Loose
Is a player who plays a lot hands.

Lowball
Is a form of draw poker in which the lowest hand wins the pot.


Main Pot
The center pot. Any other bets are placed in a side pot(s) and are contested among the remaining players. This occurs when a player(s) goes all-in.

Make
To make the deck is to shuffle the deck.

Maniac
A very aggressive player who plays a lot of hands.

Middle Pair
In flop games, when a player makes a pair with one of his/her down cards and the middle card on the flop.

Middle Position
Somewhere between the early and late positions on a round of betting (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left of the button).

Muck
To discard or throw away your hand. It's also a pile of cards that are no longer in play.

Minimum Buy-In
The least amount you can start a game with.

Monster
A very big hand. In a tournament, a player who begins to accumulate chips after having a small stack is considered to be a monster.


No Limit
A game where players can bet as much as they like (as long as they have it in front of them) on any round of betting.

Nuts
The best possible hand at any point of the game. A hand that cannot be beat.


Odds
The probability of making a hand vs. the probability of not making a hand.

Offsuit
Cards of a different suit.

Omaha
A game in which each player is dealt four down cards with five community cards. To make your hand, you must play two cards from your hand and three from the board.

Open
To make the first bet.

Open-ended Straight
Four consecutive cards whereby one additional (consecutive) card is needed at either end to make a straight.

Open Card
A card that is dealt face-up.

Open Pair
A pair that has been dealt face-up.

Option
An option is a Live Blind made in the dark before the cards are dealt. If no one raises, the "option" player may raise the pot.

Out Button
A disc placed in front of a player who wishes to sit out a hand(s) but remain in the game.


Paints
Face or picture cards (Jack, Queen and King).

Pair
Two cards of the same face or number value.

Pass
To fold.

Pay Off
To call on the final round of betting when you may or may not think you have the best hand.

Picture Cards
Face cards (Jack, Queen and King).

Play Back
To raise or re-raise another player's bet.

Playing the Board
When your best five card hand is all five of the community cards.

Pocket
The down cards or hole cards.

Pocket Rockets
A pair of Aces in the pocket or hole.

Position
Where a player is seated in relation to the dealer, therefore establishing that player's place in the betting order.

Post
When you post a bet, you place your chips in the pot. (You must post the Blinds.)

Pot
The money or chips in the center of a table that players try to win.

Pot Limit
This is a game where the maximum bet can equal the pot.

Prop
A person hired by the cardroom to work as a shill.

Push
When the dealer pushes the chips to the winning player at the end of a hand. It's also when dealers rotate to other tables.

Put Down
To fold a hand.


Quads
Four of a kind.

Qualifier
In High-Low games, it is a requirement the Low hand must meet to win the pot.


Rack
A tray that holds 100 poker chips in five stacks of twenty chips each.

Rail
The rim of a poker table or a barrier outside a poker area.

Railbird
Someone who hangs around a poker room who watches the games and/or is looking to get into action.

Raise
To increase the previous bet.

Rake
Chips taken from the pot by the cardroom for compensation for hosting the game.

Rank
The value of each card and hand.

Rap
When a player knocks on the table indicating that he/she has checked.

Razz
Seven Card Stud where the lowest five cards win the pot.

Re-buy
The amount of money a player pays to add a fixed number of chips to his/her stack in a tournament.

Re-raise
To raise a raise.

Ring Game
A "live" game that is not a tournament.

River
This is the last card given in all games. In Hold'em and Omaha, it is also known as 5th street. In Stud games, it is also known as 7th street.

Round of Betting
This is when players have the opportunity to bet, check or raise. Each round of betting ends when the last bet or raise has been called.

Rounders
Guys who hustle for a living. This is also the name of a popular poker movie starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton.

Royal Flush
This is an Ace high straight (A-K-Q-J-10) of the same suit. It is the best possible hand in poker.


Satellite
It is a mini-tournament to gain an entry into a larger tournament.

Scoop
To win the entire pot.

Seating List
A waiting list. A player would put his or her name on this list if there were no seats at the table at which they wish to play.

Second Pair
In flop games, when you pair the second highest card on the board.

See
To call.

Seven-card Stud
A well-known poker game in which players get three down cards and four up cards. You play the best five of those seven cards. Click here for information on Seven-card Stud.

Seventh Street
This is the final round of betting in Seven Card Stud and Stud 8 or Better.

Shills
Shills are paid props who help start and maintain poker games.

Showdown
At the end of the final betting round, it's when all active players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the pot.

Side Pot
A separate pot(s) which is contested by remaining active players when one or more players are all-in.

Sixth Street
In Seven-card Stud, this is the fourth "up" card dealt to the player (their 6th card). It is also the 4th round of betting.

Solid
A fairly tight player (and reasonably good).

Small Blind
The amount put in the pot by the person immediately to the left of the dealer "button" prior to the cards being dealt.

Speed Limit
A pair of fives.

Split
Tie.

Stack
A pile of chips.

Stay
When a player remains in the game by calling rather than raising.

Steel Wheel
A five high straight (A-2-3-4-5) of the same suit.

Straddle
A straddle is a Blind bet which is usually double the size of the Big Blind (and that player may raise when the action gets to him).

Straight
Five consecutive cards of any suit.

Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Structure
The limits put on the blinds/ante, bets, and raises in any particular game.

Stud Games
Games in which players get down cards and up cards.

Stuck
A player who is losing in a game.


Texas Hold'em
This is also the name for Hold'em, the most popular form of poker.

Third Street
In Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud 8 or Better, this is the first betting round on the first three cards.

Thirty Miles
Three tens.

Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same number or face value ("trips").

Tight
A player who doesn't play many pots. A tight game is one that doesn't have much action.

TOC
Tournament of Champions.

Top Pair
In flop games, when the player pairs one of his down cards with the highest card on board.

Treys
A pair of threes.

Trips
Three of a kind.

Turn
In flop games, this is the fourth card dealt. It is the third round of betting.

Two Pair
A hand consisting of two different pairs.


Up Card
A card that is dealt face-up.


Walking Sticks
A pair of sevens.

Wild Card
A card that can be played as any value.

Worst Hand
A losing hand.

WSOP
World series of poker.





MY GOD THAT TOOK AGES.