Over a thousand words and
phrases used in poker literature and heard in poker games are defined below. While
this is the most comprehensive glossary ever compiled, it provides something much
more than a long list of colorful jargon: Reading through the glossary provides
unique insights into poker.
- A -
A-C Player--The Advanced
Concept Player.
Aces Up--A pair of aces with one other pair.
Action--The betting.
Action Spot--The table
area where the betting is occurring.
Active Player--A player
competing for a pot.
Add-them-up Lowball--Draw
poker where the hand with the lowest point total wins.
Advanced-Concept Player--A
player whose style is based on the Advanced Concepts of Poker. (A-C Player).
Advanced Concepts of Poker--The
concepts used by the good poker player to win maximum money from opponents.
Advertise--To have a bluff
called in order to encourage opponents to call later.
A-game--The highest stake
game in the house.
Age--First position to the left of the dealer (A, Able, or Edge).
Agent--A confederate or
collusion partner in cheating.
Alien Card--A card not
belonging to the deck in play.
Alive Card--See Live Card.
All Blue, or All Pink--A
flush.
All-In--The betting by
a player of all his money on the table.
All the Way--Cincinnati
with a progressive bet.
Alternate Straight--A sequence
of every other card, such as two, four, six, eight, ten (Dutch Straight, Skipper,
Skip Straight).
Ambique--A French card
game that influenced the draw variation of poker.
American Brag--A game where
the raiser shows the first caller his hand and the worst hand folds.
Anaconda--A seven-card
game with bets made on five rolled-up cards.
Announce--To declare high,
low, or the moon in high-low poker.
Announced Bet--A verbal
bet made by a player before putting his money in the pot.
Ante--Money put in the
pot before dealing.
A Priori Odds--The probability
that an event will occur.
Arkansas Flush--A four
flush.
Around the Comer Straight--
A sequence running from the highest to the lowest values, such as queen, king,
ace, two, three.
Âs Nas--A Persian
card game from which poker was directly derived.
Assigned Bettor--The player
who bets first.
Australian Poker--Draw
poker with a blind opening.
Automatic Bluff--A lowball
situation that almost always requires a bluff.
- B -
Baby--A small card, usually a five or less.
Back-in--To win by default or unexpectedly.
Backer--A nonplayer who
finances an active player.
Backraise--A reraise. To
make a minimum raise to avoid a larger raise.
Back-to-back--A pair on
the first two cards dealt in stud (Backed Up).
Bait--A small bet that
encourages a raise.
Bank--Where the money from
purchased chips is kept.
Banker--The person responsible
for selling and cashing chips.
Bank Night--High-low five-card
stud with two twists.
Barn--A full house.
Barracuda--A tough player.
Baseball--A stud game involving
nines and threes as wild cards.
Beans--Chips.
Bear--A tight player.
Beat the Board (Table)--To
have a hand better than all others showing.
Beat Your Neighbor--A five-card
game that requires each player in turn to expose his cards until his hand beats
the board.
Bedsprings--Similar to
Cincinnati except ten cards are dealt face-up for use in everyone's hand.
Belly-Buster Straight--An
inside straight.
Belly Hit--When a draw
fills an inside straight (Gut Shot).
Belly Strippers--Cards
with slightly trimmed edges that taper from a wider center to the ends (Humps).
Best Flush--A game in which
only flushes win the pot.
Bet Into--To bet before
another player who apparently has a better hand.
Bet or Get--A rule that
one must either bet or fold with no checking allowed (Bet or Drop, Passout).
Bet the Limit--To bet the
maximum amount allowed.
Bet the Pot--To bet an
amount equal to the pot.
Bet the Raise--The maximum
bet being twice that of the previous bet or raise.
Betting Interval--The period
from the first bet to the last call in any given round.
Betting Pace--The degree,
extent, and aggressiveness of bets and raises.
Betting Stakes--The dollar
limits of all bets and raises permitted.
Betting Ratios--The differences
in maximum bets allowed with each round of betting.
Betty Hutton--Seven-card
stud with nines and fives wild.
Bicycle--A straight to
the five . . . ace, two, three, four, five (Wheel).
Bid--To declare for high
or low in split-pot poker.
Big Bill--A hundred dollars
or a thousand dollars.
Big
Blind--The final and largest blind bet.
Big Bobtail--A four-card
straight flush.
Big Cat--Five unpaired
cards from the king to the eight.
Big Dog--(1) Five unpaired
cards from ace to nine. (2) A big underdog.
Big Full--The highest possible
full house.
Big One--A thousand dollars.
Big Squeeze--Six-card high-low
stud with one twist.
Big Tiger--See Big Cat.
Bill--A dollar or a hundred
dollars.
Bird Dog--One who gets
players for a game.
Blaze--A five-card hand
containing five picture cards.
Blaze Full--A full house
in picture cards.
Bleed--To slowly bleed
money from a game or a player.
Bleeder--A tight, winning
player.
Blind--A mandatory or forced
bet before the deal by the first player to the dealer's left.
Blind Bet--To bet before
looking at one's hand,
Blind Low--Five-card stud
bet blind all the way to the last bet.
Blind Open--An opening
bet made without looking at one's cards.
Blind Shuffle--A cheater's
shuffle used to stack cards or to leave stacked cards undisturbed after shuffling
(False Shuffle).
Blind Tiger--Draw poker
with a blind open and a blind raise (Open Blind and Straddle).
Block System--An ante,
open, and first raise automatically done in the blind by the dealer.
Blood Poker--A higher-stake
poker game played primarily for money rather than for social reasons.
Blow Back--A raise after
previously calling or checking.
Bluff--The attempt to win
a pot by making better hands fold.
Blur Intensity--The lightness
or darkness of printing visible on partially flashed cards, indicating a high
or a low card.
Board--(1) The poker table.
(2) All face-up cards in stud or hold 'em.
Bobtail Flush or Straight--A
four-card flush or a four-card, open-end straight.
Bolt--To fold.
Bone--A white chip, the
lowest denomination chip.
Bonus--A fixed sum established
by house rules that is paid by each player to the holder of a very high-value
hand such as a straight flush (Premium, Royalty, Penalties).
Book--A three-card draw.
Boost--To raise.
Border Work--Markings added
by cheaters to the printed borderlines of cards to identify their value.
Bottom Deal--To deal cards
off the bottom of the deck when cheating.
Bouillotte--A French card
game that influenced the open-card stud variation in poker.
Boxed Card--A card turned
the wrong way in a deck.
Boy--A jack.
Brag--The betting expression
in the English game of Bragg.
Bragg--An English three-card
game that influenced the use of the full fifty-two-card deck in poker.
Braggers--Jacks and nines
as wild cards. Or the ace of diamonds, the jack of clubs, and the nine of diamonds
as wild cards.
Brandeln--A card game similar
to Commerce.
Breakers--Openers.
Breathe--To pass the first
opportunities to bet.
Brelen--(1) A French card
game that influenced the use of straights and flushes in poker. (2) Three of
a kind.
Brelen Carre--Four of a
kind.
Brief--A single stripper
card in a deck used to facilitate illegal cuts.
Buck--(1) A marker used
to designate the dealer. (2) A marker or a knife used to designate the player
permitted to deal a special hand, usually a hand with a dealer advantage such
as draw. (3) A dollar.
Buddy Poker--To avoid betting
against a friend or a partner.
Buffalo--To fool opponents.
Bug--(1) The joker used
in high-hand poker as an ace or as a wild card for filling straights and flushes.
A wild card in lowball. Can be used in high-low as both a high card and a low
card in the same hand (Joker). (2) A device fastened beneath the poker table
by a cheater to hold out a card or cards.
Bull--A player who raises
frequently.
Bull or Bullet--An ace.
Bull Montana--Five-card
stud with betting, then jacks required to open the final bet.
Bull the Game--To bluff
or bet aggressively.
Bump--A raise.
Buried Card--A card randomly
inserted in the deck.
Burn--(1) A full house.
(2) To lose a hand. (3) Deal a burn card.
Burned, Burnt, or Burn
Card-- (1) An exposed card put face-up on the bottom of the deck (2) A card
dealt face down into the discards.
Busted Hand--(1) A worthless
hand (Bust). (2) A hand that failed to fill a straight or a flush on the draw.
Busy Card--Any card that
completes a hand.
Butcher Boy--An open-hand
form of poker where four of a kind is needed to win.
Button--(1) A marker used
to signify a theoretical dealer when there is a house dealer. (2) A second or
third pair.
Buy--(1) To call bets in
order to draw cards. (2) To bluff someone out.
Buy In--The stack of chips
that a player buys at the start of a game.
By Me--An expression meaning
to pass or check.
-C-
California--Draw poker, open on anything.
California Lowball--Low-ball in which ace, two, three, four, five is the best
hand.
Call--Money put in the
pot to match a bet or raise.
Calling Station--A player
who calls almost any bet (Telephone Booth).
Carding--Noting of exposed
cards during a hand.
Card Odds--The probabilities
of being dealt or drawing to various hands
Cardsharp--A cheater.
Cards Speak--A rule that
the value of a hand is based on what the cards are rather than on what a player
declares.
Case Card--The last available
card of a particular value or suit.
Cash In--To exchange poker
chips for cash and then to quit (Cash Out).
Casino Poker--Public poker
played in gambling casinos.
Cat--Any big or little
tiger or cat hand.
Catbird Seat--A position
in high-low poker that assures a player at least half the pot.
Catch--To be dealt a certain
card or hand ... usually a desirable card or hand.
Chalk Hand--An almost certain
winner.
Chase--To stay against a better hand.
Cheater--A player who intentionally
violates the rules to gain advantage unavailable to others.
Check--To pass without
betting.
Check Blind (Check in the
Dark)--To check without looking at one's own cards.
Check Cop--A paste palmed
in a cheater's hand and used to steal poker chips or to hold out cards.
Check Copping--To steal
poker chips.
Check Raise--To check and
then subsequently raise in the same round of betting.
Chicago--Seven-card stud
in which the hand with the highest spade wins half the pot.
Chicago Pelter--A kilter.
Chicken Picken--A game
with eleven cards--two cards in hand and nine on the table in rows of three.
Chink Ink--A special ink
used by cheaters to mark the edge of cards.
Chip--Money represented
by a plastic disc.
Chip Along--To bet the
smallest amount possible.
Chip Declaration--To use
chips in declaring for high or low.
Chip In--To call a small
bet.
Chipping--Betting.
Choice Pots--Dealer's choice.
Cinch Hand--A certain winner
(A Lock, an Immortal).
Cincinnati--A ten-card
game with five in each hand and five face-up for everyone's use (Lame Brains).
Cincinnati Liz--Like Cincinnati,
except the lowest face-up card is wild.
Clam--A dollar.
Class--Rank of a poker
hand.
Closed Card--A concealed
card in one's hand.
Closed Game--A game barred
to newcomers or outsiders.
Closed Hand--The concealed
cards in one's hand as in draw poker.
Closed Poker--Any form
of poker in which all cards are dealt face-down.
Close to the Chest--To
play tight (Close to the Belly).
Club Poker--Poker played
in public card clubs. (See Gardena, California.)
C-Note--A hundred-dollar
bill.
Coffee Housing--To act
oppositely to one's emotions or situation.
Cold Deck--(1) A deck from which poor hands are being dealt. (2) A prestacked
deck.
Cold Feet--A description
for a player wanting to quit the game early.
Cold Hands--(1) Showdown
hands. (2) A run of poor hands.
Cold Turkey--A pair of
kings, back to back, on the first two cards in five-card stud.
Collection or Axe--See
Time Cut.
Collusion--Two or more
players working together to cheat other players.
Come--See On the Come.
Come In--To call.
Come Off--To break up a
lower-value hand to draw for a higher-value hand.
Commerce--A three-card
game with three cards in the widow.
Common Card (Communal Card)--An
exposed card for use in every player's hand.
Consecutive Declaration--A
rule for declaring high-low hands in consecutive order.
Contract--To declare for
high or low at the conclusion of split-pot poker.
Contract Poker--High-low
split-pot poker with oral declarations.
Cop--To steal chips from
the pot.
Corner Card--An eight-card
game--five cards in hand and three on the table, with the last card up and all
like it as wild.
Corner Flash--To tear off
a corner of a foreign card and to flash it as a real card in one's hand.
Cosmetics--Preparations
such as ashes, waxes, abrasives, aniline pencils, and luminous inks used by
cheaters for marking cards (Daub).
Counter--(1) One chip.
(2) A player who continuously counts his chips.
Count Cards--The jack,
king, and queen (Court Cards, Face Cards, Picture Cards).
Coup--A brilliant play.
Cowboy--A king.
Crank--To deal.
Crazy Otto--Five-card stud
with the lowest card as wild.
Crimp (Bridge)--To bend
and hump the upper or lower section of the deck to make a false or an illegal
cut. (See Debone)
Crisscross--Same as Southern
Cross except five cards are laid out with the center one wild.
Crooked-Honest System (C-H System)--The system of two cheaters in partnership:
One catches a strong hand, and he signals the other to raise, thus squeezing
all callers (Cross Life, Crossfire).
Cross (The Cross)--Like Cincinnati, except the five cards are in a cross formation
with the center card and all similar cards as wild.
Crosscards--A ten-hand poker solitaire game (Patience Poker).
Crossfire--See Crooked-Honest
System.
Crossover--A combination
of draw and stud poker involving wild cards.
Cull--To arrange or cluster
good cards together for cheating.
Curfew--The agreed-upon quitting lime.
Curse of Mexico--The deuce
of spades.
Curse of Scotland--The
nine of diamonds.
Customer--An opponent who
calls.
Cut the Cards--Putting
the bottom cards of a deck on top of the deck.
Cut the Pot--Money withdrawn
from pots for a purpose, such as to pay for refreshments.
- D -
Dame--A queen.
Daub--See Cosmetics (Golden Glow brand).
Dark Bet--A blind bet.
Dead Cards--Discarded or
folded cards.
Dead Hand--A foul hand
that cannot be played.
Dead Man's Hand--Usually
aces and eights, two pair. Sometimes aces and eights, full house ... or jacks
and eights, two pair.
Deadwood--Dead cards.
Deal--To distribute cards
to the players.
Dealer--(1) A person who
deals the cards. (2) The operator of a gambling game in a casino.
Dealer-Advantage Game--
Any game where the dealer has an advantage.
Dealer
Button--A button used to designate the dealer.
Dealer's Choice--The selection
by dealer of game to be played.
Dealer's Percentage--Any
game offering the dealer a significant advantage (Dealer's Game, Dealer's Advantage).
Deal Off--To deal the final
hand of the game.
Deal Out--To omit a player
from a hand.
Debone--A card or portion
of a deck that has been crimped lengthwise or crosswise.
Deception--An important
and accepted tool of poker.
Deck--All the cards used
in the game (Pack)
Declare--To announce if
going for high or low.
Deep Low--The lowest hand
for any card (i.e., a deep seven is an ace, two, three, four, seven).
Defensive Bet--A bet designed
to decrease one's potential loss.
Dent--To mark cards by
creasing their corners (Rounding).
Deuce--A two.
Deuces Wild--Playing all
deuces as wild cards.
Devil's Bedposts--A four
of clubs.
Diamond--See Poker Diamond.
Dig--To replenish one's
stake or money while playing a hand.
Discard--To exchange old
cards for new cards during the draw or twist.
Disproportionate Bet--A
peculiar bet or a bet much larger or smaller than the normal bet.
Doctor Pepper--Seven-card
stud with deuces, fours, and tens wild.
Dog--(1) Any big-dog or
little-dog hand. (2) An underdog. Doghouse Cut--Any cut that divides the deck
into more than two stacks.
Double--To raise.
Double-Barreled Shotgun--
High-low draw with four rounds of betting after the draw as each card is turned
face-up (Texas Tech).
Double Bluff--A bluff made
by making a bluff bet on the final round and then reraising a subsequent raise.
Double-End Straight--See
Bobtail.
Double Header--(1) A pot
not won that passes to the next deal. (2) A second game that follows an earlier
one.
Doubling Up--Betting twice
as much as the previous bet.
Down and Dirty--The final
hole card dealt in seven-card stud.
Down Cards--Cards dealt
face-down.
Down the Chute--To take
a heavy loss.
Down the River--Seven-card
stud.
Drag (Snatch)--Money separated
from a pot to signify the amount owed by a player (Light).
Draw--The exchange of a
card or cards for new ones.
Draw Out--To catch the winning hand with the last card or with draw cards.
Draw Poker--One of the
two basic forms of poker (the other is stud). Played as a closed five-card hand
with a closed draw.
Drawing Dead--Drawing a
hand that cannot win.
Drib--An inferior player.
Driller--A loose player.
A player who bets and raises frequently.
Driver's Seat--The player
holding the best advantage.
Drop or Drop Out--To retire
from a hand by not calling a bet or raise (Fold).
Drum--To play tight.
Drummer or Drummer Boy--
A tight player.
Dry--To be out of money
(Broke).
DTC Method--The technique
of good poker . . . Discipline, Thought. and then Control.
Duck--A deuce.
Duffer--An inexperienced
or poor player.
Duke--A hand of cards.
Dutch Straight--See Alternate
Straight.
Dynamite--A two-card poker
game.
- E -
Eagles--The cards of a fifth suit in a sixty-five-card deck.
Early Bet--A small bet after the first card in stud or the first two cards in
draw.
Edge--(1) An advantageous
position. (2) The dealer or sometimes the Age.
Edge Odds--The advantage
or disadvantage of a player relative to all other players.
Edge Shot--A bet made from
an advantageous position.
Eldest Hand--The first
player to the dealer's left.
Elimination--Like Cincinnati,
but cards matched with table cards are discarded (Weary Willie).
End Bet--The last bet of
an interval.
End Bets--Last-round bets.
End Strippers--Cards tapered
along the ends for cheating.
English Poker--Draw played
with a blind opening.
English Stud--A stud game
with a draw.
Ethics or Etiquette--The
understandings and courtesies of which violations do not constitute cheating.
Exposed Cards--Cards purposely
dealt face-up as in stud.
- F -
Face Card--Any picture card.
Faced--(1) A face-up card. (2) To receive a face card.
Fall of the Cards--The
order in which cards are dealt.
False Cut--A cheater's
cut in which the stacked portion of the deck remains intact on top of the deck.
False Openers--A hand that
has been opened improperly.
False Riffle--A cheater's
riffle used to keep stacked cards undisturbed after riffling.
False Shuffle--See Blind
Shuffle.
Family Pot--A pot in which
everyone calls the bet.
Farm System--Several poker
games at different stakes under control of a good player.
Fast Game--A game with
a fast betting pace.
Fatten--To increase the
money in the pot (Sweeten).
Feeble Phoebe--Like Hollywood,
except table cards are turned over two at a time and played for high and low.
Feed the Pot--To bet or
raise foolishly.
Feeler Bet--A small or
nominal bet made to seek out strength or raising tendencies of opponents.
Fever--A five.
Filling--Drawing and then
catching a full house, flush, or straight.
Fin--Five dollars.
Finger Poker--A game run
on credit.
Finn Poker--To play poker
with the objective of winning maximum money.
First Jack Deals--A method
to determine who has the first deal.
First Hand--The first player
allowed to bet a hand.
Fish--An easy or a poor
player.
Fish Hook--A seven or a
jack.
Five and Dime--A hand containing
a five and a ten with three unpaired cards in between.
Five-Card Stud--Stud poker
played with one hole card and four exposed cards.
Five of a Kind--Five cards
of the same value.
Fix--To prearrange the
cards or stack the deck.
Fixed Limit--Betting with
agreed-upon limits or maximums.
Flash--(1) To expose concealed
cards (2) To turn up a common card for everyone's use when insufficient cards
are available to complete a stud game. (3) Five cards, one of each suit plus
the joker.
Flat Limit--A game in which
only one consistent amount is allowed for all bets and raises.
Flat Poker--Poker with
a blind open.
Flicker Flicker--Five-card,
high-low stud.
Flinger--A wild or crazy
player.
Flip Stud--Five-card stud
in which the optional hole card and matching hole cards are wild.
Floorman--(1) A cardroom
manager. (2) Shift boss in a casino.
Flop--The first three exposed
cards in hold 'em poker.
Flush--Five cards of the
same suit.
Fluss (Flux]--A flush.
Foiling the Cut--A cheater's
method of returning cards to their original position after a cut.
Fold--To drop out of a
hand by not calling the bet or raise (Drop).
Football--A stud game similar
to baseball involving sixes and threes as wild cards.
Force-in--A mandatory blind
bet, usually with an option to raise.
Foul Hand--A hand containing
the wrong number of cards.
Four Flush--Four cards
of the same suit.
Four-Flusher--(1) A cheater.
(2) One who tries to win pots by purposely miscalling his hand.
Four Forty Four--Eight-card
stud with fours wild.
Four of a Kind--Four cards
of the same value (Fours).
Fox--an expert player.
Freak--A joker or a wild
card.
Freak Hands--Nonstandard
poker hands such as Blazers, Dutch Straights, Kilters, and Skeets.
Free Ride--Playing without
paying.
Free Roll--A lock on half
the pot with a chance to win the whole pot.
Free Wheeler--A bankrupt
player allowed to play free until he wins a pot.
Freeze Out--A rule requiring
player to leave the game after losing a certain amount of cash.
Freezer--A call for less
than the amount of the bet in table stakes (Short Call).
Friend--A card that improves
a hand.
Full House, Full Barn,
or Full Tub--Three of a kind with another pair (Full Hand).
Fundamental Position--The
value of a player's hand relative to the other player's hands.
Fuzzing--Mixing the cards
by continuously stripping off the top and bottom cards (Milking, Snowing Cards).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- G -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gaff--A cheater's device or technique.
Gallery--Nonplaying spectators.
Gambler--A player who wagers
money at unfavorable edge odds.
Gambler's Last Charge--A
game played with five hand cards and five table cards with the last card turned
up being wild when matched in one's hand (If).
Gambling--Betting money
at unfavorable investment and edge odds.
Game Behavior--Artificial
behavior used in a poker game.
Game Pace--Betting done
on various hands compared to betting normally done on those hands.
Gang Cheating--Two or more
players cheating in collusion.
Gap--The missing space
(card) required to fill a straight.
Garbage--The discards.
Gardena, California--The
Mecca for public club poker.
Gardena Razz--See Razz
(2).
Ge--A pair.
Ghost Hand--A hand that
reappears on the next deal because of inadequate shuffling.
Giant Twist--A twist allowing
the exchange of up to all of one's cards.
Gilet (Gillet or Gile)--An
old French card game that was the predecessor of Brelan.
Gimmick--See Gaff.
Girl--A queen.
Gi-Till-Satisfy--Unlimited
giant twisting with progressively increasing costs for new cards.
Gleek--{1) Three of a kind.
(2) An early English card game.
Go--To start dealing.
Go All In--To bet all of
one's money in table stakes.
Going Better--A raise.
Going In--A call.
Golden Chairs--Player with
four held cards and three table cards with one's low card sometimes played as
wild.
Golden Glow--A superior
brand of daub. (See Cosmetics.)
Good Hand--A winning hand.
Good Player--A player who
extracts maximum money from the game.
Go Out--To drop.
Grand--A thousand dollars.
Gravy--One's winnings.
Greek--A cardsharp (Grec).
Greek Bottom--The second
card from the bottom dealt by a dishonest player.
Grifter--A cheater.
Gut Shot--See Belly Hit.
Guts to Open--To allow
any value hand to open.
- H -
Half-Pot Limit--A betting limit equal to half the size of the pot.
Hand--The cards dealt to a player.
Hand Cards--Concealed cards
that are dealt face-down.
Hand Pace--The extent of
betting, calling, raising, and bluffing compared to the size of the pot.
Head to Head--Two people
playing poker.
Heavy--A pot with too much
money.
Hedge Bet--A side bet to
limit possible losses.
Heeler--A kicker.
Heinz--Seven-card stud
with fives and sevens wild and also penalty cards.
Help--To improve a hand
on receiving additional cards in stud or draw poker.
Hidden Declarations--A
rule for declaring high-low hands by concealing different color chips in one's
hand.
Highball--Poker in which
the highest hand wins.
High-Low--A game in which
the highest and lowest hands split the pot.
High Spade in Hole--Seven-card
stud in which the hand with the high spade in the hole divides the pot with
the high hand.
Hilo Pocalo--Five-card
stud in which the up cards can be refused and passed to the player on the left
(Take It or Leave It).
Hit--A draw or catch that
improves one's hand.
Hokum--A stud variation
providing an option to receive cards face-up or face-down.
Hold 'em (Hold Me Darling)--
A seven-card game with two face-down cards for each player and five face-up
cards for everyone's use (Tennessee Hold Me, Texas Hold 'em).
Hold Out--To cheat by concealing
a card or cards for future use.
Hold Out Device--A mechanical
device used by cheaters to hold out a card or cards (See Bug, Lizard, Spider).
Hole Cards--Cards dealt
face-down in stud.
Hole-Card Stud--Five-card
stud in which betting starts on the first hole card.
Hollywood--Fifteen-card
Cincinnati with five in each hand and ten table cards.
Holy City--A big hand,
usually with aces and picture cards.
Honest Readers--The normal
marks or irregularities on any deck of cards.
Honor Card--A ten or higher
value card.
Hook--A jack.
Hot Deck--A deck from which
good hands are being dealt.
Hot Hands--A run of high-value
hands.
Hot Pot--A special pot,
usually played for higher stakes (Pistol Stud).
Hot Streak--A run of good
"luck" or winning hands (Spinner).
House--A person or organization
running a poker game for profit.
House Cut--The amount cut
from pots for the house, club, or casino.
House Game--A poker game
in which admission is charged or the pots are cut for the host's profit. Considered
illegal in most states.
House Rules--Rules, especially
betting, agreed upon by the players.
Hoyles--Any accepted rules
for card games.
Humps--See Belly Strippers.
Hurricane--Two-card poker.
- I -
Ice--A cold deck.
Ideal Edge Odds--The theoretical maximum edge odds, which are impossible to
achieve.
Idle Card--A card that
adds no value to a hand.
"If"--See Gambler's
Last Charge.
Ignorant End of a Straight--
The lowest end of a straight, especially in Hold 'em.
Immortal--(1) The best
possible hand. (2) A certain winner.
Improve--To draw cards
that improve one's hand.
In--To remain in the pot.
In Action--The time when
a player is involved in playing his hand.
In a Row (Line)--A sequence
or a straight.
Index--(1) The number or
letter printed on the corners of cards. (2) The marks a cheater puts on the
edge of cards.
Indirect Bet--An opponent
betting or raising for a player sandbagging a strong hand.
Inside Straight--A broken
sequence of four cards, such as three, five, six, seven.
Insurance--A side bet to
ensure winning some money in a large pot.
Intentional Flashing--Purposely
flashing or showing one's closed cards to an opponent.
In the Hole--Cards dealt
face-down in stud poker.
In the Middle--The position
of the players calling bets between two raising players (Middle Man).
Investment Odds--The estimated
returns on betting investments.
Iron Duke--An unbeatable
hand (Ironclad Hand).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- J -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack and Back--Jackpot poker that reverts to low-ball if no one opens (Jack
and Reverse, Jacks Back, Jackson).
Jackpots--See Jacks to Open.
Jacks to Open--Draw poker
in which jacks or better are required to open (Jackpots).
Jack Up--To raise.
Jam--A hand in which several
players are raising each other.
Jinx--A curse of bad luck.
Jog--An unevenly stacked
deck used by a cheater to mark where his partner should cut the deck (Step).
John, Jake, J-Boy--A jack.
Joker--The 53rd card added
to a deck (See Bug).
Joker Poker--Poker played
with the joker as wild.
Jonah--An unlucky player.
- K -
Kankakee--Seven-card stud with the joker as wild.
K-Boy--A king.
Key Card--An important
card needed to complete a hand.
Key Player--A player with
important influence over the game.
Kibitzer--A commenting
spectator.
Kicker--An extra card held
with a pair, trips, or four of a kind during the draw or twist.
Kick-it--To bump or raise
the pot.
Killing It--Taking the
final raise allowed.
Kilter--A five-card hand
starting with the ace and alternating values to the nine.
King without the Mustache--
The king of hearts as wild.
Kitty--Money cut from pots.
Knave--A jack.
Knock--To check or pass
by rapping the table.
Knock Poker--Draw poker
with rummy drawing.
Ku Klux Klan--Three kings.
- L -
Laddie--A fellow poker player.
Lady--A queen.
Lalapolooze--A freak hand
allowed to win only once a night.
Lame Brain Pete--Same as
Cincinnati, except the lowest exposed card and all cards like it are wild.
Lame Brains--See Cincinnati.
Las Vegas Riffle--A faster,
more concealed method of riffling cards. At times used for cheating.
Lay Down--The revealing
of hands after the last bet.
Lay Odds--To offer a larger
bet against a smaller bet.
Lead--To make the first
bet.
Leader--The player who
is betting first.
Lid--The top card or the
card of a single-card draw.
Light--Money separated
from a pot to signify the amount owed by a player.
Limit--The maximum bet
or raise allowed.
Limit Stakes--Poker with
maximum bets and raises established by the house rules.
Limp In--The calling of
a bet.
Little
Blind--The first and smallest blind bet.
Little Bobtail--A three-card
straight flush.
Little Cat--Five unpaired
cards from the eight to the three.
Little Dog--Five unpaired
cards from the seven to the two.
Little Squeeze--Five-card
high-low stud with a twist.
Little Tiger--See Little
Cat.
Little Virginia--Six-card
stud with one's low hole card as wild.
Live Blind--A blind bettor
with an option to raise.
Live Card--A card that
has not been dealt or exposed.
Live Hand--A hand with
a good chance to improve.
Lizard--A hold-out device
that works up and down a cheater's sleeve.
Lock--A hand that cannot
lose.
Long Studs--Stud poker
with more than five cards dealt to each player.
Look--To call.
Looking Down One's Throat--Having
an unbeatable hand against an opponent.
Lowball--Poker in which
the lowest hand wins, and five, four, three, two, ace is the perfect low.
Low Hole--A stud game in
which one's lowest hole card and all matching cards are wild.
Low Poker--Poker in which
the lowest hand wins, and seven, five, four, three, two is the perfect low.
Luck--An illusion of winning
or losing beyond statistical reality.
Luck Out--To outdraw and
beat a good hand.
Luminous Readers--Cards
marked by cheaters with a special ink so the markings can be seen through special
lenses or glasses (See Pink Eye).
- M -
Ma Ferguson--Five-card stud with the low card on board and all like cards as
wild.
Main Pot--The first pot apart from side pots.
Major Hand--A straight
or better.
Major-League Game--The
largest-stake game of several poker games.
Make Good--To pay money
owed to the pot.
Make the Pack--To shuffle
and prepare the cards for dealing.
Marked Cards--Cards with
inconspicuous markings that enable cheaters to read them from the back side.
Marker--(1) See Buck. (2)
A promissory note.
Matching Card--A card of
the same value or suit as another card.
Match It--Five-card stud
with one's hole card becoming wild if matched by an up card.
Match the Pot--To put in
the pot an amount equal to that already there.
Mate--A card that matches
or pairs another card.
Maximum-Win Approach--A
playing strategy that directs all effort toward winning maximum money.
Mechanic--A dishonest dealer
who cheats by manipulating the cards.
Mechanic's Grip--A special
way to hold a deck for dishonest dealing.
Meet a Bet--To call the
full bet.
Mexican Stud--Five-card
stud in which cards are dealt down, and the player has an option to choose his
hole card.
Mickey Mouse--A worthless
hand.
Middle Dealer--A cheater
who can deal cards from the middle of the deck.
Middle Man--See In the
Middle.
Milker--A tight player.
Milking the Cards--See
Fuzzing.
Milking the Game--The slow
draining of money from the game by tight playing.
Minnie--The perfect low
hand.
Minor-League Game--A smaller-stake
game.
Misdeal--A faulty deal
resulting in a redeal.
Misére--The English
name for low.
Miss--The failure to draw
a helpful card.
Missed
Blind--Missed the last Ante for the Big Blind or Little Blind
Mistigris--A wild joker.
Money Flow--The direction,
amount, and pattern that money passes among players in a game. Measures the
money that can be won or lost per unit of time.
Monkey Flush--A three-card
flush.
Monte--A three-card poker
game.
Moon--(1) To win both halves
of a split-pot game. [2) To declare for both high and low.
Moon Hand--A hand of good
high and low value.
Mortgage--Seven-card stud
requiring a player to win twice before winning the pot.
Mouth Bet--A bet not backed
by money.
Murder--A two-card or a
six-card high-low game with several twists.
Mystical Attitude--An irrational,
unreasoned attitude.
- N -
Nailing (Blistering, Indexing, Jagging, Pegging, Punctuating, Pricking)--A cheater's
technique to mark cards with his fingernail or a device.
Natural--A hand without wild cards.
Neocheater--A player who
wins by Neocheating.
Neocheating--Simple, invisible,
highly effective cheating techniques.
New-Breed Player--An Advanced-Concept
player in public or casino poker.
New Guinea Stud--Seven-card
stud starting with four down cards, followed by turning up or rolling any two
cards.
New York Stud--Five-card
stud in which a four flush beats a pair.
Nickel-Dime--A small-stake
game.
Nigger Bet--An unusual
bet such as a $9 bet instead of the normal $10 bet.
Nigger Mike--Six-card draw
with a bet on each dealt card.
Nits and Lice--(1) Two
pair or a full house of deuces and threes (Mites and Lice). (2) Deuces and threes
as wild cards.
No Limit--The allowing
of any size bet or raise (Sky's the Limit).
Northern Flight--Seven-card
stud with all hearts wild, unless a spade is in the hand.
Nucleus Players--The dependable,
regular players.
Nursing--Fondling cards.
Nut--The winnings needed
to survive as a professional.
Nuts--A hand that is a
certain winner.
- O -
Objective Attitude--A rational attitude based on reality.
Odds--The chances of getting various hands or cards.
Odds Against--The number
of failures per success.
Odds For--The number of
attempts per success.
Odds On--Odds at less than
even money.
Offensive Bet--A bet designed
to build the pot.
Office Hours--A straight
from a five to a nine, or from a four to an eight.
Omaha--Seven-card stud
with two hole cards in one's hand and five table cards that are rolled up one
at a time.
One-End or One-Way Straight--A
four-card straight open only on one end, such as jack, queen, king, ace.
One-Eye Jacks--The jack
of hearts and jack of spades as wild cards.
One Eyes--Picture cards
with profiles showing only one eye (Jack of Hearts, Jack of Spades, and the
King of Diamonds).
On the Come--To bet before
one has made a good hand.
On Tilt--Playing very poorly
or wildly, usually after losing badly or winning big.
Open--The first bet of
the first round.
Open at Both Ends or Open
End--A four-card sequence that can be made a straight by two different value
cards.
Open Blind--(1) To open
without looking at one's cards. (2) A forced open.
Open Blind and Straddle--A
forced opening bet followed by a forced raise.
Open Cards--Face-up cards
in stud (Up Cards).
Opener--The player who
opens the pot.
Openers--A hand with which
the betting can be started.
Open Game--A game in which
anyone can play.
Open Pair--An exposed pair
in stud.
Open Poker--Stud poker.
Open Seat--A chair available
for another player.
Option--Five-card, high-low
stud with a twist.
Option Card--(1) A card
that may be either kept or exchanged (Twist). (2) A stud card that may be either
kept in the hole or exposed.
Original Hand--The cards
dealt to a player before the draw.
Outs--A poor hand that
can win on the draw.
Overcall--The calling of
a big bet after others have called.
Overcard--A card that is
higher than any card showing.
Overcards--Cards that rank
higher than a pair.
Overhand Shuffle--A shuffle
made by sliding cards from the top of the deck into the other hand.
Overhand Stack--An overhand
shuffling technique for stacking cards.
- P -
Pace--See Betting Pace, Game Pace, and Hand Pace.
Pack--The deck of cards.
Packet--A portion of the
pack.
Pa Ferguson--Five-card
stud with high card on board and all cards like it as wild.
Paint--A face card in a
lowball hand.
Pair--Two cards of the
same value.
Palmed Card--A card concealed
for future use by a cheater.
Pan or Panguingue--A form
of rummy played in some Nevada casinos and California poker clubs.
Paperwork--Markings added
to cards by cheaters.
Partners--Collusion cheaters.
Pass--To check or drop
out instead of betting.
Pass and Out--A game in
which checking is not allowed on the first round.
Passed Pot--When no one
opens the pot.
Pass-Out--To fold when
a bet or a fold is required.
Pass the Deal--To relinquish
one's turn to deal.
Pass the Trash (Garbage)--A
high-low stud game involving the exchanging of cards among players.
Pasteboard--A card.
Pat Hand--A hand in which
the player keeps all his cards without drawing or twisting new cards.
Patience Poker--See Crosscards.
Peeker or Peeper--(l) One
who looks at an active player's hand (2) A cheater who peeks at cards yet to
be dealt.
Peek Poker--Seven-card
stud.
Peep and Turn--See Mexican
Stud.
Pelter (Bracket)--A five-card
hand containing a two, five, nine, and one card either a three or a four, and
the other card either a six, seven or eight (Skeet).
Penalties--See Bonus.
Penny Ante--A very low-stake
game.
Penultimate Card--The next
to the last card in the deck.
Percentage--(1) The house
cut. (2) Probabilities expressed as percentages.
Perdue--Cards turned down.
Perfect Low--An unbeatable
lowball hand, such as ace, two, three, four, five; or ace, two, three, four,
six, or two, three, four, five, seven depending on the game.
Philosopher--A cardsharp.
Pick Up Checks--To allow
a player to bet or raise the limit for every check made before his play.
Picture Card--A jack, queen,
or king.
Pigeon--(1) An easy player
or a sucker. (2) A valuable card for a hand.
Pig in the Poke--See Wild
Widow.
Pile--A player's money.
Pinch--Five dollars.
Pineapple Hold 'em--A hold
'em variation involving three hole cards and discarding one.
Pink Eye (Red Eye)--A pink-tinted
contact lens worn by a cheater to identify marked cards or luminous readers.
(See Luminous Readers)
Pips--The spots or marks
on the face of a card.
Piranha--An aggressive
bettor.
Pistol Stud--See Hole-Card
Stud.
Place and Show Tickets
Split Pot with Twist Your Neighbor--A game in which cards are drawn from hands
of other players and the pot is split between the second and third best hands.
Place Tickets--(1) The
second best hand. (2) Draw poker in which the second best hand wins.
Play--To call or stay in
Play Back--To declare a
false stake in table stakes.
Played Card--A card dealt
to a hand.
Poch--The best pair, three
of a kind, or four of a kind.
Pochen--A German card game
from which the name poker was partly derived.
Point--The value of a card.
Poker--A money-management
game that uses cards for manipulation and deception for winning.
Poker
Chips --Poker Chips used in the game of poker.
Poker Diamond--A diagram
that measures the idealness of a game.
Poker Dice--Cubical dice,
each with a nine, ten, jack, queen, king, and ace on its six faces.
Poker Face--A face not
showing any emotion or change in expression.
Poker Rules--A loose, flexible
framework of traditions for playing poker.
Poker Solitaire--See Crosscards.
Pone--The player on the
dealer's right.
Pool--A pot.
Poque--(1) A French card
game from which the name of poker was partly derived. (2) A French betting expression.
Position--The relative
situation of a player to the other players (Fundamental Position, Seat Position,
Technical Position).
Pot--The area in which
antes, bets, and raises are placed.
Pothooks--Nines.
Pot Limit--Poker stakes
in which the maximum permitted bet is the size of the pot.
Pot-Limit Dig--Pot-Limit
poker with no table-stake restrictions.
Poverty Poker--A game in
which a player can lose only a predetermined amount, after which he can play
with the winners' money.
Powerhouse--A very strong
hand.
Premium--See Bonus.
Primero--An old, betting
card game of Spanish origin.
Private Poker--Poker played
without money being cut for the house or for the host's profit.
Proctor and Gamble--A game
with four cards in each hand and three rolled table cards with the last card
and all like it as wild.
Progression of Bets--The
increase in betting limits for each round of betting.
Progressive Poker--A game
in which the ante, bets, and opener requirements increase after a passed pot.
Public Poker--Poker played
in gambling casinos or in public card clubs in which the pots are cut for profit.
Pull Through--A false shuffling
technique used by cheaters.
Punching--Marking cards
with pinpricks.
Punters--Those who gamble
against the banker.
Puppy Feet--Clubs.
Puppy Foot--The ace of
clubs.
Push--Passing unwanted
cards to players on one's left.
Put Up--To pay money owed
to the pot.
- Q -
Quadruplets--Four of a kind.
Qualifier--The minimum value hand allowed to win the pot.
Quart--A four-card straight
flush.
Quint--A straight flush.
Quint Major--A royal straight
flush.
Quitting Time--An agreed-upon
time to end a poker game (Curfew).
Quorum--The minimum number
of players needed to start a poker game.
- R-
Rabbit--A weak player.
Rabbit Hunting--Looking through the undealt deck of cards.
Rags--Worthless cards.
Raise--To increase the
bet.
Raise Blind--(1) To raise
without looking at one's cards. (2) A forced raise.
Rake-Off--Money taken from
the pot by the house or casino (Rake).
Rangdoodles--A game in
which the betting limit is increased after a very good hand such as four of
a kind.
Rank--The relative value
of hands.
Rat Holer--A player who
pockets his money or winnings during the game.
Razz--(1) Seven-card lowball
stud. (2) Draw poker in which the winner of the previous pot bets last (Gardena
Razz).
Readable Pattern--A behavior
pattern that reveals the value of a player's hand.
Readers--Marked cards.
Redeal--A new deal after
a misdeal.
Redskin--A face card.
Rembrandt--Any game in
which all face cards are wild.
Reraise--A raise after
having been raised.
Rest Farm--An expression
for the whereabouts of a player driven from a game because of heavy losses.
Restraddle--The third blind
bet that is twice as much as the straddle or the second blind bet.
Restricted Pot--A rule
requiring a minimum-value hand to win the pot (Qualifier).
Ribbon Clerk--(1) A player
unwilling to play poker at higher stakes or at a faster pace. (2) A small-time
gambler.
Rickey de Laet--A form
of Mexican Stud in which the player's hole cards and all like them are wild
for him.
Ride Along--To remain in
a hand because no bets are made.
Ride the Pot--To go light.
Riffle--To flip with the
thumb through the edge of a deck.
Riffle Cull--A technique
for arranging cards in preparation for stacking the deck.
Riffle Shuffle--To shuffle
by riffling the cards together.
Riffle Stack--A technique
for stacking the deck.
Right to Bet--A rule allowing
every player the right to bet or raise at least once per round regardless of
the number of raises during that round.
Ring Game--A full game.
Ring In--Slipping an unfair
or stacked deck into play.
Robin Hood Cheater--One
who cheats for someone else without benefiting himself.
Roll or Rolled Card (Rolling,
Rolling Up)--A face-down table card or cards turned up one at a time, usually
with a round of betting after each exposure.
Rolled Up--The first three
cards being three of a kind.
Roll Your Own Baseball--Same
as baseball, except one of three original hole cards is turned up, and the low
hole card and all like it are wild.
Roodles--A round of play
at increased stakes (Wangdoodle).
Rotation--Movement in the
direction of the deal ... clockwise.
Rough--The highest lowball
hand of a given value, such as seven, six, five, four, three.
Round of Betting--The action
sequence in which each player is allowed to check, open, bet, raise, or drop.
Round of Play--The action
sequence in which every player deals a poker hand.
Round the World--The same
as Cincinnati, except four cards are dealt to each player and four cards are
dealt to the widow.
Rounding--See Dent.
Routine--A straight flush.
Rover--One unable to play
because the game is full.
Royal--The best possible
lowball hand.
Royal Flush--A straight
flush to the ace.
Royals--See Eagles.
Royalties--See Bonus.
Rub the Spots Off--To excessively
shuffle the cards.
Run--A sequence or a straight.
Run One--An attempt to
bluff.
Runt--A hand of mixed suits
and no pairs.
Run Up a Hand--To stack
a deck during the day, often by culling discards.
Rush--A winning streak.
- S -
Sandbag--(1) To check and then raise the opener. (2) To check or hold back raising
to get more money in the pot (Check Raising).
Sanding--A system of marking cards by sanding the edges or ends of cards.
Sawbuck--Ten dollars.
Say--The turn of a player
to declare what to do.
Scarne Cut--To cut by pulling
cards from the center of the deck and placing them on top of the deck.
Schenck's Rules--First
known rules of poker printed in England in 1872.
Schoolboy Draw--An unsound
draw.
Scooping--See Shoot the
Moon.
Screwy Louie--Similar to
Anaconda, except discards are passed to the player on one's left.
Seat Position--The position
of a player relative to the other players.
Seat Shot--A bet or raise
made from an advantageous seat position.
Second--The second card
from the top of the deck being dealt.
Second Best--The best losing
hand.
Second Deal--To deal the
second card from the top of the deck when cheating.
See--To call in the final
round of betting.
Seed--An ace.
Selling a Hand--A strategy
to get opponents to call.
Sequence--Cards of consecutive
value as in a straight (e.g., four, five, six, seven, eight).
Sequential Declaration--The
last bettor or raiser being required to declare his hand in high-low poker.
Session--The period in
which a poker game is held.
Set--Three or four of a
kind.
Seven-Card Flip--Seven-card
stud in which the first four cards are dealt down and then the player turns
any two up.
Seven-Card Pete--Seven-card
stud with all sevens as wild ... or one's low-hole card (or one's last card)
and all like it as wild.
Seven-Card Stud or Seven-Toed
Pete--Stud poker played with three hole cards and four exposed cards.
Sevens Rule--A rule in
low-ball in which anyone with seven low or better must bet or forfeit further
profits from the pot.
Seven-Toed Pete--Seven-card
stud.
Sharp, Sharper, or Sharker--
A cheater (Cardsharp).
Sharp Top--An ace.
Shifting Sands--The same
as Mexican stud except one's hole card and all matching cards are wild.
Shill--A house man or woman
who actively plays in the game for the house, club, or casino.
Shiner--A tiny mirror or
any reflecting device used by a cheater to see unexposed cards.
Shoe--A device from which
cards are dealt.
Shoot the Moon--To declare
both high and low in an attempt to win both halves of a high-low pot (Moon,
Scooping, Swinging).
Short--Insufficient money
or cards (Shy).
Short Call--To call part
of a bet in table stakes with all the money one has on the table.
Short Pair--A pair lower
than openers, such as a pair of tens in jackpots.
Short Stud--Five-card stud.
Shotgun--Draw poker with
extra rounds of betting that start after the third card is dealt.
Shove Them Along--Five-card
stud in which each player has the choice to keep his first up card dealt to
him or to pass it to the player on his left (Take It or Leave It).
Show--To expose one's cards.
Show Cards--The exposed
cards in stud.
Showdown--(1) The showing
of cards at the end of a hand. (2) An open hand played for a predetermined amount.
Show Tickets--(1) The third
best hand. (2) Draw poker in which the third best hand wins.
Shuffle--To mix the cards
prior to dealing.
Shy--See Short.
Side Arms--The second pair
of two pair.
Side Bet--Any bet made
outside the pot.
Side Cards--Cards that
do not influence the value rank of a hand.
Side Money or Side Pot--The
amount set aside from the main pot in table stakes.
Side Strippers--Cards tapered
along the Sides for cheating.
Sight--To call for a show
of hands after tapping out.
Signals--The system that
collusion cheaters use to secretly exchange information about their cards and
instructions about betting and raising.
Silent Partner--An innocent
player used by a cheater as an unwitting partner.
Simultaneous Declaration--
High-low poker in which everyone declares his hand at the same time.
Sixty-six--Six-card stud
with sixes wild.
Skeet--See Pelter.
Skeet Flush--A skeet in
one suit.
Skin--A dollar.
Skin Game--A game having
two or more collusion cheaters.
Skinning the Hand--A cheater's
technique to get rid of extra cards.
Skip Straight or Skipper--See
Alternate Straight.
Skoon--A dollar.
Sky's the Limit--A game
in which no maximum is placed on any bets or raises.
Slicked-Aced Deck--A deck
with chemically treated slippery aces that allows a cheater to locate the aces
from within a deck.
Slow Play--Passively allowing
opponents to bet while holding a strong hand.
Smooth--The lowest lowball
hand of a given value, such as seven, four, three, two, ace, for a seven low.
Smooth Call--Making a call
with a raising hand.
Snarker--A player who wins
a pot and then ridicules the loser.
Snatch Game--A casino or
house game in which pots are excessively cut or raked, often covertly.
Snow--To fake or bluff.
Snowing Cards--See Fuzzing.
Sorts--A deck of cards
made up of irregular or imperfect cards sorted from many normal decks of cards.
Southern Cross--A variation
of Cincinnati with nine up cards arranged in a cross.
Spider--A hold-out device
attached to the cheater's coat or vest.
Spike--(1) An ace. (2)
A pair in lowball.
Spinner--A winning streak
(Hot Streak).
Spit Card--A card turned
up that is used in every player's hand.
Spit in the Ocean--A draw
game in which an exposed card and all matching cards are wild.
Split Openers--To break
up the hand required to open.
Split Pair--A pair in stud
with one card in the hole and the other exposed.
Split Pot--A pot equally
divided between two winners.
Spot--An ace.
Spot Card--Any card from
the deuce to the tell.
Spots--The printed marks
on the face side of a card.
Spread--(1) A hand. (2)
An illegal exchange of cards between two collusion cheaters.
Squared Deck--An evenly
stacked deck ready for cutting or dealing.
Squeeze--To look at cards
by slowly spreading them apart (Sweat).
Squeeze Bet or Raise--To
bet or raise against another strong hand in order to extract more money from
a third player holding a weaker hand.
Squeezed Player--A caller
who is being bet into and raised by players on both sides of him (Whipsaw).
Squeezers--Cards with suit
and value indicators printed at the corners.
Stack--(1) A pile of chips.
(2) To cheat by prearranging cards to be dealt.
Stacked Deck--A deck with
prearranged cards for a dishonest deal.
Stake--The money with which
a player enters a game.
Stand--To decline a draw.
Stand Pat--To play the
original hand without drawing.
Stand-off--A tie.
Stay--To remain in the
hand by calling the bet or raise.
Stenographers--Four queens.
Step--See Jog.
Still Pack--The deck not
in play when two decks are used.
Stinger--A sequence.
Stock--(1) The cards remaining
in the deck after dealing. (2) The stacked portion of a deck.
Stonewall--One who calls
to the end with a poor hand.
Stormy Weather--Similar
to Spit in the Ocean, except three cards are dealt in the center.
Straddle--(1) A forced
or a compulsory raise (Blind Raise). (2) The right to buy the last-bettor position.
Straight--Five cards in
sequence, such as three, four, five, six, seven.
Straight Draw--Draw poker
not requiring openers.
Straight Flush--Five cards
of the same suit in sequence.
Stranger--A new or unfamiliar
card in a hand after the draw.
Streak--A run of winning
or losing hands.
String Bet--A hesitating
bet made in segments to lure giveaway reactions from other players, especially
those on one's left--not allowed in most casinos and poker clubs.
Stringer--A straight.
Stripped Deck--A deck used
with certain cards purposely removed, such as the deuces.
Stripper Deck--A dishonest
deck with slightly wedge-shaped cards (usually one thirty-second of an inch
tripped off the card's edge or side) allowing the cheater to pull certain cards
from the deck. (See Belly Strippers, Side Strippers, End Strippers, Brief.)
Strip Poker--A game in
which the loser of each pot must remove an article of clothing.
Stud Poker--One of the
two basic forms of poker (the other is draw) and played with open or exposed
cards (up cards) and with one or more concealed hole cards (down cards).
Substitution--An exchange
of a card for one from the deck (Twist).
Suck--To call when the
proper play is to fold.
Sudden Death--High-low
five-card stud.
Suicide King--The king
of hearts ... the king with a sword pointed at its head.
Suit--Any of the four sets
(clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) in a deck of cards.
Super Seven-Card Stud--A
game starting with five cards to each player; then after discarding two, the
game proceeds as in seven-card stud.
Sweeten--To add more money
to a pot such as an extra ante.
Swinging--See Shoot the
Moon.
- T-
Table--See Board.
Table Cards--Cards turned face-up on the table for use in everyone's hand, such
as used in Cincinnati.
Table Stakes--Stakes in
which the betting and raising is limited to the amount of money a player has
in front of him.
Take It or Leave It--See
Shove Them Along.
Take Out--The number of
chips a player starts with in table stakes.
Take the Lead--To make
a bet or raise.
Talon--The remainder of
the deck after the deal.
Tap--To bet all one's money
in table stakes.
Tap City--A player having
gone broke in a game.
Tap Out--To bet and lose
all one's cash, forcing one to leave the game.
Tap You--(1) An expression
for a player betting an amount equal to all the money his opponent has on the
table in table stakes. (2) A raise.
Technical Position--The
strategic and psychological advantage of a player relative to the other players.
Telephone Booth--A very
loose player (Calling Station).
Tells--Characteristics,
habits, or actions of a player that give away his hand or intentions.
Tennessee--Draw poker in
which a bet is made after each round of cards is dealt.
Tennessee Hold Me--See
Hold 'em.
Tens High--Poker in which
no hand higher than a pair of tens can win.
Ten Ten--High-low five-card
stud with ten for low and a pair of tens for high as qualifiers. Usually played
with two twists.
Texas Hold 'em--See Hold
'em.
Texas Special or Texas
Tech--See Double-Barreled Shotgun.
The Diamond--A measurement
of the idealness of a poker game for the good player.
Thirty Days or Thirty Miles--
Three tens.
Thirty Three--Six-card
stud with threes wild.
Three-Card Monte--A three-card
game similar to Bragg.
Three of a Kind--Three
cards of the same value (Treys, Triplets, Trips).
Three-Toed Pete--Three-card
poker.
Throat Shot--An expression
for a player barely losing a big pot.
Throw Off--To discard.
Throw Up a Hand--To fold.
Ticket--A card.
Tie--Two hands of equal
