Poker is a game of skill, strategy, and luck. If you’re looking to up your game, it’s important to know the language of poker. Here are some common poker phrases and idioms that will help you improve your game:
1. All in – This phrase means to bet all of your chips on one hand.
2. Ante up – Before you can start betting in a poker game, you must first put an ante into the pot.
3. Bet the farm – To bet the farm is to wager everything you have on one hand. This is usually only done when someone is confident they will win the hand.
4. Fold – To fold is to give up on a hand and forfeit your chips.
5. Get a read on somebody – To get a read on someone is to try to figure out what cards they have based on their betting patterns and body language.
6. Go all in – See “all in.”
7. Hit the felt – This phrase means to be eliminated from a tournament.
8. On a roll – When a player is on a roll, they are having a winning streak.
9. Push – To push is to force another player to match your bet.
10. River – The river is the final card dealt in a hand of poker. It’s also known as Fifth Street.
11. Showdown – The showdown is when all players reveal their cards and the winner is determined.
12. Tell – A tell is a physical or verbal cue that gives away what kind of hand a player has.
13. Tighten up – To tighten up is to play fewer hands, only betting when you have a good chance of winning.
14. Turn – The turn is the fourth card dealt in a hand of poker. It’s also known as Fourth Street.
15. Up the ante – To increase the stakes of a hand, usually by raising the bet.
The ultimate list of poker phrases and idioms
1. Aces up – This phrase is used to describe a hand that contains two aces.
2. Act out of turn – This phrase is used to describe when a player breaks the order of play by making a move before it is their turn.
3. All-in – This phrase is used to describe when a player bets all of their chips on a single hand.
4. Ante – This is a small bet that all players must make before each hand begins.
5.Bad beat – This phrase is used to describe when a player loses despite having a strong hand.
6. Bankroll – This refers to the total amount of money that a player has available to them for gambling purposes.
7. Bet out of turn – This phrase is used to describe when a player makes a bet before it is their turn to do so.
8. Blank card – This term is used to describe a card that does not have any value or suit.
9. Bluff – This term is used to describe a situation where a player bets or raises with a hand that is not strong in an attempt to trick their opponents into folding.
10. Boat – This term is used to describe a full house (a hand containing three of one kind and two of another).
11. Bottom pair – This term is used to describe when a player pairs the lowest card on the board with one from their hand.
12. Break even – This term is used to describe a situation where a player neither wins nor loses money.
13. Bring it in – This phrase is used to describe when the player who is first to act in a betting round makes the minimum bet.
14. Burn card – This term is used to describe the practice of discarding one card from the top of the deck before dealing any cards to the players.
15. Call – This term is used to describe when a player matches the current bet made by another player instead of folding or raising.
16. Calling station – This term is used to describe a player who tends to call a lot instead of betting or raising themselves.
17. Cash out – This term is used to describe when a player cashes in their chips for real money.
18. Check – This term is used to describe when a player does not make a bet but instead chooses to stay in the hand without putting any more money at risk.
19. Chip count – This term is used to describe the number of chips each player has remaining.
20. Connectors – This term is used to describe cards that are next to each other in rank (e.g., 7-8).
21. Control pot – This phrase is used to describe a situation where a player is the one who usually controls how much money is in the pot by betting or raising often.
22. Cooler – This term is used to describe a situation where two players have very strong hands and the winner takes all of the chips from the pot.
23. Cracking aces – This term is used to describe when a player with a hand of two aces loses to another player who has a better hand.
24. Cut-off – This term is used to describe the position to the right of the dealer button.
25. Dark – This term is used to describe when a player makes a bet without looking at their cards first.
26. Dead man’s hand – This term is used to describe when a player has a hand of two pair (aces and eights) that was famously held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot dead.
27. Deal – This term is used to describe the distribution of cards to the players.
28. Dealer – This term is used to describe the person who is in charge of dealing the cards and managing the pot.
29.Dominated hand – This term is used to describe a hand that is likely to lose to another hand because it contains a lower rank card of the same suit (e.g., an Ace-Queen vs an Ace-King).
30. Double up – This term is used to describe when a player doubles their chips by winning a hand after being all-in.
The top 10 poker phrases that will make you sound like a pro
1. “It’s all about the cards you’re dealt”
This phrase is often used to describe the importance of luck in poker. While it is true that luck plays a role in the game, skill and strategy are also important factors.
2. “The early bird gets the worm”
This phrase means that it is better to act early than to wait and see what others do. In poker, this can be applied to situations where you have a good hand and you want to bet early to try and win a large pot.
3. “You’ve gotta play your cards right”
This phrase means that you need to make smart decisions in order to win at poker. If you make careless mistakes, you will likely lose money.
4. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”
This phrase means that you should not put all of your chips (money) in the pot on one hand. If you do this and lose, you will be out of the game.
5. “Slow and steady wins the race”
This phrase means that it is better to make small, consistent profits than to try and win a lot of money all at once. In poker, this can be applied to situations where you are playing against opponents who are taking risks.
6. “A rising tide lifts all boats”
This phrase means that when the pot (the amount of money in the middle of the table) gets bigger, all of the players have a chance to win more money.
7. “Poker face”
This phrase means that you should not show any emotions while you are playing poker. If you show happiness or sadness, you may give away information about your hand.
8. “The house always wins”
This phrase means that in the long run, the casino (or poker room) will always make more money than the players. This is because the casino has a built-in advantage due to the way the game is structured.
9. “You can’t beat aces with sevens”
This phrase means that it is very difficult to win a hand when you are only holding two cards (sevens). This is because aces are the highest-ranking cards in poker.
10. “I’ll see your raise and raise you”
This phrase means that you will match the previous bet and then increase it. This is often done when you have a good hand and you want to make the pot bigger.
