Broderick Crawford: Refers to a hand consisting of two 10s in poker, named after the actor Broderick Crawford who starred in the TV show ‘Highway Patrol,’ known for his radio call, ’10-4.’
Brush: A casino employee responsible for managing waiting lists for poker games, seating players, and sometimes collecting seat fees or tips.
Bubble Boy: In poker tournaments, the “Bubble Boy” is the player who finishes just outside the prize money. This player is the last to be eliminated before payouts begin.
In poker, a “bully” refers to a player who uses aggressive betting or raising tactics to intimidate opponents and force them to fold, often when the bully may not have a strong hand themselves.
Bum Deal: A situation in poker where a player receives a particularly poor hand or is treated unfairly in the game.
Bum Hunter: A player who consistently seeks out weaker opponents or ‘fish’ to play against, often avoiding stronger players to maximize their winnings.
In poker, a buried pair refers to a pair of hole cards that are not visible to other players, often in stud games where players have both face-up and face-down cards. This pair can be a strategic advantage because opponents are unaware of its existence, potentially allowing for deceptive play and increased betting opportunities.
Bury Card: In poker, a bury card refers to the card dealt face down and discarded before dealing the community cards, often for security reasons to prevent any player from gaining an advantage by knowing the next card.
A “Busted Hand” refers to a poker hand that did not improve or win during play, often resulting in a loss or a fold. Typically, it describes a drawing hand that failed to complete a straight or flush.
In poker, a “Button War” refers to a situation where two or more players aggressively compete to control the dealer button in successive hands, often leading to increased betting and strategic plays to gain positional advantage.
Buy In: The amount of money a player must spend to join a poker game, often representing the minimum required to enter a tournament or cash game.
Buy-in Limit: The maximum or minimum amount of money a player can bring to the table in a poker game.
Purpose: Ensures a level playing field by standardizing player contributions at the start of play.
C-Game: Refers to a poker player’s lowest level of play, characterized by poor decision-making, lack of focus, and suboptimal strategies. It is often a result of fatigue, stress, or lack of experience and can significantly affect performance negatively.
C-Note: A slang term referring to a $100 bill, commonly used in poker games to denote a high-value chip or bet.
In poker, the cage is the secure area where players can buy chips or cash out their winnings. It is managed by the casino staff and handles financial transactions related to the poker games.
In poker, a ‘Call’ is when a player matches the current bet to stay in the hand.
Caller: A player who matches the current bet in a poker round instead of raising or folding.
Calling clock: In poker, when a player is taking too long to make a decision, another player can call the clock to force a decision within a specified time limit, typically around 60 seconds.
A calling station is a poker player who frequently calls bets but rarely raises, often playing passively and seeing many hands without taking aggressive action.
A cap game is a type of poker game where there is a limit to the total amount a player can bet in a single hand. Once a player reaches this limit, they can no longer bet or raise, effectively capping the amount that can be wagered. This rule helps to control the stakes and manage the risk for players.
Cap: In poker, a ‘cap’ refers to the maximum number of raises allowed in a single betting round. Once the cap is reached, players can only call or fold, limiting further betting action.
A capped range in poker refers to a situation where a players possible hand strength is limited or “capped” at a certain level. This often occurs when a player takes a conservative action, indicating they are unlikely to have the strongest possible hands in their range.
Card Protector: An object used by poker players to cover their cards and prevent them from being accidentally folded or exposed during a game.
Card Sharp: A skilled and often deceitful player proficient in card games, typically using tricks to gain an advantage.
A card track refers to the process of monitoring the cards that have been played during a poker game. Players use this information to make educated guesses about the remaining cards and improve their strategic decisions.
A cardroom is a dedicated area or establishment where card games, particularly poker, are played. It can be part of a casino or a standalone venue. Cardrooms typically offer tables, dealers, and various poker games for players to participate in.
Carnival game: A poker game that is played with unconventional rules or formats, typically found in casual or home settings rather than in professional or competitive environments.
A carpet joint is a slang term for an illegal or unlicensed gambling establishment, typically a poker room, where games are played on a carpeted floor.
Case card: The last available card of a particular rank in the deck or among the community cards.
Cash game: A type of poker game where players bet real money chips and can join or leave at any time. Unlike tournaments, the blinds remain constant, and players can rebuy chips if they lose.
A Cash Out Tournament is a poker format where players have the option to ‘cash out’ and take a portion of their stack as cash, rather than continuing to play for the tournament prize pool. This typically occurs after reaching a certain stage in the tournament, providing players with a choice between securing a guaranteed payout or risking their chips to compete for larger prizes.
CBet or Continuation Bet: A bet made by the player who took the lead in the previous betting round, typically the pre-flop raiser, to maintain pressure and represent strength on the flop.
Center Pot: In poker, the main pot where all players have contributed their bets during a hand. This pot is contested by all players still in the hand and is separate from any side pots that may be created if a player goes all-in.
In poker, ‘Check’ refers to the action a player can take when it is their turn to act, but they do not wish to bet and there is no existing bet to call. By checking, the player passes the action to the next player without adding any chips to the pot.
Chip leader: The player with the most chips in a poker game or tournament at any given time. Being the chip leader provides a strategic advantage, allowing the player to apply pressure on opponents with fewer chips.
Chip race: A poker event where players exchange small denomination chips for larger ones, ensuring no player loses chips in the process.
A chip runner is a casino employee responsible for transporting chips between the poker tables and the cashier or chip bank. They assist players and dealers by exchanging cash for chips or vice versa, ensuring smooth gameplay and efficient chip flow during poker games.
A Chip is a small, round token used in poker to represent a player’s stake, typically made of plastic or clay, and available in various colors and denominations.
Chop: When players agree to split the pot equally, often in situations where they have equally strong hands or for strategic reasons.
Cinch Hand: A poker hand that is virtually unbeatable, usually the best possible hand in a given situation.
Click Raise: A small minimum raise in poker, often used as a deceptive tactic to confuse opponents or induce specific actions.
Coin Flip: A situation in poker where two hands or players have approximately equal chances of winning, often involving an all-in scenario between a pair and two overcards.
A Cold 4bet occurs when a player who has not previously invested in the pot during the current betting round makes a fourth bet after a raise, a reraise, and before the initial raiser acts again.
Cold call: When a player calls a bet after one or more other players have already called, without having previously contributed to the pot in the current round.
Cold deck: A deck of cards that has been prearranged to produce a predetermined outcome, often used in cheating situations to ensure a specific player wins or loses.
Cold streak refers to a prolonged period of time in poker where a player experiences a series of losses or fails to win hands, despite making correct decisions or playing well. This is often attributed to bad luck or variance.
Combination: In poker, a combination refers to a specific grouping of cards used to form a particular hand. A combination can involve various card rankings and suits, contributing to the overall strength and strategy of a player’s hand.
Combo Draw: A poker hand that has multiple outs to improve, often combining both straight and flush draws.
A ‘Come Bet’ in poker is a wager made after the initial roll in a craps game, similar to a Pass Line Bet. It wins if the next roll is a 7 or 11 and loses if it is a 2, 3, or 12. Otherwise, it creates a point, and the bet wins if the point is rolled again before a 7.
Come Hand: A poker hand that needs specific cards to complete a potential winning combination, often involving drawing to a straight or flush.
Community Card: A card dealt face-up in the center of the table and shared by all players in games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
Community Pot: The total amount of money bet by players in a single poker hand, which is awarded to the winning player or players at the end of the hand.
A complete hand in poker refers to a hand that consists of five cards, typically seen at the showdown, where all community cards are revealed and players have made their final decisions.
In poker, a ‘computer hand’ refers to the 9 and 7 combination, considered average in terms of probability and odds of winning. It is often used as a benchmark for comparing other hands.
Concealed Pair: In poker, a concealed pair refers to a pair that is not visible to opponents, often formed by hole cards in a player’s hand that do not appear on the board. This can lead to unexpected plays as the strength of the hand is hidden.
Condensed range: A narrow range of hands a player is likely holding, often determined by their betting patterns or the game situation. Typically includes strong hands with little variation, making it easier to predict their play.
In poker, a conservative player, also known as a ‘tight’ player, is someone who plays few hands and bets cautiously. They typically wait for strong hands or favorable situations before committing chips to the pot. Conservative players aim to minimize risks and avoid unnecessary losses.
Continuation Bet (C-Bet): A bet made by the player who took the lead in the betting round on the previous street, typically the pre-flop raiser, to maintain the initiative in the hand. Commonly used as a bluff or semi-bluff to apply pressure on opponents.
Continuation Bet: A bet made by the player who took the lead in the previous betting round, often the pre-flop raiser, to maintain the initiative and pressure opponents.
A cooler in poker refers to a situation where a very strong hand loses to an even stronger hand, often due to bad luck rather than poor play, leaving the losing player with few options to avoid a loss.
Countdown: A process in poker where players count the chips they have to determine their current stack size, typically done at key stages such as before a big decision or at the end of a hand.
Court Card: A playing card that features a face, typically a king, queen, or jack.
In poker, a ‘Cranberry’ refers to a $25,000 chip, typically used in high-stakes games. Its name is derived from its distinctive reddish-pink color, similar to that of a cranberry fruit.
Crap Shoot: A situation in poker where the outcome is primarily determined by luck rather than skill due to the short stack sizes or blinds, making it difficult to employ strategic play effectively.
A crying call is a reluctant call made by a player who suspects they are beat but feels compelled to call due to the pot odds or curiosity. It often occurs on the last betting round.
Cut card: A solid-colored plastic card used to conceal the bottom card of a deck during dealing, ensuring fairness and preventing accidental exposure.
Cut: The act of splitting the deck into two parts and then combining them in reverse order, typically done by the player to the right of the dealer before the deal to ensure fairness and randomness.
Dead Blind: A mandatory bet placed by a player who is required to sit out a round but still wants to rejoin the game. This bet is placed before receiving any cards and is equivalent to the missed blinds.
Dead Button: A situation in poker where the dealer button remains in the same position for consecutive hands, usually due to a player leaving the game.
Dead Card: A card that cannot be dealt to any player because it has already been exposed or is otherwise not in play.
Dead Collection Blind: A forced bet made by a player to compensate for missed blinds or as part of the house collection.
Dead Hand: A hand that is no longer valid in a poker game, typically due to a rule infraction or error. When a hand is declared dead, it is removed from play, and the player forfeits any bets made.
Deal: The act of distributing cards to players in a poker game, usually done by a designated dealer or rotating among players.
Dealer Button: A small disc used to indicate the player in the dealer position in poker, rotating clockwise after each hand.
In poker, the dealer is responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards to the players. In home games, this role often rotates among players, while in casinos, a professional dealer is employed. The dealer also manages the pot, handles bets, and enforces the rules of the game. The dealer button, a small disc, indicates the nominal dealer position and rotates clockwise after each hand, determining the order of betting.
Deck: A standard deck of playing cards consists of 52 cards divided into four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit contains 13 ranks, from Ace to King.
Declaration: In poker, this refers to a player’s verbal indication of their intended action, such as raising, calling, or folding. It is a binding statement that must be followed through with the corresponding action.
Deep stack: A situation in poker where players have a large number of chips relative to the blinds, allowing for more strategic play and larger bets.
In poker, a Delay C-bet refers to a continuation bet made on a later street, usually the turn, after choosing not to bet on the flop. This strategy can be used to induce bluffs or gather more information about an opponent’s hand before committing additional chips.
Deposit: The act of adding funds to a poker account, typically by transferring money from a bank account, credit card, or other payment method, to be used for playing in poker games or tournaments.
Desperation Call: A call made by a player with a weak hand, hoping to improve or catch a bluff, often when they have few chips left or limited options.
Deuce: A card with a rank of two in any suit.
Dirty Stack: A poker stack that contains mixed denominations, often causing confusion or errors when betting or counting.
In poker, a discard refers to a card that a player removes from their hand and places aside during certain variations of the game. This action typically occurs in draw poker games where players exchange cards to improve their hands.
In poker, a DoN (Double or Nothing) is a type of single-table tournament where half of the players win double their buy-in, while the other half lose their entire buy-in. The structure focuses on survival rather than accumulating the most chips, as the game ends once half the field is eliminated.
A donk bet is when a player makes a bet out of position, leading into the aggressor from the previous betting round, often considered unconventional or unexpected.
Donk Stack: A poker situation where a player with a small stack size repeatedly bets or raises aggressively, often in a manner that seems reckless or unorthodox.
Donkament: A derogatory term for a poker tournament where inexperienced or ‘donkey’ players are perceived to participate, often resulting in unpredictable and erratic gameplay.
In a game of stud poker, the ‘door card’ is the first upcard dealt to each player. This card is visible to all players and helps determine betting rounds.
Double barrel: In poker, making a second consecutive bet on turn after having bet on the flop.
Double Belly Buster: A poker hand with two inside straight draws. Example: A hand of 8-10-J-K where both a 9 or Q completes a straight.
Double Bluff: A deceptive move in poker where a player initially bluffs, is caught, but then convinces opponents that they were actually holding a strong hand all along, leading them to fold.
A double gutshot is a straight draw with two potential inside cards that can complete it, providing more outs than a regular gutshot.
Double Raise: A type of raise in poker where a player increases the previous bet by twice its amount. Typically used to apply pressure on opponents and increase the pot size.
Double-Ace Flush: A rare poker hand consisting of a flush where two aces are present among the five cards, all of the same suit.
A ‘Down Bet’ is a poker strategy where a player bets a smaller amount on a later street than they did on an earlier street. This is often used to control the pot size or to induce a call from opponents with weaker hands.
Down Card: A card dealt face down in poker, hidden from other players, typically used in games like Texas Hold’em and Stud.
Downswing: A period during which a player experiences consistent losses, often due to bad luck or variance, leading to a decline in their bankroll.
A draw card is a card dealt to a player in poker that allows them to complete or improve a drawing hand, such as a straight or flush.
Draw Game: A poker variation where players can replace cards in their hand with new ones from the deck to improve their hand.
Most Common
