Poker Terminology - An A-Z of Common Phrases and Poker Terms

Poker players have developed their own language of poker terminology which they use to describe the game and what's happening in it. To an outsider, hearing that someone "jammed it in after flopping the nuts, only to get sucked out on the river," would conjure up many weird and wonderful thoughts, but not one of them to do with poker!

By learning the commonly used poker terms and phrases, you'll be able to decipher what the other players are saying when you next sit down at a poker table. This keeps you in the loop, allowing you to understand what other players are saying about each other and what they have - information that otherwise would not have been available to you.

So, to help you access this information, we've created a comprehensive poker glossary that covers all of the popular poker terms that poker players use. For more insight into the best places to play poker and other casino games, take a look at our Canadian online casino reviews to find the top platforms for an exciting gaming experience.

• A-Game – A term that's used to describe the best a player can play.
• ABC Poker – A term that's used to describe a player who's using a basic poker strategy.
• Ace – The card that's generally considered to be the best card in poker. In many variants of poker, aces can be both the highest and lowest-value card, specifically when making a low straight (A2345).
• Ace-high – A type of poker hand where the player has no paired cards, straights, or flushes, and their highest card is an ace (e.g. Ah7h9cJd3s).
• Aces Over – A slang term for a full house made with three aces and two other paired cards (e.g. AhAsAdKcKs).
• Aces Up – A term that describes two pair, specifically with aces and another set of paired cards (e.g. AcAh9d9sJc).
• Act – To make a decision during the hand, such as call or raise.
• American Airlines – A slang term for pocket aces (AA).
• Anna Kournikova – A slang term for ace-king (AK).
• Ante – A bet placed by every player before being dealt their hands. Note that 'antes' and 'blinds' are different types of forced bets in poker.
• Ax – A poker hand that's comprised of an ace and an additional card (e.g. AsJd).

• Backdoor – Achieving a winning hand using both the turn and river cards to complete a draw that was not initially strong.
• Backdoor Draw – A type of draw where a player needs to hit two cards on the turn and river to make their hand.
• Backdoor Flush – A flush draw where a player needs to hit two consecutive cards to complete the flush.
• Backdoor Straight – A straight draw where a player needs to hit two cards on the turn and river to complete the straight.
• Bankroll – The amount of money a player has set aside for playing poker.
• Bet – The act of placing a wager during a betting round.
• Big Blind – A blind bet that one player must place before the cards are dealt. It is also a poker position that is to the left of the small blind and to the right of the UTG.
• Big Pair – The biggest pocket pairs available in poker, such as AA, KK, QQ, JJ, and TT.
• Big Slick – A commonly used slang phrase for ace king.
• Blocker – A card that prevents a player from having a specific hand. For example, holding the Ad on a board of 9d8d3d is the "nut-flush blocker," as it's impossible for another player to have the nut flush while you have that card.
• Blocking Bet – The act of making a small bet to prevent an opponent from making a larger bet on the river.
• Bluff – Pretending to have a stronger hand than you actually do, in order to make your opponents fold.
• Bluff Catcher – A hand that can only beat your opponent's bluffs and none of their value bets.
• Board – A common poker term used to describe the community cards in the middle of the table.
• Boat – A slang term for a full house.
• Bomb Pot – A unique poker hand where preflop action is eliminated; all players place a set amount of chips into the pot, the flop is dealt, and the action starts with the player to the left of the button.

• Bonus Chips – Extra chips awarded by online poker sites or casinos as part of promotional bonuses, often given for signing up, making a deposit, or participating in special events.

• Bot – A computer program playing online poker illegally.
• Bounty – A cash prize that's awarded in some poker tournaments after knocking out an opposing player.
• Bubble – The phase of a poker tournament just before the players reach the money.
• Burn – The card that's discarded from the top of the deck before any of the community cards are dealt.
• Button – Known as the best position at the poker table, the button is last to act postflop. In live poker, its position is usually denoted with a small plastic button, known as the dealer button.

• Calling Station – A certain poker player who rarely folds to a bet, regardless of the strength of their hand.
• Caribbean Stud Poker – A casino poker game where players try to beat the dealer by making the best possible hand. Additional payouts are given for strong hands, such as four-of-a-kind and royal flushes.
• Case – The last card of that rank in the deck (e.g. the case ace).
• Cash Game – A poker game where the chips have a cash value. These games can go on indefinitely with no fixed end point.
• Catch – To hit the card you need to make the winning hand.
• Chase – To call a bet with the intention of trying to hit a draw.
• Chip Leader – The person with the most chips in a tournament.
• Combo Draw – A type of draw where players are drawing to both a straight and a flush, with the possibility of making a straight flush.
• Community Cards – Cards that are placed face-up in the middle of the table that can be used by all players to make the best five-card poker hand.
• Continuation Bet/C-Bet – The act of making a bet on the flop after being the preflop aggressor.
• Cooler – When two strong hands come up against each other (e.g. a pair of aces and a pair of kings).
• Cut-off – A poker position that is located to the right of the button and to the left of the hijack.

• Dead Man's Hand – A slang term for aces and eights, the hand that Wild Bill Hickock is rumoured to have held before getting shot at the poker table.
• Dead Outs – Cards that are required for a player to make their hand that have already been folded by other players.
• Dealer Position – Another term for the button, this position is to the left of the cutoff and to the right of the small blind.
• Dealer's Choice – A game where the player on the button gets to choose the poker variant that is played for that round.
• Deck – The 52 cards required to play poker.
• Dog to win – A player or hand that is an underdog to become the winner.
• Donk – A slang term for a player who is not very good at poker.
• Donk Bet – A bet that is made "out of flow" into the preflop aggressor.
• Double-Up – When a player wins the hand and doubles their chip stack.
• Draw – A type of hand whose only value is its potential to improve to a straight or a flush.
• Drawing Dead – When a player is all-in with cards to come but has no chance of making the winning hand.
• Dry Board – A flop that has little to no connectivity, e.g. Kc8d2s.

• Early Position – A term that describes the first 2-3 positions at the poker table.
• Edge Shot – A bet a player makes when they're in an advantageous position.
• Effective Stack – The actual amount of money that is in play between two opponents. For example, if one player has $400 and another player has $600, the effective stack is $400.
• Eight or Better – A split pot game where players can win half the pot by making a high hand and the other half of the pot by making a low hand. To qualify for the low hand, the player must have five unpaired cards eight or lower, hence the name "Eight or Better."
• Equity – The percentage of the time a player expects to win the pot given their hand and their opponent's hand.
• Even Money – A situation where the odds of winning the hand are roughly 50/50.
• Expected Value – A concept used to describe the value of a certain action in the long run.
• Exploitative Play – A poker strategy that relies on adjusting to the actions of your opponent to make money.

• Fake Think – A deception technique used in poker; the player will act as though they have a tough decision, whereas, in reality, they have an easy decision to make.
• Fifth Street – Also known as the river card, fifth street is the last betting round in games such as Texas Hold'em and PLO.
• Fill Up – When a set or two pair turns into a full house.
• Fish – A slang term for a player who is not good at poker.
• Fishhooks – A slang term for a pair of jacks.
• Five Card Draw – A game where players try to make the best five-card poker hand by discarding and drawing cards.
• Five Card Stud – An iteration of Stud poker that only uses five cards - one card face down and four face up.
• Fixed Limit Poker – A type of betting structure in poker where players are only allowed to bet or raise in fixed increments.
• Float – The act of calling a bet with nothing to try and bluff your opponent on the turn or river.
• Flop – The first three community cards that are shown in games such as Hold'em and PLO.
• Flop a Set – When a player makes three-of-a-kind with a pocket pair on the flop. For example, a player holds 7d7d and the flop comes 9d7s3h.
• Flush – A hand comprised of five cards of the same suit (e.g. Kh9h8h5h2h).
• Flush Draw – A hand that has four cards of the same suit that is hoping to make a flush by the river.
• Four Bet – The fourth bet made during a single betting round.
• Four-of-a-kind – A hand comprised of four cards of the same rank (e.g. QdQhQsQc9d).
• Freeroll – A tournament that does not require a fee to enter.
• Freeze-Out – A tournament where players cannot rebuy or re-enter after they have been eliminated.
• Full House – A hand that's made up of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank (e.g. 8h8d8sJcJs).

• Grinder – A person in the world of poker who makes their living by playing small games winning consistent amounts rather than taking shots in bigger games.
• GTO (Game-Theory-Optimal) – A poker strategy that relies on players following a set of pre-approved strategies developed by a poker solver.
• Guarantee – The amount of money that will be in the prize pool of a tournament regardless of how many people enter. This amount is "guaranteed" by the casino/poker room.
• Gutshot Straight Draw – A straight draw where you can only improve to a straight with one card. An example of a gutshot straight draw would be 8d7s on a board of 6cTd2d, where any 9 would improve the hand to a straight.

• Heads-Up – A form of poker that is played between two players.
• Hijack – A poker position that is to the right of the cutoff and to the left of the lojack.
• Hole Cards – The cards that are dealt face-down to the player.
• Hollywood – When a player takes a long time to make a trivial decision to trick their opponent into thinking they had a difficult decision.
• Hooks – Another slang term for a pair of jacks (derived from fishhooks).
• HORSE – A poker game comprised of five different poker variants; Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Eight or Better.
• HUD (Heads-Up Display) – A piece of software for use on online poker sites that allows players to track the stats of other players at the table.

• ICM (Independent Chip Model) – A way of assigning a real money value to tournament chips that allows players to make strategic decisions that net them the most money in the long run.
• Implied Odds – The amount of money you expect to make on future streets if you make your hand.
• In the Middle – The amount of money that's currently in the pot.
• In the Money – The stage of a tournament where each eliminated player receives money from the prize pool.

• J-Boy – A slang term for a jack.
• Jacks or Better – A variant of video poker.
• Jam – The act of going all in.
• Jammed Pot – A pot that has been raised the maximum number of times in fixed limit poker.
• Jesse James – A slang term for the hand 45, as Jesse James was shot by a .45 caliber gun.
• Joker – A card that can be used to represent any other card in the deck. Many poker games do not include jokers.

• Kicker – A side card that is used to break ties between otherwise identical hands, determining the winner.
• Kojack – A slang term for the hand KJ.

• LAG – A loose aggressive poker player.
• Late Position – A term used to describe the button, cutoff, and sometimes the hi-jack.
• Leak – A mistake that a player consistently makes at the poker table.
• Limp – When a player calls the preflop blind bet instead of raising or folding.
• Little Blind – Another term for the small blind.
• Lock – A hand that cannot lose.
• Lojack – A poker position that is to the right of the hi-jack and to the left of the middle position.
• Luckbox – A poker player who consistently gets lucky.

• Made Hand – A hand that does not require any additional cards to improve.
• Middle Position – A poker position that's to the right of the lojack and to the left of early position. This term can be used to describe multiple positions, depending on the number of players at the table.
• Misdeal – A mistake that's made during the deal that requires the hand to be restarted.
• Miss – When a player does not make their draw.
• Missed Blind – A bet that is required during a cash game if the player is absent during their blinds.
• MTT (Multi Table Tournament) – A poker tournament that's comprised of more than one table of players. These tournaments typically have higher prize pools than single table tournaments.

• Newlyweds – A slang term for the hand KQ.
• Nickels – A slang term for the hand 55.
• Nit – A player who does not play very many hands and only waits for the strongest preflop holdings.
• No Limit – A variant of poker where players can bet or raise any amount, as long as it is more than the size of the big blind.
• Nut Flush – The best possible flush that is available.
• Nut Straight – The best possible straight that is available.
• Nuts – The best poker hand that is possible on the board.

• Omaha – A poker game where players are dealt 4 cards but must use two of them along with three community cards to make their best five-card hand.
• Open Limp – The act of being the first person to limp preflop.
• Open Raise – The act of being the first person to raise preflop.
• Open-Ended Straight Draw – Refers to a straight draw where a player can hit two cards to make their straight. For example, if a player holds 76 on J85, they can hit a 4 or a 9 to make their straight.
• Outs – The number of cards that a player can hit to improve their hand.
• Overbet – A bet that is larger than the current size of the pot.
• Overcall – The act of calling a bet after another player has already called it.
• Overcards – Cards that are higher than the community cards currently on the board (e.g. Player A has KQ on a board of T83).
• Overlay – The amount of a tournament guarantee that is not met by the entry fees paid by the players. For example, if a $1,000 guarantee, $10 buy-in tournament has 85 entries, the amount of money gathered would be $850, meaning there's an overlay of $150.
• Overpair – A pair that is higher than any of the community cards on the board (e.g. AA on a board of Q73).

• Peel – A slang term for calling a bet.
• Picture Cards – Any card with a picture on it (jack, queen, or king).
• Pipped – To only just lose the hand (e.g. Player A has a pair of jacks with an ace kicker and Player B has a pair of jacks with a king kicker).
• Play the Board – A hand where the player's best five cards consist entirely of board cards. For example, if a player's hole cards are 33, and the board is AAKK8, the player would play the board.
• Pocket Pair – When a player receives two hole cards of the same rank.
• Pocket Rockets – A slang term that describes when a player is dealt two hole cards that are both aces.
• Poker Network – A term that's used to describe a group of poker sites owned by the same organization that combine player pools.
• Poker Room – A place where people gather to play poker.
• Pot Committed – A situation where a player has committed too much of their stack to fold.
• Pot Limit – A variant of poker where players can only bet or raise the size of the pot.
• Pot Odds – A way of determining whether or not it is profitable to call based on the size of the bet and the size of the pot.
• Preflop – The first betting round in poker.
• Preflop Aggressor – The last player to make an aggressive action during the preflop betting round.
• Preflop Raise – A raise that is made during the preflop betting round.

• Quads – A slang term for four-of-a-kind.

• Rag – A low value card that's of little importance, typically said in conjunction with a high card (e.g. ace-rag).
• Rainbow – A flop that has three cards of different suits.
• Raise – The act of increasing the bet size. All raises must be equal than or greater than the size of the previous bet/raise.
• Rakeback – The amount of money players receive back from online poker operators.
• Range – A word that describes all possible hands that a player can have based on the preceding actions.
• Read (Getting a) – The act of interpreting a player's actions to determine whether they're strong or weak.
• Represent – The act of betting as if you have a certain hand to try and get your opponent to fold.
• River – The last community card that is dealt in games such as Hold'em.
• Rock – Another term for a nit.
• Royal Flush – The best possible hand in poker. It is comprised of an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, all of the same suit (e.g. AsKsQsJsTs).
• Runner-Runner – The act of hitting the two cards needed to make the best hand.
• Running Bad – A term that describes when a player is getting continuously unlucky.
• Running Good – A term that describes when a player is getting continuously lucky.
• Running it Twice – The act of dealing any remaining cards two times when a player is all in with cards to come. Doing this reduces the variance in the hand which makes it appealing to some players.

• Sandbag – A slang term for slowplaying.
• Scare Card – A card that changes the texture of the board in a way that is good for bluffing (e.g. after a flop of Jd8d3s, the Ad would be a scare card).
• Scoop – When a player wins both the high and the low pot in split pot games.
• Semi-bluff – The act of making a bluff with a hand that can improve to a better hand. For example, a player can make a semi-bluff while holding a flush draw, knowing that they have a chance to improve if they get called.
• Set – Three-of-a-kind that is made with your two hole cards and one card from the board.
• Seven Card Stud – An iteration of Stud poker that uses seven cards - three cards face down and four face up.
• Shootout – A type of tournament where players must beat everyone at their table before being taken to a new table.
• Short Stack – A player that has a low number of chips compared to the size of the blinds.
• Short-Handed – A poker game that is played with 6 or fewer players.
• Shove – The act of moving all in.
• Slowplay – The act of playing a strong hand passively to attempt to get other players to bet.
• Small Blind – A blind bet that one player must place before the cards are dealt; typically it is half the size of the big blind. It is also a poker position that is to the left of the dealer position and to the right of the big blind.
• SNG (Sit and Go) – A tournament that automatically starts when a set number of players have joined. These tournaments are usually played on one table.
• Soft-play – The act of refusing to bet or raise when playing against a friend, resulting in smaller pots and less money won or lost. This is a form of collusion which is banned in poker.
• Stack – The amount of chips a player has in front of them during the game.
• Stakes – The buy-in and blind structure of a game. For example, NL100 is a game with a $1 big blind and a maximum stack size of $100.
• Steal – A raise from late position that is designed to "steal" the blinds.
• Straight Flush – One of the strongest hands in the game; a straight flush is comprised of five cards in sequence, all of the same suit (e.g. 5h6h7h8h9h).
• String Bet/Raise – A bet that is made in two motions; i.e., placing one stack of chips forward, and then another. String bets are against the rules in almost all forms of poker.
• Suck Out – To make the best hand by the river after being a significant underdog to win.
• Suit – The characteristics of a card that are separate from its rank. A playing card's suit can either be diamonds, clubs, spades, or hearts.
• Suited – A hand that is suited has both cards of the same suit (e.g. Kd5d).

• Tank – The act of taking a long time to make a decision.
• Tell – A change in a player's actions or behaviour that indicates the strength of their hand.
• Texas Hold'em – A popular poker game that is played with two hole cards and five community cards.
• Three-bet – The third bet made during a round of betting - also known as a re-raise.
• Tilt – A mental state where players are letting their emotions negatively affect their decision-making.
• Top Kicker – The best possible kicker you can have in a hand (e.g. a pair of kings with an ace would have the top kicker).
• Top Set – The highest possible set on a board (e.g. on a board of 9d7c2s, 99 would be top set).
• Trap – The act of playing passively with a strong hand to entice your opponent into betting.
• Trips – Three-of-a-kind that is made by using one card from your hand and a pair on the board.

• Underdog – A player or hand that is unlikely to win.
• UTG (Under the Gun) – A poker position that is located to the left of the big blind. Depending on the number of players at the table, there can be more than one UTG position; these are referred to as UTG+1 and UTG+2.

• Value Bet – A bet that is designed to get called by a worse hand.
• Variance – Variance in poker refers to the degree to which your real-world results differ from your expected results. The higher the variance, the more likely there are to be bigger positive and negative swings.
• Video Poker – A form of casino poker that is played on machines. Players must discard and draw cards to make the best hand possible, with jackpots available for the strongest hands.

• Wayne Gretzky – A slang term for the hand 99; Wayne Gretzky's jersey number.
• Wet Board – A flop that has a lot of connectivity, e.g. Ts9s8d.
• WPT – The World Poker Tour is a well-known poker tour that travels to major cities around the world. The WPT is regarded as one of the big three tournament series alongside the WSOP and European Poker Tour.
• WSOP – The World Series of Poker is a famous poker event where players compete in multiple events to win gold bracelets. It's regarded as the most prestigious poker event in the world.

• Z-Game – A term that describes a player's worst performance, it is often used as an antonym to a-game.