No Speako Da Lingo? Get Up To Speed With Our Poker Slang Guide?
By Ian John
October 23, 2023
Do bullets have you turning around looking for a gun? Is a gut shot a blow to the belly? Ever been asked to contribute to a bomb pot and wondered whether you should get in touch with MI5?
Contents
Then our guide to essential poker slang is just what you need!
The language of poker is as much a part of the game as the dealing of the cards and betting. Therefore, it is something that you need to acquaint yourself with and quickly.
You don’t want to be the donk at the tables for face paints when a fellow player advises you to colour up!
Of course, playing online at bet365 Poker is a great way to learn about the actual mechanics of the game.
But sometimes when you are at a real table, with human opponents, the poker slang infused talk can get a bit confusing!
So here is where we can step in to help you with some of the more common and confusing phrases!
Poker Slang Dictionary
A to D
Add-On – The amount of chips you can purchase during a tournament for a set fee during a break.
Angle (or Angle Shooting) – When a player bends the rules, or uses ungentlemanly conduct, in order to try and gain an advantage in the game.
Backdoor – When you have hole cards that needs two consecutive cards to land in order to complete your hand.
Backraise – When you re-raise a raise after only calling earlier on in the round of betting.
BB – The Big Blind. The second bet made to start the betting after the blind. It’s value is 2x the blind bet.
Belly Buster (or Gutshot) – When a player lands an inside straight draw, rather than an open ended straight draw. For example, when a player has 5, 6, 8 and 9 and needs the 7 and lands it. That is a Belly Buster or Gutshot.
Blind – The small bet that starts the betting.
Blue Chips – Chips worth $10 or £10.
Board – The Community Cards in a hand (Flop, Turn and River).
Bomb Pot – When all players agree to put an extra ante bet into a pot at the beginning of a hand before any of the cards have been dealt.
Brick – A community card that does not improve any of the remaining players hand.
Brick and Mortar – A term used to differentiate a real world casino from an online casino.
Bubble – The point at which in a tournament a player will reach the cash prizes. Going out on the bubble means the player just misses out on a cash prize.
Calling Station – Someone who calls far too often in a game.
Card Dead – When you have had a run of hands that are low value and so you fold them.
Case or Case Card – When three of a card are already dealt and the final card of that ranking is dealt. This is called the Case or Case card.
Coinflip – When there is a showdown between two players and the chances for either player to win are around 50/50.
Cold Deck – A run of poor value hands is said to be dealt from a cold deck.
Colour Up – To trade in your lower value chips for a smaller number of higher value chips to make chip stack easier to use.
Continuation Bet – When you bet first on the next round of betting after having been the last player to raise in the last round of betting.
Cutoff – A position at the table to the right of the button, which offers players a good chance to try and steal the blinds.
Dead Man’s Hand – Two pairs of aces and eights, although some experts feel it has to be two pairs of black aces and black eights.
Deuce – a nickname for the number 2 card. Also see Ducks.
Dirty Stack – When a chip stack is not organised into denominations and is mixed up.
Donk – A very weak player or someone who bets out of position having called on the last round of betting (this is called a ‘donk bet’).
Double Up or Double Through – To double you chips by going All-In and winning the hand.
Ducks – A nickname for a hand of pocket twos.
E to J
Expected Value – How profitable making a certain play at the table is expected to be in the longer term.
Family Pot – A hand where most if not all players remain in after the first round of betting.
Fish – A weak player.
Fish Hooks – A nickname for a pair of jacks in your pocket cards.
Full Boat – A synonym for a Full House, three of one card value, two of another.
Grinding – When you play poker for long periods and slowly try to build up profit.
Heads Up – A game, or a point in a hand, when two players remain and face off against each other.
Hero Call – When you call with a weak hand in the hope or expectation that your opponent is bluffing.
Hero Fold – When you fold a very strong hand because you believe your opponent has a stronger hand.
Hit & Run – When a player signs in to play at a cash game, wins a big hand, but then leaves shortly afterwards.
Hole Cards – The two cards dealt to a player face down at the start of a hand. Also known as pocket cards.
ITM – An acronym for In The Money – meaning the player will win a cash prize.
Jam – When you shove all your chips into the middle and go all-in.
(The) Mark – The weakest player at the table. Stronger players will target the Mark on hands to try and win chips from them.
Monster – A very strong poker hand.
Muck – When you hand in your cards to the dealer at the end of a hand without showing it to the table.
Nit – A player who barely plays any hand, save for the extremely high value hands.
Nuts – The best hand that is possible with the cards showing, meaning that this hand cannot lose.
Open–Ended Draw – When players have four consecutive cards of a straight and can complete a straight by landing a card at either end. For example, if a player holds, 7, 8, 9, 10 they can complete their straight by landing either any six, or any jack.
Out or Outs – The cards a player needs to improve their hand from the pack.
Overcard – When a card is dealt to the board of a higher value than the cards held in our hand. For example, if you hold a pair of eights and a Queen lands on the flop, the Queen is an overcard to our pair of eights.
Pocket Rockets – A pair of aces. The best possible hand to be dealt in your pocket cards.
Quads – Four of a kind.
Rainbow – A board where every card showing is of a different suit.
Ring Game – Another term for a cash game
Runner Runner – When you make two cards consecutively on the turn and river to land a strong hand.
S to Z
Sandbagging – When an opponent slowplays a strong hand to deceive other players.
Semi–Bluff – When you bluff not having made a hand, but there is a chance you can make the hand when further cards are shown.
Set – Three of a Kind.
Shove – Going all in, as in shoving your chips into the middle of the table.
Soft Play – When we play weaker strategy against an opponent on purpose.
Steam or Steaming – When a player is playing angrily or on Tilt.
TAG – A tight aggressive player.
Tilt – A very angry player who is playing in a poor state of mind and likely to make emotional and irrational decisions.
Trap – When you hold a strong hand, but play like you have a weaker hand in an attempt to get one or more players to try and bluff you.
Trips – Three of a Kind
Under the Gun – The first player to make a bet on the first betting round.
Villain – An opponent in the game of poker.
This short list will get you started with some of the more common terms you will come across online and at the poker tables!
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