Poker is one online casino game that doesn’t heavily rely on luck. To win a poker online bet, players must know when to call, double down, fold, and so on. You can even practice edge sorting at a land-based casino to gain the upper hand.
But to be a holistic poker player, poker terminology is a must-know. Although there are thousands of poker terms, this page will only focus on the main poker slang. Here they are:
Act
To make a play during your turn in online poker. This can be to fold, raise, check, call, or bet.
Aggression/aggressive
An aggressive player tends to open a bet or raise instead of calling or folding.
All-in
As the name hints, this is when a player decides to risk all their chips on a single hand.
Ante
This is the amount of money or chips players must pay before the game starts. In other words, it’s a mandatory bet in poker.
Bad beat
To lose a poker hand that was initially the favorite to carry the day.
Bankroll
The money a player intends to use on a poker table. Just call it a budget.
Blind
It’s a forced bet for the punter who sits on the dealer button’s left. Usually, you’ll get the small blind or the big blind.
Bluff
A raise or bet camouflaged as a strong hand when, in reality, the player has a weak hand. It’s some form of disguise in poker.
Boat
Also called the full house, as you’ll see later.
Buy-in
It’s the cost of entry in a poker tournament. This slang also refers to the amount used to purchase chips in real-money online poker.
Call
To match an initial raise or bet.
Cap
A limit on the amount of raises players can make in a betting round. It’s typically three or four at most online casinos.
Check
To do nothing when it’s your action.
Community cards
These are cards players share in poker variants like Omaha and Texas Hold’em. They are used to completing hands.
Dealer
The casino employee who dishes out the cards to the players.
Discard
To remove previously dealt cards out of play.
Donkey
A weak poker player.
Downcard
A poker card that is distributed face-down.
Dry board
A measure of the strength of community cards. A dry board has community cards that are unlikely to improve any hand.
Face-down
Distributed cards that are unexposed to the player. Exposed cards are called Face-up cards.
Five of a kind
A poker hand with five cards of the same rank or value.
Flop
The first three community cards distributed face-up.
Flush
A poker hand with five cards of a similar suit.
Fold
To discard a hand, hence becoming inactive in the active pot.
Four of a kind
A poker hand with up to four hands of similar rank or value.
Full house/full boat
A hand with three cards of similar face value and two cards of equal face value.
Grinder
A player who makes long but consistent profits over a long period.
Hit-and-run
To win a pot and leave the table immediately.
Hole card
The face-down cards distributed to each player.
In position
An “in position” player is usually the last to act during a river, turn, or flop betting round.
In turn
An “in turn” player is the one who is next in action according to the game rules.
Joker
A wild card sometimes used in place of an ace or complete a flush or straight.
Junk
A hand with little value.
Kicker
A dormant card in a hand only used to determine the winning hand in case of a draw. For example, a hand with 8-8-6-6-K beats a hand with 8-8-6-6-Q.
Laydown
To fold a strong poker hand in anticipation of a stronger opponent.
Limp
To enter a pot by calling instead of raising or betting.
Monster
An excellent poker hand that can’t be beaten.
Nit
A player who’s unwilling to take risks.
One pair
A poker hand with two cards of similar rank, i.e., J-J.
Open limp
This is the first person to call the big blind or pre-flop.
Overcard
A higher-ranking card. For example, J is an overcard of 10.
Poker face
Wear a face that doesn’t reveal anything about your cards.
Raise
To increase the initial bet size during the same betting round.
River
The fifth community card on the board.
Royal flush
The highest possible hand in poker. It consists of A-K-Q-J-10 of a similar suit.
Set
It’s a three of a kind with two hidden cards or pocket pair and a matching community card.
Straight
Five sequential cards like 5-6-7-8-9.
Straight flush
Five sequential cards of the same suit.
Three of a kind
Three cards of similar face value or rank. This hand is sometimes called trips.
Two pair
A hand with two same-value pairs like J-J and 10-10.
Upcard
A card distributed face-up.
Value bet
A wager made by a player hoping to be called.
Wheel
Another poker term used to describe a straight.