[DrPhysic]

A (semi) Comprehensive Dictionary of Online Poker Terms and Abbreviations, part 1,V1.2

There are several categories of words and abbreviations in this document:

Poker terms, eg:
Aces full
Freeze Out

Poker terms unique to or more used in online poker, eg:
TAG
Bonus whoring

Online communication terms and abbreviations from e-mail, IM, etc, eg:
TY
IMHO

Abbreviations of names of poker books listed with author (Note not all books are commonly referred to by abbreviations), eg:
TOP
SS/SS2

Names of 2 card starting hands, eg:
Dolly Parton
Route 66

Mathematical terms used in poker (very limited. this is not a math book), eg:
Std Dev
VP$IP

Poker term definitions intended only as humor.
Plagiarism
Toke, def 2

Names and descriptions of cardgames (kitchen table cardgames are largely ignored), eg:
California lowball
Omaha8

Poker Terms unique to B&M cardrooms (very limited, there are extensive B&M cardroom dictionaries online), eg:
Color up
String bet

I believe these are the most often used definitions of the words, terms, and abbreviations commonly used in the forums and in online poker. I make no apology for the political correctness of poker players or the poker vernacular. I also make no claim that the list of about 1000 words is complete or that every one is 100% accurate, although most are. The members of the forum can continue to correct, and add to this list as appropriate.


~$7
Approximately $7. [/b]

“Time”
An expression used to stop the action on a hand. Equivalent to “Hold it”, or “Time Out.”

+EV
Positive expected value.

$EV
Dollar Expected Value – the expected profit or loss in dollars associated with a decision.

2+2’er
Those that actively take part in the discussions on the 2+2 forums.

21C 7S
Seven Card Stud For Advanced Players 21st Century Edition, David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Ray Zee.

21CHE
Hold'em For Advanced Players 21st Century Edition, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth.

3-bet
The first reraise (putting 3 bets in).

7CSFAP
Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players, Ray Zee.

8-or-better
The requirement in high-low split games that the low half of the pot be awarded only to a hand that is 8-high or lower.

9To
Nine Ten offsuit.

A-B-C
Playing predictably, or by the book.

Absolute nuts
The best possible hand, based on the board cards. Sometimes simply called the nuts.

AC
Atlantic City.

According to Hoyle
With respect to the rules of poker: proper, that is, following the rules. See Hoyle, Edmond.

Ace high
In high poker a hand whose highest card is an ace, having no pair or higher hand.

Ace in the hole
In a stud game, having an ace as one's downcard or one of one's downcards.

Ace magnets
KK

Ace-high flush
A hand of 5 cards of one suit, one of which is the ace of that suit.

Ace-high straight
A hand of 5 consecutive values the highest of which is an ace.

Aces full
A full house consisting of three aces and a smaller pair.

Aces up
A pair of aces with any other pair. All two pair are referred to similarly with the "highest of the two pair - up"

Act
Make a poker play at the required time; check, call, bet, raise, or fold, as appropriate, in turn.

Active player
A player still in the pot

Action
A fold, check, call, bet, or raise.
The relative liveliness of a game, often measured by the frequency and quantity of bets and raises.
Turn. eg: The action is on you.

Active Player
A player still involved in a hand.

Add on
A last buy-in optionally permitted in a rebuy tournament, usually with no minimum chip requirement.

Advantage
See edge.

Advantage player
A person who playes only in games where he believes he has a statistical advantage over the house.

Advertise
To show a hand for the purpose of misleading other players regarding your standards of play.

AFAICT
As far as I can tell.

AFAIK
As far as I know.

A-game
One's best game, in terms of the quality of one's play.

Aggie slick
23

Aggression factor
(bets made + raises made) / calls made may or may not include pre-flop action.

Aggressive
Adjective used to describe a player who plays in the opposite manner to the weak player. This player bets and raises often, while calling and checking infrequently. The exception would be checkraising.

Aggressive action
A wager that could enable a player to win a pot without a showdown; a bet or raise.

Ainsworth
62

Ajax
AJ

AKQJT
Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten

Alabama night riders
KKK

All black
Having a spade or club flush. Also, all blue, all purple.

All blue
A flush containing either clubs or spades.

All blue (or all pink)
A flush.

All pink
A flush containing either diamonds or hearts.

All-In
To push all of your remaining chips into the pot.

American Airlines
AA

Angle
A maneuver, usually on the border between legality and illegality (but usually clearly unethical), to take unfair advantage of another player.

Angle shooter
A poker player who uses various underhanded, unfair methods to take advantage of inexperienced opponents.

Angling
Taking action or talking when it is not your turn in order to mislead your opponent. Some consider this to be cheating, others consider these tactics to be a part of the game.

Animal
Nickname for a player that is highly loose-aggressive. See Maniac.

Ante
A prescribed amount posted before the start of a hand by all players.

Aquarium
Place to find fish, as part of the phrase Don't tap on the aquarium (possibly attributable to Phil Gordon).

Arkansas flush
Four flush.

Assault rifle
Having A-K-4-7 as your hole cards in Omaha.

Ax
An ace with any second card.

Axs
An ace with a second card of the same suit.

AZ
Arizona.

B&M
Brick & Mortar ie: casino or card room, not online.

B/C
Bet and call a raise.

B/F
Bet and fold to a raise.

Baby
A low-ranked card, usually 2 through 5, in games other than lowball. A through 5 in lowball.

Bachelor hand
JKo

Back
Finance another player.

Back into
To make a hand that is different than the hand you were originally trying for.

Backdoor
A hand that requires help from both the turn and river in order to win. See: runner-runner.

Backer
Someone who finances another player.

Bad beat
To have a hand that is the clear mathematical favorite lose to a heavy underdog (especially if that hand should not have been involved in the pot).

Bad-beat story
A story told by someone who lost a pot, often a big one, in a bad beat. Usually no one but the teller is interested in hearing the story.

Bad game
A game in which your opponents are too good for you to expect to win. A game in which you are an underdog.

Bait
A small bet made to encourage a raise.

Bankroll
Money that is earmarked for poker.

Baskin-Robbins
3A

BB
Big blind or big bet depending on how it is used in context.

BB/100
# of big blinds won per 100 hands played.

BBL
Be back later.

Beatles reunion
AAA

Beer hand
72

Belly buster
Inside straight draw.

Berry Patch
An easy game, with many poor players.

Best of it
A situation where a wager can be expected to be profitable in the long run.

Bet
The act of placing a wager in turn into the pot on any betting round.
The chips put into the pot.

Bet into
Take the initiative in the betting action with the knowledge that your opponent has a potentially strong hand.

Bet for value
A bet made with the intention of getting called by one or more lesser hands, as opposed to getting the others to fold.

BG
Backgammon.

Bicycle
In ace-to-five lowball, a 5-high straight. See: Wheel.

Big
$1000. "I lost six big" means "I lost $6000."

Big Bet
In limit games in which the size of the maximum bet increases in later rounds, a big bet is the largest bet size.

Big bet poker
Pot Limit or No Limit poker are referred to as Big Bet poker, as opposed to limit poker. The "big" in a sense refers to the size of bets relative to the pot, irrespective of the amount of money involved.

Big blind
The first bet posted by the player to the left of the player who posts the small blind. It is a forced bet. The big blind bet amount is equal to the lower bet. For example, in a $10/$20 game, the big blind is $10. Applies in Texas Hold'em Omaha Omaha Hi-lo.

Big chick
In texas hold’em, an ace and a queen (suited or unsuited) as your hole cards.

Big Fritz
K2s

Big lick
69

Big slick
AK as the first two down cards in texas hold'em.

Bitch
Q

Bite
Vigorish.

BJ
Black Jack (the game, not the cards).

Black
$100 chip.

Black maria
The queen of spades; sometimes called just Maria.
The ace of spades, particularly when associated with the game of high spade in the hole.

Blank
Any card that doesn't look like it's going to help anyone. See Rag.

Bleed
Win or lose a lot of money a little at a time.

Bleeding chips
Losing.

Blind
A forced bet put in by one or more players immediately to the left of the button before any cards are dealt.
A hand that has not been looked at as in, "Joe played his hand blind."

Blind game
A game which utilizes a blind.

Blind off
In a tournament, when a player pays the blinds, but is not playing.

Blocky
63

Bluff
A bet with a weak hand (typically a busted hand), usually intended to get other players to fold.

Board
A community card in the center of the table, as in hold’em or Omaha.

Boat
Full house.

BOHICA
An abbreviation for “Bend over, here it comes again.”

Bonus whoring
Taking advantage of deposit bonus offered by various poker sites.

Bookends
AT

Bot
A bot is a computer program that plays poker. Bots are highly controversial since they are seen as a threat to online poker. If there were too many successful bots, the games would become incredibly difficult to beat. Bots are against the terms and conditions of online poker rooms, and poker rooms will shut down players they suspect to be bots. Origin: abbreviation of robot.

Bottom pair
If there are three cards of different ranks on the flop in hold'em, and you pair the lowest one, you have middle pair.

Bounty
A reward given in a tournament to someone who meets certain criteria. often: knocking a certain person out of the tournament or winning with a certain hand.

Bowling hand
7T

BR
Bank roll, funds available for poker.

Brick
A blank card, especially in stud games.

Bridge Order
Suit order according to the game of bridge, that is, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. Bridge order comes into play in poker in 3 circumstances:
Breaking a tie for high card in determining which hand gets the odd chip.
Who has the high-card forced bet in seven-card stud (home games), or
Who starts the deal on the first hand at a particular table.

Bring In
Forced bet by the lowest card on third street in 7 card stud.

Broadway
An ace-high straight.

Broadway card
Any card that can be used to make a Broadway. ie: Ace throught Ten.

Broderick Crawford
T4

Broken game
A game no longer in action.

Broomcorn’s Uncle
A player who antes himself broke.

Brown Trout
A recognition phrase for 2+2 posters, started as a joke on Internet Forum. Originally “Does the Brown Trout sleep in the closet?”

Bubble
Finishing a tournament 1 position out of the money.

Bug
A joker, usually in five card draw or draw lowball.

Bullets
AA

Bully
A very aggressive player is one that would be bullying the game, that is, creating a lot of action by his continuous betting and raising.

Bully Johnson
35

Bump
To raise.

Bump It
To raise.

Buried
A buried pair is a pair in the hole in seven card stud.

Burn
Placing the top card of the deck into a separate pile, ensuring that it is not used. This is to help prevent cheating.

Burn card
The card removed from the deck on a burn. See burn.

Bust
To run out of money, especially in a tournament.

Bust out
To lose your buy in. See Bust.

Busted hand
A hand in poker without so much as a pair. A busted hand that missed a draw to a straight or a flush is a busted straight or a busted flush.

Button
The disk, position, or person that represents the dealer in a given hand, the last player to act preflop.

Buy
To buy a pot is to make a bet large enough that other players would be extremely unlikely to call.

Buy in
The amount of money that is necessary to play a particular game.

Buy the button
Betting or raising in order to make any players between you and the button fold.

Buy the pot
To bluff bet or raise in order to win the pot.

BWDIK
But what do I know.

C/C
Check and call any bet.

C/F
Check and fold to any bet.

C/R
Check and raise after any bet.

C&R
Ciaffone & Reuben

Calamity Jane
Qs

California lowball
Ace-to-five lowball with a joker.

Call
To match the current high bet.

Calling station
A player who often checks or calls, but rarely bets or raises.

Cambodian slick
74o

Cap
The final raise in a given round allowed by the rules.

Capped
Describes the situation in limit poker in which the maximum number of raises on the betting round have been reached.

Cards speak
The face value of a hand in a showdown is the true value of the hand, regardless of a verbal announcement.

Case
The last card of a specific rank.

Catch
When the cards are treating you well, you are said to be catching cards.
To receive a card that completes a good hand.

CB Hand
T4

CC
Cha-Ching.

cEV
Chip Expected Value – the expected profit or loss in chips associated with a decision.

Chameleon
Player in a game who changes and varies his style of play from wild and unpredictable to tight and aggressive.

Change gears
Alter the pace of one's playing, usually as a deceptive move against the other players, as, for example, change from fast, aggressive play to a more conservative style.

Chase
To play a hand that is most likely worse than at least one other player. eg: to chase a flush.

Check
To pass without betting, retaining the right to act if another player bets.

Check behind
To check when it's been checked to you.

Check-raise
Checking when the action is originally to you, then raising once someone after you bets.

Chip
A round token in various denominations denoted by color used to represent money.

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.

Chop
Splitting the pot.

Chump
Inexperienced player.
Sucker.

CK
Check.

CO
Cut off, player one seat to the right of button.

Coffeehouse
To talk about a hand one is involved in, usually with the intent of misleading or manipulating other players, is coffeehousing. Marginally ethical.

Cold
A player not doing well.
A deck producing no good hands.

Cold call
To call more than one bet at a time ie: calling a bet and a raise. Not the same as calling a bet, then calling a subsequent raise.

Collection
The fee charged in a game (taken either out of the pot or from each player). See vigorish.

Collusion
Collusion is a form of cheating. Players will work in a team to try to gain an advantage over the other players. They will somehow signal to each other what their cards are. They will then use this information to gain an unfair advantage. Collusion is illegal.

Color change
A request (by the house) to change the chips from one denomination to another.

Color down
Exchanging chips for those of a lower denomination.

Color up
Exchanging chips for those of a higher denomination.

Columbia River
K7

Come
The anticipation of making a hand.
To raise “on the come”, raise in anticipation of making a hand, flush etc, on later streets.

Come back at
Re-raise

Come hand
A drawing hand. Example: An open-ended straight is a come hand.

Common card
Community card

Community card
Any card dealt to the center of the table and considered part of each active player's hand.

Complete the bet
When the small blind chooses to call by putting in the chips necessary to match the big blind.

Computer hand
Q7

Concealed Hand
A hand played in such a way that you would not suspect it of being very good, but that turns out to be so.

Connectors
In hold 'em, two cards in sequence suited or unsuited, usually with reference to hole cards.

Conservative
Describing a player, or the play of one, who does not bet unless it is very likely that he has the best hand, see Rock

Cooler
Cold deck.

Coordinated Board
A board that is likely to have hit someone hard if they hit it or given someone a strong draw.

Counterfeit
When your hand loses value because a board card duplicates it, a board card gives others the same hand, or gives all a higher hand.
Having a probable winner turned into a probable loser by the appearance of another card on the board.

Courtesy bet
A bet (usually a bluff) made when you are fairly sure your opponent is going to call or raise.

Covered
Having more chips than your opponent in a tournament.
Having more than enough chips to meet the current bet.

Cowboys
KK

CP
Card Player.

Crabs
33

Crack
To beat a big hand.



Cripple (an opponent)
To win a critical hand in a tournament, leaving your opponent very short-stacked.

Cripple the deck
Your hand contains most or all of the beneficial cards that could be used in conjunction with the board.

Crying call
To call with no cards to come, while expecting to lose.

Curse of Scotland
9d

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 bottom card.

Cutoff
The person to the right of the button.

Dames
QQ

Dark
Taking action, such as checking or betting, without seeing your hole cards.

Darth Vader
4s-4c 'the dark fours'.

Dead card
A dead card is a card that is no longer available to help you.

Dead Man’s Hand
AA88 all black. The hand Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot in the back by Jack McCall in the Mann-Lewis Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota, on August 2, 1876. There is some discrepancy as to the fifth card. It may have been a red jack.
Colloquially: Any two pair, Aces and 8s.

Dead money
Money invested in a tournament by a player or players unlikely to win.
Money put in the pot by people who are no longer in contention to win the pot.
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.
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.”

Deception
Any action in violation of the fundamental theorem of poker, that has a +ev result due to a subsequent violation of the fundamental theorem of poker by the opponent, stemming from the disinformation presented by the original action or non-action.

Deck
A set of playing-cards. The deck consists of either 52 cards in 7 stud, hold'em, and Omaha, or 53 cards including the joker in ace-to-five lowball and draw high.

Declare
Declare games are games in which you must declare the value of your hand in order to claim the pot. A typical example is a high-low split game in which you must declare before showdown whether you are claiming the high, low, or both pots.

Defensive bet
A bet that is sometimes made to limit your potential loss in a hand. For example a player wants to see his opponent’s hand but feels that if he checks his opponent would make too large a bet for him to call. Therefore rather than having to call a large bet, he makes a smaller defensive bet.

Deuce
2

Deuce to seven
In a game played for low, deuce to seven means that the best low hand is simply the worst poker hand. 75432 with no flush is the worst possible hand.

Devil
6666

Dinner for four
Pair of 6's & 9's.

Dinner for two
69

Discard
In a draw game, to throw cards out of your hand to make room for replacements.

Discards
In a draw game the card(s) thrown away; the muck.

Disconnect protection
A tool to protect players in the event that their internet connection is lost while involved in a pot. Also known as "All-in protection".

Divorce
KQ

Dog
Underdog.

Dog balls
88

Dolly Parton
95

Dominated hand
A hand that contains 3 or fewer outs against another hand. AQ vs AK.

Donk
Loosely, a poor player. Often a "table coach".

Donkbet
Min raise, esp a minimum bet into a reasonable size pot.

Door card
The first card dealt face up to each player in seven card stud is the door card.

Double belly buster
Double inside straight draw 7,9,T,J,K.

Double pop
Immediately raise a bet so that subsequent players have to call two raises.

Double Shootout
A tournament of 9 (or possibly 10) tables. The winner of each table moves on to a final table. Used as both regular cash tournaments and as satellites to larger tournaments.

Double through
In no-limit, double a small stack by beating someone with a large stack heads up.

Double up
In no-limit, double a small stack by beating someone with a large stack heads up.

Downcards
Cards that are dealt facedown in a stud game.

Down to the felt
Out of money or chips

Doyle Brunson
Having T2 as your hole cards in hold'em (also known as a "Doyle Brunson"). Doyle Brunson won the WSOP on two occasions with these hole cards.

DP
Draw Poker.

Drag
Winning a pot.

Draw
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.”

Drawing dead
To be involved in a hand that, even if you draw the cards necessary to make your hand, you will still lose.

Drawing hand
A hand which must be improved to win is a drawing hand. eg: 4 straight or 4 flush.

Drawing live
Draw to a hand that will win if made

Draw out on
To draw out on someone is to outdraw them. eg: draw a card making a better hand, esp on a later street.

Drop
Fold.
Lose a given amount of money.

Ducks
22

Dump
To fold a hand.

Dykes
QQ

Early position
In a poker game, the first few positions to the left of the dealer, or to the left of the obligatory blinds. Some claim early position, in a game with eight or more players, is the first three positions.

Easy Money
Easy pickings in a poker game.
Money won from inexperienced players.

Edge
The advantage a good player has in a poker game.

8 or Better
The requirement in high-low split games that the low half of the pot be awarded only to a hand that is 8-high or lower.

eg
example.

EMP
Early middle position.

EP
Early position.

EPT
European Poker Tour.

Equity
Your mathematical share of a pot, based on the amount in the pot and your chances of winning it.

Ethics
The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular group, culture, etc.

Etiquette
Conventional requirements as to social behaviour.
the code of ethics of a profession.

EV
Expected value.

-EV
Negative expected value.

Expected Value
In probability theory, the overall expected payoff of a particular event, calculated by multiplying the probability of each possible outcome by the payoff from each. One's EV from calling a bet, for example, is the sum of all possible outcomes from calling the bet multiplied by the probability of each. Note that since a bet costs money to make, the payoff of some outcomes--and therefore the EV itself--may be negative.

Face card
Any jack, queen, or king. Also called court card, paint, picture, picture card.

Family pot
A pot in which many players are involved.

FAQ
Frequently asked questions.

Fast
Used to describe playing a hand aggressively in order to try to win a pot without allowing others to draw out on you.

Favorite
The hand that is expected to win most often in a particular situation.

FE
Fold equity.

Felt
The surface of most poker tables is made of some sort of felt, or is in any case referred to as such.

FH
Full house

Fifth Street
In seven-card stud, the fifth card dealt to each player.
In hold’em the fifth community card. River card.

Fill
To draw a card that makes a five-card hand (straight, flush, full house, straight flush).

Fill up
To draw to and make a full house either from trips or two pair.

Fire
To bet or raise.

Fish
A poor poker player, relative to their competition, Live one, A very loose player.

Fishhooks
JJ

Five and dime
5T

Fixed Limit
Poker in which all bets are made in specified increments, that is, the size of each betting increment does not increase on any round of betting.

Flash
To show one or more of your cards, usually when it is not required.

Flat call
To call one or more bets without raising, when you are quite sure that you have the best hand. See also smooth call.

Flat tire
J4

Floor
Shortened form of “Floor Person”; a casino employee who helps to seat players and makes rules decisions when a dispute arises.

Flop
In hold’em or Omaha, the three community cards that are turned simultaneously after the first round of betting is complete.

Flush
A hand in which all five cards share the same suit.

Folding Equity
Percentage of times all remaining opponents will fold to your bet times total chips you stand to gain when they do all fold
The value that comes from the possibility that other players will fold to your bet.
Relative stack size representing the potential of players folding to your bet. With a short stack you have no folding equity.

Forced bet
A mandatory bet. eg: the blinds in hold'em, forced bring-in bet by the low hand on third street in 7 card stud.
Also: a bet required by logic rather than rules.

Forest
3333

Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank. Also called quads.

Fourflush
A hand with four cards of the same suit.

Fourth street
The second upcard in seven-card stud or the first boardcard after the flop in hold’em (also called the turn card).

FPP
Frequent Player Points. Points that are credited to your account when playing at Poker Stars.

FPS
Fancy Play Syndrome said to be attributable to B. Greenstein.

Fred & Ethel
JQ

Free card
Whenever you get to see an additional card without having to call a bet, it's a free card.

Free card play
Betting or raising in late position on the flop in the hopes that the other players will check to you on the turn, give you the option of seeing the river card for free.

Free ride
A street on which no one bets.

Free roll
Having a lock on half the pot, but also having a chance to win the whole pot.
A tournament which requires no cash entry fee.
A chance to win something at no risk or cost.

Freeze Out
A table-stakes game that continues until a small number of players (possibly only one) has all the money.

FT
Final table.
Full Tilt Poker.

FTOP
Fundamental Theorem Of Poker. From TOP, David Sklansky.

Full house
A hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair.

FW
Foxwoods Casino.

FWIW
For what it's worth.

FYP
Fixed your post.

G1
Good one

Gamble
Loose play, or the desire to play other than tight. "He has a lot of gamble in him.”
Play loosely. Be willing to bet on situations with uncertain outcomes.
Note: This word has special meaning among poker players, and is different from the more generalized definition of the word as found in most dictionaries.

Game Theory
A branch of mathematics dealing with decision making based on insufficient information.
Betting or calling in a certain way when you don't know how an opponent plays so as to prevent the opponent from obtaining an edge by his own betting or calling.

Gap
The amount by which a hand needs to be better to call a bet than would be needed to make the same bet.

Gap Concept
The concept that it takes a better hand to call a bet than to make the same bet.

Gay waiter
Q3 (a queen with a trey)

GC
Good call.

German virgin
99

GG
Good game.

GH
Good hand.

Giving a hand away
Playing your hand in such a manner that your opponents should know what you have.

GJ
Good job.

GL
Good luck.

Gleek
Three of a kind.

Golf bag
Club flush.

Good buddy
T4

Good game
A game in which there are enough players worse than you to make you a substantial favorite.

Goolsby
QT

Goot
Good.

Gorillas
KK

Gorillas in the Mist
KK

Grand jury
444

GrannyMae
A nickname for having Qs5s as your hole cards. This is credited to long-time 2+2 forum poster GrannyMae.

Green
$25 chip.

GSIH
Getting Started In Hold'em, Ed Miller.

GSSD
Gut shot straight draw.

GTBOI
Getting the Best of It, David Sklansky.

GTD
Guaranteed: $1m GTD would be a tournament where prize money of over $1m was guaranteed.

Gutshot
Inside straight draw.

Gypsy
To enter the pot cheaply by just calling the blind rather than raising. Also called limp.

Half Bet
A bet equal to half the limit.
From Robert’s Rules of Poker: In limit play, an all-in wager of less than half a bet does not reopen the betting for any player who has already acted and is in the pot for all previous bets. A player facing less than half a bet may fold, call, or complete the wager. An all-in wager of a half a bet or more is treated as a full bet, and a player may fold, call, or make a full raise.
I believe the same applies in NL to an all in bet equal to half the previous bet.

Half kill (or half kill game)
A hand that is played for 1 1/2 times stakes based on the previous hand meeting certain criteria. Also see Kill.

Half kill button
A button that is placed in front of the player who is responsible for a Half Kill game.

Hand
All of a player’s personal cards.
The five cards determining the poker ranking.
A single poker deal.

Heads-up play
Only two players involved in play.

Heinz
57

Help
Someone who says they need help means they need their hand to improve in order to have a chance at the pot.

HEP
Hold'em Poker, David Sklansky.

Hero
When telling a poker story, the person who's point of view you are trying to represent.

HH
Hand history.

Hidden Hand
See Concealed Hand

Hidden Trips
Seven Card Stud: Downcards containing three of a kind.
In community card games: Two cards in the hole matching one of the upcards.

High-low split
In high-low split games, half the pot goes to the best hand (the high), half to the worst (the low), often with a qualifier for the low hand: “8 or better”.

Hilton sisters
QQ

Hit
Make a hand, usually implying having caught a needed card.

Hit and run
A player who leaves the table shortly after scooping a big pot.

HJ
Hijack, player two seats to the right of button.

HL
High limit game.

HOH
Harrington on Hold'em, Dan Harrington.

HOHII
Harrington on Hold'em Vol II, Dan Harrington.

Hold up
When a hand that is leading manages to win the pot at showdown.

Hole Card(s)
Your unique cards that are hidden from everyone else. See pocket.

Hollywood
Acting in a showoff manner. “Don’t Hollywood me, just play your cards.”

Home Game
A private game played at someone's home, often one regularly scheduled, perhaps weekly. Players might refer to such a game as "the Friday-night game."

Hooks
JJ

HORSE
A game that rotates through H - Holdem, O - Omaha hi/lo 8-or-better, R - Razz, S - Stud (hi only), E - Eight-or-better Stud hi/lo (all limit).

HORSEL
As above plus Lowball.

Hot
Doing well; catching good cards.

Hot deck
A deck that has recently produced a series of good hands.

Hourly Rate
The amount of money a player earns in an hour of play. (Total Prizes Won – Total Buyins)/(Hours Played)

House
The cardroom (management, owners, etc.) is the house.

Hoyle, Edmond
(1672-1769). English barrister and codifier of rules of games, author, in 1742, of A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist, which set down the rules of the game. Subsequent editions of the book contained treatments of quadrille, piquet, and backgammon. Hoyle wrote other books about games, and earned a reputation as an expert on rules. Over the years, the phrase "according to Hoyle" came to be synonymous with "by the highest authority." Although Hoyle never wrote a word about poker--in fact, the game was probably not played in his time--his name has nonetheless come to be associated with the rules of poker. Since Hoyle's death, several rules books on card games in general have had his name in their titles; those books have dealt with poker.

HP
Hollywood Park.

HPFAP/HEPFAP
Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth.

HTH
Head To head, See Heads up.

HTML
High To middle limits.

HU
Heads up.

Huey, Dewey and Louie
222

Hunting season
A2

IANAL
I am not a lawyer.

Ice
A cold deck.

ICM
Independent Chip Model – a mathematical model used to help determine prize share equity based on chip stacks.

Idiot end
In hold 'em, the low end of a straight, or a straight that can lose to a higher straight.

IFYW
If you wish.

IGHN
I go home now.

Ignorant end
In hold 'em, the low end of a straight, or a straight that can lose to a higher straight.

IIRC
If I recall correctly.

Image
The perception that other people have of your playing style.

IMHO
In my humble opinion.

IMO
In my opinion.

Implicit Collusion
In implicit collusion, all opponents come to an independent agreement--that is, without consulting among each other--to all play in such a way as to minimize the chance of the player with the best hand winning the pot. In a hold 'em tournament, a small stack may go all in and get called by several players with larger stacks. Those players collectively have a better chance of beating the all-in player than any does individually, and they may check down the hand till the end, that is, with no one making a bet that might drive anyone else out. The all-in player may have the best hand and be the favorite against any one of the others, but collectively, the remaining players have a better chance against the all-in player, and if they all understand--even though nothing is ever said to that effect--that all will check the hand down, that is implicit collusion.

Implied odds
Implied odds are similar to pot odds, but based on expectation of bets on future streets.

Inside straight
A straight that requires an one card to complete, as opposed to an open-ended straight. ie: TJKA.

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.

In the air
"Get the cards in the air": To begin dealing.

In the dark
To bet without looking at one’s hole cards.

In the Middle
Pertaining to a situation in which one player finds himself between two others who are raising frequently, or, in a no-limit game, heavily. He is not necessarily physically between these two; he is logically, however, as far as the betting goes. Also called whipsawed.

Isolate
Bet or raise strongly in an attempt to make everyone fold except one other player.

ITM
In the money. Having lasted long enough in a tournament to guarantee finishing as one of the winners.

IWTSTH
Abbreviation for "I want to see that hand", a rule that was designed to help prevent collusion amongst players. This rule is often abused by players who are simply looking for more information than they paid for.

Jack ass
JA

Jack Benny
39

Jackpot
An amount offered by a cardroom for a bad beat.

Jackson five
J5

Jam
Lots of action, especially raising.

JAT
Just a thought.

Jessie James
45

Jesus (Chris Ferguson)
A9o

Jimmy Summerfield
63o

Joe Bernstein
69

Joe Louis
AsAc

Johnny Moss
AT

Joker
The joker is a “partially wild card” in high draw poker and ace-to-five lowball. In high, it is used for aces, straights, and flushes. In lowball, the joker is the lowest unmatched rank in a hand.

Juice
see Vigorish

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.

Kamikaze
A player who is on tilt so badly that they literally throw away their money with no regard or go all in with a rubbish or semi-strong hand.

Katie
KT

Keep someone honest
Make sure someone is not bluffing, with respect to calling. "Well, I know you're not bluffing, but I've got trips, so I'll keep you honest."

Key hand
In a session or tournament, the one hand that ends up being a turning point for the player, either for better or worse.

Kicker
The highest unpaired card that helps determine the value of a five-card poker hand.

Kicks
66

Kill (or kill game)
A hand that is played for double-stakes based on the previous hand meeting certain criteria. Also see Half Kill.

Kill button
A button that is placed in front of the player who is responsible for a kill game.

King crab
K3

KJs
King Jack suited.

Knuckle
To check (as in knocking on the table).

Kojak
KJ

Kokomo
K8

Kotch
666

KOTZ
King of the Zoo - a 2+2 tournament series.

Ku Klux Klan
KKK

LA
Los Angeles.

Ladies
QQ

LAG
Loose aggressive.

LAP
Loose passive.

Late Position
In a poker game, positions to the right of the dealer, that is, those that make their decisions after the first few players have acted. Late position is advantageous, because players get to see what the other players have done before they have to act

Laydown
To fold a hand.
Often implies folding a good hand for a bet because the holder of the hand thinks it cannot win in the circumstances.

Lay the odds
To wager more money on a proposition than you hope to win.

LC
Low content.

Lead
Making the first bet in a round of betting.

Leak
A weakness in ones game which causes a usually consistent loss of money.

Legitimate hand
A hand with real value, as opposed to a bluffing hand.

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. See Kill.

Limit (limit poker)
Limit poker is any game in which there is a fixed limit on how much you can bet or raise in any round.

Limp
To call pre-flop.

Liner
Any face card.

Little Oldsmobile
88

Live blind
A blind bet is considered a live blind if the player is allowed to raise even if no one else raises first. The big blind in Hold’em is a live blind.

Live game
A game that is played for actual stakes, as opposed to a tournament game. See ring game.

Live hand
A live hand is a hand that is still eligible to win the pot.

Live one
A very loose player, usually implying one who loses; a rich sucker. See Fish.

Live straddle
See Straddle.

LL
Low limit game.

LMAO
Laugh my a** off (available with numerous variations).

Lock
A lock is a hand guaranteed to win at least part of the pot.

LOL
Lots of luck, Laughing out loud, etc.

Long odds
A low probability of a certain thing happening.

Longshot
A hand that has only a poor chance of winning; one that has to defy the odds to win.
A bet that has only a poor chance of winning.

Look (someone) up
Call a bet, usually with a hand that can beat only a bluff.

Loose
Playing loose means playing more hands and holding on to them longer than statistical odds would recommend.

Low card
The lowest upcard at seven-card stud, which is required to bet.

Lowball
A draw game where the lowest hand wins.

Lowball (or draw lowball)
Five card draw played for low only (i.e., where the low hand wins the entire pot).

LP
Late position.
Loose passive player.

Lucifer
6666

Luck
An illusory factor that losers think is the only reason for winning, and that winners know is the main determinant for winning only in the short run.