Poker Glossary

Learning the terminology that is used in poker is a very important key to understanding the game of poker. It is also fun to know what this words in this unique language mean to the gamblers or players that are involved in the game of poker. Not only will you be able to understand the words and converse with the other players, but learning the phraseology will let feel accepted by the others at your table. Right now we are going to take a look at some of these words and phrases and define them for you.

Action: This means the amount of money being wagered during a hand.

All In: This means to run out of chips or cash before the hand is over as you are calling or betting.

Backdoor: This means drawing cards on both the turn and the river that gives you a drawing hand. This is also known as a runner.

Button: this is an acrylic disc that signifies the dealer of a hand.

Buy: This term means to bluff your way into winning the hand.

Check: Check means to not place a bet. Check is also another word for a poker chip.

Cripple: This term means that you have disabled the deck. For example you have pocket queens and the other two queens flop then the deck is crippled.

Dog: Dog means that you or another player is the underdog.

Fast: As in playing fast or aggressively by betting and raising as much as possible.

Fold: This means to quit the hand or forfeit the hand. Also known as laying down or throwing a hand.

Gutshot Straight: Also known as filling an inside straight.

Hit: This takes place on the flop in hold em poker and means that some of these cards help your hand.

Kicker: This is a card that is unpaired and decides the better of two hands that are approximately equivalent.

Muck: This refers to the cards that have been folded by players or are burned by the dealer.

Nuts: This refers to the best hand possible pertaining to the board.

Pocket: The cards dealt to you face down in hold em poker.

Quads: this means a hand containing four cards of a kind.

River: This is the fifth and last card dealt in a hold em poker hand and is dealt face up. This is also called fifth street.

Set: A set is three cards of a kind when you have two of the same in your own hand.

Tell: This is clue a player does that tells you whether they are holding a good or bad hand.

Toke: A toke represents a small tip that is given to the dealer by a pot winner.

These are just a few of the terms and phrases that are used in the game of poker but there are many others as well. This will give you a start on learning the most common words in poker lingo and you should take the time to learn the rest of them to.