Poker Dictionary

Many people make a living by playing poker. Some join poker tournaments around the world while some play poker in online casinos. Here’s a poker dictionary for people who are just starting out.

ABC - Following a basic mathematically-determined playing strategy, using standard techniques.

Ante – The obligatory bet to be placed by all players before any card is dealt.

Aggressive – Incessant raising or re-raising of bets at every opportunity.

Bet – Wager; the act of wagering.

Bluff – Betting aggressively with a weak hand with intent of scaring opponents into folding.

Call – Matching the minimum bet to stay in the game.

Cowboy – Refers to any King.

Dead Man’s Hand – A hand with Ace pair and 8 pair; pocket cards of Ace and 8.

Darth Vader – Pocket cards of 4 of spades and 4 of clubs.

Dolly Parton – Pocket cards of 9 and 5, referring to her song “Nine to Five.”

Eldest Hand – Player who got the first card from dealer. 

Expose – Accidental showing of cards to player/s.

Face Card – Refers to King, Queen, or Jack.

Four of A Kind – Hand with four cards of same value.

Full House – Hand with three of a kind plus a pair.

Greek Bottom – The second card up from bottom of deck.

Grind out – To win consistently by playing tightly.

Hand – One round of game play.

Hold’em – A type of poker in which players combine their 2 individual cards with 5 face-up cards (shared by all players) to come up with the best 5-card hand.

Immortal – An unbeatable hand.

Improve – Getting a card that makes a hand stronger.

Jackson Five – A hand with Jack pair and 5 pair; pocket cards of Jack and 5.

Joker – A wild card; also refers to Jack if no wild card is used.

Kansas City – A hand with 5-4-3-2 as the lowest four cards not amounting to a straight or flush.

Kojak – Pocket cards of King and Jack.

Lady – Refers to any Queen.

Little Dog – A hand with highest card of 7 and lowest card of 2 without a pair, flush, or straight.

Maniac – A super aggressive player who seemingly plays as if there’s not another round left.

Montana Banana – Pocket cards of 9 and 2.

No-Limit – No stipulated maximum wager. 

Nuts Player – A player who plays only strong hands, seldom raising wagers.

One-eyed King – Refers to the King of Diamonds.

Open-ended Straight Draw – Series of four cards where a straight can be completed by two potential card ranks.

Pass – To make no more bets; to fold.

Pot – A central pool of wagers given to the person with the winning hand.

Poker Face – A countenance of no emotion or expression.

Quarter – A hand of 2 and 5; $25 chip.

Raquel Welch – Pocket cards of 8 and 3.

Rock – A conservative player who stays in the pot on minimum bets, folding at the first hint of losing a hand.

Royal Flush – Same-suited straight flush of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10.

Sixth Street – The round after the sixth card has been dealt.

Sunset Strip – 7 pair in the hole.

Tells – Behaviors or actions that may reveal certain things about a player’s hand.

Texas Hold’em - A type of poker in which players combine their 2 individual cards with 5 face-up cards (shared by all players) to come up with the best 5-card hand.

Three of A Kind – Hand with three cards of same value.

Up – Term used to refer to higher pair in hand with two pairs.

Wash – Shuffling or randomizing of cards.

Wayne Gretzky – Pair of 9s.

Wooden Hand – Weak hand that is hard to improve for a chance to win in a showdown.

Zombie – A player who shows the perfect poker face without any tells.