A big part of learning the game of poker is becoming acquainted with and knowing how to use special vocabulary associated with the game. Some poker terms and phrases are obvious in their meaning. There are tons of gambling-related phrases and terms that, once you’ve mastered them, can really lead to a better understanding of popular casino games like poker, Blackjack, Baccarat and roulette. Many casino sayings often find their way into everyday language – phrases like ‘all-in’ and ‘up the ante’ which you probably use.
- Poker Phrases In Common Use Words
- Poker Phrases In Common Use Adjectives
- Poker Phrases In Common Use Music
- Poker Phrases In Common Use For A
Poker and Casino Dictionary
If you want to learn more about online and live poker or casino gameplay, you must know most of the basic phrases. Once you have a quick read of this dictionary, you will no longer get confused when you listen to other players talking!
Ante
Ante is a small bet all players are required to make before a poker hand is dealt. Antes give the pot a value right away. They are most common in live and poker tournaments (the first few blind levels may not have them).
Backdoor
Backdoor is etting your needed cards on the turn and the river to make your hand. For example, if there's one spade on the flop and you have two in your hand and two more spades show up on the turn and river, you've hit a 'backdoor' flush.
Banker
Banker is a casino croupier who is accepting the bets.
Bankroll
Bankroll is your available money balance, it could be your available balance on the site or your whole balance (including the one outside the site) dedicated for the games.
Poker Phrases In Common Use Words
Blind
Blind is the term for either the big blind or the small blind in poker. Small Blind is sitting to the left of the dealer button while one position to the left is a Big Blind.
Blocker
In poker variants blocker is a card which you have in your card and which blocks some of your opponent's combinations. For example, if there are three hearts on a table and you have Ace of hearts in your hand, then you are certain that your opponent does not have an Ace-high flush (a nut flush).
Board
In poker and other games, board is the community cards on the table.
Boat
Another term for Full House poker combination.
Bluff (Bluffing)
In poker bluffing is a player's bet when he is trying to claim the pot and not go to showdown. In other words, such player is trying to trick opponent and make him fold. If another player would still call with a weak but better hand, that would be considered a Hero Call.
Dealer button
A dealer button is a constantly moving button on a poker table. Next to it you have Small Blind and Big Blind. In some home games, one of the player's who has a dealer button deals the cards to everyone. This position is good to try and steal the blinds from weaker players.
Hand range
The range of hands for the specific poker action (shove, call, raise) or if it is not in that range - fold. Various poker charts show hand ranges for the specific situations.
Croupier
A person working for a casino and assisting players during live games such as BlackJack, Roulette and more.
Cut
It is a casino cut card in a mix of decks after which the cards are shuffled. For example, in BlackJack, you play with 6 card decks and after 4 you reach the cut card and the cards are shuffled.
Cut-off position
Poker table position to the right of the dealer button.
Cryptocurrency
A digital currency in which encryption methods are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of an ordinary bank. The most popular cryptocurrencies are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash & Litecoin. Some online poker & casino operators prefer to accept this payment method.
Deuces
Deuces or Poker Deuces is nother term for a pair of twos in poker.
Draw
Staying in a poker hand in the hopes of improving it. For example, you don't have anything yet, but need one or two more cards for a straight or a flush.
Ewallet
Ewallet is an online wallet - payment website such as Skrill and Neteller. Ewallets are very popular among money game players.
Face Cards
In poker Face Cards are Jacks, Queens and Kings.
Fish
Fish is not so skilled poker player who makes rookie mistakes. Most of the time it is a newbie.
Gutshot
Gutshot is a straight which is missing one card from the inside out, the opposite of an open-ender straight in poker.
Poker Phrases In Common Use Adjectives
Hand-for-Hand play
Just before live or online tournament reaches the prizes (ITM), most of the the time it goes hand-for-hand till the prizes are reached. This ensures that no players are wasting too much time and every table deals the cards at the same time.
Hard Hand
Hard Hand is a BlackJack hand in which Ace is not involved. For example T9 is a hard hand and A5 is a soft hand.
High Roller
High Roller is a High Stakes player who plays high limit games (such as poker, casino, sports betting & other games).
Hit
A BlackJack term meaning getting an additional card.
Inside Bet
A Roulette bet which a player places on the field of numbers in the center of the betting layout.
Limp - Limping
Calling preflop (not being aggressive).
MTT
MTT is a Multi-table poker tournament.
Nosebleed games
Very high stakes poker games.
Nuts
The highest possible poker combination on the table.
Odds
Odds, probability percentage to win in a casino game, poker hand etc.
One-outer
Only one remaining card in the deck which could save you in a poker hand. Terms like 'two-outer', 'three-outer', mean the same, but the number of remaining 'lifeline' cards in a deck is different.
Open-ended
A straight completed from the outside by one of two possible cards in poker deck. For example, if your hole cards are 7-8 and the flop shows 6-9-king, either a 5 or an 10 on the turn or river would complete the straight.
Outside Bets
Roulette betting when a player is not betting on numbers, but is betting on a colour, odd/even number and more.
Overbet
Betting more than usual in a poker hand. For example, betting way more than a pot size bet.
Overcard
It is a card or cards higher than the board cards or your opponent's hole cards.
Over-pair
In poker, it is a pair that is larger than any community card on the board.
Payline
A term mainly using in casino slots. It is a line of symbols for which you want to get paid.
Return to Player (RTP) percentage
RTP is a payout percentage in the long run for casino games such as slots, live games and more.
Pit boss
Pit boss is a live casino worker who ensures that everything goes smoothly.
Playthrough - Wagering
It is used for various online poker, casino & other bonuses. Playthrough (or wagering) requirement requires you to play the balance a specific number of times until you can cash it out.
Poker reads - tells
Getting information about your poker opponent's behaviour in online and live poker. Such body language and behaviourals signs are very common in live poker, while in online poker you have to stick with game analysis unless you are chatting with players while playing.
Poker Tracker - HUD
Poker tracker is an online poker tracking software tool which helps you to analyse and improve your gameplay. Some of the most popular tools are Holdem Manager 2 and Poker Tracker.
Pot commited
A poker player who is commited to the pot and folding would lose him a lot of chips so he would call any bet.
Pot odds - equity
Poker odds is the ratio of poker chips in the pot compared to what you need to call to keep playing. For example, there is $50 in the pot. Opponent bets $5, so the pot now contains $55. It costs you $5 to call, so your pot odds are 11 to 1. Do you assume the odds of your hand being the best are better than that? If yes, then you should call. Or if you are getting the same odds but you don't have a made hand but the odds of getting to a better combination are greater than 11 to 1, you would also have to call and make the right play.
Tournament bubble
Poker tournament phase just before the money. During it most players play tight in order to have abetter chance to reach the prizes.
Push (Shove)
A poker play going All-In and betting his remaining chips.
Quads
Quads is another term for four of a kind poker combination.
Rake
Rake is ive Casino's or Online Poker Site's fee paid by the players.
Rakeback - Cashback
A loyalty - VIP reward for players which gets bigger depending on how active the player is. Rakeback only applies to poker, while the term cashback is used by various brands in various industries.
Rainbow board
In poker it is a flop in which there are no two cards of the same suit.
Recreational player (Rec)
A person playing for fun, it does not always mean that it is a bad player since there are many recreational businessmen who player poker very well.
It simply means that a person does not want to dedicate all the time to poker and is not a regular / professional player.
Regular player (Reg)
An opposite to recreational player, an experience poker player.
Runner Runner
Runner runner is two running hards needed to complete a winning poker combination.
Satellite tournament
An online or live poker tournament which lets you qualify for the next stage if your survive. It could award an entry to another tournament or award an entry/package to a live event.
Semi-bluff
Same as a usual poker bluff, but a person has a weak/mediocre hand which may have a chance of winning even if it goes to showdown.
Set
Another term for three of a kind in poker.
Shoe
A casino card holder used in games such as BlackJack.
Side Pot
A side pot in poker is when a short stack goes all in, but does not cover a person who calls the shove.
Sit & Go (SNG)
Sit & go is poker tournament with a set number of players and prizes. Has one or very few tables.
Spin & Go
Spin and go is very similar to Hyper Sit & Go's, but here about a third of a prize pool goes to the Jackpot fund meaning that you can get more than just an X2, X3 or X4 multiplayer once you start the game. Depending on a poker site, they reach at least x10,000 and on the biggest poker sites such as PokerStars & PartyPoker, they reach x100,000 and even more during promotions! Read this Spin and Go Guide to learn more.
Split
A two card split option available in BlackJack.
Split pot
A 'draw' in poker when poker combinations are equal and you have to split the spot with your opponent(s).
Stand
A BlackJack option when a player or a dealer does not want another card.
Sticky and non-sticky bonus
Online bonuses which can be cashed out partially are non-sticky, while the ones that have to be played through completely are sticky bonuses.
Stealing
Trying to steal the chips by raising preflop in poker.
Straddle
Straddle is an optional cash game pre-deal bet, typically made by the player to the left of the big blind. The straddle amount is twice the big blind. The straddler may re-raise when the action comes around to him.
Poker Phrases In Common Use Music
Surrender
Blackjack rule allowing you to give up and only lose a half of the bet.
Three bet (3-bet)
A three bet is a second raise in poker (blinds -> raise -> reraise).
Tilt - Tilting
In poker tilting is being very unhappy with your gameplay because of your luck or actions. It may affect player's future poker decisions during that short time period.
Under the gun
It is a poker player in the first-to-act position on a table. It is the position to the left of the big blind (BB).
Upcard
Upcard is a casino dealer's face up card in BlackJack.
Poker Phrases In Common Use For A
Poker Variance
Poker variance is a term or a number which describes how far your results spread in the long run. A lot of variance means many swings while less variance means fewer swings and bigger winnings. It is simply the downswings and upswings which occurred while playing poker.