Poker Terminology 101
Aug 09, 2006
Kirsty Grimes
Are you easily confused by Poker jargon; the strange turns of
phrase, deciphering the state of play or a player’s tactics
or hand? Then this is for you! Here are some popular Poker terms
that you may or may not be familiar with and if the case is
the latter - we hope these explanations helps! Button:
Quite simply a white acrylic disk to indicate who
is the (nominal) dealer, which looks a lot like a button.
Also used to refer to the player on the button. Example: "Oh,
the button raised."
Ante: An Ante is basically a small percentage
of a bet contributed by each player to source the pot at the
beginning of game.
Pocket Rockets or American Airlines: A pair of aces in the
hole.
Opener: The player who made the first voluntary
bet.
Cap: To put in the last raise permitted
on a betting round. This is typically the third or fourth
raise. Dealers in California are fond of saying "Capitola"
or "Cappuccino".
Ducks: Two 2's is a pair of ducks.
River: The final card dealt. The fifth and
final community card put out face up, by itself. Also known
as "Fifth Street". Metaphors involving the river
are some of poker's most treasured clichés - e.g. "He
drowned in the river."
Big Slick: This term refers to any Ace to
King card combination.
Flop: The first three community cards, put
out face up, all together.
Under the gun: This term describes the position
of the player who acts first on a betting round. For instance,
if you are one to the left of the dealer, you are under the
gun before the flop.
Downcards: Cards that are dealt facedown
in a stud game.
Calling Station: This is the kind of player
you like to have in your game! Calling Station describes a
passive player, who calls a lot, but does not raise or fold
much.
Komodo Dragon: This is when a player’s
hand is defeated because of an opponent completing a straight
or flush on the river.
Throwing a Party: This is when several lose
or amateur players are making significant monetary contributions
to the pot.
Cranberry: A player who calls against the
pot-odds.
Flashed Card: A card that is partially exposed.
Horsing: this is when a player passes a
small amount of money to help another player out after winning
a pot, also known as "scooting".
Dolly Parton: A play on words regarding
Dolly Parton’s hit 9-5, this term actually refers to
a straight 5-9!
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