Poker Word List

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S

Sailboats : A Pair of fours in the hole.

Sandbag : To check a strong hand with the intention of raising or re-raising any bets. See Check-raise.

San Francisco Busboy : Queen and a three in a hole. Also known as The Brighton hand (U.K.)

Sandwich : Two players betting with another player in the middle (can also be a method of cheating if those two players are in collusion.)

Satellite : A tournament in which the prize is an entrance(s) to another (larger) tournament.

Scare card : A card dealt face up (either to a player in a game such as stud or to the board in a community card game) that appears to create a strong hand for someone. The Jack of spades on the turn was a scare card because it put both flush and straight possibilities on the board.

School : A noun used to describe a group of players in a regular game.

Scoop : In high-low split games, to win both the high and the low half of the pot.

Second pair : In community card poker games, a pair of cards of the second-top rank on the board.

See : To call.

Sell : In spread limit poker, to sell a hand is to bet less than the maximum with a strong hand, in the hope that more of your opponents will call the bet.

Semi-bluff : When a player bluffs on one round of betting with an inferior or drawing hand that might improve in a later round.

Set : Three of a kind, esp. the situation where two of the cards are concealed in the player's hole cards.

Set-up : A deck that has been ordered, usually King to Ace by suit (spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds). In casinos, it is customary to use a set-up deck when introducing a new deck to the table. The set-up is spread face up for the players to demonstrate that all of the cards are present before the first shuffle.

Sevens rule : A rule in many A-5 lowball games that requires a player with a seven-low or better after the draw to bet, rather than check or check-raise. In some venues a violator loses any future interest in the pot; in others he forfeits his interest entirely.

Shark : A professional player.

Shoe : A slanted container used to hold the cards yet to be dealt, usually used by casinos or in professional poker tournaments.

Shill : A casino employee who plays with house money to make enough players to complete a game.

Ship it : Colloqualism used to instruct the dealer where to send the chips following the conclusion of a particularly large pot; so-called due to the potential of needing a container ship to carry the chips.

Shootout : A poker tournament format where the last remaining player of a table goes on to play the remaining players of other tables. Each table plays independently of the others; that is, there is no balancing as players are eliminated. This format is particularly common in European televised poker programs, including Ladbrokes Poker Million.

Short Buy : In no-limit poker, to buy in to a game for considerably less money than the stated maximum buyin, or less than other players at the table have in play.

Short Stack : A stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played.

Shorthanded : A poker game that is played with around six players or less, as opposed to a full ring game, which is usually nine or ten players.

Short Odds : The odds for something that is likely to occur.

Showdown : The end of the hand, and point where it is determined by players which of them wins the pot. The showdown is the act of all players remaining in the game showing their hands in full to the table.

Side Pot : A separate pot created to deal with the situation of one player going "all in".

Siegfried and Roy : A pair of Queens in the hole.

Sit and Go : A poker tournament with no scheduled starting time that starts whenever the necessary players have put up their money. Single-table sit-and-goes, with nine or ten players, are the norm, but multi-table games are common as well. Also called sit n' gos and a variety of other similar spellings.

Skin : 1) To draw a card. 2) To cheat.

Slow Play : The act of under-betting a good hand, as to not scare other players into folding early. It is used to build the size of the pot without revealing too much about one’s hand. It is the opposite of Bluffing, which is over-betting a bad hand.

Slow Roll : To delay or avoid showing one's hand at showdown, forcing other players to expose their hands first. When done while holding a good hand likely to be the winner, it is considered poor etiquette, because it often gives other players "false hope" that their hands might win before the slow-roller's is exposed.

Small Blind : The smaller of the two compulsory antes.

Smooth Call : To call rather than raise an opponent's bet.

Snake eyes : A pair of Aces.

Snow : To play a worthless hand misleadingly in draw poker in order to bluff.
The worthless hand in question.

Snowmen : Pocket Eights.

Soft-Play : To intentionally go easy on a player (e.g. not betting or raising against him when you usually would).

Soixante-neuf : French for sixty-nine, an expression for when a player’s two cards showing are a six and a nine.

Splash The Pot : To throw one's chips in the pot in a disorderly fashion. Not typically allowed, because the dealer can't tell how much has been bet.

Split : (i) Any game where the pot is split between more than one player; used in high/low games and Chicago games; (ii) a pot that needs to be split two ways between players who have two identical hands.

Split Two Pair : In community card poker, a two pair hand, with each pair made of one of your hole cards, and one community card.

Spread : The range between a table's minimum and maximum bets.

Spread-Limit : A form of limit poker where the bets and raises can be between a minimum and maximum value. The spread may change between rounds.

Squeeze : To look slowly at ones hole cards without removing them from the table. The common method by which most players examine their cards in Hold 'em.

Squeeze Play : A more advanced play relying on the loose or aggressive reputation of one player and another player in between who knows this and is responding to the first player. A third player then raises thus squeezing the first player against the second and the second into an uncomfortable situation where he isn’t strong enough to call the re raise as his requirements often are lower against the original bettor rather than the re raiser.

Stack : The total chips and currency that a player has in play at a given moment.
A collection of 20 poker chips of the same denomination, usually arranged in an orderly column.

Stacking the deck : Dealer purposely arranges the cards in his favour while shuffling.

Stakes : The definition of the amount one buys in for and can bet. For example, a "low stakes" game might be a $10 buy-in with a $1 maximum raise.

Stand Pat : In draw poker, playing the original hand using no draws, either as a bluff or in the belief it is the best hand.

Starting Hand : The first cards dealt in any poker game.

Steal : A bluff in late position, attempting to steal the pot from a table of apparently weak hands.

Steam : On tilt.

Stop and Go : Stop and go or stop 'n' go is when a player bets into another player who has previously raised or otherwise shown aggression. Example: Preflop, Bill calls and Tom bets ,Bill just calls. On the flop, Bill bets into Tom again. Bill has just pulled a stop 'n' go play.

Straddle Bet : Essentially a third ( or more ) blind ( and a live one)that is usually posted from UTG but can be posted from anywhere on the table ( missisippi Straddle ).

Strategy card : A wallet sized card that is commonly used to help with poker strategies in online and casino games.

Streak : A run of particularly good cards.

Street : In Stud and Hold ’Em poker, a round of one card dealt to each player. For example, the fifth card dealt to each player is called Fifth Street.

String Bet : A call with one motion and a later raise with another, or a reach for more chips without stating the intended amount. String bets are prohibited in public cardroom rules. A player can (and should) defend himself against string bet complaints by declaring his intention before moving any chips. Note that the "I call, and raise..." cliche is a string bet.

Structured : A structured betting system is one where the spread of the bets may change from round to round.

Stuck : Losing.

Stud : A variant of poker.

Suicidal King : The King of Hearts, named such as it appears he is piercing his own head with his sword.

Suited Cards : Cards of the same suit in one hand. A player with enough suited cards is likely pursuing a Flush.

Sweeten the pot : To raise.

Suited Connectors : Same Suit and conecting pocket cards.

Super Satellite : A multi-table poker tournament in which the prize is a free entrance to a satellite tournament or a tournament in which all the top finishers gain entrance to a larger tournament.

T

Tab : To go on, be on, or get credit.

Table : 1) The surface on which the game is played. 2) The group of players at the table.

Table stakes : A player may bet no more money than he or she had on the table at the beginning of that hand and conesquently can not go back to their pocket for more money once a hand is dealt. In between hands however, a player is free to rebuy or addon so long as their entire stack after the rebuy or addon does not exceed the maximum buy-in.

Tapped, Tap City : To go broke.

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.

Texas Holdem Poker : A form of poker in which players use five community cards in combination with their two hole cards to form the best five-card hand. Also called hold 'em.

Third man walking : A player who gets up from his seat in a cash game, after two other players are already away from the table, is referred to as the "third man walking". In a casino with a "third man walking rule", this player may be required to return to his seat within 10 minutes, or one rotation of the deal around the table, or else his seat in the game will be forfeited if there is a waiting list for the game.

Third Pair : In comuinty card games, pairing the third highest card on the board.

Three bet, Three betting : To be the first player to put in a third unit of betting. For example, if Bob opens for $10, and Mary raises to make the bet $20, if Ted also raises to make the bet $30, this is to "three bet".

Three of a kind : Three Cards of the same rank.

Three pair : In a seven card game, such as seven-card stud or Texas hold 'em, it is possible for a player to have 3 pairs, although a player can only play two of them as part of a standard 5-card poker hand. This situation may jokingly be referred to as a player having a hand of three pair. Note that in Omaha hold 'em, it is possible to "have" 4 pair in the same manner.

Throwing A Party : When several loose or amateur players are making significant monetary contributions to the pot.

Ticket : Slang term for a card,’ give me a ticket dealer’

Tight : A conservative player who is ‘tight’ with his chips and strating hand requirements.

Tilt : To be playing considerably below ones normal level, this is generally for a reason rather than coincidental. A bad beat or an uncomfortabel situation or a bad play may instigate this trait.

To go : A term used to describe the amount that a player is required to call in order to stay in the hand, "Alice was deciding whether to call now it was $50 to go."

Toke : In a brick and mortar casino, a toke is a "tip" given to the dealer by the winner of the pot. Tokes often represent a large percentage of a dealer's income.

Top kicker : In community card poker games, top kicker is the best possible kicker to some given hand. Usually it would be an Ace, but with an Ace on the board it would be a King or lower. Having "top pair, top kicker" is frequently enough to win a Texas hold 'em hand.

Top pair : In community card poker games, top pair is a pair comprising a pocket card and the highest ranking card on the board. Compare second pair, bottom pair.

Top two : A split two pair, matching the highest-ranking two flop cards.

Trey : A 3-spot card. Casino personnel refer to the 3 as the "trey of clubs".

Trips : When one of a players hole cards in Texas hold 'em connects with two cards on the board to make three of a kind. This differs from a set where three of a kind is made when a pocket pair connects with one card on the flop to make three of a kind. : Three of a kind. Compare to "set".

Tuna : Another term for a fish.

Turn : The Fourth card dealt in the couminty cards in games like Hold em and Omaha ( also fourth Street )

U

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.

Under-Raise : To raise less than the previous bet if a player is going all-in. This does not reopen the betting to those who have already acted. A useful way of thinking of an under-raise is to think of it as a call.

Underdog : An underdog or dog is a player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player. Frequently used when the exact odds are expressed. Harry might have been bluffing, but if he really had the king, my hand was a 4-to-1 dog, so I folded.

Up : When used with a card rank to describe a poker hand, refers to two pair with the named card being the higher pair. For example, a hand of QQ885 might be called "queens up".

Upcard : a face up card ( generally refered to in stud games but also relevant in flop games)

Unglued : On tilt.

Up the ante : Increase the stake. Also commonly used outside the context of poker.

UpHill : To have the owrst hand and try to improve against a stronger one.

V

Value bet : A bet made by a player who wants it to be called (as opposed to a bluff or protection bet). This is typically because he has a superior hand that he expects to win at showdown, or a very good draw for which he can increase his pot equity by more than the amount of his bet.

Vig, vigorish : Rake.

W

Wake up : To "wake up with a hand" means to discover a strong starting hand, often when there has already been action in front of the player.

Walk : A walk is the situation where all players fold to the big blind.

Walking Sticks : A pair of sevens in the hole.

Wash : To mix the deck by spreading the cards face down on the table and mixing them up. A dealer may wash the deck before shuffling. Also known as shimmy.

Washed (out) : A term used for when, after a period of time a player breaks even.

Weak Ace : An ace with a low kicker (e.g. four). Also "small ace," "soft ace," "ace-rag."

Whale : A poor player with a lot of money to lose.

Wheel : A 5-high straight (A-2-3-4-5), with the Ace playing low. In deuce-to-seven lowball, the nut low hand (2-3-4-5-7).

Whipsawed (or Sandwiched) : Seated between two players who are constantly raising and re- raising each other’s bets. This places the player in the position of having to choose whether or not to compete with the two players.

White : The color of poker chip most often used to represent the smallest denomination of money, typically the table’s ante and/or minimum bet. The logic behind this is that store-bought poker chips typically contain more white chips than red or blue.

Wild Card : A card Often the joker, that can be used as any card in the deck.

Window Card : An upcard in stud poker. The first window card in stud is called the "door card". In Texas hold'em and Omaha, the window card is the first card shown when the dealer puts out the three cards for the flop.

Wrap : In Omaha hold 'em, an open ended straight draw comprising two board cards and three or four cards from a player's hand. A player holding 345A with the board 67K has a "wrap", as any 3, 4, or 5, or 8 will make a straight. A hand of 4589 would also be a wrap draw, but would often be referred to as a "big wrap" because it has twenty outs rather than thirteen, and is not at the idiot end.

W.S.O.P. : The World Series of Poker. Annual series of poker tournaments held at The Rio Casino in Las Vegas. The final event is a No Limit Texas Holdem tournament with a buy in of $10,000.

X

Xylophone : 1) A straight from 2 to 6, so named due to the escalating scale of the instrument. Coined by a player by the name of Fraser to relate the power of the hand over a wheel. Particulary strong in double flop Omaha high-low.
2) The Omaha starting hand 3-4-5-6.

Y

Y.B.A. : You’ll Be Alright, an expression meaning that if you keep playing that way you’ll be ok. NOT! meaning you certainly will not end up ok.

Z

Zzzzzzzz : An expression generally typed into a chat box online to complain about a player playing slowly.