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Poker Glossary M-R
Text Box: M M-ratio A mathematical formula used to determine a players strategy based on various variables. made hand a made hand is one that does not need improvement to win match the pot To put in an amount equal to all the chips in the pot. micro-limit Internet poker games with stakes so small that real cardrooms couldn't possibly profit from them, are said to be at the "micro-limit" level (e.g. 25¢-50¢). misdeal A deal which is ruined for some reason and must be redealt. move in In a no-limit game, to "move in" or to "go all in" means to bet one's entire stake on the hand in play. See table stakes. muck To fold. To discard one's hand without revealing the cards. Often done after winning without a showdown or at a showdown when a better hand has already been revealed. The discard pile "There were only a couple of cards in the muck" multi-way pot A pot where several players compete for it. Also known as a family pot. N negative freeroll a situation, usually occurring in no-limit or pot-limit when contemplating an all-in wager, where the player acting first checks in a situation where they would be forced to call an opponent's final bet (due to pot odds and the strength of their holding). If the opponent has a stronger hand, the opponent will most likely bet and the player will call and lose all their money regardless. However if the opponent has a weaker hand, betting may be the only way to get the opponent's money into the pot, as checking allows the opponent the opportunity to check in turn. Negative freeroll is relatively common in low stakes amateur play, but in higher stakes play allowing a negative freeroll on the final round of betting is a serious blunder. no-limit A poker game where the betting is uncapped nuts, the the nut hand, or simply the nuts, is the strongest possible hand in a given situation. O off suit Cards that are not of the same suit. The ace of clubs and the king of spades are called ace-king offsuit one-chip rule A call of a previous bet using a chip of higher denomination than necessary is considered a call unless it is verbally announced as a raise. one-eyed royals the Jack of Spades, Jack of Hearts and King of Diamonds. The terminology results from the depiction of the royal on the card being in profile, resulting in only one eye being visible. open To bet first. See open. open ended, open ended straight draw An outside straight draw. Also "two-way straight draw". openers The cards held by a player in a game of "jackpots" entitling him to open the pot. "Splitting openers" refers to holding onto one of your openers after discarding it to prove you had the necessary cards to open should you win the pot. option An optional bet or draw, such as getting an extra card facedown for 50 cents or raising on the big blind when checked all the way around. The right to raise possessed by the big blind if there have been no raises. outs In a poker game with more than one betting round, an out is any unseen card that, if drawn, will improve a player's hand to one that is likely to win. Knowing the number of outs a player has is an important part of poker strategy. For example in draw poker, a hand with four diamonds has nine outs to make a flush: there are 13 diamonds in the deck, and four of them have been seen. If a player has two small pairs, and he believes that it will be necessary for him to make a full house to win, then he has four outs: the two remaining cards of each rank that he holds. outside straight, outside straight draw An outside straight draw, also called up and down or open-end(ed) straight draw, is a hand with four of the five needed cards in sequence (and could be completed on either end) that may improve to a straight. For example, x-9-8-7-6-x. An outside straight draw has eight outs (four cards to complete the top of the straight and four cards to complete the bottom of the straight). Straight draws including an ace are not outside straight draws, because the straight can only be completed on one end (has four outs). overcall To call a bet after others have called, esp. big bets. Jim bet, Alice called, then Ted overcalled. Compare to "cold call", "flat call", "smooth call". overcard A community card with a higher rank than a player's pocket pair. A higher card. Ted held two overcards to Jill's pair with two cards to come. overpair In community card games such as Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, a pocket pair with a higher rank than any community card. P pair Two cards ot the same value 2+2 6+6 J+J etc passive A style of play characterized by checking and calling. Compare to "aggressive", "loose", "tight". pat Already complete. A hand is a pat hand when, for example, a flush comes on the first five cards dealt in Draw poker. Also see made hand. pay off To call a bet when you are most likely drawing dead because the pot odds justify the call. penny ante Frivolous, low stakes, or "for fun" only; A game where no significant stake is likely to change hands. perfect The best possible cards, in a lowball hand, after those already named. For example, 7-perfect would be 7-4-3-2-A, and 8-6-perfect would be 8-6-3-2-A. pick-up When the house picks up cash from the dealer after a player buys chips. play the board In games such as Texas hold 'em, where 5 community cards are dealt, if your best hand is on the board and you go to the showdown you are said to "play the board". pocket pair In community card poker or stud poker, when two of a player's private cards make a pair. Also "wired pair". poker face A blank expression that does not reveal anything about the cards being held. Often used outside the world of poker. position A players seat in relation to the blind position bet A bet that is made more due to the strength of the bettor's position than the strength of the bettor's cards. post To make the required small or big blind bet in Texas hold 'em or other games played with blinds rather than antes post dead To post a bet amount equal to the small and the big blind combined (the amount of the large blind playing as a live blind, and the amount of the small blind as dead money). In games played with blinds, a player who steps away from the table and misses his turn for the blinds must either post dead or wait for the big blind to re-enter the game. Compare to "dead blind". pot the pot in poker refers to the sum of money that players wager during a single hand or game pot-committed More often in the context of a no limit game; the situation where you can no longer fold because the size of the pot is so large compared to the size of your stack. pot limit See flat limit. pot odds This is the odds you are getting when you are drawing, without considering future bets. Basically, if you are drawing to hit your hand, you want to make sure there is enough money in the pot to justify drawing. The way you do this is you calculate your expected value of hitting your hand, which is called pot odds. The simple mathematical formula for pot odds is: (pot + bet) * (chance of hitting) >= bet For example, say you have a flush draw of diamonds. You are fairly certain you will win if you hit the flush but will lose otherwise. Thus, there are 9 other diamonds out there (13 - your two, - two on board), so you have a roughly 19% chance of hitting a flush on the next card. If the pot is 90, and the bet is 10, you have odds with your flush draw. (90 +10) *.19= 19 19>10, so you should call However, lets say the pot is 10, you're at the turn (one card left) and your opponent bets 40. So the pot is 50 (including his bet) and the bet is 40 to you. (50 + 40) *.19= 17.1 17.1 < 40, so you should fold. probe bet A bet after the flop by a player who did not take the lead in betting before the flop (and when the player that did take the lead in betting before the flop declined to act). Compare to "continuation bet". proposition player, prop A player that gets paid an hourly rate to start poker games or to help them stay active. Prop players play with their own money, which distinguishes them from shills, who play with the casino's money. protect, protection See protection (poker). put the clock (on someone) See call the clock. put on To put someone on a hand is to deduce what hand they have based on their actions and your knowledge of their gameplay. See also tells. Q quads Four of a kind. qualifier, qualifying low A qualifying low hand. High-low split games often require a minimum hand value, such as 8-high, in order to award the low half of the pot. In some home games, there are qualifiers for high hands as well: "Seven stud, trips-eight". quarter To win a quarter of a pot, usually by tying the low or high hand of a high-low split game. Generally, this is an unwanted outcome, as a player is often putting in a third of the pot in the hope of winning a quarter of the pot back. R rabbit hunt After a hand is over, a rabbit hunt means to reveal the last card that would have come up in a community card game with a fixed number of cards. Such activity is usually prohibited in casinos. Also "fox hunt". rack 1. A collection of 100 chips of the same denomination, usually arranged in 5 stacks in a plastic tray. 2. A plastic tray used for storing a rack of chips. rag A low-valued (and presumably worthless) card. I don't like playing ace-rag from that position. Also "ragged": The flop was pretty ragged, so I figured my jacks were good. rail The rail is the sideline at a poker table - the (often imaginary) rail separating spectators from the field of play. Watching from the rail means watching a poker game as a spectator. People on the rail are sometimes called railbirds. "Going to the rail" usually means "Losing all one's money". rainbow Three or four cards of different suits, especially said of a flop. raise To make a bet larger than the previous bet, thus forcing the original bettor to call the difference or fold rake See rake (poker). Also "juice", "vig", "vigorish". rakeback Rebate/repayment to a player of a portion of the rake paid by that player, normally from a non-cardroom, third-party source such as an affiliate. Rakeback is paid in many ways by online poker rooms, affiliates or brick and mortar rooms. Many use direct money payments for online poker play. Brick and Mortar rooms usually use rate cards to track and pay their rakeback. rathole To remove a portion of your chips from the table while the game is underway. Normally prohibited in public card rooms. Also "going south". rebuy An amount of chips purchased after the buy-in. In some tournaments, players are allowed to rebuy chips one or more times for a limited period after the start of the game, providing that their stack is at or under its initial level. Compare with "add-on". redeal To deal a hand again, possibly after a misdeal. redraw To make one hand and have a draw for a better hand. Ted made a straight on the turn with a redraw for a flush on the river.. Second or later draws in a draw game with multiple draws. represent To represent a hand is to play as if you hold it (whether you actually hold it or are bluffing). reraise Raise after one has been raised. Also coming "over the top". ring game Also known as: Cash Game. A ring game is a non-tournament poker game. This is the typical type of poker game where players buy-in and cash-out whenever they wish. river This is the fifth and final card that comes on the board in Holdem, after the turn. rock A very tight player (plays very few hands and only continues with strong hands). A bundle of chips held together with a rubber band, or other token signifying an obligatory live straddle. If the player under the gun has the rock, he must use it to post a live straddle. The winner of the pot collects the rock and is obligated to use it in turn. rolled-up trips In seven-card stud, three of a kind dealt in the first three cards. rounder An expert player who travels around to seek out high-stakes games royal cards Royal card are also known as face cards. These cards consist of the Jack, Queen, and King of any suit. runner-runner A hand made by hitting two consecutive cards on the turn and river. Also "backdoor". Compare to "bad beat" and "suck out". rush A prolonged winning streak. A player who has won several big pots recently is said to be on a rush. Also "heater".

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