Someone stopped by today looking for “how to sound like you know poker.” Well, Up For Poker aims to please.
When it comes to sounding like you’ve been to a final table at the World Series of Poker, it’s all about the slang.
Here’s just a small Poker dictionary you should overuse at the Hold ‘Em poker table if you want to sound like a pro (feel free to add more in the comments):
All-In: Putting all of your remaining chips in the pot. Ex. slothoki Randy regretted going all-in when CJ held the nuts.
Back Door: This describes a hand in which the final two cads (the turn and the river) fill either a straight or a flush. Ex. We both went all-in with a pair of jacks, but when the third and fourth heart hit the board, it filled his backdoor flush and I went home crying.
Bad Beat: This describes a hand in which a statistically superior hand loses to an inferior hand. Ex. It was a bad beat when my pocket aces lost to 7-2 offsuit. I went home crying.
Big Slick: Having an Ace and a King as your hole cards. Ex. When I looked down at Big Slick in my pocket, I had to go all-in.
Bottom Pair: When one of you hole cards matches the lowest card on the board. Ex. I don’t usually bet the bottom pair, but the other guy had bluffed a lot.
Bullets: A pair of Aces inthe hole. See also: Rockets
Button: The seat directly to the right of the dealer. This player will act last in each betting round after the first. Ex. I would not have played a pair of 4’s except that I was sitting on the button.
Catch: Often goes along with “bad beat” when a player with only a few outs catches one of those cards to win the hand. When a player tells you, “Nice catch,” what they really want to say is, “You lucky bastard.”
Cowboys: A pair of Kings in the hole. Ex. My Cowboys were gold when another King came on the flop.
Fish: A bad player. Remember, if you’re not sure which player at the table is the fish, you may be it.
Flop: The first three cards that come on to the table in Hold ‘Em. Ex. When three hearts came on the flop, I was worried my Cowboys wouldn’t hold up.
Gutshot: An inside straight draw, when a player can only fill their straight with one card. Ex. If I lose to another gutshot, I’m taking my chips and going home.
Hole: Your first two cards in Hold ‘Em. Ex. I love getting Big Slick in the hole.
Kicker: The highest unpaired card in your hand. Ex. We both had a pair of Aces, but my King kicker won me the pot.
Muck: Throwing your hand into the pile without showing them. Ex. When I showed the nut flush, he just mucked his cards knowing he had lost.
Nut(s): The best possible hand. Ex. When I flopped the nut straight, I was just hoping no flush draw or pair hit the board on the turn or the river.
Pocket: The two cards dealt face down. Ex. When I looked down at two sevens I hoped this pocket pair would finally win me a pot.
Rainbow: When the three or four cards on the board are all of a different suit. Ex. My straight looked a lot better considering the flop was a rainbow.
River: The last of five community cards.
Rockets: A pair of Aces in the hole.
Set: Three of a kind when two of the cards are in your hand. Ex. I finally flopped a set when a 4 hit the board to go with my pocket pair.
Slowplay: To underplay a very strong hand as to induce more people to bet. Ex. I slowplayed my pocket rockets only to lose to a flush draw.
Tilt: When a player begins betting indiscriminately after a particularly bad loss. Ex. After that bad beat, he went all-in and I figured he was on tilt.
Top Pair: When a card in your hand matches the highest card on the board.
Turn: The fourth of five community cards. Ex. When a club came on the turn, I had the nuts.
