Texas Holdem Terms
Common Poker Terms
All in
Betting all the chips or cash left in front of you on the table.
Belly Buster
An inside straight draw.
Bluff
Betting with a hand that you do not feel is the best hand in an attempt to steal the pot
Calling Station
A player who is very passive and will not give up on a hand, no matter how woefully behind.
Case
The last of any particular rank.
Changing Gears
To consciously change the style of your play to either speed up or slow down in aggressiveness.
Check
Choosing not to bet when the action is on you. You can not check when someone prior to you
has bet.
Check and Raise
To check with the intentions to raise after someone behind you bets. This is a strategic move
done for a variety reasons, and is sometimes not allowed in home games.
Dog
A slang term for "underdog," meaning your hand is currently behind.
Gutshot
An inside straight draw. Example: You hold 9, 10, Q, K, and need the jack to fill your straight.
Ignorant End
Having the low end of a straight, vs. opponents higher straight.
Kicker
Your side card that helps determine the value of your hand. Aces king kicker would beat Aces
queen kicker.
Limp
To enter the pot for the minimum bet pre-flop
Maniac
A very aggressive poker player who plays, bets and raises with many hands others would fold
Nuts
The best hand possible for a particular board
Outs
Cards that would give you the best hand. Example if you have a 4 flush, then there are nine
cards left in your suit that would give you a flush. This would be considered "9 outs" for a flush.
Rags
Worthless cards; a worthless hand.
Raise
To increase the bet.
Reraise
To raise an already raised pot
Ring Game
A non-tournament game, also called a cash game.
Rock
A very tight player
Semi-bluff
Bluffing with what is probably not the best hand, but a hand that has outs to possibly improve
and become the best hand.
Tell
A habit a player has that gives away the strength of his hand. Generally this is physical, but an
astute player can also pick up "online tells," in many cases.
Trap
To play a very good hand slowly to induce another player to be aggressive, in an attempt to
take even more of his/her chips.