Basic Poker Lingo

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One of the first things a novice player will notice when playing, or studying, poker is the large number of slang terms the poker world uses. While there are many more past this list, here is a list of many of the most common ones.


Back door: Hitting a lucky hand for the win: usually unintended. Most common example is having a pair versus a better pair or trips, then hitting runner-runner for a flush.

Bad beat: A hand that is a huge favorite to win, but ends up losing (often to a back door)

Bubble: The area of a poker tournament when everyone is close to the cut off point for money, but not quite there.

Bust: Losing everything.

Calling station: A player who calls almost all the time no matter what.

Coin Toss: An all-in situation where both players have about a 50% chance of winning the hand.

Connectors: Pocket cards that connect in rank, for example 7-8 or Ace-King.

Cracked: To have the best starting Texas Hold’Em hand (pocket aces) beaten.

Crap Shoot: A table where the players are aggressive and the action is wild and crazy.

Dealer's choice: A type of game (almost always a home game) where the seated players take turns deciding what game to play. Choices often include Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and 7-Card Stud.

Drawing dead: A hand that is so badly beaten that no card or combination of cards can win for that player.

Free roll: A multi-table tournament that has no entry fee but still pays money to the top winners.

Heads up: When only two players are in a pot or game.

Hi/Lo: A game where half the pot goes to the player with the best hand and the other half goes to the player showing the worst hand. Usually played as a version of Omaha or 7 Card Stud.

Kicker: If a player makes a pair with one of his hole cards, the other is called the kicker. If another players holds the same pair, the highest kicker wins the pot.

Nuts: The best possible hand any player can have.

Outs: The total number of cards that a player can catch to win a hand. For example, if you have a pair of kings, but an opponent has a pair of aces you have two outs to win (another king).

On the Button: Being in the dealer's position and therefore with the advantage of acting last.

Pot odds: A comparison between the amount of money needed to call a bet, the total amount in the pot, and the chance of actually winning the hand. An intermediate to advanced skill.

Rags: Low community cards that shouldn’t have any effect on the outcome of a hand.

Read: Studying other players to pick up tells that help you determine his or her hand.

Re-buy: A tournament feature that, for a limited time only, allows players who bust out of a tournament to buy their way back in again.

Runner-Runner: Catching two lucky cards in a row on the turn and the river to win.

Sandbagging: Playing a very strong hand weakly with the hope that someone will bluff heavily, allowing a bigger pay day.

Tell: A clue, whether physical or in betting patterns, that help reveal whether the player has a strong hand or is bluffing.

Tilt: Playing badly because of frustrations of losing—often occurs after getting beat one or more times by big underdog hands that get lucky.

Under the Gun: The position to the immediate left of the big blind, generally the weakest table position.