Poker Glossary
("Get your nuts out of my river")
american airlines
Pocket Aces (in Texas Holdem)
blind
In Hold 'em there are either one or two "blind" bets (bets which you are required to make before seeing any cards). If there are two blinds in the game then there will typically be a big blind which is an entire small bet ($3 in a 3-6 game) and a small blind which will be half the big blind (rounded down) ($1 in a 3-6 game and $2 in a 4-8 game). The blinds are in the first (and second if there are two) positions after the dealer, so they act first in all future betting rounds.
brick
Or "to catch a brick." A brick is a card that does not help your hand. In Texas Holdem, a brick on the board would be a card that does not appear to help anyone's hand.
bullets
Pocket Aces (in Texas Holdem)
calling station
A person who almost always calls, but who rarely raises.
check raise
Checking with the intention of raising after someone bets. A technique used when you have a strong hand to ensure other players are making a mathematical mistake by calling.
cowboys
Pocket Kings (in Texas Holdem)
nut
The nut is used to refer to the highest possible hand of a certain type given the board (in community card games like Texas Holdem and Omaha). For example if the board contains 6 7 8 K Q then the nut straight is 9 T. Other straights are possible (5 9 and 4 5) but 9 T is the highest.
nuts (or absolute nuts)
"The nuts" means the highest possible hand on the board at any given moment. For example if the board contains: Jh Qh Kh 2h 2s then the nuts would be Ah Th (for a Royal Flush). Of course it might not be wise to fold Ah by itself (the nut flush) or JJ, QQ, KK, or especially 22. Often you don't need the absolute nuts to win.
fish
Term used to describe an inexperienced or bad poker player, especially one that continues in poker hands with weak draws.
flop
In Texas Holdem, you are dealt two cards face down, then a round of betting, then the dealer places three cards face up all at once. These three cards are called the flop.
free card
Sometimes you can raise on or near last position on the flop with the intention (hope) that everyone will check to you and you can check as well if you don't make your hand on the turn. Although this is called a free card it actually cost you a small bet on the flop, but it is still a play often worth making (if it there is a good chance it will work).
gutshot
A straight draw with only 4 outs (as opposed to an open straight draw which has 8). An example would be when you hold J T and the flop is 9 K 2. You need one of the four unseen Queens to make your straight
jackpot
In many low limit games there is a jackpot for some extremely improbably bad beat (like Aces Full of Tens beaten by Four of a Kind or Better). Also sometimes jokingly announced when it is obvious that anyone with a Jack will win the pot (a board of Ac Kd Qh Td 2c) would be one example.
pocket rockets
Pocket Aces (in Texas Holdem)
rainbow
Typically used to describe the flop in Holdem when all three cards have difference suits (making a flush unlikely).
river
The last card dealt by the dealer.
scoop, scooping
Typically used in high/low games to describe the situation when a single hand takes both halves of the pot (the high and the low). In high low games it is a critical strategy to play hands that can scoop the pot.
turn
After the flop, the next card dealt is called the turn.
