ROBERT'S RULES OF POKER VERSION 6

“Robert's Rules Of Poker” is authored by Robert Ciaffone, better known in the poker world as Bob Ciaffone, a leading authority on cardroom rules. He is the person who has selected which rules to use, and formatted, organized, and worded the text. Nearly all these rules are substantively in common use for poker, but many improved ideas for wording and organization are employed throughout this work. A lot of the rules are similar to those used in the rulebook of cardrooms where he has acted as a rules consultant and rules drafter. Ciaffone authored the rulebook for the Poker Players Association (founded in 1984, now defunct), the first comprehensive set of poker rules for the general public. He has done extensive work on rules for the Las Vegas Hilton, The Mirage, and Hollywood Park Casino, and assisted many other cardrooms. Ciaffone is a regular columnist for Card Player magazine, and can be reached through that publication. This rulebook will be periodically revised, so suggestions are welcome. Poker rules are widely used and freely copied, so it is impossible to construct a rulebook without using many rules that exist as part of a rule set of some cardroom. If such a rule is used, no credit is given to the source (which is unlikely to be the original one for the rule). The general philosophy used in this rulebook is to make the rules sufficiently detailed so a decision-maker will know what the proper ruling is in each situation. A rule should do more than produce the right ruling. It should be stated so the decision-maker can refer to specific language in the rulebook, to have the ruling is accepted as correct. The author has strongly supported uniform poker rules, and applauds the work done in this direction by the Tournament Director's Association (TDA). Nearly all the rules herein are compatible with the TDA rules, although there are some slight differences in wording.

FANTASY POKER IS A SUB DIVISION OF GOT THE NUTS LLC. GOT THE NUTS LLC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE RULES WITHOUT NOTICE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT THE GAME

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL RULEBOOK FOR FANTASY POKERWelcome to the Fantasy Poker League. Your presence in our establishment means that you agree to abide by our rules and procedures. By taking a seat in one of our card games, you are accepting our management and tournament directors to be the final authority on all matters relating to that game of Texas Hold’em no-limit poker.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(1) PROPER BEHAVIOR Conduct Code Poker Etiquette Tobacco Use

(2) LEAGUE POLICIES

Decision-Making Procedures Seating

(3) GENERAL POKER RULES Misdeals Dead Hands Irregularities Betting and Raising The Showdown Ties

(4) BUTTON AND BLIND USE Rules For Using The Blinds

(5) HOLD'EM Rules No-Limit No-Limit Rules

(6) GLOSSARY

(7) AMENDEMNTS

(8) HAND RANKINGS

SECTION 1 - PROPER BEHAVIOR

CONDUCT CODE Management will attempt to maintain a pleasant environment for all our customers and employees, but is not responsible for the conduct of any player. We have established a code of conduct, and may deny the use of our League to violators. The following are not permitted: 1. Collusion with another player or any other form of cheating. 2. Verbally or physically threatening any patron or employee. 3. Using profanity or obscene language. 4. Creating a disturbance by arguing, shouting, or making excessive noise. 5. Throwing, tearing, bending, or crumpling cards. 6. Destroying or defacing property. 7. Using an illegal substance. 8. Carrying a weapon.

POKER ETIQUETTE The following actions are improper, and grounds for warning, suspending, or barring a violator:

1. Deliberately acting out of turn. 2. Deliberately splashing chips into the pot. 3. Agreeing to check a hand out when a third player is all-in. 4. Reading a hand for another player at the showdown before it has been placed faceup on the table. 5. Telling anyone to turn a hand face up at the showdown. 6. Revealing the contents of a live hand in a multi handed pot before the betting is complete. Revealing the contents of a folded hand before the betting is complete. Do not divulge the contents of a hand during a deal even to someone not in the pot, so you do not leave any possibility of the information being transmitted to an active player. 7. Needlessly stalling the action of a game. 8. Deliberately discarding hands away from the muck. Cards should be released in a low line of flight, at a moderate rate of speed (not at the dealer's hands or chip-rack). 9. Stacking chips in a manner that interferes with dealing or viewing cards. 10. Making statements or taking action that could unfairly influence the course of play, whether or not the offender is involved in the pot. 11. Using a cell phone at the table.

TOBACCO USE (These rules are for an establishment that does not completely bar smoking.) 1.Ash trays and idle tobacco products are not allowed at, near, or on the table, players are asked to smoke away from the tables.

SECTION 2 - LEAGUE POLICIES

DECISION-MAKING 1. Management reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling. 2. Decisions of the tournament director are final. 3. The proper time to draw attention to an error or irregularity is when it occurs or is first noticed. Any delay may affect the ruling. 4. If an incorrect rule interpretation or decision by an employee is made in good faith, the establishment or Fantasy Poker has no liability. 5. A ruling may be made regarding a pot if it has been requested before the next deal starts (or before the game either ends or breaks down to another table). Otherwise, the result of a deal must stand. The first riffle of the shuffle marks the start for a deal. 6. If a pot has been incorrectly awarded and mingled with chips that were not in the pot, and the time limit for a ruling request given in the previous rule has been observed, management may determine how much was in the pot by reconstructing the betting, and then transfer that amount to the proper player. 7. To keep the action moving, it is possible that a game may be asked to continue even though a decision is delayed for a short period. The delay could be needed to check with Fantasy Poker Management. In such circumstances, a pot or portion thereof may be impounded by the decision is pending. 8. The same action may have a different meaning, depending on who does it, so the possible intent of an offender will be taken into consideration. Some factors here are the

person's amount of poker experience and past record.

PROCEDURES 1. The Tournament Director and Location Management will decide when to start or close any game. 2. Cash is not permitted on the table. All cash transactions between players and the establishment must be done away from any and all poker action. Any chips from another establishment, bar leagues, or home games are not permitted on the table, do not play in the game, and if discovered will be confiscated. 3. Money and chips may not be removed from the table for any purposes. The Fantasy Poker League and or location are not responsible for any shortage or loss of chips do to the removal of them from the table. During a player's absence, their chips will be protected as best as possible. 4. All games are table stakes (except “playing behind” as given in the next rule). Only the chips in front of a player at the start of a deal may play for that hand, except for chips not yet received that a player has coming from the tournament director. The amount being delivered must be announced to the table. Awareness of the amount being in play for each opponent is an important part of poker. All chips and money must be kept in plain view. 5. "Playing behind" is allowed only for the amount of tournament chips being granted by the tournament director, while awaiting their arrival. The amount in play must be announced to the table. 6. Playing out of a rack is not allowed. 7. Only one person may play a hand. 8. No one is allowed to play another player's chips. 9. Permission is required before taking a seat in a game. 10. Playing over without permission from the tournament director is not allowed. 11. Pushing bets (“saving” or “potting out”) is not allowed. 12. Posting for another person is not allowed. 13. Splitting pots will not be allowed in any game. Chopping the big and small blind by taking them back when all other players have folded is not allowed. 14. Insurance propositions are not allowed. Dealing twice (or three times) when all-in is permitted at big-bet poker. 15. Players must keep their cards in full view. This means above table-level and not past the edge of the table. The cards should not be covered by the hands in a manner to completely conceal them. 16. Any player is entitled to a clear view of an opponent's chips. Higher denomination chips should be easily visible. 17. Your chips may be picked up by the tournament director if you are away from the table for more than 10 minutes. Your absence may be extended if you notify the tournament director in advance. Frequent or continuous absences may cause your chips to be picked up from the table. 18. A lock-up during the first two blinds will be picked up after five minutes if someone is waiting to play. No seat may be locked up for more than five minutes if someone is waiting to play. 19. A new deck must be used for at least a full round (once around the table) before it

may be changed, unless a deck is defective or damaged, or cards become sticky. 20. Looking through the discards or deck stub is not allowed. 21. After a deal ends, dealers are asked to not show what card would have been dealt. 22. A player is expected to pay attention to the game and not hold up play. Activity that interferes with this such as reading at the table is discouraged, and the player will be asked to cease if a problem is caused. 23. A non-player may not sit at the table. 24. Speaking a foreign language during a deal is not allowed.

SEATING 1. You must be present to add your name to the tournament registration or waiting list. 2. It is the player's responsibility to be in the playing area and hear the list being called. A player who intends to leave the playing area should notify the tournament director. 3. The tournament director will control the seating of new players to best preserve the viability of existing tables. A new player will be sent to the game most in need of an additional player. A transfer to a similar table is not allowed if the table being left will then have fewer players than the table being entered. 4. The tournament director reserves the right to require that any two players not play in the same game (husband and wife, relatives, business partners, and so forth). 5. When a tournament starts, active players will draw a card for the button position. The button will be awarded to the highest card by suit. (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) 6. In a new game, the player who arrives at the table the earliest gets first choice of remaining seats. If two players want the same seat and arrive at the same time, the higher player on the list has preference. A player playing in an earlier session game may have a designated seat locked up until that tournament is finished. The tournament director may reserve a certain seat for a player for a good reason, such as to assist reading the board for a person with a vision problem. 7. To avoid a seating dispute, a supervisor may decide to start the game with one extra player over the normal number participating. If so, a seat will be removed as soon as someone quits or gets knocked out of the game. 8. To protect the balance of tables in an existing game, a forced move may be invoked. If a player refuses to move to a new table, that player will be forced to quit, and can no longer play at that location on that day. 9. In all tournament games, a player going from a must-move or coming in off the waiting list may wait for the big blind to pass. The player does not have to enter the game as a new player, does not have to post an amount equal to the big blind or wait for the big blind. 10. When a table breaks, each player must draw a card to determine the seating order for a new table. The tournament director draws a card for an absent player. The tournament director will move the absent player’s chips to an immediate seat, the player has until due for the big blind in a button game to take the seat or their chips will be removed from the tournament.

SECTION 3 - GENERAL POKER RULES

MISDEALS

1. The following circumstances cause a misdeal, provided attention is called to the error before two players have acted on their hands. (If two players have acted in turn, the deal must be played to conclusion, as explained in rule #2) (a) The first or second card of the hand has been dealt face up or exposed through dealer error. (b) Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer. (c) Two or more boxed cards (improperly faced cards) are found. (d) Two or more extra cards have been dealt in the starting hands of a game. (e) An incorrect number of cards have been dealt to a player, except the top card may be dealt if it goes to the player in proper sequence. (f) Any card has been dealt out of the proper sequence (except an exposed card may be replaced by the burn card). (g) The button was out of position. (h) The first card was dealt to the wrong position. (i) Cards have been dealt to an empty seat or a player not entitled to a hand. (j) A player has been dealt out who is entitled to a hand. This player must be present at the table or have posted a blind or ante. 2. Once action occurs, a misdeal can no longer be declared. The hand will be played to conclusion, and no money will be returned to any player whose hand is fouled. Action is considered to occur when two players after the blinds have acted on their hands.

DEAD HANDS 1. Your hand is declared dead if: (a) You fold or announce that you are folding when facing a bet or a raise. (b) You throw your hand away in a forward motion causing another player to act behind you (even if not facing a bet). (c) The hand does not contain the proper number of cards for that particular game. (d) You act on a hand with a joker as a hole card in a game not using a joker. (A player who acts on a hand without looking at a card assumes the liability of finding an improper card, as given in Irregularities, rule #8.) (e) You have the clock on you when facing a bet or raise and exceed the specified time limit. 2. Cards thrown into the muck may be ruled dead. However, a hand that is clearly identifiable may be retrieved at the tournament directors’ discretion if doing so is in the best interest of the game. The tournament director will make an extra effort to rule a hand retrievable if it was folded as a result of incorrect information given to the player. 3. Cards thrown into another player's hand are dead, whether they are face up or facedown.

IRREGULARITIES 1. If it is discovered that the button was placed incorrectly on the previous hand, the button and blinds will be corrected for the new hand in a manner that gives every player one chance for each position on the round (if possible). 2. You must protect your own hand at all times. Your cards may be protected with your hands, a card token, tournament chip, or other object placed on top of them. If you fail to protect your hand, you will have no redress if it becomes fouled or the dealer accidentally

kills it. 3. If a card with a different color back appears during a hand, all action is void and all chips in the pot are returned to the respective bettors. If a card with a different color back is discovered in the stub, all action stands. 4. If two cards of the same rank and suit are found, all action is void, and all chips in the pot are returned to the players who wagered them (subject to next rule). 5. A player who knows the deck is defective has an obligation to point this out. If such a player instead tries to win a pot by taking aggressive action (trying for a freeroll), the player may lose the right to a refund, and the chips may be required to stay in the pot for the next deal. 6. If there is extra money in the pot on a deal as a result of forfeited money from the previous deal (as per rule #5), or some similar reason, only a player dealt in on the previous deal is entitled to a hand. 7. A card discovered face up in the deck (boxed card) will be treated as a meaningless scrap of paper. A card being treated as a scrap of paper will be replaced by the next card below it in the deck, except when the next card has already been dealt facedown to another player and mixed in with other down cards. In that case, the card that was face up in the deck will be replaced after all other cards are dealt for that round. 8. A joker that appears in a game where it is not used is treated as a scrap of paper. Discovery of a joker does not cause a misdeal. If the joker is discovered before a player acts on his or her hand, it is replaced as in the previous rule. If the player does not call attention to the joker before acting, then the player has a dead hand. 9. If you play a hand without looking at all of your cards, you assume the liability of having an irregular card or an improper joker. 10. One or more cards missing from the deck does not invalidate the results of a hand. 11. Before the first round of betting, if a dealer deals one additional card, it is returned to the deck and used as the burn card. 12. Procedure for an exposed card varies with the poker form, and is given in the section for each game. A card that is flashed by a dealer is treated as an exposed card. A card that is flashed by a player will play. To obtain a ruling on whether a card was exposed and should be replaced, a player should announce that the card was flashed or exposed before looking at it. A down card dealt off the table is an exposed card. 13. If a card is exposed due to dealer error, a player does not have an option to take or reject the card. 14. If you drop any cards out of your hand onto the floor, you must still play them. 15. If the dealer prematurely deals any cards before the betting is complete, those cards will not play, even if a player who has not acted decides to fold. 16. If the dealer prematurely deals any cards before the betting is complete, those cards will not play, even if a player who has not acted decides to fold.

BETTING AND RAISING 1. Check-raise is permitted in all games. 2. In no-limit, unlimited raising is allowed. 3. Unlimited raising is allowed in heads-up play. This applies any time the action becomes heads-up before the raising has been capped. Once the raising is capped on a betting round, it cannot be uncapped by a subsequent fold that leaves two players heads-

up. 4. Any wager must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round, unless a player is going all-in. 5. The smallest chip that may be wagered in a game is the smallest chip used in the antes, blinds, rake, or collection. Smaller chips than this do not play even in quantity, so a player wanting action on such chips must change them up between deals. 6. A verbal statement denotes your action and is binding. If in turn you verbally declare a fold, check, bet, call, or raise, you are forced to take that action. 7. Rapping the table with your hand is a pass. 8. Deliberately acting out of turn will not be tolerated. A player who checks out of turn may not bet or raise on the next turn to act. An action or verbal declaration out of turn may be ruled binding if there is no bet, call, or raise by an intervening player acting after the infraction has been committed. 9. To retain the right to act, a player must stop the action by calling “time” (or an equivalent word). Failure to stop the action before three or more players have acted behind you may cause you to lose the right to act. You cannot forfeit your right to act if any player in front of you has not acted, only if you fail to act when it legally becomes your turn. Therefore, if you wait for someone whose turn comes before you, and three or more players act behind you, this still does not hinder your right to act. 10. If you make a forward motion with chips and thus cause another player to act, you may be forced to complete your action. 11. A player who bets or calls by releasing chips into the pot is bound by that action and must make the amount of the wager correct. (This also applies right before the showdown when putting chips into the pot causes the opponent to show the winning hand before the full amount needed to call has been put into the pot.) However, if you are unaware that the pot has been raised, you may withdraw that money and reconsider your action, provided that no one else has acted after you. If there is a gross misunderstanding concerning the amount of the wager, see Section 14, Rule 8. 12. String raises are not allowed. To protect your right to raise, you should either declare your intention verbally or place the proper amount of chips into the pot. Putting a full bet plus a half-bet or more into the pot is considered to be the same as announcing a raise, and the raise must be completed. (This does not apply in the use of a single chip of greater value.) 13. If you put a single chip in the pot that is larger than the bet, but do not announce a raise, you are assumed to have only called. Example: In a $100-$200 blind level, when a player bets $200 and the next player puts a $500 chip in the pot without saying anything, that player has merely called the $200 bet. 14. All wagers and calls of an improperly low amount must be brought up to proper size if the error is discovered before the betting round has been completed. This includes actions such as betting a lower amount than the minimum bring-in (other than going all-in) and betting the lower limit on an upper limit betting round. If a wager is supposed to be made in a rounded off amount, is not, and must be corrected, it shall be changed to the proper amount nearest in size. No one who has acted may change a call to a raise because the wager size has been changed.

THE SHOWDOWN

1. To win any part of a pot, a player must show all of his cards face up on the table, whether they were used in the final hand played or not. 2. Cards speak (cards read for themselves). The dealer assists in reading hands, but players are responsible for holding onto their cards until the winner is declared. Although verbal declarations as to the contents of a hand are not binding, deliberately miscalling a hand with the intent of causing another player to discard a winning hand is unethical and may result in forfeiture of the pot 3. Any player, dealer, or tournament director who sees an incorrect amount of chips put into the pot, or an error about to be made in awarding a pot, has an ethical obligation to point out the error. 4. All losing hands will be killed by the dealer before a pot is awarded. 5. Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent's hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused. If a player other than the pot winner asks to see a hand that has been folded, that hand is dead. If the winning player asks to see a losing player's hand, both hands are live, and the best hand wins. 6. Show one, show all. Players are entitled to receive equal access to information about the contents of another player's hand. After a deal, if cards are shown to another player, every player at the table has a right to see those cards. During a deal, cards that were shown to an active player who might have a further wagering decision on that betting round must immediately be shown to all the other players. If the player who saw the cards is not involved in the deal, or cannot use the information in wagering, the information should be withheld until the betting is over, so it does not affect the normal outcome of the deal. Cards shown to a person who has no more wagering decisions on that betting round, but might use the information on a later betting round, should be shown to the other players at the conclusion of that betting round. If only a portion of the hand has been shown, there is no requirement to show any of the unseen cards. The shown cards are treated as given in the preceding part of this rule. 7. If everyone checks (or is all-in) on the final betting round, the player who acted first is the first to show the hand. If there is wagering on the final betting round, the last player to take aggressive action by a bet or raise is the first to show the hand. In order to speed up the game, a player holding a probable winner is encouraged to show the hand without delay. If there is a side pot, players involved in the side pot should show their hands before anyone who is all-in for only the main pot.

TIES 1. The ranking of suits from highest to lowest is spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. Suits never break a tie for winning a pot. Suits are used to break a tie between cards of the same rank (no redeal or redraw). 2. Dealing a card to each player is used to determine things like who moves to another table. If the cards are dealt, the order is clockwise starting with the first player on the dealer's left (the button position is irrelevant). Drawing a card is used to determine things like who gets the button in a new game, or seating order coming from a broken table. 3. An odd chip will be broken down to the smallest unit used in the game. 4. No player may receive more than one odd chip. 5. If two or more hands tie, an odd chip will be awarded as follows:

(a) The first hand clockwise from the button gets the odd chip. (b) All side pots and the main pot will be split as separate pots, not mixed together.

SECTION 4 - BUTTON AND BLIND USE

A round disk called the button is used to indicate which player has the dealer position. The player with the button is last to receive cards on the initial deal and has the right of last action after the first betting round. The button moves clockwise after a deal ends to rotate the advantage of last action. One or more blind bets are usually used to stimulate action and initiate play. Blinds are posted before the players look at their cards. The small blind is posted by the player immediately clockwise from the button, and the big blind is posted by the player two positions clockwise from the button. Action is initiated on the first betting round by the first player to the left of the blinds. On all subsequent betting rounds, the action begins with the first active player to the left of the button.

RULES FOR USING BLINDS 1. The minimum allowable raise sizes for the opener are specified by the poker form used and blind amounts set for a game. They remain the same even when the player in the blind does not have enough chips to post the full amount. 2. Each round every player must get an opportunity for the button, and meet the total amount of the blind obligations. Either of the following methods of button and blind placement may be designated to do this: (a) Moving button – The button always moves forward to the next player and the blinds adjust accordingly. There may never be more than one big blind. (b) Dead button – 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 privilege of last action on consecutive hands. 3. A player posting a blind in the game's regular structure has the option of raising the pot at the first turn to act. Although chips posted by the big blind are considered a bet, this option to raise is retained if someone goes all-in with a wager of less than the minimum raise. 4. In heads-up play with two blinds, the small blind is on the button. 5. A new player entering the game has the following options: (a) Wait for the big blind and post. (b) Wait for the deal to pass. 6. A new player who elects to let the button go by once without posting is not treated as a player in the game who has missed a blind, and does not need to post only the big blind when entering the game. 7. A new player cannot be dealt in between the big blind and the button. Blinds may not be made up between the big blind and the button. You must wait until the button passes. [See “Section 16 – Explanations,” discussion #3, for more information on this rule.] 8. When you post the big blind, it serves as your opening bet. When it is your next turn to act, you have the option to raise. 9. If a player who owes a blind is dealt in without posting, the hand is dead if the player looks at it before putting up the required chips, and has not yet acted. If the player acts on

the hand and plays it, putting chips into the pot before the error is discovered, the hand is live, and the player is required to post on the next deal. 10. These rules about blinds apply to a newly started game: (a) A new waiting list player will not be required to post a 11. A live “straddle bet" is not allowed.

SECTION 5 - HOLD'EM

In hold'em, players receive two down cards as their personal hand (hole cards), after which there is a round of betting. Three board cards are turned simultaneously (called the “flop”) and another round of betting occurs. The next two board cards are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each card. The board cards are community cards, and a player may use any five-card combination from among the board and personal cards. A player may even use all of the board cards and no personal cards to form a hand (play the board). A dealer button is used. The usual structure is to use two blinds, but it is possible to play the game with one blind, multiple blinds, an ante, or combination of blinds plus an ante. RULES

These rules deal only with irregularities. See the previous chapter, “Button and Blind Use,” for rules on that subject. 1. If the first or second hole card dealt is exposed, a misdeal results. The dealer will retrieve the card, reshuffle, and recut the cards. If any other hole card is exposed due to a dealer error, the deal continues. The exposed card may not be kept. After completing the hand, the dealer replaces the card with the top card on the deck, and the exposed card is then used for the burn card. If more than one hole card is exposed, this is a misdeal and there must be a redeal. 2. If the dealer mistakenly deals the first player an extra card (after all players have received their starting hands), the card will be returned to the deck and used for the burn card. If the dealer mistakenly deals more than one extra card, it is a misdeal. 3. If the flop contains too many cards, it must be redealt. (This applies even if it were possible to know which card was the extra one.) 4. If before dealing the flop, the dealer failed to burn a card, or burned two cards, the error should be rectified if no cards were exposed. The deck must be reshuffled if any cards were exposed. 5. If the dealer fails to burn a card or burns more than one card, the error should be corrected if discovered before betting action has started for that round. Once action has been taken on a board card, the card must stand. Whether the error is able to be corrected or not, subsequent cards dealt should be those that would have come if no error had occurred. For example, if two cards were burned, one of the cards should be put back on the deck and used for the burn card on the next round. If there was no betting on a round because a player was all-in, the error should be corrected if discovered before the pot has been awarded. 6. If the dealer burns and turns before a betting round is complete, the card(s) may not be used, even if subsequent players elect to fold. Nobody has an option of accepting or rejecting the card. The betting is then completed, and the error rectified in the prescribed

manner for that situation. 7. If the flop needs to be redealt for any reason, the board cards are mixed with the remainder of the deck. The burn card remains on the table. After shuffling, the dealer cuts the deck and deals a new flop without burning a card. [See “Section 16 – Explanations,” discussion #2, for more information on this rule.] 8. A dealing error for the fourth board card is rectified in a manner to least influence the identity of the board cards that would have been used without the error. The dealer burns and deals what would have been the fifth card in the fourth card's place. After this round of betting, the dealer reshuffles the deck, including the card that was taken out of play, but not including the burnc ards or discards. The dealer then cuts the deck and deals the final card without burning a card. If the fifth card is turned up prematurely, the deck is reshuffled and dealt in the same manner. [See “Section 16 – Explanations,” discussion #2, for more information on this rule.] 9. You must declare that you are playing the board before you throw your cards away. Otherwise, you relinquish all claim to the pot.

NO LIMIT A no-limit betting structure for a game gives it a different character from limit poker, requiring a separate set of rules in many situations. All the rules for limit games apply to no-limit and pot-limit games, except as noted in this section. No-limit means that the amount of a wager is limited only by the table stakes rule, so any part or all of a player's chips may be wagered.

NO-LIMIT RULES 1. The number of raises in any betting round is unlimited. 2. All bets must be at least equal to the minimum bring-in, unless the player is going all-in. (A straddle bet is not allowed) 3. All raises must be equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or raise on that betting round, except for an all-in wager. A player who has already acted and is not facing a full size wager may not subsequently raise an all-in bet that is less than the minimum bet (which is the amount of the minimum bring-in), or less than the full size of the last bet or raise. (The half-the-size rule for reopening the betting is for limit poker only.) Example: Player A bets $100 and Player B raises $100 more, making the total bet $200. If Player C goes all in for less than $300 total (not a full $100 raise), and Player A calls, then Player B has no option to raise again, because he wasn't fully raised. (Player A could have raised, because Player B raised.) 4. A player who says "raise" is allowed to continue putting chips into the pot with more than one move; the wager is assumed complete when the player's hands come to rest outside the pot area. (This rule is used because no-limit play may require a large number of chips be put into the pot.) 5. A wager is not binding until the chips are actually released into the pot, unless the player has made a verbal statement of action. 6. If there is a discrepancy between a player's verbal statement and the amount put into the pot, the bet will be corrected to the verbal statement. 7. If a call is short due to a counting error, the amount must be corrected, even if the bettor has shown down a superior hand.

8. Because the amount of a wager at big-bet poker has such a wide range, a player who has taken action based on a gross misunderstanding of the amount wagered needs some protection. A bettor should not show down a hand until the amount put into the pot for a call seems reasonably correct, or it is obvious that the caller understands the amount wagered. The decision-maker is allowed considerable discretion in ruling on this type of situation. A possible rule-of-thumb is to disallow any claim of not understanding the amount wagered if the caller has put eighty percent or more of that amount into the pot. Example: On the end, a player puts a $500 chip into the pot and says softly, “Four hundred.” The opponent puts a $100 chip into the pot and says, “Call.” The bettor immediately shows the hand. The dealer says, “He bet four hundred.” The caller says, “Oh, I thought he bet a hundred.” In this case, the bettor had an obligation to not show the hand when the amount put into the pot was obviously short, and the “call” can be retracted. Note that the character of each player can be a factor. 9. A bet of a single chip without comment is considered to be the full amount of the chip allowed. However, a player acting on a previous bet with a larger denomination chip is calling the previous bet unless this player makes a verbal declaration to raise the pot. (This includes acting on the forced bet of the big blind.) 10. If a player tries to bet or raise less than the legal minimum and has more chips, the wager must be increased to the proper size. (This does not apply to a player who has unintentionally put too much in to call.) The wager is brought up to the sufficient amount only, no greater size. 11. All wagers may be required to be in the same denomination of chip (or larger) used for the minimum bring-in, even if smaller chips are used in the blind structure. If this is done, the smaller chips do not play except in quantity, even when going all-in. 12. The tournament director has the right to place a maximum time limit for taking action on your hand. The clock may be put on someone by the dealer as directed by a the tournament director, if a player requests it. If the clock is put on you when you are facing a bet, you will have one additional minute to act on your hand. You will have a ten-second warning, after which your hand is dead if you have not acted. 13. Fantasy Poker does not condone "insurance" or any other “proposition” wagers. The tournament director will decline to make decisions in such matters, and the pot will be awarded to the best hand. Players are asked to refrain from instigating proposition wagers in any form.

SECTION 6 - GLOSSARY

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. 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. BIG BLIND: The largest regular blind in a game. BLIND: A required bet made before any cards are dealt. BLIND GAME: A game which utilizes a blind. 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. BOARDCARD: A community card in the center of the table, as in hold'em or Omaha . BOXED CARD: A card that appears faceup in the deck where all other cards are facedown. BROKEN GAME: A game no longer in action. BURNCARD: 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 burncard. BUTTON: A player who is in the designated dealer position. See dealer button. BUTTON GAMES: Games in which a dealer button is used. BUY-IN: The minimum amount of money required to enter any game. CALIFORNIA LOWBALL: Ace-to-five lowball with a joker. CARDS SPEAK: The face value of a hand in a showdown is the true value of the hand, regardless of a verbal announcement. CAPPED : Describes the situation in limit poker in which the maximum number of raises on the betting round have been reached. 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. 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. COLLECTION: The fee charged in a game (taken either out of the pot or from each player). COLLECTION DROP: A fee charged for each hand dealt. COLOR CHANGE: A request to change the chips from one denomination to another. COMMON CARD: 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. COMMUNITY CARDS: 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 hold'em 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. DEAD CARD: A card that is not legally playable. 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. DEAD MONEY: Chips that are taken into the center of the pot because they are not considered part of a particular 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. DEALER BUTTON: 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.” 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. DECK: A set of playing-cards. In these games, the deck consists of either: (1) 52 cards in seven-card stud, hold'em, and Omaha . (2) 53 cards (including the joker), often used in ace-to-five lowball and draw high. DISCARD(S): In a draw game, to throw cards out of your hand to make room for replacements, or the card(s) thrown away; the muck. DOWNCARDS: Cards that are dealt facedown in a stud game. DRAW: (1) The poker form where players are given the opportunity to replace cards in the hand. In some places like California , the word “draw” is used referring to draw high, and draw low is called “lowball.” (2) The act of replacing cards in the hand. (3) The point in the deal where replacing is done is called “the draw.” FACECARD: A king, queen, or jack. FIXED LIMIT: In limit poker, any 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: In hold'em or Omaha , the three community cards that are turned simultaneously after the first round of betting is complete. FLUSH: A poker hand consisting of five cards of the same suit. FOLD: To throw a hand away and relinquish all interest in a pot. FOURTH STREET : The second upcard in seven-card stud or the first boardcard after the flop in hold'em (also called the turn card). FOULED HAND: A dead hand. FORCED BET: A required wager to start the action on the first betting round (the normal way action begins in a stud game). FREEROLL: A chance to win something at no risk or cost. FULL BUY: A buy-in of at least the minimum requirement of chips needed for a particular game. FULL HOUSE: A hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair. HAND: (1) All a player's personal cards. (2) The five cards determining the poker ranking. (3) A single poker deal. HEADS-UP PLAY: Only two players involved in play. HOLECARDS: The cards 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, straights, and flushes. In lowball, it is the lowest unmatched rank in a hand.

KANSAS CITY LOWBALL: A form of draw poker low also known as deuce-to-seven, in which the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 and straights and flushes count against you. KICKER: The highest unpaired card that helps determine the value of a five-card poker hand. KILL (OR KILL BLIND): An oversize blind, usually twice the size of the big blind and doubling the limit. Sometimes a “half-kill” increasing the blind and limits by fifty percent is used. A kill can be either voluntary or mandatory. The most common requirements of a mandatory kill are for winning two pots in a row, or for scooping a pot in high-low split. KILL BUTTON: A button used in a lowball game to indicate a player who has won two pots in a row and is required to kill the pot. 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. (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. LIVE BLIND: A blind bet giving a player the option of raising if no one else has raised. LIST: The ordered roster of players waiting for a game. LOCK-UP: A chip marker that holds a seat for a player. LOWBALL: A draw game where the lowest hand wins. LOWCARD: At seven-card stud, the lowest upcard, which is required to bet. 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 discard a hand. 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. OPENER: The player who made the first voluntary bet. OPENER BUTTON: 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 used in some pots 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 THE BOARD: Using all five community cards for your hand in hold'em.

PLAY OVER: To play in a seat when the occupant is absent. 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. 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. PROPOSITION BET: A side bet not related to the outcome of the hand. 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. 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. 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. 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. SIDE POT: A separate pot formed when one or more players are all in. 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. 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 or by agreement prior to the showdown. SPLITTING BLINDS: When no one else has entered the pot, an agreement between the big blind and small blind to each take back their blind bets instead of playing the deal (chopping). 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: An additional blind bet placed after the forced blinds, usually double the big blind in size or in lowball, a multiple blind game. STRAIGHT: Five cards in consecutive rank. STRAIGHT FLUSH: Five cards in consecutive rank of the same suit. 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 which 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. TURNCARD: The fourth street card in hold'em or Omaha . UPCARDS: Cards that are dealt faceup for opponents to see in stud games. WAGER: (1) To bet or raise. (2) The chips used for betting or raising.

SECTION 7 - AMENDMENTS

CHANGES MADE BY THIS CARDROOM Here are the amendments, additions, and clarifications to these rules made by: Got The Nuts LLC – Fantasy Poker (TFPL)

1. All Players must be registered members of the Fantasy Poker League. Registration can be done online at: www. TFPL.net or at any TFPL event. 2. Players of any age may participate, players must be at least 18 years of age to receive prize payouts. Some locations require Players to be 21 years of age. 3. All Players arriving prior to session start time will begin with an equal amount of chips and continue to play until one Player remains and accumulates all the chips. Blinds are raised consistently throughout the tournament according to the blind structure. 4. Late arriving Players can join a tournament until the end of the second blind level. If a Player arrives during the first blind, the sum of the large and small blind is deductive from their starting chip stack. If a player arrives during the second blind, the sum of the large and small blind from both the first and second blind level is deductive from the starting chip stack. 5. The lowest denomination of chip in play will be removed from the table when it is no longer needed in the blind structure. All lower-denomination chips that are of sufficient quantity for a new chip will be changed up directly. The remaining odd chips will be rounded up to the next chip denomination. 6. If a table is reseated and at least 50% of the Players are new to the table, then the Players “high-card” for the button immediately prior to resuming the session unless it is the final table, where players will “high card” to establish the dealer. 7. An absent Player is always dealt a hand and will be put up for the Blinds. 8. If the Player is not present when it becomes his/her turn to act, the hand is mucked (folded). This includes situations in which a live Blind is not present to act, since an absent Player cannot exercise the option to check, raise or fold. 9. The current dealer is the only Player allowed to touch the muck pile. No Player is allowed to turn over any cards in the muck pile. After completion of the hand, the current

dealer will collect all cards and pass the deal and button. 10. If at anytime a Player’s cards touch the muck pile, the cards are dead and must remain in the muck and the Player loses all action on that hand. 11. If a Player lacks sufficient chips for a Blind, the Player is entitled to get action on whatever amount of money remains. In this situation a side pot is created for Players with remaining chips. 12. If a player is “All In” and can not match the correct bet or raise (see rule 19), the remaining players can CALL to match the all in player. If a player wishes to raise in this situation, they must do so in accordance with rules 32 and 33. 13. Whenever a Player(s) is/are all in and all betting action is complete and no more betting can be made against anyone in the hand, all hands in play will be turned face-up. Only the dealer will make this call and must ask if all betting is done. If a player turns over their hand prior to the betting being complete, that player mucks their hand. Anyone with a live hand available must let the dealer and other players know that the betting is not over. If that player hides the fact that they can still bet, that player mucks their hand. 14. If all of Rule 21 is followed and still the dealer is at fault for a turned up hand, then the remaining live players in the hand divide the chips in the pot and the last round of action is taken back by the players that bet those chips. The uneven chips go to the player left of the dealer button. 15. When a Player loses all of his/her chips, they are eliminated from play and must leave the table. 16. If a player is eliminated from a tournament and is in the points, they must immediately sign out to claim their points. Players that do not sign out immediately to gain position will lose their points for that tournament. 17. If two or more Players are eliminated on the same hand, the Player who started the hand with the most chips will be awarded the higher finishing position. In cases where both players have the same amount of money, the player with the better hand is awarded the higher finishing position. If two players are eliminated but the hand is the same, for instance, both players have the same amount of chips and the same hand, each position on the placement form will be added together and divided by two. 18. If a dealer mistakenly turns over a card before betting is complete, that card goes into the middle of the remaining deck, the remaining deck is reshuffled once, cut and a new card will be available without a burn card. They players in the uncompleted bet have the option to take back their bet and re-bet. 19. Tournaments will continue until one Player wins all the chips. 20. One Player per hand. A Player may not ask advice as to how to act during his/her action, from anyone. If a Player shows his/her cards to another Player at the table, he/she must show all Players. (Show one – Show all). 21. Only the dealer is allowed to touch the chips in the pot. Players must make change from a neighbor first. If change cannot be made between hands, then the Player should state his/her action (Check, Call or Raise) then put down a chip. The dealer will pull the change from the pot and give it the Player after the action is completed by all Players. The dealer must state that the “Pot is right”, all Players should then push their chips into the center of the table. 22. No slow rolls. If a Player is “Called”, they must expose their cards. If a Called player exposes only one card and waits to see the other player’s cards before exposing their

second card, then only the exposed card plays and not the “Slow Rolled” card. 23. Dealer must shuffle cards at least three times, and must cut cards every hand. 24. Session play never stops, except during break time. If Players are seated at a table that has empty seats, the tournament host must be notified. Play continues until other Players are seated or until Players are moved to another table. 25. Poker etiquette is expected from all Players. Inappropriate behavior like throwing cards that go off the table may be punished with a penalty such as being dealt out for a length of time. A severe infraction such as abusive or disruptive behavior may be punished by eviction from the tournament. 26. Management retains the right to cancel any event or alter it in a manner fair to the Players. 27. All participants of any Fantasy Poker League tournaments are prohibited from placing any form of currency (other than Fantasy Poker League poker chips) on a session table, as the state law prohibits. There will be no exceptions to this rule and violators will be asked to leave immediately. 28. Absolutely NO wagering anything of value on the outcome of a Fantasy Poker League tournament and or any hands played during such. (No side bets, No cash bets, etc.) Any member found violating this rule will be banned from Fantasy Poker League tournaments. 29. 4 Aces Events reserves the right to refuse any service to any Player at anytime. 30. The tournament director host has final decision on all disputes.

SECTION 8 – HAND RANKINGS (least to best)

10. High card9. One pair8. Two pair7. Three of a kind (trips, set)6. Straight5. Flush4. Full House (boat)3. Four of a kind2. Straight Flush1. Royal Flush

More Poker-Speak: Terms, Slang and Jargon

AA-B-C, A-B-C-D

1. A sequence of the lowest cards in a lowball game. For example, the hand 8-6-3-2-A might be called an eight-six-a-b-c.

2. Uncreative or predictable play. He's an a-b-c player.

ace-to-five, ace-to-six Methods of evaluating low hands. See ace-to-five low, ace-to-six low.

act To make a play (bet, call, raise, or fold) at the required time. It is Ted's turn to act. Compare to "in turn".

action

1. A player's turn to act. The action is on you. 2. A willingness to gamble. I'll give you action or There's plenty of action in this

game 3. A bet, along with all the calls of that bet. For example, if one player makes a $5

bet and three other players call, he is said to have $5 "in action", and to have received $15 worth of action on his bet. Usually this term comes into play when figuring side pots when one or more players is all in. See table stakes.

action button A marker similar to a kill button, on which a player places an extra forced bet. In a seven-card stud high-low game, the action button is awarded to the winner of a scoop pot above a certain size, signifying that in the next pot, that player will be required to post an amount representing a completion of the bring-in to a full bet. For example, in a stud game with $2 and $4 betting limits and a $1 bring-in, a player with the action button must post $2; after the cards are dealt, the player with the low card must still pay the $1 bring-in, then when the betting reaches the player who posted the $2, he is required to leave it in as a raise of the bring-in (and has the option to raise further). Players in between the bring-in and the action button can just call the bring-in, but they know ahead of time that they will be raised by the action button.

action card In Texas hold 'em or other community card games, a card appearing on the board that causes significant betting action because it helps two or more players. For example, an ace on the flop when two players each hold an ace.

action only In many cardrooms, with respect to an all-in bet, only a full (or half) bet can be reraised. Anything less than a full (or half) bet is considered to be action only, that is, other players can call the bet but not raise it. For example, Alice bets $100. Bob calls. Carol goes all in for $119. When the action returns to Alice and Bob, they may only call the extra $19; they cannot raise it. Carol's raise is called action only. Compare to "full bet rule", "half bet rule".

active player A player still involved in the pot. If there are side pots, an all-in player may be active in some pots, but not in others.

add-on In a live game, to buy more chips before you have busted. In tournament play, a single rebuy for which all players are eligible regardless of their stack size. This is usually allowed only once, at the end of the rebuy period.

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To make an obvious play or expose cards in such a way as to deliberately convey an impression to your opponents about your style of play. For example, to make a bad play or bluff to give the impression that you bluff frequently (hoping opponents will then call your legitimate bets) or to show only good hands to give the impression that you rarely bluff (hoping opponents will then fold when you do).

aggressive, aggression opens and raises are considered aggressive plays, while calls and checks are considered passive (though a check-raise would be considered a very aggressive play).

air In a lowball game, "giving air" is letting an opponent who might otherwise fold know that you intend to draw one or more cards to induce him to call.

all day The total current posted bet. Used to indicate that the speaker is referring to the total bet, versus the difference the acting player would need to post. Action is on Alice; twenty all day. Also "altogether" or "straight".

all in Having bet all of your chips in the current hand. See all in.

altogether The total current posted bet. Used to indicate that the speaker is referring to the total bet, versus the difference the acting player would need to post. Action is on Alice; twenty dollars altogether. Also "all day" or "straight".

ammo, ammunition Chips in play. I'm going to need more ammo for this game. Compare to "fire".

angle A technically legal, but borderline unethical, play. For example, deliberately miscalling one's own hand to induce a fold, or placing odd amounts of chips in the pot to confuse opponents about whether you mean to call or raise. A player employing such tactics is called an "angle shooter".

ante

An ante is a forced bet in which each player places an equal amount of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. In games where the acting dealer changes each turn, it is not uncommon for the players to agree that the dealer provides the ante for each player. This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other players come and go or miss their turn to deal.

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ante off In tournament play, to force an absent player to continue paying antes, blinds, bring-ins, or other forced bets so that the contest remains fair to the other players. Go ahead and take that phone call. We'll ante you off until you get back. Also "blind off".

Bbaby

A low-ranked card, usually used in lowball games. Also "spoke" when between ace and five.

backdoor 1. A draw requiring two or more rounds to fill. For example, catching two

consecutive cards in two rounds of seven-card stud or Texas hold 'em to fill a straight or flush.

2. A hand made other than the hand the player intended to make. I started with four hearts hoping for a flush, but I backdoored two more kings and my trips won.

back in 1. To enter a pot by checking and then calling someone else's open on the first

betting round. Usually used in games like Jackpots, meaning to enter without openers.

2. To enter a pot cheaply or for free because of having posted a blind.

back into To win a pot with a hand that would have folded to any bet. For example, two players enter a pot of draw poker, both drawing to flushes. Both miss, and check after the draw. The player with the ace-high draw "backs into" winning the pot against the player with only a king-high draw. Also to make a backdoor draw, for example, a player who starts a hand with three of a kind, but makes a runner-runner flush, can be said to back into the flush.

backraise A reraise from a player that previously limped in the same betting round. I decided to backraise with my pocket eights to isolate the all-in player. Also limp-reraise.

bad beat Great hand losing to a greater hand, usually on the river.

bank

Also called the house, the person responsible for distributing chips, keeping track of the buy-ins, and paying winners at the end of the game.

bankroll The amount of money that a player has to wager for the duration of his or her poker career. A very chip or money rich player.

behind 1. Not (currently) having the best hand. I'm pretty sure my pair of jacks was behind

Lou's kings, but I had other outs, so I kept playing. 2. Describing money in play but not visible as chips in front of a player. For

example, a player may announce "I've got $100 behind" while handing money to a casino employee, meaning that he intends those chips to be in play as soon as they are brought to him.

belly buster An inside straight draw. Also "gutshot".

berry patch A game with many unskilled or "live" players; a lucrative opportunity for profit.

bet 1. Any money wagered during the play of a hand. 2. More specifically, the opening bet of a betting round. 3. In a fixed limit game, the standard betting amount. There were six bets in the pot

when I called.

betting structure The complete set of rules regarding forced bets, limits, raise caps, and such for a particular game. See betting (poker).

big bet

In a fixed-limit poker game, a big bet (BB) is the larger of two fixed bet amounts. A big bet is used in the final rounds of a game to increase the pot amount and thereby enable the possibility of a bluff. Big bets are generally double the wager of the initial or small bet. Any multi-round poker game can use big bets to standardize wagers while maintaining a sufficient risk-ratio to encourage bluffing. Casino poker tables use big bets to set a limit to the amount of money a patron can lose in each wager.

big bet game

A game played with a no limit or pot limit betting structure.

big blind

Generally, the "big blind" is equal to the minimum bet, and is twice as much as the "small blind". The small blind is posted by the player to the left of the dealer button while the big blind is posted by the player two to the left of the dealer button. After the cards are dealt, the player to the left of the big blind is the first to act during the first betting round.

big blind special

A situation in which (assuming no raising) the player in the big blind is dealt weak hole cards, but ends up making the best hand because he or she was able to see the flop for free, often two pair with unusual cards such as 3-9 or 10-2. Compare to "small blind special".

blank A card, frequently a community card, of no apparent value. I suspected Margaret had a good draw, but the river card was a blank, so I bet again. Also "rag". Compare to "brick", "bomb".

blaze A Non-standard poker hand of five face cards that outranks a flush.

bleed, bleeding chips To lose small amounts continually, so as to add up to a large loss. I won that large pot with my kings, but then I bled it all off over the next hour.

blind 1. A type of forced bet. See blind (poker). 2. In the "dark".

blind stud A stud poker game in which all cards are dealt face down. Was popular in California before legal rulings made traditional stud legal there.

blind off, blinded 1. To "ante off". 2. To have one's stack reduced by paying ever increasing blinds in tournaments. Ted

had to make a move soon or he would be blinded away in three more rounds.

blocker

In community card poker, refers to holding one of the opponent's outs, typically when the board threatens a straight or straight draw. The board was A23 but with my pair of fives I held two blockers to the straight. Compare to "dry ace".

bluff To bet or raise with an inferior hand. By extension, the terms are often used outside the context of poker to describe the acts of pretending knowledge one does not have, or making threats one cannot execute.

bluff-catcher

On the last betting round, a hand that cannot win if the opponent is making a legitimate value bet, but that might win if the opponent's bet was a pure bluff. It looked like Jim and I were both drawing for a flush. I missed and he bet, but I figured the pair of nines I caught along the way made a bluff-catcher, so I called.

board 1. The set of community cards in a community card game. If another spade hits the

board, I'll have to fold. 2. The set of face-up cards of a particular player in a stud game. Zack's board didn't

look too scary, so I bet into him again. 3. The set of all face-up cards in a stud game. I started with a flush draw, but there

were already four other diamonds showing on the board, so I folded.

boat Shorthand for a full boat, which is slang for a full house.

bomb A "brick". Compare to "blank", "rags".

bone A chip, often of small denomination.

both ways

Both halves of a split pot, often declared by a player who thinks he or she will win both low and high.

bottom end

The lowest of several possible straights, especially in a community card game. For example, in Texas hold 'em with the cards 5-6-7 on the board, a player holding 3-4 has the bottom end straight, while a player holding 4-8 or 8-9 has a higher straight. Also "idiot end".

bottom pair, bottom set

In a community card game, a pair (or set) made by matching the lowest-ranking board card with one (or two) in one's private hand. Compare second pair, top pair.

box The chip tray in front of a house dealer, and by extension, the house dealer's position at the table. You've been in the box for an hour now; don't you get a break?

boxed card A card encountered face-up in the assembled deck during the deal, as opposed to one overturned in the act of dealing. Most house rules treat a boxed card as if it didn't exist; that is, it is placed aside and not used. Different rules cover cards exposed during the deal.

break 1. In a draw poker game, to discard cards that make a made hand in the hope of

making a much better one. For example, a player with J-J-10-9-8 may wish to break his pair of jacks to draw for the straight, and a lowball player may break his 9-high 9-5-4-2-A to draw for the wheel.

2. To end a session of play. The game broke at about 3:00.

brick A "blank", though more often used in the derogatory sense of a card that is undesirable rather than merely inconsequential, such as a card of high rank or one that makes a pair in a low-hand game. Also "bomb". Compare to "rags".

brick & mortar A brick & mortar or B&M casino is a term referring to a "real" casino based in a building, as opposed to an online casino. This term is used to refer to many real world locations vs. their Internet counterparts. It is not just a poker term.

bring in 1. To open a betting round. Alice brought it in for $4, and Bob raised to $10. 2. A type of forced bet. Rather than (or in addition to) antes or blinds, some games,

like seven-card stud use a bring-in. The advantage of bring-in games is that the player can look at their hand before betting and can then bet the minimum bring or a full bet (usually 2.5X the bring in amount). Even though it is a forced bet, it is not considered a blind bet because the player may look at their cards before acting.

Broadway The Ace high straight. AKQJT (offsuit) is Broadway.

Broomcorn's Uncle

This is a colorful term for calling a player overly tight.

This term is defined in Doyle Brunson's poker book, Super/System. Broomcorn's Uncle purportedly blinded himself to death, and a player playing so few hands that the antes and blinds ensure that they are losing is said to be "going like Broomcorn's Uncle. Mike Sexton used this term on the World Poker Tour Ladies Night 2006 episode. The pop-up defined it as "Losing all your chips by never playing a hand." Broomcorn is another name for boring common millet. Also see "ante off", "blind off".

brush 1. A casino employee whose job it is to greet players entering the poker room,

maintain the list of persons waiting to play, announce open seats, and various other duties (including brushing off tables to prepare them for new games, hence the name).

2. To recruit players into a game. Dave is brushing up some players for tonight's game.

bubble The last finishing position in a poker tournament before entering the payout structure. He was very frustrated after getting eliminated on the bubble. Also can be applied to other situations like if six players will make a televised final table the player finishing seventh will go out on the "TV bubble". Also used to describe any situation close to the payout structure.

buck the buck or dealer button is a marker used to indicate the player who is dealing or, in casino games with a house dealer, the player who acts last on that deal (who would be the dealer in a home game). The term button is also used for a variety of plastic discs, or lammers, used by casinos to mark status of players.

bug See bug (poker). Compare to wild card (poker).

bullet 1. An ace. 2. A chip. Also "ammo".

bully A player who repeatedly makes large bets. This prevents opportunities from getting free or cheap cards that may complete a drawing hand. Also see buy the pot. Compare to "run over".

bum deal A mis-deal

bump To raise. Alice bet $5 and Bob bumped it to $20.

burn, burn card See burn card.

busted 1. Not complete, such as four cards to a straight that never gets the fifth card to

complete it. 2. Out of chips. To "bust out" is to lose all of one's chips.

button See button (poker). Also "buck" or "hat".

buy-in The minimum required amount of chips that must be "bought" to become involved in a game (or tournament). For example, a $4-$8 fixed limit game might require a player to buy at least $40 worth of chips to play. This is typically far less than an average player would expect to play with for any amount of time, but large enough that the player can play a number of hands without buying more, so the game isn't slowed down by constant chip-buying.

buy short To buy into a game for an amount smaller than the normal buy-in. Some casinos allow this under certain circumstances, such as after having lost a full buy-in, or if all players agree to allow it.

buy the button 1. A rule originating in northern California casinos in games played with blinds, in

which a new player sitting down with the button to his right (who would normally be required to sit out a hand as the button passed him, then post to come in) may choose to pay the amount of both blinds for this one hand (the amount of the large blind playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small blind as dead money), play this hand, and then receive the button on the next hand as if he had been playing all along. See public cardroom rules (poker).

2. Usually done by the person sitting to the immediate right of the dealer, to raise to encourage the button player to fold, thus giving the raiser last position in subsequent betting rounds.

buy the pot Making a bet when no one else is betting so as to force the other players to fold in order to win the pot uncontested.

Ccall

To call is to match a bet or a raise. A betting round ends when all active players have bet an equal amount or no opponents call a player's bet or raise. If no opponents call a player's bet or raise, the player wins the pot.

call the clock

A method of discouraging players from taking an excessively long time to act. When someone calls the clock, the player has a set amount of time in which to make up his mind; if he fails to do so, his hand is immediately declared dead. In tournament play, a common rule is that if a player takes too long and no one calls the clock, the dealer or floor personnel will automatically do so.

calling station See calling station.

cap A limit on the number of raises allowed in a betting round. Typically three or four (in addition the opening bet). In most casinos, the cap is removed if there are only two players remaining either (1) at the beginning of the betting round, or (2) at the time that what would have otherwise been the last raise is made. Also, term for the chip, token, or object placed atop one's cards to show continued involvement with a hand.

cap game Similar to "cap" above, but used to describe a no-limit or pot limit game with a cap on the amount that a player can bet during the course of a hand. Once the cap is reached, all players remaining in the hand are considered all-in. For example, a no limit game could have a betting cap of 30 times the big blind.[1]

card rack A player who gets many favorable hands dealt to him in a short time.

cards speak

any verbal declaration as to the content of a player’s hand is not binding. If Mary says she has no pair, but in fact she has a flush, her cards speak and her hand is viewed for its genuine value, that of a flush. Likewise if John says he has a flush, but in fact he does not, his hand is judged on its actual merits, not his verbal declaration. At the discretion of management, any player miscalling his hand may have that hand fouled, but this is not required.

case card The last available card of a certain description (typically a rank). The only way I can win is to catch the case king., meaning the only king remaining in the deck.

cash plays An announcement, usually by a dealer, that a player requested to buy chips and can bet the cash he has on the table in lieu of chips until he receives his chips.

catch To receive needed cards on a draw. I'm down 300--I can't catch anything today. or Joe caught his flush early, but I caught the boat on seventh street to beat him. Often used with an adjective to further specify, for example "catch perfect", "catch inside", "catch smooth".

catch up To successfully complete a draw, thus defeating a player who previously had a better hand. I was sure I had Alice beat, but she caught up when that spade fell.

catch perfect To catch the only two possible cards that will complete a hand and win the pot, usually those leading to a straight flush. Usually used in Texas hold 'em. Compare with "runner-runner".

center Synonym for pot. "Chips in the center..." means the chips that are in the main pot. "I'm going to center your stack" means that a player is going to force all of an opponents chips into the pot. "My stack got centered" means that a player was forced to wager his/her remaining chips.

center pot The main pot in a table stakes game where one or more players are all in.

chase 1. To call a bet to see the next card when holding a drawing hand when the pot odds

do not merit it. 2. To continue to play a drawing hand over multiple betting rounds, especially one

unlikely to succeed. Bob knew I made three nines on fourth street, but he chased that flush draw all the way to the river.

3. To continue playing with a hand that is not likely the best because one has already invested money in the pot. See sunk cost fallacy.

4. To look further into the deck after a hand is over to see what cards would have come next. Also "fox hunt", "rabbit hunt".

check 1. To bet nothing. See check. 2. A casino chip.

check out To fold, in turn, even though there is no bet facing the player. In some games this is considered a breach of etiquette equivalent to folding out of turn. In others it is permitted, but frowned upon.

check-raise common deceptive play in which a player checks early in a betting round, hoping someone else will open. The player who checked then raises in the same round.

cheese

A poor hand. Throw that piece of cheese in the muck and move on to the next hand.

chip A token used in tournament poker that has no moneytiary value.

Chip and a chair A term used to say that all you need to win a tournament is a seat and at least one chip (since you don't get knocked out until you lose all your chips). In a World series of Poker Tournament in 1983, this was literally all that one player needed to win the tournament.

chip along To bet or call the minimum required to stay in, often done with little or no thought.

chip declare A method of declaring intent to play high or low in a split-pot game with declaration. See declaration.

chip dumping A form of collusion that happens during tournaments, especially in the early rounds. Two or more players decide to go all-in early. The winner gets a large amount of chips, which increases the player's chance of cashing. The winnings are then split among the colluders.

chip race See chip race.

chip up To exchange lower-denomination chips for higher-denomination chips. In tournament play, the term means to remove all the small chips from play by rounding up any odd small chips to the nearest large denomination, rather than using a chip race.

chop 1. To split a pot because of a tie, split-pot game, or player agreement. 2. To play a game for a short time and cash out. Also "hit and run". 3. A request made by a player to a dealer after taking a large-denomination chip that

he wishes the dealer to make change. 4. To chop blinds. 5. An agreement by all players remaining in a tournament to distribute the remaining

money in the prize pool according to an agreed-upon formula instead of playing the tournament to completion. Usually occurs at the final table of a large tournament.

chopping the blinds See chopping the blinds.

clean out A card that is likely to make your hand the best at the table.

closed See closed (poker).

coffeehouse To make annoying smalltalk during a game, to make comments about a hand in progress, or to make deceptive comments about one's own play. All the coffeehousing in the game was making it hard to think.

cold 1. Consecutive. I caught three cold spades for the flush. 2. Unlucky. I've been cold all week.

cold call To call an amount that represents a sum of bets or raises by more than one player. Alice opened for $10, Bob raised another $20, and Carol cold called the $30. Compare to "flat call", "overcall".

cold deck See cold deck. Also "stacked deck", "ice" or "cooler".

collusion A form of cheating involving cooperation among two or more players. See cheating in poker.

color change, color up To exchange small-denomination chips for larger ones.

combo, combination game A casino table at which multiple forms of poker are played in rotation.

come bet, on the come A bet or raise made with a drawing hand, building the pot in anticipation of filling the draw. Usually a weak "gambler's" play, but occasionally correct with a very good draw and large pot or as a semi-bluff.

come hand See drawing hand.

community card See community card poker.

complete hand See made hand.

completion To raise a small bet up to the amount of what would be a normal-sized bet. For example, in a $2/$4 stud game with $1 bring-in, a player after the bring-in may raise it to $2, completing what would otherwise be a sub-minimum bet up to the normal minimum. Also in limit games, if one player raises all in for less than the normally required minimum, a later player might complete the raise to the normal minimum (depending on house rules). See table stakes.

connectors Two or more cards of consecutive rank.

continuation bet A bet made after the flop by the player who took the lead in betting before the flop (Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em). Compare to "probe bet".

cooler See cold deck.

countdown

1. Especially in lowball, two hands very nearly tied that must be compared in detail to determine a winner, for example, 8-6-5-3-2 versus 8-6-5-3-A.

2. The act of counting the cards that remain in the stub after all cards have been dealt, done by a dealer to ensure that a complete deck is being used.

counterfeit See counterfeit (poker). Also "duplicate".

cow A player with whom one is sharing a buy-in, with the intent to split the result after play. To "go cow" is to make such an arrangement.

cowboys Slang for Kings, especially pocket Kings in Texas hold 'em.

crack To beat a better hand, mostly heard in reference to the best Hold em hole cards, AA. eg "My aces were cracked again"

cripple In some community card games, to cripple the deck means to have a hand that makes it virtually impossible for anyone else to catch up to. For example, in Texas hold 'em, if your hole cards are A-T and the flop is A-A-T you have "crippled the deck" and it is unlikely you will make much money from it.

crossfire When a player is caught in the middle between two raisers and is induced to call each bet because of the pot odds. Compare to "whipsaw".

crying call A call made reluctantly on the last betting round with the expectation of losing (but with some remote hope of catching a bluff).

cut See cut.

cutoff The seat immediately to the right of the dealer button.

Ddark

Describing an action taken before receiving information to which the player would normally be entitled. I'm drawing three, and I check in the dark. Compare to "blind".

dead blind A blind that is not "live", in that the player posting it does not have the option to raise if other players just call. Usually refers to a small blind posted by a player entering, or returning to, a game (in a position other than the big blind) that is posted in addition to a live blind equal to the big blind.

dead button See dead button rule.

dead hand

A player's hand that is not entitled to participate in the deal for some reason, such as having been fouled by touching another player's cards, being found to contain the wrong number of cards, being dealt to a player who did not make the appropriate forced bets, etc.

dead money See dead money (poker).

deadwood The muck.

deal 1. To distribute cards to players in accordance with the rules of the game being

played. 2. A single instance of a game of poker, begun by shuffling the cards and ending

with the award of a pot. Also called a "hand" (though both terms are ambiguous). 3. An agreement to split tournament prize money differently from the announced

payouts.

deal twice In a cash game, when two players are involved in a large pot and one is all-in, they might agree to deal the remaining cards twice. If one player wins both times he wins the whole pot, but if both players win one hand they split the pot.

dealer 1. The person dealing the cards. Give Alice the cards, she's dealing. 2. The person who assumes that role for the purposes of betting order in a game,

even though someone else might be physically dealing. Also "button". Compare to "buck".

dealer's choice A version of poker in which the deal passes each game and each dealer can choose, or invent, a new poker game each hand.

declare To verbally indicate an action or intention. See declaration (poker).

decloak To raise after slow playing for a time (making it clear that you were, in fact, slow playing). See "in the bushes".

deep Describing a large amount of money, either in play or having been lost. How deep are you? (meaning "How much money do you have", in anticipation of making a very large bet). I won that large pot, but I'm in much deeper than that.

defense See defense (poker).

deuce 1. A 2-spot card. Also called a duck, quack, or swan. 2. Any of various related uses of the number two, such as a $2 limit game, a $2 chip,

etc.

deuce-to-seven

A method of evaluating low hands. See Deuce-to-seven low. dirty stack

A stack of chips that has a chip of the wrong denomination mixed in. discard

To take a previously dealt card out of play. The set of all discards for a deal is called the "muck" or the "deadwood".

dog See underdog.

dominated hand A hand that is extremely unlikely to win against another specific hand, even though it may not be a poor hand in its own right. Most commonly used in Texas hold 'em. A hand like A-Q, for example, is a good hand in general but is dominated by A-K, because whenever the former makes a good hand, the latter is likely to make a better one. A hand like 7-8 is a poor hand in general, but is not dominated by A-K because it makes different kinds of hands. See Domination (poker).

donation A call made by a player who fully expects to lose; made either out of boredom or irrational optimism.

donk, donkey Epithet for an inexperienced, unskilled, or foolish poker player. I played that hand like a donkey.

donk, donk down (verb) To play a hand poorly. I donked off 15 bucks on that last hand.

donk, donkbet Betting when one doesn't have the lead.

donkament A large multi-table tournament with a high proportion of unskilled players, especially online.

door card In a stud game, a player's first face-up card. Patty paired her door card on fifth street and raised, so I put her on trips. In Texas hold 'em, the door card is the first visible card of the flop.

double-ace flush Under unconventional rules, a flush with one or more wild cards in which they play as aces, even if an ace is already present.

double-board, double-flop Any of several community card game variants (usually Texas hold 'em) in which two separate boards of community cards are dealt simultaneously, with the pot split between the winning hands using each board.

double-draw Any of several Draw poker games in which the draw phase and subsequent betting round are repeated twice.

double belly buster, double gut-shot, double inside straight See double inside straight draw.

double suited

Used to describe an Omaha hold 'em starting hand where two pairs of suited cards are held. May be abbreviated "ds" in written descriptions. AAJT (ds) is widely considered a premium pot-limit Omaha hold 'em starting hand.

double through, double up In a big bet game, to bet all of one's chips on one hand against a single opponent (who has an equal or larger stack) and win, thereby doubling your stack. I was losing a bit, but then I doubled through Sarah to put me in good shape.

downcard A card that is dealt facedown.

down to the felt All in, or having lost all of one's money. Refers to the green felt surface of a poker table no longer obscured by chips.

drag light To pull chips away from the pot to indicate that you don't have enough money to cover the bet. If you win, the amount is ignored. If you lose, you must cover the amount from your pocket.

draw, drawing hand See draw (poker).

drawing dead Playing a drawing hand that will lose even if successful (a state of affairs usually only discovered after the fact or in a tournament when two or more players are "all in" and they show their cards). I caught the jack to make my straight, but Rob had a full house all along, so I was drawing dead.

drawing live Not drawing dead; that is, drawing to a hand that will win if successful.

drawing thin Not drawing completely dead, but chasing a draw in the face of poor odds. Example: a player who will only win by catching 1 or 2 specific cards is said to be drawing thin.

drop 1. To fold. 2. Money charged by the casino for providing its services, often dropped through a

slot in the table into a strong box. See "rake". 3. To drop ones cards to the felt to indicate that one is in or out of a game.

dry ace In Omaha hold 'em or Texas hold 'em, refers to an ace in one's hand without another card of the same suit. Used especially to describe the situation where the board presents a flush possibility, when the player does not in fact have a flush, but holding the ace presents some bluffing or semi-bluffing opportunity. Compare to "blocker".

dry pot A side pot with no money created when a player goes all in and is called by more than one opponent, but not raised.

dump, dumped

To lose a large quantity of ones stack to another player on a particular hand or set of hands in short succession. I dumped half my stack to John after he cracked my Kings.

duplicate To counterfeit, especially when the counterfeiting card matches one already present in the one's hand.

Eearly position

See position (poker). eight or better

A common qualifier in High-low split games that use Ace-5 ranking. Only hands where the highest card is an eight can qualify to win the low portion of the pot.

equity One's mathematical expected value from the current deal, calculated by multiplying the amount of money in the pot by one's probability of winning. For example, if the pot currently contains $100, and you estimate that you have a one in four chance of winning it, then your equity in the pot is $25.

expectation, expected value, EV See expected value. Often used in poker to mean "profitability in the long run".

exposed card A card whose face has been deliberately or accidentally revealed to players normally not entitled to that information during the play of the game. Various games have different rules about how to handle this irregularity. Compare to "boxed card".

Ffamily pot

A deal in which every (or almost every) seated player called the first opening bet. fast

Aggressive play. I was afraid of too many chasers, so I played my trips fast. Compare to "speeding".

feeder In a casino setting, a second or third table playing the same game as a "main" table, and from which players move to the main game as players there leave. Also called a "must-move table."

felt 1. The cloth covering of a poker table, whatever the actual material. 2. Playing all of one's chips (and therefore revealing the bare felt underneath). I went

to the felt twice today, but I recovered. 3. (as a verb) Taking all of another player's chips, Bob had a bad run last night, and

I finally felted him about midnight. Phil Laak claims to have invented this use.[2]

fence-hopper Compare to "hop the fence".

fifth street 1. The last card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "river". 2. The fifth card dealt to each player in stud poker.

fill, fill up To successfully draw to a hand that needs one card to complete it, by getting the last card of a straight, flush, or full house. Jerry made his flush when I was betting my kings up, but I filled on seventh street to catch up.

final table In a multi-table tournament: to remain in the game long enough as to make it to the last round of players that can fit at one standard tournament table (usually 9 or 10 players).

fire To make the opening bet of a round, following the same analogy by which chips are called "ammo". I called Ken's bet on fourth with a draw, but I bricked, and when he fired again I had to fold. or I think Randy suspected my earlier bet was a bluff, but when I fired a second shot he let it go.

fish 1. An unskilled player who plays loosely and passively, calling a lot of bets. 2. To risk money on a long-shot bet. 3. The action of calling bets on the flop and the turn to make a hand on the river.

five of a kind A hand possible only in games with wild cards, defeating all other hands, comprising five cards of equal rank.

fixed limit, flat limit See fixed limits.

flash 1. To show the bottom card of the deck while shuffling. 2. To show one or more downcards from one's hand. After everyone folded, Ted

flashed his bluff to the other players.

flat call A call, in a situation where one might be expected to raise. Normally I raise with jacks, but with three limpers ahead of me I decided to flat call. Also "smooth call". Compare to "cold call", "overcall". See slow play (poker).

float To call a bet with an inferior hand, with the intention of bluffing on a later betting round.

floorman, floorperson A casino employee whose duties include adjudicating player disputes, keeping games filled and balanced, and managing dealers and other personnel. Players may shout "floor!" to call for a floorperson to resolve a dispute, to ask for a table or seat change, or to ask for some other casino service.

flop See flop (poker)

flop game A community card game.

flush A hand comprising five cards of the same suit. See rank of hands (poker).

fold See fold.

fold equity The extra value gained by forcing your opponents to fold, rather than seeing the showdown. See also equity.

forced bet See forced bets.

forced-move In a casino where more than one table is playing the same game with the same betting structure, one of the tables may be designated the "main" table, and will be kept full by requiring a player to move from one of the feeder tables to fill any vacancies. Players will generally be informed that their table is a "forced-move" table to be used in this way before they agree to play there. Also "must-move".

forward motion A house rule of some casinos states that if a player in turn picks up chips from his stack and moves his hand toward the pot ("forward motion with chips in hand"), this constitutes a commitment to bet (or call), and the player may not withdraw his hand to check or fold. Such a player still has the choice of whether to call or raise. Compare to "string bet".

fouled hand A hand that is ruled unplayable because of an irregularity, such as being found with too many or two few cards, having been mixed with cards of other players or the muck, having fallen off the table, etc. Compare to "dead hand".

four-flush Four cards of the same suit. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most.

four of a kind A hand containing four cards of equal rank. Also "quads". See rank of hands (poker).

four-straight Four cards in rank sequence; either an open-ender or one-ender. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most. Sometimes "four to a straight".

fourth street 1. The fourth card dealt to the board in community card games. Also "turn". 2. The fourth card dealt to each player in stud.

fox hunt See rabbit hunt.

free card

A card dealt to one's hand (or to the board of community cards) after a betting round in which no player opened. One is thereby being given a chance to improve one's hand without having to pay anything. I wasn't sure my hand was good, but I bet so I wouldn't give a free card to Bill's flush draw.

freeroll See freeroll (poker).

freezeout The most common form of tournament. There's no rebuy, play continues until one player has all the chips.

full, full boat, full hand, full house A hand with three cards of one rank and two of a second rank. Also "boat", "tight". See rank of hands (poker).

full bet rule In some casinos, the rule that a player must wager the full amount required in order for his action to constitute a raise. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing an opening bet of $4 who wagers $7 is deemed to have flat called, because $8 is required to raise. Compare to "half bet rule". See Public cardroom rules (poker) and "All in" betting.

Ggap hand

In Texas hold 'em, a gap hand is a starting hand with at least one rank separating the two cards. Usually referred to in context of one-gap and two-gap hands.

garbage 1. The "muck". 2. A worthless hand.

going south To sneak a portion of your chips from the table while the game is underway. Normally prohibited in public card rooms. Also "ratholing".

grinder A player who earns a living by making small profits over a long period of consistent, conservative play. Compare to "rock".

guts, guts to open 1. A game with no opening hand requirement; that is, where the only requirement to

open the betting is "guts", or courage. 2. Any of several poker variants where pots accumulate over several hands until a

single player wins. See guts.

gutshot An inside straight draw. Ted has a gutshot draw. Also "belly buster".

gypsy To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Also "limp".

Hhalf bet rule

In some casinos, the rule that placing chips equal to or greater than half the normal bet amount beyond the amount required to call constitutes a commitment to raise the normal amount. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing a $4 opening bet who places $6 in the pot is deemed to have raised, and must complete his bet to $8. Compare to "full bet rule". See Public cardroom rules (poker) and "all in" betting.

hammer 1. To bet and raise aggressively. Nora kept hammering, so I folded. 2. "Having the hammer" is being in last position, especially head up. You've got the

hammer; I check to you. 3. A "hammer lock" refers to a player with an almost 100% chance of winning the

pot. 4. In Texas hold 'em, The Hammer refers to a starting hand consisting of a 7-2

offsuit.

hand See hand (poker).

hand-for-hand See hand-for-hand.

hard 1. Aggressive and uncompromising, said of one's play. Jim played me hard all

night; I could never get a break. 2. Chips, as opposed to paper money. I gave the floorman $100 for $50 hard and

$50 soft.

hat See button (poker).

head up, heads up Playing against a single opponent. After Lori folded, Frank and I were heads up for the rest of the hand.

heater See rush.

here kitty kitty A conspicuously small bet made with a very powerful hand in the hope of getting a call from one or more opponents who would otherwise fold to a normal-sized bet.

high, high hand The best hand using traditional poker hand values, as opposed to lowball. Used especially in high-low split games.

high card 1. A no pair hand, ranked according to its highest-ranking cards. 2. To defeat another player by virtue of high-ranking cards, especially kickers.

3. To randomly select a player for some purpose by having each draw one card, the highest of which is selected (for example, to decide who deals first). When all the players get here, we'll high card for the button. Often high card by suit is used for this purpose.

high-low, high-low split See high-low split.

high society 1. Large-denomination chips. Also "society".

hijack The seat immediately to the right of the cutoff.

hit and run To play for a short time, make money, and leave. Also called "chopping" a game.

hog, hogger To win all of the pot in a split-pot game, for example, by having both the best high hand and best low hand simultaneously. Also called "scooping" the pot.

hole, hole cards 1. Face-down cards. Also "pocket cards". I think Willy has two more queens in the

hole. 2. A seat, often preceded by a number relative to the button. Sara opened from the 2-

hole.

hole cam a camera that displays a player's face-down cards ("hole cards") to television viewers. Also "pocket cam".

Hollywood Overt acting to deceive other players. Karl had a big smile when he bet, but it seemed too Hollywood to me, so I called anyway. Also refers to taking excessive time to act — a common suspense-building feature of movies which highly irritates other players when carried out in real life.

home game A game played at a private venue (usually the home of one of the players), as opposed to a casino or public cardroom.

hop the fence To enter the pot with a cold call.

horse A player financially backed by someone else. I lost today, but Larry was my horse in the stud game, and he won big.

H.O.R.S.E. See H.O.R.S.E..

hunt Looking further into the deck after the hand is over to see what cards would have come next. Also "fox hunt", "rabbit hunt".

I

idiot end, ignorant end The bottom end of a straight. Compare to "sucker straight".

immortal Unbeatable; often said of a hand that a player knows cannot be beaten under the circumstances of play. Also "lock", "nuts".

implied odds, implied pot odds See implied pot odds.

improve To achieve a better hand than one currently holds by adding or exchanging cards as provided in the rules of the game being played. I didn't think Paula was bluffing, so I decided not to call unless I improved on the draw.

inside straight See inside straight draw. Also "belly buster", "gutshot". Compare to outside straight draw.

insurance A "business" deal in which players agree to split or reduce a pot (roughly in proportion to the chances of each of them winning) with more cards to come rather than playing out the hand, or else a deal where one player makes a side bet against himself with a third party to hedge against a large loss.

in the bushes, in the weeds A player slow playing is said to be "in the bushes" during the time he is quietly checking and calling while others bet aggressively. He will eventually "decloak".

in the middle 1. In a game with multiple blinds, an incoming player may sometimes be allowed to

post the blinds "in the middle" (that is, out of their normal order) rather than having to wait for them to pass.

2. A player being whipsawed is said to be "in the middle".

in the money To place high enough in a poker tournament to get prize money.

in the tank When a player is facing a bet or raise, typically a large one late in the hand, and takes a long time thinking about whether to call, he is said to have gone "in the tank."

in turn A player, or an action, is said to be in turn if that player is expected to act next under the rules. Jerry said "check" while he was in turn, so he's not allowed to raise.

irregular declaration An action taken by a player in turn that is not a straightforward declaration of intent, but that is reasonably interpreted as an action by other players, such as pointing a thumb up to signify "raise". House rules or dealer discretion may determine when such actions are meaningful and/or binding.

irregularity Any of a number of abnormal conditions in play, such as unexpectedly exposed cards, that may call for corrective action. See Public cardroom rules (poker).

isolation See isolation (poker).

ITM Abbreviation of in the money.

Jjack it up

To raise. jackpot

1. A game of "jackpot poker" or "jackpots", which is a variant of five-card draw with an ante from each player, no blinds, and an opening requirement of a pair of jacks or better.

2. A large pool of money collected by the house and awarded for some rare occurrence, typically a bad beat.

jam To open or raise the maximum amount allowed. Players who "jam a pot" in limit poker keep putting in raises until the cap is reached.

joint A straight.

juice Money collected by the house. Also "vig", "vigorish". See Rake (poker).

Kkeep (a bettor) honest

To call a final bet while not expecting to win, for the primary purpose of discouraging future bluffs.

kicker See kicker (poker).

kill game, kill pot See kill game.

kitty A pool of money built by collecting small amounts from certain pots, often used to buy refreshments, cards, and so on. The home-game equivalent of a rake.

Llaydown

A tough choice to fold a good hand in anticipation of superior opposition. lead

The player who makes the last bet or raise in a round of betting is said to have the lead at the start of the next round.

leg-up (also, leg-up button)

The button used to signify who has won the previous hand in a kill game. Winning a pot in a "2 consecutive pots" kill game with the leg-up button in front of you, results in a kill.

limit The minimum or maximum amount of a bet.

limp, limp in To enter a pot by simply calling instead of raising.

limp-reraise A reraise from a player that previously limped in the same betting round. I decided to limp-reraise with my pocket eights to isolate the all-in player. Also backraise.

live bet A bet posted by a player under conditions that give him the option to raise even if no other player raises first; typically because it was posted as a blind or straddle, or to enter a new game.

live cards In stud poker games, cards that will improve your hand that have not been seen among anyone's upcards, and are therefore presumably still available. In games such as Texas hold 'em, a player's hand is said to contain "live" cards if matching either of them on the board would give that player the lead over his opponent. Typically used to describe a hand that is weak, but not dominated.

live game A game with a lot of action, usually including many unskilled players, especially maniacs.

live one A weak player, especially a maniac.

lock A situation where a player knows that he cannot be beaten, usually because he holds the nut hand.

lock up To "lock up" a seat in a cash game means to place a poker chip, player's card, or other personal effect on the table in front of the seat, to signify that the seat is occupied even though the player may not be present.

loose See loose/tight play. Compare to "tight", "aggressive", "passive".

loose cannon A player who is not afraid to put money in the pot; one who is "gambling" a lot and liable to lose all his money at any given time.

low 1. The lowest card by rank. 2. The low half of the pot in a high-low split.

MM-ratio

See M-ratio.

made hand See made hand. Compare to a drawing hand.

maniac A loose and aggressive player. A player who bets constantly and plays many inferior hands.

match the pot To put in an amount equal to all the chips in the pot.

micro-limit Internet poker games with stakes so small that real cardrooms couldn't possibly profit from them, are said to be at the "micro-limit" level (e.g. 25¢-50¢).

misdeal A deal which is ruined for some reason and must be redealt.

move in In a no-limit game, to "move in" or to "go all in" means to bet one's entire stake on the hand in play. See table stakes.

muck 1. To fold. 2. To discard one's hand without revealing the cards. Often done after winning

without a showdown or at a showdown when a better hand has already been revealed.

3. The discard pile "There were only a couple of cards in the muck"

muppet An inexperienced, unskilled, or foolish poker player. See donkey.

Nnatural card

A card that isn’t wild or otherwise modified by the game rules. In most houses, a natural hand beats an equivalent hand that uses wild cards. For example, a pair comprising a wild card and a natural (Joker, 2♠) would lose to one made from two naturals of the same number (2♥, 2♣).

no-limit See no-limit.

negative freeroll See negative freeroll.

nuts, the See nut hand.

Ooffsuit

Cards that are not of the same suit. The ace of clubs and the king of spades are called ace-king offsuit

one-eyed royals

See one-eyed royals. open

To bet first. See open. open ended, open ended straight draw

An outside straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw". openers

The cards held by a player in a game of "jackpots" entitling him to open the pot. "Splitting openers" refers to holding onto one of your openers after discarding it to prove you had the necessary cards to open should you win the pot.

option 1. An optional bet or draw, such as getting an extra card facedown for 50 cents or

raising on the big blind when checked all the way around. 2. The right to raise possessed by the big blind if there have been no raises.

out of pocket A game which gives the players the ability to add more money to their stack in the middle of a hand. See Table stakes.

outrun To beat another hand, usually by being dealt extra cards after the initial deal.

outs See out (poker).

outside straight, outside straight draw See outside straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw".

overcall To call a bet after others have called, esp. big bets. Jim bet, Alice called, then Ted overcalled. Compare to "cold call", "flat call", "smooth call".

overcard 1. A community card with a higher rank than a player's pocket pair. 2. A higher card. Ted held two overcards to Jill's pair with two cards to come.

overpair In community card games such as Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, a pocket pair with a higher rank than any community card.

over the top To reraise. Ted raised $20, then Alice came over the top for $60 more.

Ppaint

The face cards, Jacks, Queens, and Kings, in a deck. In Texas hold 'em, a flop can be said to be "all paint" if it consists of only these cards. This is also called a "Picasso Flop".

pair See one pair

passive

A style of play characterized by checking and calling. Compare to "aggressive", "loose", "tight".

pat Already complete. A hand is a pat hand when, for example, a flush comes on the first five cards dealt in Draw poker. Also see made hand.

pay off To call a bet when you are most likely drawing dead because the pot odds justify the call.

penny ante Frivolous, low stakes, or "for fun" only; A game where no significant stake is likely to change hands.

perfect The best possible cards, in a lowball hand, after those already named. For example, 7-perfect would be 7-4-3-2-A, and 8-6-perfect would be 8-6-3-2-A.

Picasso flop Slang for "paint". See Flop Slang.

pick-up When the house picks up cash from the dealer after a player buys chips.

pigeon A bad player. Also "donkey", "fish".

play the board In games such as Texas hold 'em, where 5 community cards are dealt, if your best hand is on the board and you go to the showdown you are said to "play the board".

play twice See deal twice.

pocket pair In community card poker or stud poker, when two of a player's private cards make a pair. Also "wired pair".

poker face A blank face that does not reveal anything about the cards being held. Often used metaphorically outside the world of poker.

porch In seven-card stud, the four cards dealt face up to the player.

position See position (poker).

position bet A bet that is made more due to the strength of the bettor's position than the strength of the bettor's cards.

post To make the required small or big blind bet in Texas hold 'em or other games played with blinds rather than antes

post dead To post a bet amount equal to the small and the big blind combined (the amount of the large blind playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small blind as dead money). In games played with blinds, a player who steps away from the

table and misses his turn for the blinds must either post dead or wait for the big blind to re-enter the game. Compare to "dead blind".

post oak bluff See post oak bluff.

pot See pot (poker).

pot-committed More often in the context of a no limit game; the situation where you can no longer fold because the size of the pot is so large compared to the size of your stack.

pot limit See pot limit.

pot odds See pot odds.

price See pot odds. "The price was right for me to call."

probe bet A bet after the flop by a player who did not take the lead in betting before the flop (and when the player that did take the lead in betting before the flop declined to act). Compare to "continuation bet".

proposition player, prop A player that gets paid an hourly rate to start poker games or to help them stay active. Prop players play with their own money, which distinguishes them from shills, who play with the casino's money.

protect, protection See protection (poker).

push To put yourself all-in.

put the clock (on someone) See call the clock.

put on To put someone on a hand is to deduce what hand they have based on their actions and your knowledge of their gameplay. See also tells.

Qquads

Four of a kind. qualifier, qualifying low

A qualifying low hand. High-low split games often require a minimum hand value, such as 8-high, in order to award the low half of the pot.

quarter To win a quarter of a pot, usually by tying the low or high hand of a high-low split game. Generally, this is an unwanted outcome, as it seldom wins enough money to cover the amount bet during the hand.

Rrabbit hunt

After a hand is over, a rabbit hunt means to reveal the last card that would have come up in a community card game with a fixed number of cards. Such activity is usually prohibited in casinos.

rack 1. A collection of 100 chips of the same denomination, usually arranged in 5 stacks in a plastic tray. 2. A plastic tray used for storing a rack of chips.

ragged In community card poker games, if the community cards are likely to be of little or no use to anyone, they are said to be ragged.

rags Worthless (or apparently worthless) cards. Most often refers to small cards in high-hand games, while high cards in low games are more often called "bricks" or "bombs". Also "blank".

rail The rail is the sideline at a poker table - the (often imaginary) rail separating spectators from the field of play. Watching from the rail means watching a poker game as a spectator. People on the rail are sometimes called railbirds.

rainbow Three or four cards of different suits, especially said of a flop.

raise See raise.

rake See rake (poker). Also "juice", "vig", "vigorish".

rakeback Rebate/repayment to a player of a portion of the rake paid by that player, normally from a non-cardroom, third-party source such as an affiliate. Rakeback is paid in many ways by online poker rooms, affiliates or brick and mortar rooms. Many use direct money payments for online poker play. Brick and Mortar rooms usually use rate cards to track and pay their rakeback.

ram and jam To aggressively bet, raise, and reraise.

ratholing To "go south".

rebuy An amount of chips purchased after the buy-in.

redeal To deal a hand again, possibly after a misdeal.

redraw 1. To make one hand and have a draw for a better hand. Ted made a straight on the

turn with a redraw for a flush on the river.. 2. Second or later draws in a draw game with multiple draws.

represent To represent a hand is to play as if you hold it (whether you actually hold it or are bluffing).

reraise Raise after one has been raised. Also coming "over the top".

ring game See ring game.

river See river (poker).

river rat A player whose hand was dominated from the start, but improves his hand on the river to win the pot. See "suck out".

rock 1. A very tight player (plays very few hands and only continues with strong hands). 2. A bundle of chips held together with a rubber band, or other token signifying an

obligatory live straddle. If the player under the gun has the rock, he must use it to post a live straddle. The winner of the pot collects the rock and is obligated to use it in turn.

rolled-up trips In seven-card stud, three of a kind dealt in the first three cards.

rounder See rounder.

runner A tournament entrant, a contestant.

runner-runner A hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and river. Also "backdoor". Compare to "bad beat" and "suck out".

rush A prolonged winning streak. A player who has won several big pots recently is said to be on a rush. Also "heater".

Ssandbag

See slow play (poker). satellite

A tournament in which the prize is a free entrance to another (larger) tournament. scare card

A card dealt face up (either to a player in a game such as stud or to the board in a community card game) that appears to create a strong hand for someone. The Jack of spades on the turn was a scare card because it put both flush and straight possibilities on the board.

scoop In high-low split games, to win both the high and the low half of the pot.

second pair

In community card poker games, a pair of cards of the second-top rank on the board. Compare bottom pair, top pair.

sell In spread limit poker, to sell a hand is to bet less than the maximum with a strong hand, in the hope that more of your opponents will call the bet.

semi-bluff See semi-bluff.

send it Same as "ship it."

set Three of a kind, esp. the situation where two of the cards are concealed in the player's hole cards. Compare to "trips".

set-up A deck that has been ordered, usually King to Ace by suit (spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds). In casinos, it is customary to use a set-up deck when introducing a new deck to the table. The set-up is spread face up for the players to demonstrate that all of the cards are present before the first shuffle. Also called to "spade the deck".

shark A professional player.

shill See shill. Compare to "proposition player".

ship it Same as "send it."

shootout A poker tournament format where the last remaining player of a table goes on to play the remaining players of other tables. Each table plays independently of the others; that is, there is no balancing as players are eliminated. This format is particularly common in European televised poker programs, including Late Night Poker.

short buy In no-limit poker, to buy in to a game for considerably less money than the stated maximum buyin, or less than other players at the table have in play.

short stack A stack of chips that is relatively small for the stakes being played.

shorthanded A poker game that is played with around six players or less, as opposed to a full ring game, which is usually nine or ten players.

showdown See showdown (poker).

side pot A separate pot created to deal with the situation of one player going "all in". See table stakes.

sit and go

A "Sit and Go" is a poker tournament which has no starting time that will start as soon as a set number of players, usually 9 or 10, sign up. Also called sit n' gos and a variety of other similar spellings.

16-way straight draw A hand in draw poker such as 6♥ 7♥ 8♠ (Joker), in which any of sixteen cards (4 fours, 4 fives, 4 nines, 4 tens) can fill a straight.

slow play See slow play (poker). Also "sandbag".

slow roll To delay or avoid showing one's hand at showdown, forcing other players to expose their hands first. When done while holding a good hand likely to be the winner, it is considered poor etiquette, because it often gives other players "false hope" that their hands might win before the slow-roller's is exposed.

small blind See blinds.

small blind special A situation in which (assuming no raising) a player is dealt weak hole cards in the small blind, but ends up making the best hand because they got to see a relatively inexpensive flop. Compare to "big blind special".

smooth call See "flat call".

snow 1. To play a worthless hand misleadingly in draw poker in order to bluff. 2. The worthless hand in question.

soft-play To intentionally go easy on a player (e.g. not betting or raising against him when you usually would).

speeding To play very loose with no identifiable pattern, or to bluff frequently. Also known as speeding around. Compare to "fast".

spike When a flop is spread out, if the first card revealed is the card an underdog needs, they spike that card. More loosely, if any of the flop cards help you, then you spike it. I had Q9 to my opponent's pocket jacks, but I spiked a queen on the flop to take the lead.

splash the pot To throw one's chips in the pot in a disorderly fashion. Not typically allowed, because the dealer can't tell how much has been bet.

split See split (poker) and high-low split.

split two pair In community card poker, a two pair hand, with each pair made of one of your hole cards, and one community card.

spread The range between a table's minimum and maximum bets.

spread-limit A form of limit poker where the bets and raises can be between a minimum and maximum value. The spread may change between rounds.

stack 1. The total chips and currency that a player has in play at a given moment. 2. A collection of 20 poker chips of the same denomination, usually arranged in an

orderly column.

stacked deck See cold deck.

stakes The definition of the amount one buys in for and can bet. For example, a "low stakes" game might be a $10 buy-in with a $1 maximum raise.

stand pat In draw poker, playing the original hand using no draws, either as a bluff or in the belief it is the best hand.

starting hand See starting hand.

steal See steal (poker).

steam Act of playing recklessly when one is frustrated. Compare to "tilt".

stop and go Stop and go or stop 'n' go is when a player bets into another player who has previously raised or otherwise shown aggression. Example: On the flop, Bill bets into Tom, Tom raises, and Bill just calls. On the turn, Bill bets into Tom again. Bill has just pulled a stop 'n' go play. Another version of the "stop and go" is in tournament poker when a player raises pre-flop with the intention of going all in after the flop regardless of the cards that fall. This is typically done when the blinds are high and every chip becomes vital.

straddle bet See straddle bets.

straight 1. Poker hand: see straight. 2. When used with an amount, indicates that the speaker is referring to the total bet,

versus the amount being raised. Alice bets twenty. Bob raises to fifty straight. Also "altogether" or "all day".

straight flush See straight flush.

strategy card A wallet sized card that is commonly used to help with poker strategies in online and casino games.

string bet

To call with one motion and raise with another, or to reach for more chips in the middle of laying a bet/raise without stating the intended amount. String bets are prohibited in public cardroom rules. Compare to "forward motion".

structured A structured betting system is one where the spread of the bets may change from round to round.

stuck Having lost money. I'm stuck $300 right now.

stud 1. A variant of poker. See stud poker. 2. A card dealt face up in Stud poker.

suck out To draw a winning hand despite poor odds.

sucker straight In community card poker variants, a straight completed on the low end of the possible straight on the board. Compare to "idiot end, ignorant end".

suited Having the same suit. See card suits.

suited connectors See suited connectors.

super satellite A multi-table poker tournament in which the prize is a free entrance to a satellite tournament or a tournament in which all the top finishers gain entrance to a larger tournament.

Ttable stakes

See table stakes. tell

See tell (poker). third man walking

A player who gets up from his seat in a cash game, after two other players are already away from the table, is referred to as the "third man walking". In a casino with a "third man walking rule", this player may be required to return to his seat within 10 minutes, or one rotation of the deal around the table, or else his seat in the game will be forfeited if there is a waiting list for the game.

throwing a party A player who is playing like a fool and gambling all of his money away is said to be throwing a party.

three of a kind See three of a kind. Also "trips", "set".

three pair In a seven card game, such as seven-card stud or Texas hold 'em, it is possible for a player to have 3 pairs, although a player can only play two of them as part of a

standard 5-card poker hand. This situation may jokingly be referred to as a player having a hand of three pair. Note that in Omaha hold 'em, it is possible to "have" 4 pair in the same manner.

tight See loose/tight play. Compare to "loose", "aggressive", "passive".

tilt See tilt (poker). Compare to "steam".

to go A term used to describe the amount that a player is required to call in order to stay in the hand, "Alice was deciding whether to call now it was $50 to go."

toke In a brick and mortar casino, a toke is a "tip" given to the dealer by the winner of the pot. Tokes often represent a large percentage of a dealer's income.

top kicker In community card poker games, top kicker is the best possible kicker to some given hand. Usually it would be an Ace, but with an Ace on the board it would be a King or lower. Having "top pair, top kicker" is frequently enough to win a Texas hold 'em hand.

top pair In community card poker games, top pair is a pair of the same rank as the highest ranking card on the board. Compare second pair, bottom pair.

top two A split two pair, matching the highest-ranking two flop cards.

trey A 3-spot card. Casino personnel refer to the 3♣ as the "trey of clubs".

trips When one of a players hole cards in Texas hold 'em connects with two cards on the board to make three of a kind. This differs from a set where three of a kind is made when a pocket pair connects with one card on the flop to make three of a kind. Three of a kind. Compare to "set".

turn See turn (poker).

12-way straight draw A hand in draw poker such as 6♥ 7♥ (Joker) 9♣, in which any of twelve cards (4 fives, 4 eights, 4 tens) can fill a straight.

Uunder the gun

The playing position to the direct left of the blinds in Texas hold 'em or Omaha hold 'em. The player who is under the gun must act first on the first round of betting.

underdog An underdog or dog is a player with a smaller chance to win than another specified player. Frequently used when the exact odds are expressed. Harry might have been bluffing, but if he really had the king, my hand was a 4-to-1 dog, so I folded.

underfull In a community card game, a full house that is one of the lowest full houses possible. For example: in Texas hold 'em, a player holding a pair of deuces with a final board of 2A33Q holds an underfull (Deuces full of Treys). The highest possible full house is Aces full of Treys. Also "underboat".

up When used with a card rank to describe a poker hand, refers to two pair with the named card being the higher pair. For example, a hand of QQ885 might be called "queens up".

up and down straight draw An open ended straight draw. Also called an 'up and down' or an 'up and down draw'.

upcard See upcard.

up the ante Increase the stake. Also commonly used outside the context of poker.

Vvalue bet

A bet made by a player who wants it to be called (as opposed to a bluff or protection bet). This is typically because he has a superior hand that he expects to win at showdown, or a very good draw for which he can increase his pot equity by more than the amount of his bet. See value (poker).

vig, vigorish The rake. See vigorish.

vnh Abbreviation for "very nice hand", used in online poker chat.

Wwake up

To "wake up with a hand" means to discover a strong starting hand, often when there has already been action in front of the player.

walk A walk is the situation where all players fold to the big blind.

wash To mix the deck by spreading the cards face down on the table and mixing them up. A dealer may wash the deck before shuffling.

weak ace

An ace with a low kicker (e.g. four). Also "small ace," "soft ace," "ace-rag." whale

A very high-stakes, usually poor player. wheel

1. A 5-high straight (A-2-3-4-5), with the Ace playing low. See wheel. 2. In deuce-to-seven lowball, the nut low hand (2-3-4-5-7).

whipsaw When a player is caught in the middle between two raisers and must call each bet because of the pot odds. Compare to "crossfire".

wild card See wild card (poker). Compare to bug (poker).

window card An upcard in stud poker. The first window card in stud is called the "door card".

wired pair A "pocket pair".

wrap In Omaha hold 'em, the term for an open ended straight that consists of two board cards and three or four cards from a player's hand. An example would be a player holding 345A with the board 67K is said to have a "wrap" as any 3, 4, or 5, or 8 will make a straight. A hand of 4589 would also be a wrap draw, but would often be referred to as a "big wrap" due to twenty cards making the straight as opposed to thirteen in the first example.

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Zz-game

The lowest-stakes game in the house.