POKER TERMS
Angle:
A technically legal, but borderline unethical, play. For example, deliberately miscalling one's own hand to induce a fold, or placing odd amounts of chips in the pot to confuse opponents about whether you mean to call or raise. A player employing such tactics is called an "angle shooter".
Ace-to-five, ace-to-six:
Methods of evaluating low hands. See ace-to-five low, ace-to-six low.
Backdoor:
• A draw requiring two or more rounds to fill. For example, catching two consecutive cards in two rounds of seven-card stud or Texas hold 'em to fill a straight or flush.
• A hand made other than the hand the player intended to make. I started with four hearts hoping for a flush, but I backdoored two more kings and my trips won.
Bankroll:
The amount of money that a player has to wager for the duration of his or her poker career. A very chip or money rich player.
Call the clock:
A method of discouraging players from taking an excessively long time to act. When someone calls the clock, the player has a set amount of time in which to make up his mind; if he fails to do so, his hand is immediately declared dead. In tournament play, a common rule is that if a player takes too long and no one calls the clock, the dealer or floor personnel will automatically do so.
Cow:
A player with whom one is sharing a buy-in, with the intent to split the result after play. To "go cow" is to make such an arrangement
Dark:
Describing an action taken before receiving information to which the player would normally be entitled. I'm drawing three, and I check in the dark. Compare to "blind".
Dead blind:
A blind that is not "live", in that the player posting it does not have the option to raise if other players just call. Usually refers to a small blind posted by a player entering, or returning to, a game (in a position other than the big blind) that is posted in addition to a live blind equal to the big blind
Eight or better:
A common qualifier in High-low split games that use Ace-5 ranking. Only hands where the highest card is an eight or smaller can win the low portion of the pot.
Feeder:
In a casino setting, a second or third table playing the same game as a "main" table, and from which players move to the main game as players there leave. Also called a "must-move table."
Going south:
To sneak a portion of your chips from the table while the game is underway. Normally prohibited in public card rooms. Also "ratholing".
Hanger:
Dealing from the bottom of the deck .
Idiot end:
In flop games, a player drawing to, or even flopping, a straight with undercards to the flop has the idiot end of it. A player with 8-9 betting on a flop of A-T-J puts himself at great risk, because many of the cards that complete his straight give credible opponents higher ones
Joker:
The joker is a part wild card in high draw poker and ace-to-five lowball. In high, it is utilized for aces, straights, and flushes. In lowball, lowest unmatched rank in a hand is a joker.
Kitty:
A pool of money built by collecting small amounts from certain pots, often used to buy refreshments, cards, and so on. The home-game equivalent of a rake.
Limp, limp in:
To enter a pot by simply calling the bet to them instead of raising, called so because a player with a marginal hand may be willing to pay the minimum to see more cards, but would likely fold if the bet increased further.
Multi-way pot:
A pot where several players compete for it. Also known as a family pot .
Offsuit:
Cards that are not of the same suit. The ace of clubs and the king of spades are called ace-king offsuit
Poker face:
A blank expression that does not reveal anything about the cards being held. Often used outside the world of poker.
Quarter:
To win a quarter of a pot, usually by tying the low or high hand of a high-low split game. Generally, this is an unwanted outcome, as a player is often putting in a third of the pot in the hope of winning a quarter of the pot back.
Redeal:
To deal a hand again, possibly after a misdeal.
Satellite:
A tournament in which the prize is a free entrance to another (larger) tournament
Tell:
A tell in poker is a detectable change in a player's behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player's assessment of his hand. A player gains an advantage if he observes and understands the meaning of another player's tell, particularly if the tell is unconscious and reliable. Sometimes a player may fake a tell, hoping to induce his opponents to make poor judgments in response to the false tell
Turn: the fourth community card dealt face up in a hold ‘em game.
Under the gun:
The playing position to the direct left of the blinds in Texas hold 'em or Omaha hold 'em. The player who is under the gun must act first on the first round of betting.
