Answering to yourself the question “how to learn to play poker?”, imagine how the answer in poker slang would sound. We will illustrate to you an example of how a seasoned poker player describes the game to his friend:

“I had pocket rockets, an ace came on the flop with a low board, rainbow all the way, I hit a set on the flop. Sasha, can you imagine, this donk went runner-runner, and in the end he hit a backdoor flush on the river with odds of 1 in 23. Damn fish.”

If you understood what this story is about, you may not need this lesson.
If not, don’t worry, by reading to the end of the page, you will easily figure it out.

This dictionary presents poker terms that you should familiarize yourself with. After that, we will revisit the aforementioned example of “conversational poker language” and try to understand it once again.

ALL-IN – when a player puts all their chips into the pot, they are said to be “going all-in” and are no longer involved in betting. A player who has gone all-in is only eligible to win the main pot.

ANTE – a small mandatory bet that players make before the start of the game. Such a bet is made in Stud; in Hold’em, instead of antes, blinds are used. Antes are also placed in the later stages of tournaments, along with blinds.

BACK DOOR – an incomplete hand (combination) that requires two more cards – the turn and river – to complete. For example, if you have two cards of the same suit in your hand and you receive another one on the flop, you have a backdoor flush. Only straight and flush are called “backdoor” hands.

BAD BEAT – a situation in poker where a player with a clearly stronger hand, holding a nuts combination and dominating on the preflop and flop, ends up losing to an opponent with a weaker hand.

BIG SLICK – a nickname for a hand of Ace/King.

BLINDS – mandatory bets made by the first two players to the left of the dealer before the cards are dealt.

BLUFF – a bet made without a good hand in the hope that the opponent will fold and give up the pot without a fight.

CALLING STATION – a player who consistently calls bets without assessing the odds of the pot and does not initiate betting.

CHECK/RAISE – to check when it’s your turn to act, but then raise if another player bets after you’ve checked.

DONKEY – an opponent who plays poorly and makes unjustified bets.

DOUBLE BELLY BUSTER – a combination where one of two specific card values is needed to complete a straight.

DRAWING DEAD – cards that guarantee you will lose regardless of the remaining community cards.

FISH – a player who plays poorly, similar to a donkey.

FLOP – after the first round of betting, the dealer places three community cards on the table, known as the flop.

GUTSHOT – a situation where you need one specific card value to complete a straight.

HEADS-UP – a game played one-on-one.

IMPLIED POT ODDS – the ratio of the potential winnings to the amount you need to bet to continue playing.

ISOLATE – a situation where you make a bet to be heads-up with a specific opponent and force the other players to fold.

LIMP – a bet in the preflop equal to the size of the big blind.

MONSTER – a very strong hand that is likely to be the winning hand.

MUCK – to discard cards.

NUTS – the best possible hand.

OUT – a card needed to complete a hand.

POCKET ROCKETS – a pair of pocket aces in Hold’em.

POT ODDS – the ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the current bet.

RAINBOW – three or four cards of different suits. If the flop contains three different suits, it is called a rainbow.

RIVER – the fifth and final community card in Hold’em.

RUNNER-RUNNER – an incomplete hand that requires two more cards to complete, and/or a hand completed with the turn and river cards.

SLOWPLAY – playing a strong hand as if it were weak. By allowing opponents to bet and supporting their bets instead of raising sharply, you make them contribute to the pot, which you will eventually win.

SET – if you have a pair, and another card of the same rank appears on the board, you make a set.

TILT – describes emotions running high. Often used to describe a player’s state when things are not going well, but they try to play aggressively and win the pot. This state is usually triggered by a series of losses.

TRIPS – differs from a set in that a pair is on the table, and the third card is in your hand.

TURN – the fourth community card dealt between the flop and the river.

UNDER THE GUN – the first player to the left of the big blind who starts the betting.

WHEEL – the smallest straight (from ace to five).