Gambling and cards jargon

About this list

Card-table and casino talk, from poker to whist. A gambling scene reads as real when the players use the right words without explaining them.

200 terms, A to Z

ace-high

Of a hand, in which an ace is the highest-ranking card.

advantage play

A player's use of discouraged or bannable but not illegal techniques, such as card counting, to gain an advantage, usually over the house, at games of chance.

advantage player

One who engages in advantage play.

Alaska hand

A king and a three as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em (see king crab).

American Airlines

A pair of aces as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.

angle shot

An act performed in order to angle-shoot; a trick used to gain unfair advantage.

auction bridge

A precursor to the game of contract bridge.

bad beat

The losing of a hand after being the mathematical favorite to win at the start of the hand.

banking game

A gambling game in which one or more punters play against a banker, who controls the game.

bankruptcy

A rule in Tycoon where if the top player does not get first place that round, they instantly get last place

beat Jack out of doors

Synonym of beggar-my-neighbor.

beer hand

A seven and two as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.

bet out

To be the first in a round to put money in the pot.

bet up

To make one's bet

big blind

The larger of the forced bets, usually equivalent to the minimum bet.

blue peter

In whist, a play that calls for trumps by throwing away a higher card of a suit while holding a lower one.

Boston

In the card game spades, a bid of all 13 tricks.

bottom pair

A pair consisting of one hole card and the lowest-ranking community card.

bridge

Any of a certain family of trick-taking card games.

bring-in

An initial bet normally assigned on the first round of a stud poker game to the player whose upcards indicate the poorest hand.

Broadway

The highest straight in poker, ace-king-queen-jack-ten.

build down

In solitaire card games, to place a card over another card of higher value (e.g. 4♦ over 5♣).

buy-in

A tournament where a player must purchase all of his or her chips before the tournament starts.

card removal

The effect of one player's hole cards altering the frequencies and possible combinations of another player.

card-dead

Of a situation, where a player is consistently dealt poor or weak cards for an extended period of time.

case

The last remaining card of a particular rank.

case the deck

To memorize which cards have been played thus far.

cash

To obtain a payout from a tournament.

cash game

A game where the chips directly represent money and players are free to leave at any time, in contrast to a poker tournament.

check cop

An adhesive used by cheats to steal chips or coins from a stack using the palm of the hand.

check-call

To check and then call a bet by another player in the same betting round.

check-fold

To check and then fold to a bet by another player in the same betting round.

check-raise

To check and then raise a bet by another player in the same betting round.

checks play

In blackjack, an announcement made by the dealer when a player bets more than (some fixed) amount, or when a player suddenly changes their bet size.

chest one's cards

To hold one's hand close to one's chest so that other players cannot see the cards.

Chinese patience

A form of patience that involves pairing cards of equivalent rank.

chip leader

The player with most chips at a given time in a poker tournament.

chip up

To exchange lower-denomination chips for higher-denomination chips.

coat card

A face card, picture card or court card; the king, queen, or jack.

cold call

A call of a bet and one or more raises made by a player who has not already contributed to the pot in the current betting round, usually with further action from the original bettor or raiser yet to come.

cold deck

A hand where two or more players have very strong hands and one or more of them loses a lot of chips despite the strength of the hand(s) involved.

color up

To exchange a high number of low-value chips (of one color) for a lower number of higher value (of a different color), but keeping the same overall value.

come hand

A hand of cards that is not yet complete but has the potential to become a powerful hand when further cards are dealt or shown.

community card

Any of the cards which appear on the board and can be a part of any player's hand.

count cards

To keep track of the cards that have been dealt and those that remain in the deck, in order to calculate the likelihood of certain hands in gambling games such as poker and blackjack.

court card

A king, queen, jack, or sometimes ace in a standard deck of playing cards.

crying call

A call made by a player with a weak hand because they already have a large amount of money in the pot.

dark flow

A state of flow experienced in gambling, especially by slot machine players; a state of intense focus and absorption on gambling.

dead man's hand

A pair of aces and a pair of eights (especially, the black aces and eights), in a player's hand.

dead money

Chips that a player who has since folded has put into the pot.

deal out

not to deal cards to someone who is leaving a game.

double down

To double one's wager, particularly, the name of a specific doubling bet allowed in blackjack.

draw dead

To play a drawing hand that is inevitably going to lose, no matter what the remaining community cards are.

draw live

After the flop or turn, to be able to win a particular hand, depending on the remaining community cards.

drawing hand

A poker hand which requires some specific cards on later rounds in order to become a strong hand.

drinking age

A two and an ace as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em

dry pot

An empty side pot created when a player is all in and is called by at least two other players, but not raised. If subsequent betting occurs, the money will go to the dry pot.

Dutch book

A set of trades or bets such that, regardless of the outcome of events, one party strictly profits and another strictly loses.

each way

For either a win or a place in a competition.

early position

The position of the first players to play the current hand, such as: UTG (under the gun), UTG+1, UTG+2.

elder

Closer to the dealer, i.e. receiving cards earlier than others.

even odds

An opportunity in which the chance of success is equal to that of failure.

five fingers

The five of trumps in the game of Don Pedro.

five hundred

A trick-taking card game with elements of euchre and bridge.

five of a kind

five cards of the same rank, often only possible if one or more wild cards are being used.

fixed limit

A form of poker game where bets and raises can only be a single size as specified by the rules.

fixed odds

A form of betting in which the amount of money that can be won does not change after one has placed a bet.

flat call

To call a raise, as opposed to folding or reraising.

flat joint

Synonym of flat store (“crooked gambling establishment”).

flat store

A crooked gambling establishment, such as a casino running rigged or fixed (dishonest) games of chance.

Flower Garden

A solitaire card game, starting with 36 cards (6 columns of 6 cards each) on the tableau. The sixteen leftover cards become the reserve, also called the bouquet.

follow suit

To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card.

forced bet

The small blind, the big blind, or the ante.

four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank.

full boat

A full house

full of

Used to designate a type of full house; the three of a kind is "full of" the pair.

gaming table

A table or other piece of furniture at which cards, dice or other forms of gambling are played.

get even or get even worse

To take even further risks in a bet to make one's money back, or lose even more trying.

giant kill

A rule in Tycoon where a three of a particular suit (most commonly spades) can beat a single joker. During revolution, most rulesets instead use a two of that suit to do this.

go it alone

To play a hand without the assistance of one's partner.

go it blind

To bet without having examined the cards.

go set

To fail to make bid, thereby earning a negative score.

go-stop

A popular Korean card game played with hwatu cards, similar to the Japanese game of koi-koi.

heads up

Containing only two players.

heads-up

Involving two players. (usually said when there are only two players in the table; or, when all players except two folded)

hearts

One of the four suits of playing cards, in red, marked with the symbol ♥.

hero call

a call, usually on the river, made with a weak hand.

high card

A hand which has no pairs and is not a straight or a flush, and is the lowest possible winning hand.

high low jack

Synonym of pitch (“an American trick-taking card game”).

high-card

Of or related to a high suit card.

high-low

Describing a game in which the high hand and the low hand win.

high-low split

The rule, present in the game Omaha high-low split, of dividing the pot in half, between the player with the highest and lowest-ranking.

hole card

A playing card, dealt face down, that the holder need not reveal until the showdown.

HORSE

A poker variant consisting of five different poker variants, with the rules changing from one variant to the next after every hand.

I doubt it

Synonym of bullshit (“a card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies”).

inside straight draw

A straight draw where a card is missing from the middle of the straight, therefore only one rank can complete the straight.

jack of clubs

One of the 52 playing cards in a standard deck.

king card

In whist, the best unplayed card of a suit.

king of clubs

One of the 52 playing cards in a standard deck.

king of hearts

One of the 52 playing cards in a standard deck.

kings

A pair of kings (playing cards).

knock in

The game of lanterloo.

ladies

An initial hand consisting of a pair of queens.

late position

The position of the last players to play the current hand, usually not counting the blinds, such as: BTN (button), CO (cutoff).

lead out

To bet into a pot postflop from the first betting position.

limit

Being a fixed limit game.

M-ratio

A measure of the health of one's stack: the stack divided by the sum of the small blind, the big blind and the antes of each player. The result (M) is the time (the number of orbits) it would take for one's chips to…

made hand

A poker hand which is already a strong hand regardless of which cards come in later rounds.

main pot

The pot that contains the chips bet and raised by each player, up to the same amount wagered by the player all-in with the least amount of chips. Further bets and raises form the side pot or side pots.

mechanical game

Any game based on chance rather than skill.

middle pair

A pair consisting of one hole card and a community card that is neither the highest-ranking (top pair) or the lowest-ranking (bottom pair).

middle position

The position of players between the early and the late position positions, such as: MP1, MP2, MP3.

mixed marriage

A king and a queen of different suits as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em (see marriage (poker slang)).

monster hand

A powerful hand (group of cards of a player), one that will rarely be beaten.

morning line

A bookmaker's list of competitors and probable odds, published before the opening of the betting.

must-move

Describing a game or table at which the players are committed to move to another game if a seat opens up in that game.

no limit

A style of poker game where bets and raises can be as large as the player is capable of making them.

nuts

An unbeatable hand; the best poker hand available.

one-outer

A hand that wins after receiving the only possible remaining card that could transform it into the best hand.

open ended straight draw

Four cards to a straight where cards of two different ranks could complete a straight. (E.g. 4-5-6-7)

pair royal

three of a kind in certain card games.

pass the trash

The anaconda variant of poker.

pay table

A table of values determining the payouts for various outcomes at the game.

peter

Synonym of blue peter; to call for trump by throwing away a high card while holding a lower one.

pick 'em

An evenly matched game, bout, or event where there is no favorite or underdog.

place money

The payout on such a wager.

play or pay

Either continue with a gambling arrangement or forfeit the money.

play the board

To have as one's best hand the communal cards on the board. A player in such a situation can only achieve a split pot at best, since all the other players can also play the board.

playing card

A piece of specially prepared card stock or thin material bearing identifying symbols such as a number and suit, used primarily for card games, and generally forming part of a deck of such cards.

pocket pair

Two hole cards of the same value.

poor

the second-to-last placer in Tycoon

post the coal

To lay money on a contest.

pot committed

Unable to fold as a strategically correct play, given the current pot odds (ratio of pot size to the cost of a contemplated call).

pot limit

A form of poker game where bets and raises can be any amount between a fixed minimum and the current size of the pot.

prize pool

The total amount of money that is distributed among the winners in a tournament.

queen of clubs

One of the 52 playing cards in a standard deck.

queens

A pair of queens.

re-entry card

A card that enables a hand to gain the lead on a later trick, after that hand has already gained the lead with a different entry card.

rich

the second placer in Tycoon

ring game

A game where the chips directly represent money and players are free to leave at any time, in contrast to a poker tournament.

ring in one's nose

A compulsion to gamble regardless of one's losses.

Ring of Fire

A drinking game in which each card of a pack of playing cards, picked at random from a deck sprawled out in a circle, has a certain consequence (involving drinking, or playing a particular drinking game).

river

To improve one’s hand to beat another player on the final card in a poker game.

royal auction bridge

Synonym of auction bridge.

royal casino

A variant of the game of casino, with different values for the court cards.

royal marriage

A king and a queen of the same suit as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em (see marriage)

Russian Bank

A type of card game similar to solitaire.

scratch card

A lottery ticket containing sections covered with an opaque waxy film which may be removed by scratching to reveal symbols that show whether or not a prize has been won.

set mine

To enter a hand with a low pair in hopes of flopping a set, i.e. three of a kind.

seven come eleven

A superstitious incantation hoping for a favorable initial (comeout) roll of seven or eleven in the game of craps.

seven out

in the game of craps, to roll a seven after having established the "point".

seven-up

A card game similar to all fours, won by scoring seven points.

side money

The chips or money placed in a side pot in a poker game.

side pot

A pot separated from the main pot, containing the chips bet and raised by players, up from the amount wagered by the player all-in with the fewest chips.

sit under

To be on the right side of a player.

sit-and-go

A type of poker tournament which has no scheduled start time and begins once a set number of players have entered the tournament.

slow roll

To make a long pause before calling an all-in bet with a strong, usually very strong, hand.

small blind

The smaller of the forced bets, usually equivalent to half the minimum bet, depending on the variation of poker played.

small-card

Of or related to a small suit card.

smooth call

To call a raise, as opposed to folding or reraising, often to disguise the strength of one's hand.

snake eyes

Two ones, after rolling two dice.

snap call

To instantly call another bet, usually an all in, due to the strength of one's hand.

soft count

The regulated, secure process in a casino of collecting, counting, and recording paper currency from slot machine dropboxes and table game dropboxes.

speed limit

The hand consisting of a pair of 5s, so called in reference to the common speed limit of 55 mph.

split pot

A hand where two or more players have hands of equal value, and the chips in the pot are split equally between them.

sports-bet

To bet on the outcomes of sport matches.

spot card

A playing card which is not a picture card; a card of low value.

spread limit

A poker game where bets and raises can be any amount between a specified minimum and a specified maximum.

stack off

To play an all in pot; to commit all of one's chips to a pot.

steel wheel

The lowest straight flush, ace-2-3-4-5 (all of the same suit).

stone bubble

The point in a poker tournament where after one more player is eliminated all players will be guaranteed prize money (but the eliminated player receives no prize money).

stop-and-go

A combination of moves in which, before the flop is dealt, the player calls on an opponent's raise, and then after the flop is dealt, goes all in, regardless of whether the flop works with their hand.

string bet

Action where a player first calls, bets or raises a certain amount and then adds more. It can be used to gather weakness/strength tells from opponents before deciding how many chips to add into the pot. It is not…

suck out

To win a hand, usually on a showdown, by hitting a card on the turn or river to make a better hand than one's opponent, even though one had a significantly inferior hand on the flop.

suicide king

A king of hearts in a deck of playing cards.

TAG

Tight (inclined to play only strong starting hands and fold otherwise) and aggressive (inclined to raise often).

Texas hold 'em

A variant of poker in which players receive two cards each, and five other cards are shared between them.

that's why they play the game

The outcome of a match or competition is uncertain until it is finished, and the favored team does not always win; the outcome is seldom decided on paper.

three of a kind

A hand including three cards of the same rank.

three wise men

three of a kind kings

time-on-device

The time spent playing on a gaming machine, seen as a metric.

tip one's hand

In card playing, to accidentally reveal one's cards or hand.

top pair

A pair consisting of one hole card and the highest-ranking community card.

trip

Of or relating to trips (three of a kind).

trips

Three of a kind, especially if one of the three cards is in one's hand and the other two are on the board. Compare set (“three of a kind, especially with one card on the board and the other two in one's hand”).

trump card

A playing card, of the trump suit that is held in reserve until needed to win a trick.

twenty-one

Blackjack.

two of a kind

A combination of two cards of the same rank.

two pair

A hand which contains two pairs.

two-table

To play at two tables simultaneously.

Union Oil

A lowball hand with a seven and a six as the two highest cards

up and down straight draw

An open ended straight draw

up-and-down straight draw

A poker hand that has four cards to a straight, where there are two different ranked cards that will complete the straight. E.g. 4-5-6-7, either a 3 or 8 could make a straight. It is used only when the player has not…

value bet

A bet placed with the intention of being called in order to extract more money from a likely worse hand.

value raise

A raise made with the intention of being called in order to extract more money from a likely worse hand.

wheel of fortune

A gambling or lottery device consisting of a wheel which is spun horizontally to determine, by its stopping position, whether a gambler will receive one of the prizes marked around its circumference.

white chip

A poker chip of low value.

wild card

A card that can be assigned any value or used to substitute for any needed card.

worry back

In a patience or solitaire game, to return a card from a foundation to the tableau.

younger

Synonym of junior.