CHAPTER 2
Action
A fold, check, call, bet, or raise.
For certain situations, doing something formally connected
with the game that conveys information about your hand may
also be considered as having taken action. Examples would be
showing your cards at the end of the hand, or indicating the
number of cards you are taking at draw. See also Significant
Action
Aggressive
Action
A wager
that could enable a player to win a pot without a showdown;
a bet or raise.
All-In
When you have put all of your
playable money and chips into the pot during the course of a
hand, you are said to be all-in.
Ante
A prescribed amount posted
before the start of a hand by all players.
Bet
The act of placing a wager
in turn into the pot on any betting round, or the chips put
into the pot (see Betting
& Raising).
Big Blind
The largest regular blind in a
game (see Button
and Blind Use).
Blind
(1) A required bet made before
any cards are dealt (see Button
and Blind Use).
(2) The seat where the required
bet is posted.
Blind Game
See Button
Game.
Board
(1) The board on which a
waiting list is kept for players wanting
seats in specific games.
(2) Cards faceup on the table
common to each of the hands.
Board Card
A community
card in the center of the table, as in Holdem or Omaha.
Boxed Card
A card that appears faceup in
the deck where all other cards are facedown.
Bring-In
A forced bet made by a player
prior to all other action to begin the
first betting round.
Broken Game
A game no longer in action.
Burn Card
After the initial round of
cards is dealt, the first card off the deck in each round that
is placed under a chip in the pot, for security purposes. To
do so is to burn the card; the card itself is called the burn
card.
See Dealer
Button.
Game in which a dealer
button is used.
Buy-In
The minimum amount of money
required to enter any game (see The
Buy-In for a further discussion of this topic).
An alternative Bling
& Button Use rule allowing a new player or player
making up blinds to come in between the blinds (see Explanations:
Buying the Button).
California
Lowball
Ace-to-five
lowball with a Joker.
Call
The act of matching the amount
of a bet in turn into the pot on any
betting round (see Betting
& Raising).
Capped
Describes the situation in
limit poker in which the maximum number of raises
on the betting round have been reached.
Cards Speak
The face value of a hand in a showdown
is the true value of the hand, regardless of a verbal
announcement.
Check
To waive the right to initiate
the betting in a round, but to retain the right to act if
another player initiates the betting (see Betting
& Raising).
Check-Raise
To waive the right to bet until
a bet has been made by an opponent, and then to increase the
bet by at least an equal amount when it is your turn to act.
Chopping
See Splitting
the Blinds.
Collection
The fee charged in a game taken
either out of the pot or from each player (see Time
Collection, Collection Drop,
and Dead Collection Blind.
Collection
Drop
A fee charged for each hand
dealt (as a rake or dead
collection blind).
Color Up
A request to change smaller
denomination chips to larger.
(1) A card dealt faceup to be
used by all players at the showdown in
the games of stud
poker whenever there are insufficient cards left in the
deck to deal each player a card individually (also called,
Common Card).
(2) The cards dealt faceup in
the center of the table that can be used by all players to
form their best hand in the games of Holdem
and Omaha.
Complete The Bet
To increase an all-in bet or
forced bet to a full bet in limit poker.
Cut
To divide the deck into two
sections in such a manner as to change the order of the cards.
Cut Card
Another term for the card used
to shield the bottom of the deck.
The big blind is posted by the
player due for it, and the small blind and button are
positioned accordingly, even if this means the small blind or
the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving the
same player the last action on consecutive hands (see Button
& Blind Use).
Example 1
The player in the small blind
is out of chips before the next hand and elects not to rebuy.
The button would move to the empty chair where the player
would have been. No new player may take this seat during
this hand. The blinds are posted normally to the left of the
button and no cards are dealt to the empty chair. The button
moves one seat clockwise on the next hand.
Example 2
The player in the big blind
elects not to play the small blind position on the next hand
and is dealt out. This player would receive a "Small
Blind" marker to indicate a small blind is owed when
the player returns. The button would move one seat clockwise
and the player two seats left of the button would post the
big blind as usual.
On the next hand, the button
would move one seat clockwise (to the empty chair) and
blinds would be posted to the left of the button. If the
button seat has been vacated, a new player may not take the
seat during this hand. However, the player who elected to
pass his small blind on the previous hand may post a dead
small blind and receive cards. If this player does not
elect to post the dead small blind, the button is dead and
does not receive cards.
Dead
Collection Blind
A fee posted by the player
having the dealer button, used in some games as an alternative
method of seat rental.
Dead Hand
A hand that is not legally
playable (see Dead
Hands for all rules regarding this subject).
Dead Money
Chips taken into the pot not
considered part of a player's bet.
Deal
To give each player cards, or
put cards on the board. As used in these
rules, each deal refers to the entire process from the
shuffling and dealing of cards until the pot is awarded to the
winner.
Deal Off
To take all the blinds and the
button before changing seats or leaving the table. That is,
participate through all the blind positions and the dealer
position.
Deal Twice
When there is no more betting,
agreeing to have the rest of the cards to come determine only
half the pot, removing those cards, and dealing again for the
other half of the pot.
A flat disk that indicates the
player who would be in the dealing position for that hand (if
there were not a house dealer). Normally just called "the
button."
Deck
A set of playing-cards. In
these games, the deck consists of either: (1) 52 cards in
seven-card stud, Holdem, and Omaha, or (2) 53 cards (including
the Joker), often used in ace-to-five
lowball and draw high.
Discard(s)
Card(s) thrown away; the muck.
In a draw game, to throw cards out of your hand to make room
for replacements.
Downcard
Card dealt facedown in a stud
game.
Draw
(1) The poker form where
players are given the opportunity to replace cards in their
hand. In some places, like California, the word
"draw" is used referring to draw high and draw low
is called "lowball."
(2) To replace cards in the
hand or select a card.
(3) The point in the deal where
replacing cards is done is called "the draw."
Exposed Card
A card shown out of turn during
the deal or play of a hand (see Irregularities
Face Card
A king, queen, or jack.
Fixed Limit
Any limit poker betting
structure in which the amount of the bet on each particular
round is pre-set.
Flashed Card
A card that is partially
exposed.
Floorperson
A casino employee who seats
players and makes decisions.
Flop
Community
cards turned face up on the table simultaneously after the
first round of betting is complete.
Fold
To throw a hand away and
relinquish all interest in a pot (see Betting
& Raising).
Forced Bet
A required wager
to start the action on the first betting round (the usual way
action begins in a stud game).
The button always moves forward to
the next player and the blinds adjust to ensure each player
meets the obligation of posting all applicable blinds for the
round of play (see Button
& Blind Use). There may be more than one big blind.
Example 1
The player in the small blind
is out of chips before the next hand and elects not to rebuy.
The button would move to the position of the player
previously in the big blind, who would post a live
small blind on the button. The player to the left of the
button. previously not having posted a blind, would now post
the big blind. The player to this player's left would also
post a big blind. [*small, big, big]
On the next hand, the button
would move one position clockwise and the player on the
button and the player to the left of the button would both
post a small blind, while the player two seats clockwise of
the button would post a big blind. [*small, small, big]
The next hand, blinds would
behave normally and each player has met his or her blind
obligation for the round.
Example 2
The player in the big blind
elects not to play the small blind position on the next hand
and is dealt out. The button would move to the player who
was previously in the small blind. Having not posted a blind
on the previous hand, the two players to the left of the
button would both post a big blind. [*no blind, big, big]
On the following hand, the
button would move one clockwise position. The player on the
button and the player to the left of the button would post
small blinds. The player two seats clockwise of the button
would post a big blind. [*small, small, big]
The next hand, blinds would
behave normally.
Fouled Hand
A dead
hand.
Fourth Street
The second upcard
in seven-card stud or the first board
card after the flop in Holdem (also called the turn card).
Freeroll
A chance to win something at no
risk or cost.
Full Buy-In
A buy-in
of at least the minimum requirement of chips needed for a
particular game (also called a "full buy").
Half-Kill
An oversize
blind, that increases the betting limits by fifty percent
for the hand (see Kill).
Hand
(1) All a player's personal
cards.
(2) The five cards determining
the poker ranking.
(3) A single poker deal.
Hand-for-Hand
A method of balancing the
number of hands played on tables remaining in a large
tournament (usually at the breakover point of players who will
be awarded tournament prizes). Each table must finish the
current hand before the next hand is played and each table
will begin the next hand at the same time.
Playing hand-for-hand prevents
the players on a table from delaying action waiting for the
elimination of players from other tables.
Heads-Up Play
Only two players involved in
play.
High-Low Split
Pot Game
Game where highest hand and
lowest hand divide the pot equally (see Omaha
High-Low & Seven-Card
Stud High-Low).
Hole Card
Card dealt facedown to a
player.
Insurance
A side agreement when someone
is all-in for a player in a pot to put up money that
guarantees a payoff of a set amount in case the opponent wins
the pot.
Joker
The Joker is a "partly
wild card" in high draw poker and ace-to-five lowball. In
high, it is used for aces and to complete straights
or flushes.
In lowball, it is the lowest unmatched rank in a hand.
Kicker
The highest unpaired card in a
five-card poker hand; an odd card in a hand.
Kill
To muck a hand.
In kill pot
games, to meet the conditions for using an oversize blind as
outlined in Kill
Pots.
Kill Blind
A kill blind; an oversize
blind, usually twice the size of the big
blind. A kill doubles the limit for the hand. Sometimes a
"half-kill" is used, increasing the blind and limits
by fifty percent. A kill can be either voluntary or mandatory.
The most common requirements of a mandatory kill are winning
two pots in a row or scooping a pot of sufficient size in
high-low split (see Kill
Pots).
A button used to indicate which
player has won two pots in a row and is required to kill the
pot (see Kill
Pots).
Kill Pot
A pot with a forced kill
by the winner of the two previous pots, or the winner of an
entire pot of sufficient size in a high-low split game (see
the rules for Kill
Pots). Some pots can be voluntarily killed.
Leg Up
Being in a situation equivalent
to having won the previous pot, and thus liable to have to
kill the following pot if you win the current pot (see Kill
Pots).
List (Waiting List)
The ordered roster of players
waiting for a game (see Board).
Live Blind
A blind bet giving a player the
option of raising if no one else has raised.
Lock-Up
(1) A chip marker that holds a
seat for a player.
(2) Placing a chip marker in an
open seat to reserve it (see House
Policies: Seating for ruls governing lock-ups).
Low Card
At seven-card stud, the lowest upcard,
which is required to bet.
Lowball
A draw game where the lowest
hand wins (see Lowball).
Miscall
An incorrect verbal declaration
of the ranking of a hand.
Misdeal
A mistake on the dealing of a
hand which causes the cards to be reshuffled and a new hand to
be dealt.
Missed Blind
A required bet that is not
posted when it is your turn to do so.
Muck
(1) The pile of discards
gathered facedown in the center of the table by the dealer.
(2) To place cards in the center area of the table taking them
out of play.
Must-Move
In order to protect the main
game, a situation where the players of a second game must move
into the first game as openings occur.
No-Limit
A betting structure allowing
players to wager any or all of their
chips in one bet (see No
Limit And Pot-Limit for details).
Opener
The player who made the first
voluntary bet.
A button used to indicate who
opened a particular pot in a draw game.
Openers
In jacks-or-better
draw, the cards held by the player who opens the pot that
show the hand qualifies to be opened.
Example
You are first to bet and have a pair of kings; the kings are
called your openers.
Option
The choice to raise
a bet given to a player with a blind.
Overblind
Also called oversize blind. A
blind that is bigger than the regular big
blind and usually increases the stakes proportionally.
Pass
(1) Decline to bet. In a
pass-and-out game, this differs from a check, because a player
who passes must fold.
(2) Decline to call a wager,
at which point you must discard your hand and have no further
interest in the pot.
Pat
Not drawing any cards in a draw
game.
Play Behind
Have chips in play that are not
in front of you (allowed only when waiting for chips that are
already purchased). This differs from table
stakes.
Play Over
To play in a seat when the
occupant is absent.
Playover Box
A case (usually of acrylic)
slid over the top of an absent players chips while another
player plays over
them.
Play the
Board
Using all five community
cards for your hand in Holdem.
Playover Box
A clear plastic box used to
cover and protect the chips of an absent player when someone
plays over that seat.
Position
(1) The relation of a player's
seat to the blinds or the button.
(2) The order of acting on a
betting round or deal.
Pot-Limit
The betting structure of a game
in which you are allowed to bet up to the amount of the pot
(see "No-Limit
and Pot-Limit" for details).
Potting Out
Agreeing with another player to
take money out of a pot, often to buy food, cigarettes, or
drinks, or to make side bets.
Protected
Hand
A hand of cards that the player
is physically holding, or has topped with a chip or some other
object to prevent a fouled hand.
Push
When a new dealer replaces an
existing dealer at a particular table.
Pushing Bets
The situation in which two or
more players make an agreement to return bets to each other
when one of them wins a pot in which the other or others play
(also called saving bets).
"Rabbit
Hunting"
A request made by a player to
look at cards that would have come after a hand is over.
Generally prohibited in most cardrooms.
Rack
(1) A container in which chips
are stored while being transported.
(2) A tray in front of the
dealer, used to hold chips and cards (chip-rack).
Raise
To increase the amount of a
previous wager. This increase must meet
certain specifications, depending on the game, to reopen the
betting and count toward a limit on the number of raises
allowed (see Betting
& Raising).
Rake
A form of extracting house
revenue by removing chips from the pot as a percentage of pot
size up to a set maximum.
Reraise
To raise
someone's raise.
Saving Bets
Same as Pushing
Bets.
Scoop
To win both the high and the
low portions of a pot in a split-pot
game.
Scramble
A facedown mixing of the cards.
Setup
Two new decks, each with
different colored backs, to replace the current decks.
Short Buy
A buy-in
that is less than the required minimum buy-in.
Showdown
The showing of cards to
determine the pot-winner after all the betting is over.
Shuffle
The act of mixing the cards
before a hand is dealt.
Side Pot
A separate pot formed when one
or more players are all in.
Significant
Action
In button
games, significant action is considered to occur when two
players after the blinds have acted on their hands. In Stud
games, action is considered to occur when two players after
the forced bet have acted on their hands.
Sleeping Bet
A sleeping bet is a straddle
bet made in any position. A player who announces his intention
to "put a sleeping bet on" must do so prior to cards
being dealt. All players who act in front of the announced
sleeping bet must ALL fold in order for the bet to be in
effect. Action in front of the sleeping bet negates the bet
entirely. The player who "sleeps" a bet is allowed
last action after the blinds for an unraised pot. A sleeping
bet does not increase the limits of the game or diminish the
number of raises allowed for the betting round.
Small Blind
In a game with multiple blind
bets, the smallest blind.
Split Pot
A pot that is divided among
players, either because of a tie for the best hand.
Splitting
Blinds (Chopping)
An agreement between the big
blind and small blind to each
take back their blind bets instead of playing the hand when no
one else has entered the pot.
Splitting
Openers
In high draw jacks-or-better
poker, dividing openers in hopes of
making a different type of hand (such as breaking aces to draw
at a flush).
Stack
Chips in front of a player.
Straddle Bet
A voluntary doubling of the big
blind made by the player immediately to the left of the
big blind. In limit poker, the player who straddles the big
blind is allowed last action after the blinds for an unraised
pot. The limits of the game do not increase. However, the
straddle does not constitute a raise, so the maximum number of
raises can be made above the amount of the straddle bet. A
player who straddles the big blind must announce his intention
to do so before cards are dealt to any player.
Street
Cards dealt on a particular
round in stud games. For instance, the fourth card in a
player's hand is often known as fourth street, the sixth card
as sixth street, and so on.
String Raise
A wager
made in more than one motion, without announcing a raise
before going back to your stack for more
chips (not allowed).
Stub
The portion of the deck that
has not been dealt.
Supervisor
A cardroom employee qualified
to make rulings, such as a floorperson, shift supervisor, or
the cardroom manager.
Table Stakes
(1) The amount of money you
have on the table. This is the maximum amount that you can win
or lose on a hand.
(2) The requirement that
players can wager only the money in front
of them at the start of a hand, and can only buy more chips
between hands.
"Time"
An expression used to stop the
action on a hand. Equivalent to "Hold it."
Time
Collection
A fee for a seat rental, paid
in advance.
Turn Card
The fourth street
card in Holdem or Omaha (also simply called the Turn).
Upcard
Card dealt faceup for opponents
to see in stud games.
Wager
(1) To bet or raise.
(2) The chips used for betting
and raising.
Chapter
3
Counting
the stub
