Winning at Texas Holdem’
Winning at Texas Holdem’ – POKER 101 Following is the ranking of general poker hands from highest to lowest.
1. Royal Straight Flush – 10-J-Q-K-A, all of the same suit.
2. Straight Flush – five cards, of the same suit, in order, such as 2-3-4-5-6 all of diamonds.
3. Four of a Kind – four of the same card, such as K-A-A-A-A.
4. Full House – a set of three of a kind plus a pair, such as 8-8-Q-Q-Q.
5. Flush – five cards of the same suit
6. Straight – five running cards not necessarily of the same suit, such as 6-7-8-9-10
7. Three of a Kind – three cards of the same value, such as 10-10-10
8. Two Pair – four cards with two of the same value and the other two of the same value, such as 8-8 and A-A
9. One Pair – two cards of the same value, such as 2-2
10. High Card – any one card with the highest value
Slang for specific hands:
A-A – American Airlines, bullets, pocket rockets
A-K – Big Slick, “Walking back to Houston”
A-J — Ajax
K-K – Cowboys
K-Q – Marriage
K-J – Kojak
K-9 — Canine
Q-Q – Dames, divas, ladies, the Hilton sisters
Q-J – Maverick, Oedipus Rex
Q-7 — Computer Hand
J-J – Jokers, hooks
J-5 – Jackson Five, Motown
10-5 – Five and dime
10-2 –Doyle Brunson
8-8 – Snowmen, Octopuses
7-7 – Hockey Sticks, walking Sticks
7-2 – The Hammer
5-5 – Nickels, presto
5-4 – Jesse James (for his Colt .45)
4-4 – Sailboats
2-2 – Ducks
Poker Vocabulary
Ace-High
A five-card hand that has no hand combinations (flush, straight, pair etc.), but contains one Ace.
All-in
When you bet all your money on a hand, either voluntarily in the belief that you have the strongest hand, or because you do not have enough money to cover the full amount bet by someone else. You then contend for the pot in an amount proportional to what you contributed.
Ante
The minimum bet that players must place into the pot by each player before betting begins. The ante is placed before any cards are dealt.
Bad Beat
When a good hand that would have been expected to win the pot is beaten by a lucky draw.
Backdoor making a hand you weren’t playing for, eg. You play for a full house but make a flush.
Big Blind
The first bet is 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.
Big Slick
An A-K combination as pocket (hole) cards.
Blind Bet
A forced bet that is placed before any cards are dealt. It is considered a live bet for the first round of betting. You have big blind and small blind bets in the first round of betting.
Bluff
To pretend that you have a better hand than you actually do, by betting aggressively, in the hope that the other players will fold.
Boat
Slang for a full house.
Board
The cards seen by all the players, the community cards in the center of the table or in a player’s hand in a game like stud poker.
Bullets
A pair of Aces. If these are your pocket cards, they are also known as “Pocket Rockets”.
Burning a Card
Discarding the top card from the deck.
Buy-in Amount
the amount you must bring into a game.
Call
When you place a bet equal to the previous bet.
Cash Out
To finish playing and exchange your chips for cash.
Catch
When a player makes the hand s/he was drawing to.
Check
When you want to stay in the game but not place a bet. You can only check if no other bets have been placed in the betting round.
Check-Raise
To check at the beginning of a betting round and then raise when a player to your left bets.
Community Cards
Cards that are dealt to the table. All players can use these cards to complete a five-card hand.
Dead Man’s Hand
Two pair hand consisting of Aces & Eights. This is reputed to be the hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot dead.
Dealer-button
A flat disk that is used to signify the Dealer’s position on the table in online poker. The disk is usually marked with a D.
Deuces
A pair of Twos.
Drawing
Remaining in the round and accepting more cards.
Drawing to a hand
Remaining in the round with the hope of making one’s potential hand as more cards are dealt.
Drawing Dead
When a player is drawing to a hand that is not the best hand offered by the flop and will therefore be beaten even if the hand is made.
Early Position
In an early betting position for a hand weakest position.
Family Pot
When everyone at the table is still involved in the pot.
Fast Play
Betting and raising aggressively.
Flop
The first three community cards were dealt to the table.
Fold
When players throw in their cards. They give up any claim on the pot in exchange for not having to contribute more money to the pot.
Forced Bet
A bet that a player has no choice but to make, a blind bet.
Flush Draw
When a player holds four cards of the same suit and is hoping to draw a fifth card of that suit to complete a flush.
Go on tilt
When a player loses emotional balance during a game and plays irrationally.
Gut Shot
To draw to an inside straight.
Heads Up
A game with only two players in it.
Hole Cards
These are the Down Cards in front of the players. (Also known as “Pocket Cards”)
House
The host of the game (e.g. the casino).
Inside straight draw
Drawing to a straight where the cards needed to complete the straight are those in the middle of the straight. For example, you have 6-7-9-10 and need the middle card (8) to make the straight.
Kicker
The highest unpaired card of a player’s pocket cards.
Limping In
Calling the big blind rather than raising.
Monster
A very strong hand.
Muck
When you do not want to show your hand to the table. The hand is discarded without being displayed on the table. You can muck a losing hand in a show down, or the winning hand if everyone else has folded before you.
Nuts
The best possible hand that cannot be beaten, at a particular point of the game.
Nut Flush
A flush containing the Ace.
Off suit
Cards of different suits.
Outs
Cards that will make the hand that the player is drawing to.
Over card
A card on the board higher than your pair.
Paint Cards
The picture cards (King, Queen, Jack).
Pocket Cards
The cards were dealt face down to each player. (Also known as “Hole Cards”).
Pocket Rockets
A pair of Aces as your pocket cards (hole cards).
Pot
The pot is the pile of chips that accumulates as each player ante, bet and raise. All winnings are paid from the pot. The value of the pot varies. It is dependent on the stakes involved and the amount the Players bet. The pot goes to the winner of each round.
Note:
The House takes a small percentage of the pot. This is known as the “rake”. If two or more Players have the same winning hand, they split the pot equally.
Pot –Limit
A game where a player’s maximum bet is the size of the pot.
Pot Odds
The calculated odds the money in the pot represents in relation to how much it will cost to play and hand and the players chances of winning the hand.
Quads
Four of a kind (four cards of the same denomination).
Rake
Percentage of the pot taken by the house.
Rags
Useless cards – cards that don’t improve a hand.
Rainbow
When the board contains 3 or 4 cards of different suits.
Raise
When you increase the bet made by a preceding player. This increases the stakes for remaining Players, who now have to match the total amount including the raise.
Ring Game
A normal real money table game, as opposed to a tournament game.
River Card
The final community card dealt.
Scare Cards
High board cards (e.g. an Ace that appears on the flop).
See
To see someone is to call their bet.
Semi-bluff
To bluff with a hand that still has drawing potential and could improve to be the winning hand.
Seven Deuce
The acknowledged weakest starting card combination in Texas Hold-em (7-2).
Show down
After the last betting round when the remaining players compare hands to determine the winner. The player with the highest value hand wins the pot.
Sitting Out
When you choose to leave a table for a few hands.
Note:
If a player sits out for more than fifteen minutes, or has missed two rounds of blinds, they are usually removed from the table.
Slow Playing
Playing non-aggressively with a powerful hand; calling and betting instead of raising. This is done in the hope of not driving players out of the hand and thus sucking more money into the pot. This is also called “sandbagging”.
Small Blind
The first bet posted by the player to the Dealer’s left. It is a forced bet. The small blind bet amount is equal to half of the lower bet. For example, in a $10 – $20 game, the small blind is $5.
Stack
A player’s chips.
Steal
To try and win the pot by betting when everyone else has checked, or by making a large raise when everyone else has called.
Tells
Gestures or words by a player that give away the value of his/her hand.
Tight
A tight player is a player who never bets unless they hold a good hand.
Turn
The fourth community card dealt.
Under the Gun
The player who must act first in the betting round.
Visible Cards
Cards dealt face up to each Player. Players use these cards to complete a five-card combination.
WSOP
World Series of Poker.
Now that you have the terminology at hand, let’s look at playing the game of Texas Hold ‘Em.
Regards, Coyalita
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