Poker school
The most common poker terms
- 3 Max Rebuy
- During a tournament players can only do a rebuy up to three times.
- Add-on
- Extra chips that players can buy in a tournament after a certain point.
- All-in
- A player bets all their chips.
- Ante
- A forced bet that each player has to place in every round.
- Avatar
- The virtual representation of a person.
- Bad Beat
- A bad beat describes a hand that lost despite appearing to be strong.
- Bankroll
- The amount of money available to a player.
- Bet
- 1. A player's opening bet in a round.
2. The standard bet in a fixed limit game. - Big Blind
- The highest minimum bet that a player must place. See also blind.
- Blind
- The minimum bet that two players must place. See: small blind and big blind.
- Bluff
- A player with a weak hand tries to convince other players to fold, for example by placing a very high bet.
See: semi-bluff. - Board
- This is where the dealer places the community cards.
- Bubble Boy
- Bubble boy is always the last tournament participant eliminated before the prize money is given out.
This term comes from the fact that the player's hope bursts like a bubble. - Bust
- This is when a player loses all of their chips; they are bust.
- Button
- The button or dealer button is a specially designated chip that shows which player in the current round is the (virtual) dealer. The position of the player who is currently the dealer is indicated as a button.
You say, "the player is on the button".
- Call
- To match an existing bet.
- Cap
- The maximum number of raises in a round.
- Cash Game
- Cash game is a non-tournament game where the value of chips equals that of money. Players can come and go at any time.
- Check
- When a player does not place a bet and passes to the next player.
- Check Raise
- This is a poker tactic where the player passes play on to the next player (check) to feign a low hand in order to tempt their opponent(s) to bet. As soon as a bet is placed, the player raises.
Warning: Pros use this move to bluff! - Chipleader
- The player who has the most chips.
- Coin Flip
- Coin flip is the situation when a player goes all-in and has more or less a 50/50 chance of winning.
This situation can occur for example when a player has an average pocket pair against two over-cards. A real coin flip classic is the duel between a pair of queens and ace-king. - Community Card
- A card in Hold'em games that everyone can use.
- Connector
- A player has two consecutive cards in their starting hand; for example a 6 and a 7 or a Jack and a Queen.
This increases the chances of a straight. - Cracked
- A good starting hand is beaten; for example two aces.
- Cut Off
- The cut off is the last position before the dealer button. After the pre-flop phase then it is the second best position as you, as well as the dealer position, have a lot of information about your opponents.
The player in this position will often raise in order to persuade the player with the dealer button to fold. If this works then in the next round this player has the best position and the most possible information to make their decision. This is also called "Cutting off the dealer" hence the name "cut off".
- Dealer
- The (virtual) dealer.
- Dealer-Button
- This shows which player has to place the first blind. The player to the left of the dealer button places the small blind and the next player the big blind. The dealer button moves a player to the left each round.
- Deck
- The deck of cards.
- Deep Stack
- These tournaments require perseverance – slow blind structure, high starting stack!
- Double Up
- Double up is the doubling of your own chips during a game.
Normally a player must go all-in, i.e. stake all their remaining chips, and win the showdown. - Draw
- A player needs one more card to complete their hand. Normally you talk about a draw when one has the chance to get a straight or flush.
- Drawing Dead
- A hand that a player can no longer win with, even though not all the community cards have been shown.
- Early Position
- This is two to three positions left of the positions that have to pay the blinds.
You should only play the best hands because in the early position you can't get any information about the strength of your opponents.
- Final Table
- This is the last table in a tournament. A large amount of money as well as the honour of winning a tournament is at stake.
- Fish
- This is a player who plays badly or makes bad decisions.
- Flop
- This is the name for the first three community cards in Hold'em games.
- Flush
- Five cards of the same suit.
- Fold
- To pass or give up your cards.
- Four of a Kind
- Also known as poker or quads, i.e. four cards of the same value, for example, four tens.
- Freeroll
- A tournament that does not have participation fees.
- Freezeout
- This is the standard tournament form. If a player loses all their chips then they are out.
- Full House
- This is three of a kind and a pair. The value of the hand is therefore less than four of a kind but more than a flush.
If several players have a full house then the highest three of a kind wins. If they are the same then the highest pair is taken into account. If there is still no decision then the pot is split (split pot).
A full house is often known as a "boat". - Full Ring
- The name for tables which have more than 6 players.
- GTD
- The abbreviation for "guaranteed". This means that the prize money in the pot is guaranteed and will be paid out.
- Gutshot
- Also known as "Inside Straight Draw" or "Belly Buster". This means that a player is only missing one card of a straight.
Example: A player has 2, 3, 5 and 6, so they just need a 4.
- Hand
- A player's five best cards.
- Hand History
- This shows the sequence of a played hand.
- Headhunter
- In these tournaments you get money for every player that you eliminate, i.e. throw out of the tournament.
- Heads-up
- 1. A poker game between two players.
2. The phase during a round or tournament when only two active players are left. - High/Low
- A variation where the highest hand shares the pot with the lowest hand. You can find more information in the explanation for Omaha Hi/Lo.
- Kicker
- The kicker or extra card is the highest card that is not part of a hand. For example, if two players in a showdown have hands of equal value (e.g. two pairs) then the player with the highest kicker wins.
- Late Position
- This shows the position of the dealer as well as one or two positions to the right. Players in this position have more information available than others as they only have to act when the players in the first or middle positions have already done so.
From this position you can also play weaker hands as you have more information about the other players and only a few players play after you who might bet or raise. - Level
- In poker tournaments the basic bets (blinds or ante) usually only increase at certain points of the game.
These are called levels. - Limit
- This is the maximum amount that can be bet in a round.
- Limp-in
- If a player only pays the amount of the big blind (calls) but does not raise in the pre-flop phase then this is known as a limp. Usually players only do this to be able to see the flop cheaply.
- Loose
- This characterises a player who plays many hands, not only the best starting hands.
The opposite would be "tight" where the player plays less but very good starting hands.
- Micro GTD Rebuy
- These tournaments have particularly low buy-ins and there is also the possibility to buy more chips.
- Middle Position
- Middle position is two or three places between the early position and the late position.
It is easier to play average hands from this position because you already have information about the early position and not many players come after you (late position). - Monster
- A strong hand that is almost impossible to beat.
- Muck
- 1. Another term for "fold"; so to drop out of a round.
2. The place on the poker table where cards that are no longer in use are placed.
One says, "The cards have been thrown in the muck".
- Nuts
- The best possible hand.
- Offsuit
- Offsuit is when a player gets cards that are not the same suit.
See also: suited. - Open-ended Straight-Draw
- Four consecutive cards with which it's possible to make a straight with a lower or a higher card.
For example, if you have 3, 4, 5, and 6 then you can make a straight with either a 2 or a 7. - Outs
- The number of cards that would improve a hand.
- Overcard
- We call a card on the board an overcard if this card is higher than your own pocket cards. Overcards also refer to when you have one or more cards higher than the highest on the board.
- Overpair
- An overpair is a pair in a player's hand (pocket pair) that's higher than the highest card on the board.
- Pocket Cards
- These are the cards that a player keeps hidden; also known as hole cards.
- Pocket Pair
- Your own hidden cards that form a pair.
- Pocket Rockets
- This is the usual name for the best starting hand in Texas Hold'em Poker; a pair of aces.
The name comes from the term pocket pair, i.e. a pair in the hand and rockets because the hand is strong. - Position
- The position of a player at the table.
See: early position, middle position and late position. - Pot
- The pot or main pot is where all the chips that have been bet by players during a round are placed. At the end of the round the player with the best hand gets the money.
See also: side pot. - Pre-Flop
- The pre-flop is the section of the game when there are no community cards on the board, so the flop has not been uncovered.
In this phase players only know their own pocket cards.
- Quads
- See: Four of a Kind.
- Rainbow
- A "Rainbow" is when the first three community cards are all from different suits.
You say for example "Ace Jack Seven rainbow." - Raise
- To bet more than the necessary amount. A re-raise is when a player makes a raise after a raise of their previous opponent.
- Rake
- A small fee that is taken from every pot in cash games and goes to the casino. The amount depends on the bets. You can find
bet-at-home.com'shouse rakes in the menu under "House commission (Rakes)". - Rebuy
- "Rebuy" is when a player buys back into a game after either losing all their chips or having less than a certain amount.
In cash games players can buy back in at any time, as long as they do not exceed the table limits. - River
- The name for the final community card that is dealt in Texas Hold'em or Omaha poker.
- Royal Flush
- Five consecutive cards of the same suit with an ace as the highest card.
Example: T-J-Q-K-A in spades.
- Satellite
- A tournament that you can use to qualify for a big tournament.
- Semi-Bluff
- A semi-bluff is similar to a bluff. A player also tries to persuade an opponent to fold with a bet or a raise.
The difference is that the player's hand is not worthless. For example the player has a draw, normally a draw to a straight or a flush. This way there is a chance that if the opponent does not fold, they might still get a hand strong enough to win a showdown. - Set
- A set is three of a kind made up of a pocket pair and a card of the same value on the board. One says "They flopped a set".
- Shorthanded
- 1. A table at which a maximum of 6 players can sit.
2. A player is shorthanded if they only have a few chips left. - Showdown
- The cards of all the players who are still in the pot are revealed.
- Side pot
- When a player bets all their chips (all-in) and the other players continue and put more chips in the pot in the following rounds, a "side pot" is created.
The all-in player cannot win this pot, even if they have the best hand at the end, as a player can only win a pot that they have paid into.
Due to differences in the amount of chips players have, particularly in late phases of tournaments, it is also possible that several side pots must be created. - Sit & Go
- A form of tournament with a flexible start time. It starts when the required number of players is reached.
- Small Blind
- The smallest minimum bet that a player must place. See also blind.
- Split pot
- If there is no clear winner of the hand after the showdown, the pot is shared. All players who have a winning hand of the same value at the end of the hand receive an identical share of the pot.
- Suited
- Suited is when a player has pocket cards that are all the same suit. For example ace of hearts and queen of hearts.
See also: offsuit. - Suited Connectors
- Suited connectors are pocket cards with two consecutive cards of the same suit (suited). For example king of hearts and queen of hearts.
- Straight
- Five consecutive cards in any suit.
- Straight Flush
- Five consecutive cards in a suit.
- Three of a Kind
- Three cards of the same value, also called a set.
- Tight
- This characterises a player who plays less but very good starting hands.
The opposite would be "loose" where the player plays more but weaker hands.
Tight players who have a passive way of playing are known as rocks. - Tilt
- Aggressive and distracted playing due to previous results. Often after a bad beat.
- Tournament
- A poker tournament.
- Turn
- The name for the penultimate community card that is dealt in Texas Hold'em or Omaha poker.
- Two pair
- Two pairs of cards.
- Under the Gun
- This is the first position after the big blind. The player in this position has to make the first move after the cards have been dealt.
- Walk
- A walk is a situation in poker when every player folds after the cards have been dealt.
The big blind player therefore retains their forced bet unchallenged and gets the small blind and if applicable the ante from the other players. - Wheel
- A wheel is the lowest possible straight, i.e. A-2-3-4-5.
Nicknames for starting hands
- AA
- Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines, Andre Agassi
- KK
- Cowboys, King Kong
- Ladies, Double Date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy, 4 Tits, Hilton Sisters
- JJ
- Fish-Hooks
- TT
- Audi
- 99
- Wayne Gretzky, German Virgins
- 88
- Snowmen
- 77
- Sunset Strip
- 66
- Route 66, Wembley
- 55
- Speed-Limit
- 44
- Magnum, Sailboats, Luke Skywalker (May the fours be with you)
- 33
- Crabs, Larry Bird
- 22
- Ducks
- AK
- Big Slick, Anna Kournikova (looks good but doesn't win that often)
- AQ
- Big Chick
- AJ
- Black Jack, Jack-Ace, Air Jordan
- A8
- Dead man's hand
- A4
- Blind man's aces
- A2
- Baby-Ace
- KQ
- Royalty, Marriage
- KJ
- Kojak, Father and son
- K9
- Canine
- QT
- Quentin Tarantino
- J5
- Jackson Five
- T2
- Doyle Brunson
- 96
- Big Lick
- 72
- Beer Hand, WHIP (worst hand in poker)
Usual chat terms
- nh
- Nice hand
- vnh
- Very nice hand
- gg
- Good game
- thx
- Thanks
- ty
- Thank you
- yw
- You're welcome
- lol
- Laughing out loud
- wtf
- What the f**k?
- str8
- Straight
- wp
- Well played