Sometimes when you hit the felt, it feels like the players around you are speaking a whole new language. So let's get you up to speed on the A-Z of poker so you can start talking like a pro.

A is for Air

When your opponent is about to fold but you indicate you'll draw at least one more card if they call you, that's called giving air.

B is for Baby

In the A-Z of poker, a baby isn't a cute little crawling person who fills your life with unspeakable joy every minute of the day. It is what the lowest possible hand on the board is.

C is for Crying Call

Speaking of babies, one of the things they're best known for is crying. But in poker, a crying call is when you call even though you're pretty sure you don't have the best hand at the table.

D is for Dark

Are you afraid of the dark? Well you should be. You're in the dark in poker when you make an action before the players in earlier positions to you have made their move.

E is for Expected Value

Doing the sums to try and figure out your long term profitability is called your expected value.

F is for Family Pot

When everyone at the table calls during the first round of betting, the pot becomes a family pot. How wholesome!

G is for Get Away

You think your opponent has an even stronger hand than your strong hand. That's a get away.

H is for Hero Call

Your hand isn't the strongest by any stretch of the imagination. However, you're convinced that your opponent is bluffing out of his eye sockets and beyond, so you call. That, my friends, is what's known as a Hero Call in the A-Z of poker.

I is for Independent Chip Model

Give your tournament stack a cash value and then you can work out how much your next move will cost you in real-money terms. That's an Independent Chip Model.

J is for Junk

When you get dealt a stinker of a pair of hole cards, they're junk.

L is for L.A.G

This one can leave people stumped in the A-Z of poker, but it's pretty simple really. This is a style of play: loose and aggressive. Get it?

M is for Multi-Way Pot

When more than two players are competing for the pot, it becomes a multi-way pot.

N is for Nit

Are you afraid of taking risks and prefer to stick to playing premium hands? Then you're a nit.

O is for Overpair

You have an overpair when your pocket pair is higher than any community card on the board. And that's a pretty nice place to be, a lot of the time.

P is for Passive

Check, call, check, call, check, check, call. Does that sound familiar? It might be because you're a passive player.

Q is for Quartered

Congratulations! You've split the pot four ways.

R is for Raccoon

Oh poor Raccoons. In the A-Z of poker, these players make calls based on what they hope might happen as opposed to how other players are reacting or what the stats say is the smart thing to do.

S is for Super Satellite

A dreamer's gotta dream and super satellites are PERFECT for that. These are free to enter tournaments that can win you entry to a satellite tournament. Then if you win that, you can go on to play an even larger tournament for potentially large prizes.

T is for Tag

Playing a small number of hands aggressively is called a tag playing style.

U is for Underfull

Underfulls can be kind of wonderful in poker. This is where the three of a kind ranks higher than the pair in a full house.

V is for Value Bet

Are you trying to string players along by making a low bet because you hope it'll be called by as many players as possible? Well that's what a value bet is all about.

W is for Wet Board

We are thirsty for a wet board over in these parts. It's where the community cards make it lots of strong hands possible. Great fun altogether!

Z is for Zero Sum

Are your odds of winning the same as your odds of losing a hand? That's called zero sum.

All contents are ©

18+ Worried about your gambling?   
Gamcare - When the fun stops – STOP!