Poker Terminology: Part 1
Players who continuously spout unfamiliar words and phrases are mainstays in every poker table. They talk as if the terms they are using are part of everybody’s vocabulary and act like they are perfectly confident that they will be understood by everyone on the table. Usually, the others will act like they can understand, when actually, the opposite is true. It’s better, after all, to smile and nod than to look ignorant. However, failing to understand what the other players are saying may mean the difference between victory and defeat. It is, therefore, of prime importance that you are poker-savvy if you plan to play on the felt.
1. Air –when you give another player some ‘air’, you are trying to prevent another player from folding by letting him know that you are going to draw another card from the deck.
2. Angle – when you deliberately bet odd amounts of chips or deliberately miscall your hand in order to confuse others or to make them fold, it is called an ‘angle’. Be warned, however, as ‘angle shooters’ – or people who use this tactic – are often disliked by other players, as angling is borderline unethical, even though it is still legal.
3. Bad Beat – this happens when a player has a strong hand, but is still beaten by an even stronger one. An example is when a Full House loses to a Royal Flush.
4. Bleed – when you lose a large amount of chips because of bad luck or a bad play, then you are said to be ‘bleeding chips’.
5. Bluff – when you know that you do not have the best hand, but want to compel another player with a better hand to fold, then you can pretend that you do have the better hand and raise.
6. Cap – this refers to the limit that is placed on the number of raises allowed on a single betting round.
7. Chip Up – this is a term commonly used during tournament play. Players ‘chip up’ when they slowly but steadily accumulate chips by using low-risk tactics.
8. Chop – To ‘hit and run’ – that is, to play for only a short amount of time and cash out when one is ahead. This is generally frowned upon by some poker players, since it deprives them of the chance to win back what they lost.
9. Collusion – this is a form of cheating wherein two or more players collaborate in order to shift the game in their favor.
10. Cripple – to have a hand that is practically impossible for the other players to catch up to. This is mostly used in community card games. An example is when the player forms a strong hand with just his hole cards and the first three community cards.
Fouled Hand – a fouled hand is when the cards have too many or too few cards and are therefore disqualified. This usually occurs when a player accidentally mixes up his cards with that of other players or that of the muck, or if his card falls off of the table
