If you don’t want to look like a sucker at the poker table you better know your poker lingo. Your style of play might not be first class but at least your vocabulary will be.

Keep in mind that several terms may apply to the same thing.

Ace-high - A hand where the highest card is an ace.

Aces Full - A hand with 3 aces and a pair of any other value.

Aces Up - A hand containing two pairs: a pair of aces and another pair of any other value.

Action - A check, bet, call, fold or raise.

Active Player - A player with chips in the pot.

All-in - When a player bets all of his/her chips on a single hand.

All-in Over the Top - Raising with all of your chips after an opponent's bet.

Back Into a Hand - A situation wherein the cards you draw creates a different hand from the hand you were originally intending to make.

Back-door Flush - A hand consisting of three cards that could formulate a flush, but the turn and river cards are still required to complete the flush.

Back-door Straight - A hand consisting of three cards that could formulate a straight, but the turn and river cards are still required to complete the straight.

Bad Beat - This refers to losing a hand when you were the strong odds favorite to win. An example of a bad beat would be holding pocket Aces against a player holding pocket 4's, and your opponent ends up beating you by hitting another 4 on the river.

Bankroll - The amount of money that a player has to wager.
Belly-Buster - This is also known as an inside straight draw or gut shot.

Bet for Value - A bet to increase the pot size, not to make your opponent(s) fold.

Bet the Pot - A bet equal to the size of the pot.

Big Slick - Refers to holding an Ace and King as your two pocket cards.

Big Chick - Refers to holding an Ace and Queen as your two pocket cards.

Blinds – 2 players are required to put money in pot without seeing their cards. Since they are forced to bet without seeing their cards, they are playing "blind", thus the name. There are two blinds, the big blind and the small blind. The small blind position must post half the minimum bet and sits immediately to the left of the dealer. The big blind must post the full minimum bet, and sits immediately to the left of the small blind, two seats to the left of the dealer. As the deal rotates around the table, each player takes turns posting the small blind and the big blind bets. This blind structure forces the action on the table since there will always be a pot to win.

Bluff - To raise or bet a weak hand in order to make your opponent think you have a strong hand.

Board - The community cards that are dealt face up on the table. In Texas Holdem, there will ultimately be five community cards on the "board". The board does NOT include the two private cards dealt to each player.

Bust a Player - To eliminate a player from the game by taking all of his/her chips.

Bust Out - When a player loses all of his/her chips and is eliminated from a tournament or cash game.

Button - Also called the "Dealer Button", this is a white puck (usually with the word "Dealer" on it), that signifies the dealer's position on the table. The dealer's position is important because he is the last player to act for that hand. The Dealer Button rotates around the table, so each player has equal turns of being on the button.

Buy-in - A minimum amount of money paid to enter a tournament and/or cash game.

Call - When a player matches (rather than raises) the previous bet.

Change Gears - When a player strategically alternates his/her play between aggressive and conservative.

Check-raise - the act of checking a hand, in hopes of luring your opponent to bet, so that you may then raise over him and build a bigger pot to win.

Connectors - Chronologically ranked cards that can help a player form a straight.

Double Up - A bet that results in the player ending up with twice as many chips as the amount he/she started with at the beginning of the hand.

Drawing Dead - A situation whereby you cannot win, no matter what cards follow.

Early Position - A position in a round of betting that forces a player to act before the other players. This is a disadvantageous position.

Fish - A poor player who tends to chase favorable outcomes that are highly unlikely.

Flop - In Texas Holdem, each player has two cards dealt to them, and then share five community cards. These five community cards, however, do not all get dealt at the same time. There are rounds of betting at certain intervals during the deal. After the first two cards are dealt to each player, there is a round of betting. Then, three of the five community cards are dealt at one time on the board. This is what's known as the "flop" - the first three cards being dealt on the board. The fourth card is called the "turn", and the final, fifth card is known as the "river".

Flush Draw - a hand where you have 4 of the 5 cards needed to make a flush. For example, if you are holding two diamonds, and the board flops two more diamonds, you would be holding a flush draw. You would need to draw an additional diamond to complete the flush.

Fold - When a player withdraws from the game and gives up his/her cards rather than continue betting.

Four of a Kind - Four cards with the same value. (ie Four Twos)

Full House: A hand containing three-of-a-kind and a pair. (ie A, A, A, 4, 4)

Hand - A player's best five card combination made by combining his or her cards with the community cards.

Heads-up - A situation whereby there are only two players left and the number of betting rounds is unlimited.

Kicker - the kicker refers to your tie-breaking card. For example, if I am holding an Ace and King, and the board shows Ace, 9, 3, 1, 2 - I would have a pair of Aces with a King kicker. My opponent may have an Ace also, but with a weaker kicker, in which case I will win.

Implied Odds - Implied Odds refers to the odds or percentage of making your winning hand compared to the odds or percentage of the bet you must call compared to the potential size of the pot.

Late Position - A position in a round of betting where a player can act after most or all of the other players have acted. This is an advantageous position.

Legitimate Hand - A strong hand or hand that is not a bluff.

Limp - to limp into the hand refers to calling the minimal bet, the big blind, to play your hand.

Loose Play - When a player continually bets with weak hands.

Main Pot - When a player goes all-in, he/she is eligible to win the main pot. Any betting after that is done in a side pot.

Muck - the act of folding one's hand without showing your cards.

No Limit Hold'em Table Stakes - A game where any player can bet any or all of his/her chips.

Nuts - A hand that cannot be beaten no matter what follows.

Odds - The probability of achieving or/not achieving a desired hand.

On Tilt: When a player bets recklessly due to frustration.

Outs - The number of "outs" refers to the number of cards in the deck to make your winning hand. For example, if I have a flush draw (4 suited cards), I have 9 outs to make my flush since there are a total of 13 cards of each suit.

Pair - Two cards with the same value (Ex: 10, 10).

Pocket Rockets - also known as American Airlines, refers to holding two Aces as your private, pocket cards.

Pot - The total chips being bet.

Pot Odds - Pot Odds refers to the odds or percentage of making your winning hand compared to the odds or percentage of the bet you must call compared to the CURRENT size of the pot.

Quads – Also known as a Four-of-a-kind.
Rake - This is the commission the house takes from every pot. The rake can be set dollar amounts or a percentage of the pot, depending on the casino.

Rank - The value of a card or hand.

Re-raise - To raise on top of a previous raise within the same hand.

River - The "river" is the dealing of the fifth and final card of the five community cards dealt in Texas Holdem. The "river" is also known as "Fifth Street".

Rounder - A professional player who frequents high-stakes tournaments.

Royal Flush - A hand containing: A, K, Q, J, 10 in the same suit.

Short Stack - The player with the fewest chips at the table has the short stack.

Semi-bluff - The act of betting on your hand when your hand is not made yet. ie - you have four cards to a straight or flush and you make a bet or raise a bet - even though you do not have a strong hand now, you have a chance of bluffing your opponent out of the pot or hitting the card that will complete your winning hand.

Side Pot - Separate pot contested by other players when one player has gone all-in.
Slow-play - The act of intentionally under-playing a very strong hand in the hopes of tricking your opponent into thinking that he has you beat, which leads to your opponent betting more in later rounds. ie - holding pocket Aces and just checking or calling on the first round of betting to show weakness, in hopes of luring your opponent into more aggressive play later and a larger pot.

Stone Cold Bluff - This is the act of betting your hand with no real possibility of winning the hand if your bet is called. Unlike the semi-bluff, where you still have the potential to make a winning a hand, the stone cold bluff is not relying on the cards, but on your opponent folding.

Straight - Five consecutive cards of mixed suits

Straight Flush - Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Suited Connectors - Two consecutive cards of the same suit.

Tell - An involuntary gesture or expression indicating the strength of your hand.

Tight Player - A conservative player who only plays strong hands.

Trips - Also known as a three-of-a-kind.

Turn - The "turn" is the dealing of the fourth card of five community cards dealt in the game of Texas Holdem. The "turn" is also referred to as "Fourth Street".