lousy poker player.

Drummer- A player who typically plays very few hands (a 'tight' player).

E

Early position- A reference to the three first players seated to the immediate left of the button.

Easy money- Money collected in a game against poker newbies.

EV- Short for Expected Value. The term refers to the calculation of how much money you can expect to collect from the current jackpot.

Exposed card- A poker card dealt face up (intentionally or accidentally).

F

Family pot- A jackpot with three or more players fighting for it. This typically happens when the game is full of fish.

Fish- A really poor player.

Freeroll tournament- A tournament which does nor require players to pay any buy-in.

Friend- A card that is very likely to upgrade a player's hand.

G

Garbage- 1. A lousy hand. 2. Discarded cards.

Gravy- A reference to a player's winnings at the table.

Greek- A poker cheater.

Grinder- A so called 'semi-pro' who takes poker as a full-time job, but does not make much money from the game. He can often outperform mid-stake players but never succeed in high-stake events.

H

Heads up- Playing one-on-one. (Only two players at the table).

Hit- To catch a card required to make a hand.

Honor card- Any card ranked between Jack and Ace.

Hustler- A person who play poker for his daily living.

I

Implied odds- The ratio between the amount of money a player is expected to win on a particular hand and the amount that he is required to put in the pot to stay in the game.

Improve- Strengthen one's hand.

In the money- In tournament play, to reach a place in which money is awarded.

'I wait'- To check.

J

Jack it- To raise someone's bet.

Jam- To actually make the hand you were planing to make.

Jesse James- A pot stealer. A bluffer.

Joker wild- All poker variations in which the joker is wild. A wild card is a card that can serve as a substitute to any other card of any suit or rank.

K

Kick- To raise.

Kicker- In Texas Hold 'em, the unpaired card that ultimately determines the winner. For instance, imagine a situation in which one player holds Js&10d and the other holds 10h&9c and the board is 10h, Ad, 8c, Ks, 2h. The first player wins because his kicker (Js) is higher than the second player's kicker (9c).

KKK- three Kings.

Kitchen game- A game organized at home. Typically involving small stakes.

L

Late position- A reference to the three players seated to the immediate right of the button. They are usually the last to act in a betting round.

Loan shark- A shady individual willing to loan money to desperate poker players. The loan is typically attached to unfairly high interests.

Loose player- A player who usually plays whatever hand he is dealt, regardless of its value.

Low roller- A small-stakes poker player.

M

Maniac- A person who plays very aggressively regardless of his hand's value.

Mechanic- A cheating player who manipulates the cards.

Muck- To fold one's hand (typically at showdown time).

Multi-way pot- A pot contended by at least three poker players.

N

N/L- Short for No Limit.

Nose picker- The Joker.

Nursing- To play very conservatively with few chips.

Nuts- In Texas Hold 'em, a reference to the strongest card combination in the pot.

O

Odds- The probability of an event to actually happen. For example, if you have a 25% chance to nab the pot, the odds are 3:1 against you.

On board- In Texas Hold 'em, a reference to 'Community Cards' (the cards that are placed face up on the table and are for all participating players to share, the opposite of 'Pocket Cards').

On tilt- Exaggerated emotional agitation during play causing a player to ignore the strength or the weakness of his hand.

Outs- Cards that can help a poker player make a hand.

P

Pocket- A players personal cards which are not to be exposed to any opponent or fellow poker player.

Position- A player's seat at the table. Typically in relation to the dealer/ button.

Pot- The money/ chips put in the middle of the table. All game participants seek to nab the pot.

Prop player- A player hired by the house to generate action at the facility's tables (online and offline alike).

Q

Quads- Four cards of the same rank.

R

Rake- A fee charged by the house for hosting the game. Typically, a certain percentage of the jackpot.

Read- To reach a conclusion concerning another player's hand value based on his behavior at the table.

Reload bonus- A bonus released for existing online poker room players (as opposed to first-time depositors).

Rounder- A person who plays poker for his livelihood. Rounders typically don't make killer amounts from poker play.

S

Satellite tournament- An online tournament featuring a seat to a major live event as the first place prize.

Shill- A player hired by the house to keep action going at the tables.

Showdown- The end of the game when all players disclose their hands. The game's winner is determined on the showdown.

Suited connectors- Two hole cards sharing the same suit and of consecutive rank.

T

Table cards- Cards placed on the board face up for all participating players to share.

Tell- Any projection of a player's hand strength. For instance, sweating hands may indicate that a player has a weak hand and he is worried about losing the game.

Tight- A player who play few hands.

Trick- A lousy player. A donkey.

U

Uncalled bet- A wager not called by any other game participant. In such a case, the player whose bet is uncalled collects the pot.

Unglued- On tilt.

Unlimited re-buy tournament- A poker tournament structure allowing participants to re-buy as much as they like.

UTG-Under the Gun. A player to the immediate left to the Big Blind player.

V

Value bet- A bet placed in hopes of being called and nabbing a fatter pot.

Video poker- Poker played on a video gaming machine.

W

Weak- A hand of marginal value.

Winning hand- The best hand in the game. A player with the winning hand takes home the pot.

World Poker Tour (WPT)- A high-profile live poker competition.

World Series of Poker- A world-class live poker gaming championship.

X

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Y

Yeast- To raise the previous bet.

Z

Zombie- A player boasting an unreadable poker face.