ONLINE POKER SECRETS
Bought on Ebay for $2.40
The Secrets of Making Money
Playing Online Texas HoId’em Poker
Let’s start playing poker for free with play money
Many online poker websites now offer free play money tables to practice. Let’s start playing now, so you can see how it all works. As it’s for free and with play money, it doesn’t matter if you don’t really understand any of the rules (yet!). Click to go to one of the best poker site, Party Poker. Don’t worry about that for the moment though. We’ll just download the game and start getting some practice.
Click on the button above and then click on the ‘Click Here to Download Now’ button on the Party Poker web site.
Once downloaded and installed you will be asked to fill in your name and address. Once done, scroll down on the left to the ‘PlayMoney’ section and click on the Texas Hold’em line. Then double click on the 5/10 entry(see below).
Now click on one of the tables on the right to join one of the games. Click on a ‘Seat open’ sign to sit down at the table.
Now just play! The idea is to get a set of 5 cards using your 2 cards and three of the cards on the table. The cards on the table are dealt out slowly with rounds of betting in between. The winner is the person with the highest 5 card set, or the person left in the betting if everyone else gives in (or ‘folds’). Have a quick play. Wow, you are now playing poker!
Having seen what it’s all about, you might now need to read about how to play!
How to play Texas HoId’em poker
By the end of this poker primer you will have a good basic understanding of the game. Although the varieties of poker may seem a little complex, it is really a lot easier than it may first appear.
The goal of poker is to win money from the other players by placing bets on the strength of the cards that have been dealt to you.
Poker follows this basic format:
• Players are dealt cards (a “hand”), some or all of which are concealed.
• Bets are made on the strength of the cards in rounds of betting.
• The hands develop as more cards are dealt.
• Finally the strongest hand wins a showdown or all players but one have folded.
Whichever kind of poker you play, it is essential to know the ranking of the hands. The rankings are the same in all poker games.
A standard pack of 52 cards is used, with no jokers. The ace is the high card, however in hi/b games it can be ranked as either high or low, at either end of a sequence. A new pack of cards is randomly generated before each game, using a Random Number Generator to shuffle the deck.
The game moves around the table clockwise, including the placing of bets and the dealing of cards. Each player must act in turn. There is a theoretical “dealer” (represented by a “button” or small disc) which also rotates around the table clockwise with each hand. When you are in the dealer position (or “on the button” as it is sometimes called), you do not actually deal the cards yourself, rather you are the last player to receive your cards, and the two players to your left post the blind bets that get the pot going. In this way each player’s relative position rotates with each hand.
Position is important in poker, and especially important in HoId’em. The later you act on your hand, the more information you can collect about the relative strengths of other players’ hands. Since it is preferable to be in “late position”, the dealer button rotates around the table with each hand. This ensures that each player has equal opportunities to be in late position...and to post the blind bets.
With each turn to act, you have the option to fold (to throw your hand away when its your turn to act), or depending on what has happened before you, to check (when its a players turn to act and there has been no action in front of them and he opts not to bet, he “checks.”), bet (To place chips into the middle — the pot), call (matching the bet amount) or raise (to increase the previous bet).
There is a lot of specialized lingo in poker; make sure to spend some time studying the glossary at the end of this guide, or simply refer to it as you learn.
Blind bets start the pot. This gets everyone interested in how the hand turns out; the two that posted the blind bets have their own money at stake even before the first cards are dealt, and everyone else is faced with a small (but potentially growing) pot that someone is going to win.
Betting rounds take place to equalize the amount of money that each active player has in the pot. Those that fold along the way relinquish their claim to the pot. Additional cards are dealt at each round of betting as well, which add further intrigue to the betting, and will inevitably force the weak-handed (or those not interested in bluffing!) to fold. As active players raise the bets, the other players who wish to remain in the hand must call to equalize each players stake in the pot...or they can choose to re-raise. There are a set number of raises allowed in each round of betting (except in no-limit poker which is just like it sounds...no limit on either the number or the amount of raises, as long as you’re not raising yourself. Start learning with limit games...you can graduate to no-limit games once you master limit).
Players are only allowed to use the chips in play at the beginning of a hand. You are not allowed to get extra funds in the middle of a hand. You are however free to get more chips between hands.
The specifics of what happens at each betting round are detailed in the individual poker game rules in Appendix A. With different numbers of “hole” cards (the secret cards you hold) and community cards (those cards shared by everyone at the table), each poker game requires different strategies and different strengths. This is what makes poker fun for everyone...and challenging to fully master! Remember though, you don’t have to be a poker whiz to win; you only have to be better than those against whom you are playing. Start in the low limits to ensure that you are fairly matched. Then, as your skills improve, you can go to higher and higher stakes, and win the big bucks.
Bluffing is misleading your opponents into thinking that you have a hand different and usually stronger than the one you actually hold. This is a vital part of poker. If the best hand always won, then poker would be a simple game of chance. The keys to being a winning poker player are strategy and bluffing ...knowing when to play hands to begin with, and using your judgment to gauge when to push ahead with a less than ideal hand to bluff the other players out of the pot.
Hand rankings
The game is based around trying to make the best set of 5 cards, or hand. The hands are ranked as follows:
1st: Royal Flush
Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace of the same suit.
2nd: Straight Flush
Five cards in sequence (Straight) with all five cards in the same suit (Flush).
3rd: Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same number or face value (quads).
4th: Full House
A full house is three cards of one number or face value (three of a kind) and two cards of another number or face value (pair). If more than one player has a full house, the full house with the highest ranking three of a kind (“trips”) wins.
5th: Flush
Five cards of the same suit (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades). If there is more than one flush, the hand with the highest card(s) wins.
6th: Straight
Five cards in sequence. Cards can be in any suit. An Ace can be used in the highest straight (10, J, Q, K, A) and the lowest straight (A, 2, 3, 4, 5).
7th: Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same number or face value (“trips”).
: Two Pair
If two players have two pair, the hand with the highest pair wins. If they have the same high pair, whoever has the second highest pair wins. If they have the same two pair, whoever has the highest fifth card (“kicker”) wins.
9th: One Pair
Two cards of the same number or face value. The hand with the highest card(s) wins. If two players have the same pair, the “Kicker Plays” and the highest outside card(s) wins.
10th: High Card
The highest of the five card(s) wins.
So that’s the basics covered. We recommend that you play for free on the play tables for a few hours to get the hang of it.
There are a few vital rules that will really help your chances of success. Here are my top tips in order of merit:
Your hand
Until you get very good at bluffing, stick to playing just a few fixed hands. If you don’t get the cards shown below, then fold. It can make the game a little slow at times, but use this time to watch and make notes on the other players. More on this later.
The cards you can play are listed below:
The Strongest Starting Hands:
Pair of high cards - AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010
Ace & suited high card - AK(s), AQ(s), AJ(s), AlO(s)
Faces suited - KQ(s), KJ(s), QJ(s)
Ace King - AK
(s) here means of the same suit. E.g. AK(s) might be the Ace of clubs and the King of clubs.
Medium Strength Starting Hands:
Face ten suited - KJ(S), Q10(S), J10(5)
Medium pairs - 99, 88, 77
Two high cards - AQ, AJ, AlO (ace king ranks higher, above), KQ down to J10
Ace & medium suited - A9(S), A8(S), A7(S)
Medium suited connectors - 109(S), 98(5), 87(5)
There are other starting hands, but for now, only play if you get one of the hands above. Just this single rule alone will mean you are well on the way to winning. Starting with the hands above gives you a head start and means you are more likely to win.
Table Selection
This is very important. You want to find a table where the average pot size (winnings per game) is big. This usually means that players are ‘loose’ with their money and/or there are a few novice players on the table. You need to find these novice players and take their money! If you click on the pot size column in the poker table list, it will sort the tables by pot size. You may have to wait a few minutes for a table. You can wait for several tables at once and then just take the first that comes up. You want to find the tables with the most novice players. This is where you are going to make your money.
Hand Position
Where you are seated relative to the dealer is very important too. So much so that it determines your initial bidding. The general rule is that if you can play weaker hands the closer you are to the right of the dealer. Let me say that again in a different way. You want to see what’s happening in the game before you decide to fold / call / bet / raise etc. If you are the last player to do this (i.e. the dealer) you have the advantage as you know how many other players are still in the pot and exactly what has been bet. The closer you are to the dealer’s right the more advantageous it is. If you are the dealer, then this is the best position. On the other hand (excuse the pun), the further you are away from the dealer’s right, the less information you have when betting and so this makes it a weaker position.
Assessing Your Opponents
Whilst waiting for one of the strong hands above, you will get a chance to assess your opponents play. Get a pen and paper and make notes on each players play. Do they frequency see the flop, do they always fold when raised? Make notes as the play goes on. You will be amazed at how much information about each player you will pick up.
In the next section we are going to talk about money, which is why we are all here. Luckily, we’ll show you how to get a head start in building up your cash flow.
Pot Odds
If there is hardly any money in the pot, you will need a stronger hand. Even if you end up with a good hand, if you are playing for a small pot it’s sometimes not worth the cost of loosing against someone with an even better hand. When the pot is larger, it is often worth risking that chance of a straight or flush, when otherwise you would have folded. Always think about the pot size when betting.
Raise
Raising is an essential part of poker. If you have a good hand and/or there are few players left in the game it often plays to raise or re-raise. In many cases, folding or raising are the good choices and calling is the worst.
Get FREE CASH - Building Up your Poker Bankroll
This is probably one of the most important aspects of online play. You will lose some hands and if these are one after the other, the money you have available can go down rapidly. As long as you only play good starting hands and play tight, the general trend will be to win, but it will take time.
Perhaps the best feature of online Poker is the wealth of free money that Poker hosting websites offer to get you to sign up. Make the most of this!
Here a list of the best one. Just click on the link to claim your free cash.
Party Poker is the best place to start. There are hundreds of novice players on this site that have no idea how to play. They make very easy picking once you have mastered the basics. Click on the image below to go to their site. If you use these links, you can claim up to $100 when you make your first deposit.
Enjoy exciting multiplayer poker action at The World’s Largest Poker Room with over 50,000+ live players. Sign up now to get 20% up to $100 as Bonus on your first deposit amount to use at our cash games and tournaments.
As you may imagine, playing with play money is nothing like playing with real money. Everyone bets, calls and raises with no cares or qualms. When real money is involved it’s a totally different game, and much more interesting ©
The easiest ways to get practice with real money are:
• Play on low limit tables. Most of the online poker rooms have $0.5 tables or lower, so you won’t break the bank if you have a losing streak. Remember to stick to ONLY PLAYING STRONG STARTING HANDS until you get more experience. I can’t over emphasize this enough. If you have a strong starting hand, the odds of winning are so much higher. If you get bored waiting for good hands, play two or even three tables at once.
• The second way of gaining experience with real money games is by playing tournaments. This is a fantastic way to play for about an hour with real money and it can cost as low as a $1. If you play really tight (i.e. fold unless you have a strong starting hand) you are pretty much guaranteed to finished in the top 5. If you are placed in the top 3 you win a proportion of the staked money.
Know Your Opponent
“Poker is not a game of cards played by people; it is a game of people played by cards.”
By knowing how most of your opponents play before even watching a single hand, you will have a distinct advantage over the rest of the table. Playing your opponent is key in any form of competition. Some examples:
• Play more hands against players with loose starting hand requirements, and fewer hands against tight players.
• Play more hands against players that play poorly after the flop.
• Play aggressively against tight players, and do not bluff as often against loose players.
• Induce bluffs against aggressive players.
• Sit to the left of maniacs and to the right of tight players.
It is interesting yet common that an opponent’s playing style pre-flop will be very different than post flop. This software recognizes this and gives you statistics for each round of betting so you will know exactly how your opponent plays, and be able to identify leaks in his game.
2. Game Selection
“You could be the tenth best player in the world, but if you are playing in a game against the best nine, you are in trouble.”
Choosing the right table and game to play can dramatically increase your profits. If making money is important, than it only makes sense to play in the weaker games. Good poker players are good fishermen. By watching a few tables, you can find your perfect table and be confident that you are playing with an edge.
3. Improve Your Game
In addition to viewing statistics on all of your opponents, Party Poker allows you to be able to view your own statistics. By comparing your stats to other players, you will be able to critically analyze your own game. As you dissect more and more opponents, you will strengthen your own game and eliminate leaks.
Appendix A: Texas Hold’em Rules
Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game in the world. There are three variations of Hold’em, distinguished by their betting limits:
• Limit Hold’em (there is a specified betting limit in each game and on each round of betting)
• Pot Limit HoId’em A player can bet what is in the pot.
• No Limit HoId’em A player can bet all of his chips at any time.
Each of these HoId’em variations are available on PartyPoker.com as play for free (play money) or play for real.
We would advise playing limit games for the first few months. Once you have become good at these, you can progress to rio limit hold’em.
Hold’em: The Rules
Hold’em uses what is called a “dealer button” (a small disc) to indicate the theoretical dealer of each hand. After each hand is completed, the dealer button moves clockwise to the next active player. This player will be considered “the dealer” for that hand. In this way each player has equal opportunities to be in early, middle and late position.
Before the start of the game, PartyPoker.com generates a fresh deck of cards for the hand. We use a single deck of cards for each hand of poker, where a deck refers to 52 cards (excluding jokers). PartyPoker.com uses a Random Number Generator (RNG) to shuffle each deck of cards for the hand.
The First round of Hold’em:
The two players immediately to the left of the dealer button place blind bets to start the pot (similar in principle to an ante). The player to the left of the dealer button posts the “small blind” (usually equal to half the lower stake. At PartyPoker.com the small blind is rounded down to the nearest dollar. However, as it is just a guideline, the amount of the small blind could be set slightly differently).
The player to the left of the small blind is required to post the “big blind,” equal to the lower stake limit. All the blinds in Hold’em poker are considered live bets and the players who posted them will have the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting returns to their position. Remember, the dealer button (and therefore the small blind and the big blind) move around the table clockwise after each hand, so each player will post the blind bets over time.
Once the blinds have been placed, two secret cards are dealt to each player (“hole cards”), after which the first betting round starts. The player to the left of the player who placed the big blind starts the betting for this round.
Each player now has the option to place his bets in the first round, which is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure. For example in a $10/$20 Hold’em game, the value of each bet is $10 for the first round. Therefore, when a user makes the move “bet,” this is equal $10, and “raise” is $20...a raise includes a call on the previous bet placed and one additional bet.
When it is a players turn, they can Bet, Call or Raise. These options are available depending on the action taken by the previous player. Each player always has the option to fold. The first player to act has the option to bet, call or raise. Subsequent players have the option of calling or raising. To call is to bet the same amount as the previous player has bet. To raise is to match the previous bet and increase the bet.
Every player participating in the hand should have equal amounts of money bet as the previous players (includes bets, calls and raises). Until the time all the players have placed equal amounts in the pot, the betting will continue. There is a limit on the amount and the number of bets a player can place during a betting round (four bets for limit games).
After the first round of betting is over, the Flop (the first three community cards) is dealt. The community cards are common to all the players participating in the hand.
The Second Round of Hold’em:
After the Flop (and in each subsequent betting round), the first active player left of the dealer button is first to act. The second betting round also limits the value of bets and raises to the lower limit of the stake structure. So in a $10/$20 game, the value of each bet is $10 for the second round.
Bets can be placed by playing Bet, Call and Raise. These options are available to each player depending on the action taken by the previous player. The first player to act in this round (the player left to the button) gets the option to bet or to check (to refrain from betting...this is only available if no bet has yet been made in the betting round). Once a player has bet, subsequent players will get the Call and Raise options only.
After this the fourth community card is dealt; this is known as the Turn.
The Third Round of Hold’em:
The third betting round starts again with the player left to the button, bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of the stake structure (in a $10/$20 game, $20 is the upper stake...therefore, a single bet in this instance is $20, and a raise is $40 — includes a call on the previous bet and one additional bet). Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options — Bet, Call and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.
After this the fifth and final community card is dealt; this is known as the River.
The Fourth Round of llold’em:
The fourth (and final) betting round starts again with the player left to the button, bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of the stake structure (in a $10/$20 game, $20 is the upper stake). Bets can be placed by playing any of the following options — Bet, Call and Raise. Combinations of these options are available to the player depending on the action taken by the previous player.
Once all the bets have been made, there are two possible outcomes: either all the players but one have folded (and hence that person wins the pot), or the remaining players reveal their hands and the best hand wins the pot.
The game play remains same for both No-Limit and Pot-Limit HoId’em game with a few exceptions to the rules mentioned above:
In limit Hold’em a maximum of four bets is allowed per player during any betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap, but in No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Hold’em there is no limit to the number of raises that a player can make. The only limit is that you cannot raise yourself. If all the other players in the hand only call or fold, the player would not get an option to raise, because the last raise was done by him.
The betting structure is the same at the play for free tables.
Betting Structure for No-Limit Hold’em Poker
Minimum raise: The raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets $100 then the second player must raise a minimum of $100 (total bet of $200).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of your stack (your chips on the table)
The betting structure is the same at the play for free tables.
The Betting Rules for Pot-Limit Hold’em Poker
Minimum eligible raise: The raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets $100 then the second player must raise a minimum of $100 (total bet of $200).
Maximum eligible raise: The size of the pot, which is defined as the total of the active pot (which can be either the main pot or the side pot depending on whether anyone has gone “allin”) plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.
As an example, if the active pot is $200 and the first player to act in the round bets $150 and
the next player calls $150, the third player has a maximum eligible total bet of $800. The
$800 total is made up of the $150 call and $650 raise.
The $650 max raise portion is equal to the pot of $200 + first player’s $150 + second player’s
$150 + his own call of $150.
Glossary
A
Aces Full A full house with three aces and any pair.
Aces- High A five card hand that contains one Ace, with no straight or flush or a
hand with no pair in it.
Aces Up A hand that contains two pairs, one of which is Aces. An intentional tell intended to give false information about a hand.
Act Checking/Betting/Raising.
Action Adjective to describe a series of raises and re-raises.
Ajax The name of an Ace and Jack in the pocket, suited or otherwise.
All-In When a player bets all his/her chips. Two Aces.
Angle Using unfair tactics.
Angle-Shooting Ante Money placed in the pot before the hand is begun.
B
Bad Beat Backdoor When a hand is beaten by a lucky draw.
Backraise Making a hand other than the one intended. Example: Having 3/10 of Clubs with a flop of A of Clubs, 5 of Clubs. 6 of Spades. The turn and river are K & Q of Hearts. You made a straight instead of the intended (and more likely) flush. A re-raise from a player who originally called.
Bankroll The amount of money you have.
Bet Odds The odds you get as a result of evaluating the number of callers to a raise.
Bet the Pot When a player bets the amount of the pot. A straight that is A-2-3-4-5.
Big Blind A designated amount that is placed by the player sitting in the second position, clockwise from the dealer, before any cards are dealt. (Players joining a game in progress must post a Big Blind, but may do so from any position.)
Big Slick A hand that contains an A-K.
Blank A useless card.
Blind The bet(s) that must be made by the two players sitting directly to the dealer’s left which will start the action on the first round of betting. The blinds are posted before any cards are dealt. (A “Blind” bet is one that is made in the dark without looking at your cards.)
Blind Raise Bluff When a player raises without looking at his hand. To make other players believe that one has a better hand than he/she might otherwise have by betting or raising when they do not have the best hand.
Boardcards The cards that are dealt face-up in a poker game for all players to see. In flop games, five cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table. In Seven Card Stud, four cards are dealt face-up in front of each player.
Boat A full house.
Bottom Pair When a player uses the lowest card on the flop to make a pair with one of his own cards.
Bring It In An Ace high straight (A-K-Q-J-10).
Bullets A pair of Aces.
Bump To raise.
Button Also known as the dealer button, it is a small round disk that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction following each hand, to theoretically indicate the dealer of each hand.
Buy-In The minimum amount of money required by a player to sit down in a particular poker game.
C
Call Matching the bet amount.
Call Cold To call both a bet and raise(s).
Calling Station A passive and loose player who does not raise much, but calls more than he or she should.
Cap Bet The last of the maximum amount of raises allowed per round of betting.
Cardroom The room or space in a casino where poker is played.
Cash Out To leave a game and converting chips into cash.
Check When it’s a player’s turn to act and there has been no action in front of them and he opts not to bet, he “checks.”
Check-Raise When a player first checks and then raises in a betting round.
Chop To return the blinds to the players who posted them and move on to the next hand if no other players call. It also means to “split the pot”.
D
Dead Manes Hand Two pair - Aces and Eights (The hand Wild Bill Hickock was holding when Jack McCall shot him in the back).
Dealer The man or woman who handles the cards, gives out the pots, and monitors the game.
Dealer’s Position Being the last to act in a betting round: On the button.
Dominated Hands those are okay to play, but tend to lose against similar
non-straight/flush hands. Example: A2 is dominated because
against other hands with an Ace, it loses or draws dead without
improvement.
Dominating Primo hands are not only good, solid hands but have lots of room for improvement.
Doyle Brunson It’s a Holdem hand consisting of a 10-2 (Brunson won the world
championship two years in a row on the final hand with these cards).
Draw Lowball Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards with the option of discarding one or more and replacing them with new ones and the low hand wins.
Draw Poker Form of poker where each player is dealt five cards down
with the option of discarding one or more and replacing them
with new ones to attempt to make a better hand.
Drawing Playing a hand to improve.
Drawing Dead A drawing hand that will lose even if it improves.
Drawing Hand A hand that needs improvement to win. Usually to a straight
or flush.
Drop Fold.
Ducks A pair of Twos.
Deuces A pair of Twos.
E
Early Position Position on a round of betting where the player must act
before most of the other players at the table. (It’s considered
the two positions located to the left of the Blinds.
F
Fifth Street Also known as the “river” card. In flop games, this represents
the fifth community card on the table and the final round of
betting. In Stud games, this is the fifth card dealt to each
player and represents the third round of betting.
Five-card Draw A poker game in which the player is dealt five cards down.
They have one draw to replace them and the best high hand
wins the pot.
Five-card Stud A poker game in which each player is dealt five cards, one
down and four up, with betting after 2, 3, 4, & 5 cards.
Flat Call Calling a bet without raising.
Flop In Hold’em and Omaha, the first three community cards that
are dealt face-up in the center of the table all at one time.
The “flop” also indicates the second round of betting.
Flop Games Poker games (Hold ‘em and Omaha) that are played using
community cards that are dealt face up in the center of the
table.
Floorman An employee of the cardroom who makes rulings and
decisions.
Flush Any five cards of the same suit.
Flush Draw When a player has four cards in his hand of the same suit
and is hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.
Fold To throw your hand away when it’s your turn to act.
Forced Bet A required bet that starts the action on the first round of a
poker hand.
Four of a Kind Four cards of the same number or face value (“quads”).
Fourth Street In flop games, it is the fourth com
munity card dealt (also known as “the turn”) and represents
the third round of betting. In Stud games, it is the fourth
card dealt to each player and represents the second round of
betting.
Free Card The card you get as result of semi-bluffing from late or last
position so that all the players check to you.
Full House Any three cards of the same number or face value, plus any
other two cards of the same number or face value.
G
Grinding Playing in a style with minimal risk and modest gains over a
long period of time.
Gut Shot To draw to and/or hit an inside straight.
H
Hand A player’s best five cards.
Heads-Up When only two players are involved with a hand.
Hearts One of the four playing card suits.
High-Card To decide the first dealer in the flop tournaments each user is
dealt a single card and the player with the highest card
(based on the card and the suit order - of spades, hearts,
diamonds & clubs) becomes the theoretical dealer.
High Limit A game where the amounts wagered are high.
High-Low Split pot games.
Hold ‘em Also known as Texas Hold ‘em, where the players get two
down cards and five community cards. See our complete Hold
‘em rules in our Game Rules section.
Hole Cards These are the Down Cards in front of the players.
House The casino or cardroom that is hosting the poker game.
I
Image What kind of player others currently perceive you as.
Implied Odds The odds you are getting after the assumed result of betting
for the remainder of the hand.
Inside Straight Four cards which require another between the top and the
bottom card to complete a straight. Players who catch this
card make an Inside Straight.
J
Jackpot A prize fund awarded to a player who meets a set of
predetermined requirements. For example, some casinos will
give a jackpot to someone who gets four-of-a-kind or higher
and loses.
Jackpot Poker A form of poker in which the cardroom or casino offers a
jackpot to a player who has lost with a really big hand
(usually Aces full or better).
Jacks-or- Better A form of poker in which a player needs to have at least a
pair of jacks to open the betting.
K
Kansas City Form of lowball poker in which the worst poker hand (2, 3, 4,
Lowball 5, 7 of different suits) is the best hand. It’s also known as
Deuce to Seven.
Keep Them To call at the end of a hand to prevent someone from
Honest bluffing.
Key Card A card that gives you a big draw or makes your hand.
Key Hand In a session or tournament, the one hand that ends up being
a turning point for the player, either for better or worse.
Kicker The highest unpaired side card in a players’ hand.
Kick It Raise.
Kill Pot A method to stimulate action. It is a forced bet by someone
who has just won a pot(s).
Knock Check.
Kojak A hand that contains a K-].
I
Ladies Two Queens.
Late Position Position on a round of betting where the player must act after
most of the other players have acted (usually considered to
be the two positions next to the button).
Lay Down Your Hand When a player folds.
Lead The first player to bet into a pot.
Limit Poker A game that has fixed minimum and maximum betting
intervals along with a prescribed number of raises.
Limper The first player who calls a bet.
Limp In To enter the pot by calling rather than raising. (The usual
concept of “Limp In” is when the first person to speak just
calls the Big Blind.)
Live Blind An instance where the player puts in a dark bet and is
allowed to raise, even if no other player raises. It’s also
known as an “option”.
Live Card(s) In Stud Games, cards that have not yet been seen and are
presumed to still be in play.
Live Hand A hand that could still win the pot.
Live One A not so knowledgeable player who plays a lot of hands.
Long Shot Making a hand despite having few outs and/or poor odds.
Look When a player calls the final bet before the showdown.
Loose Is a player who plays a lot hands.
Lowball Is a form of draw poker in which the lowest hand wins the
pot.
Low Limit A game where the amounts wagered are small.
M
Main Pot The center pot. Any other bets are placed in a side pot(s) and
are contested among the remaining players. This occurs
when a player(s) goes all-in.
Make To make the deck is to shuffle the deck.
Maniac A very aggressive player who plays a lot of hands.
Maverick The name of a Queen and Jack in the pocket. Suited or
otherwise.
Meet To meet is to call.
Middle Pair In flop games, when a player makes a pair with one of
his/her down cards and the middle card on the flop.
Middle Position Somewhere between the early and late positions on a round
of betting (the fifth, sixth and seventh seats to the left of the
button).
Mneumonics Mental devices used to remember things. In Hold ‘Em, often
players have names for what pocket cards they have, like Big
Slick or Maverick.
Muck To discard or throw away your hand. It’s also a pile of cards
that are no longer in play.
Minimum Buy-In The least amount you can start a game with.
Monster A very big hand. In a tournament, a player who begins to
accumulate chips after having a small stack is considered to
be a monster.
N
No Limit A game where players can bet as much as they like (as long
as they have it in front of them) on any round of betting.
Nuts The best possible hand at any point of the game. A hand that
cannot be beat.
0
Odds The probability of making a hand vs. the probability of not
making a hand.
Offsuit Cards of a different suit.
Omaha A game in which each player is dealt four down cards with
five community cards. To make your hand, you must play
two cards from your hand and three from the board.
On the Button Being the last player to act in a betting round. Dealer’s
Position.
Open To make the first bet.
Open-ended Four consecutive cards whereby one additional (consecutive)
Straight card is needed at either end to make a straight.
Open Card A card that is dealt face-up.
Open Pair A pair that has been dealt face-up.
Option An option is a Live Blind made in the dark before the cards
are dealt. If no one raises, the “option” player may raise the
pot.
Out Button A disc placed in front of a player who wishes to sit out a
hand(s) but remain in the game.
Outs The number of cards left in the deck that will improve your
hand.
Overpair A pocket pair higher than any of the cards on the board.
p
Paints Face or picture cards (Jack, Queen and King).
Pair Two cards of the same face or number value.
Pass To fold.
Pay Off To call on the final round of betting when you may or may
not think you have the best hand.
Picture Cards Face cards (Jack, Queen and King).
Play Back To raise or re-raise another player’s bet.
Playing the Board In flop games when your best five card hand is all five of the community cards.
Pocket The down cards or hole cards.
PocketCards The two cards dealt to you at the beginning of a Hold ‘Em hand that no one else is entitled to see.
Pocket Rockets A pair of Aces in the pocket or hole.
Position Where a player is seated in relation to the dealer, therefore establishing that player’s place in the betting order.
Post When you post a bet, you place your chips in the pot. (You
must post the Blinds.)
Pot The money or chips in the center of a table that players try to
win.
Pot Limit This is a game where the maximum bet can equal the pot.
Prop A person hired by the cardroom to work as a shill.
Push When the dealer pushes the chips to the winning player at
the end of a hand. It’s also when dealers rotate to other
tables.
Put Down To fold a hand.
Q
Quads Four of a kind.
Qualifier In High-Low games, it is a requirement the Low hand must
meet to win the pot.
R
Rack A tray that holds 100 poker chips in five stacks of twenty
chips each.
Rail The rim of a poker table or a barrier outside a poker area.
Railbird Someone who hangs around a poker room who watches the
| 
