c
C game
1. (n) Any
low-
stakes game, generally the third-highest in a given establishment. Compare with A-
game, B-
game.
1
C note
C.H.O.R.S.E
1. (n)
A game or
tournament format in which six forms of
poker are played in
rotation, usually either half an hour of each or
one round of each. The games are
Chowaha,
limit hold 'em,
Omaha/8,
razz, seven-
card stud (
high), and seven-
card stud high-
low (the e standing for 8-or-better).
Can be pronounced chorse or C-
HORSE (like seahorse). Also
see C.H.O.R.S.E.L, half-and-half
game,
H.O.E,
H.O.R.S.E,
H.O.R.S.E.L,
H.O.S.E,
R.O.E.
1
C.H.O.R.S.E.L
1. (n)
A game or
tournament format in which seven forms of
poker are played in
rotation, usually either half an hour of each or
one round of each. The games are
Chowaha,
limit hold 'em,
Omaha/8,
razz, seven-
card stud (
high), seven-
card stud high-
low, and
lowball (the e standing for 8-or-better). Also
see C.H.O.R.S.E, half-and-half
game,
H.O.E,
H.O.R.S.E,
H.O.R.S.E.L,
H.O.S.E,
R.O.E.
1
Caesar
cage
cageperson
1. (n) Cashier, specifically, the person who dispenses chips to the
floor personnel, cashes players in when they leave, cashes
checks for players, sometimes sells chips to players, keeps track of players' banks (
see player's bank), records the progress of
stake players (if any), keeps track of
time collections, etc.
1
Calamity Jane
1. (n) The
queen of
spades. Named for the markswoman of the Old West (Martha Jane Canary, who was
buried in
Deadwood, SD, in 1903, next to
Wild Bill Hickok), whose name some
say was associated with prophecies of doom.
1
California bible
California blind
California draw
California game
1. (n phrase) Any of the games played in the California games section of a
cardroom or
casino12. (n phrase) A
set of
cardroom games, formerly called
Asian games, some of which resemble
poker, but are not strictly
poker, in which players place bets before receiving the hands on which they
wager; others resemble blackjack. In these games, to get around the legal restriction against banking games, the only interest the
house has is to
take a portion of every
bet;
one player acts as
banker, playing
one hand against each
player in turn. These games include pai gow (played with tiles, and not a
card game at all),
pai gow poker, super
nine (also called super
pan nine), California blackjack (also called X blackjack, where X is the name of the
club), California Aces (a variant of blackjack in which the object is to get closest to 22, with
two aces being the
best hand; similarly often called X aces), 13-
card (not played with a
banker).
1
California lowball
call
1. (v) To
put into the
pot an amount of money equal to the most recent
bet or
raise. The term "
see" (as in "I'll
see that
bet") is considered colloquial.
23. (v) Match a
bet. "I call."
14. (n) A calling
bet. "Is that a call?"
1
call someone down
called hand
1. (n) A
hand that someone
bet and someone else called, as opposed to a
hand that was
bet and no
one called. The term often comes up when a
bet is made, called, and lost, and the bettor who lost the
hand now wants to
throw the
cards away unshown (perhaps from embarrassment at being caught bluffing). Someone, often someone not involved in the
hand, wants to
see the losing
cards, and cites the (often unwritten but nonetheless usually enforced) rule, "A called hand must be shown." (Some players, particularly those most used to private games, are under the mistaken impression that only the
winner of a
pot has the right to ask for a called hand to be shown.) The situation
can also arise when someone bets, someone calls, and the bettor mucks his
cards as acknowledgment that he was bluffing, and the
caller undoubtedly had him
beat. The
winner of the
hand often shows his
cards, but not always, particularly in a
fast-moving
game. The
hand that won the
pot is still, however, a called hand, and must be shown if anyone asks. Both situations
come up more in
draw games than other forms of
poker, but the term still applies to all games.
1
caller
1. (n) Someone who calls a
bet or
raise. "I
bet $100 and got five callers."
1
calling all bets
calling hand
1. (n phrase) A
hand with which a
player feels he must
call a (often any)
bet. "I knew you made it, but I had a calling hand."
1
calling station
2. (n phrase) A
weak player who rarely raises, but calls every
bet,
even with substandard hands (and hence should not be bluffed).
1
can
canine
can't beat the board
cap
2. (n) In
limit games, the cap is the
limit on the number of raises in a
round of betting. In many places it's 3, for 4 bets total, but you
can get into very irritating arguments about the maximum number of raises that's appropriate. A cap on the betting makes it more difficult for players to collude. Some dealers have cutesy expressions they like to use when a
pot is
capped (e.g., "capuccino"). To
make the final allowed
raise is to cap the betting, or to "cap it."
After I made the
loose call in
early position, much to my dismay the
pot was raised, reraised, and
capped.
33. (v)
Put in the maximum number of raises in a
round of betting; usually followed by the
bet, the bets, or the betting.
Make the maximum
raise permitted in the current
round. "I'll cap it" means that someone has
put in the,
say, third
raise.
15. (n) The
point at which the rules dictate that the maximum bets have been made. "The cap is lifted
heads up."
1
capable
Capitola
1. (v) A "cute" saying, often said by California dealers, that means "The betting is
capped."
1
capped
1. (adv) Describing the situation in which the maximum number of raises in a
round of betting have been made.
1
capper
Cappuccino
1. (v) A "cute" saying, often said by dealers, that means "The betting is
capped."
1
card
1. (n)
One of 52 (or 53)
flat, rectangular objects, made usually of
paper or plastic, with a uniform design on
one side (the
backs) and a representation of
value (
rank and
suit) on the other; each card is either the
joker, or
one of the four suits (
spades,
hearts,
diamonds,
clubs) and 13 ranks (A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, T, J, Q, K). A complete
set of
cards is called a
deck.
Paper cards are sometimes called
pasteboards. Collectively,
cards are sometimes called the
Devil's playthings.
1
card dauber
card down
card holder
card hustler
card mechanic
card mob
1. (n)
Two or more cheaters working together in a
card game.
1
card money
card play
card player
card playing
card rack
1. (n) Someone who gets a lot of
good hands; usually used facetiously or humorously. Sometimes called
human card rack.
1
card sense
1. (n) In a
poker game, an acute awareness of the totality of what is going on, not narrowing your focus to just what's happening in your own
hand. Card sense implies the ability to
act on your observations, and to think on your feet. You must have imagination in playing your own
hand, almost x-ray vision in being
able to reconstruct opponents' hands. It is card sense that causes a
player to
play the same
cards differently in different situations. A
player without card sense usually plays the same
cards the same in all situations.
1
card shark
card table
1. (n) Any
table designed specially for playing
cards. Different styles of tables are used for
bridge, blackjack, baccarat, and
poker, which itself has several types, depending on the specific
game.
1
card wrench
carder
1. (n)
One who plays
cards, particularly a professional.
1
carding
2. (n) Noting exposed
cards (particularly at seven-
card stud), and using that information in the
play of a
hand.
1
cardroom
1. (n) Cardrooms are the rooms in which
poker is played, or the organizations that
run those rooms. Most casinos that offer
poker have a separate
room, or at least a roped-
off area, designated as the cardroom. In some places where
poker is legal, you will also find separate cardrooms (not part of a larger
casino) dedicated mostly to
poker. Key things to
look for in a cardroom include tables, floorpeople, the
brush, chips, etc.
32. (n) An establishment, usually
open to the public, in which
cards, usually
poker, are played.
1
cardroom license
1. (n) A specific gambling license issued by any combination of municipality, county, state, or country, to a
cardroom, usually specifying the types of games permitted, the
stakes, hours of operation, and other restrictions.
1
cards
2. (n) A
deck. "Give me the cards; it's my
deal."
13. (n) Any portion of a
deck. "You're not supposed to
pick up the cards for the next
deal until the previous
hand is completely
over."
1
cards break even
1. (n phrase) The notion arising
out of the theory that states that in the long
run, since everyone gets the same
cards, if the
cards are
running bad for awhile for a particular
player, they will eventually fall
back into a normal pattern. "I'll get
even if the
cards ever start breaking
even."
1
Cards in the air
2. (n) Part of the promotional or advertising announcement as to when a
tournament is scheduled to start. "
Cards will be
in the air at 1 p.m."
1
cards speak
1. (n) Cards speak is simply the rule that the
value of your
hand is determined solely by your
cards. You don't have to
declare your
hand properly in order to claim the part of the
pot you deserve. The alternative to this is mainly
declare games, usually played in
home games for
low stakes.
32. (v phrase) The rule followed in many cardrooms that what a
player says about his
hand has no relevance: only the
cards shown are of importance, and those
cards, when placed
face up on the
table, are to be "
read" by the
house dealer, or any
player at the
table; sometimes followed by for themselves. The rule is invoked in
two situations. In the first, a
player can say what he likes about his
hand, but it is what he actually shows
down that determines the
winner of the
pot. (The opposite situation is also common, particularly in California, where some
clubs hold that if a
player miscalls his
hand as being better than it is, he may lose claim to the
pot; that is, the verbal announcement takes precedence
over the actual
cards.) The
second situation is for
high-
low split games. In
home games,
high-
low split is often played with a verbal or
chip declaration, with half the
pot going to the person who declares
high and has the best
high hand, and half to the person who declares
low and has the best
low hand. In cardrooms, though, the situation is usually cards speak: at the
showdown, all
active players lay their hands
face up on the
table, and the
pot is
split between the actual highest and lowest hands (or all of it given to the
one hand that combines both, if such exists, or the
hand that wins the
high half when no
hand qualifies--
see qualify--for
low); the
house dealer, if
there is
one, reads all the hands at the
showdown and determines which wins the
high half and which the
low. (If
there are
qualifiers for both
high and
low, the situation is still cards speak: the
pot is
split between the highest and lowest hands that
meet the conditions of the
qualifiers. If no
hand qualifies for
low, the highest
hand wins the whole
pot; if
there is a
qualifier for
high and no
hand qualifies for
high, the lowest
hand wins the whole
pot; if no
hand qualifies for either, the
pot is sometimes
split among all participants.
Local rules may differ.) Also
see 8-or-better.
1
cardsharp
cardsharping
cardsmith
Caribbean stud
carpet joint
carry a slug
carry over
1. (v phrase) Credit a
stake or a
cow with his chips from
one shift to the next. A
stake player is usually liable for the amount of his last
press. For example, if he was staked $20, lost it, given a $10
press, and then carried
over, only $10 would go
on the sheet of the next
shift. In such
case, a
stake could lose for the
house and still
make money for himself. If the
stake were given $20, and then a $10
press, and went broke while still in the same
shift, he would have no carry-
over and could not
make money on that
shift. That is why some
stakes try to get staked near the
end of a
shift, and then, if they are
short near the
end of the
shift, contrive to lose the last chips so they
can get pressed just before the next
shift starts. That way they
can start the next
shift with just $10
on the sheet, and, if they lose that, get still another
press.
12. (v) Chips or cash being carried
over.
1
case
2. (adj) The fourth
card of a particular
rank.
I knew he was bluffing because I had folded the case 7.
3
case bet
case card
1. (n phrase) The only remaining
card (in the
deck) of a
rank or
suit.
See case. The term comes from faro, in which
cards are kept track of with an abacus-like device called a
case rack.
1
case money
cash in
1. (v phrase)
Take your chips to the
cage (or, in a
private game,
turn them
over to the
banker) to exchange them for cash, thereby finishing your playing
session. The phrase has passed into general usage meaning to die, usually as part of the phrase he cashed in his chips. That probably came from the figurative meaning of ending the
game.
1
casino
1. (n) A building or establishment devoted to gambling games of all kinds.
1
cat
cat flush
catbird seat
1. (n) The
position immediately to the right of the
dealer. This is a restricted usage of the more general term, which means advantageous situation or
position.
1
catch
1. (v) When the
cards are treating you well, you are said to be catching
cards. The word often carries a mild connotation of improbable
luck. Someone who says "nice catch" may mean
anything from "okay,
take the
pot, you clueless moron," to "guess you outdrew me, no problem."
35. (n) The particular
card that makes a
hand.
1
catch inside
1. (v phrase) In
lowball or
razz,
make the particular
hand you're drawing to. If you have 7-4-3-2, and
catch a 6, 5, or
ace, you catch inside.
1
catch outside
1. (v phrase) In
lowball,
catch a
card above the particular
hand you're drawing to. If you have 7-4-3-2, and
catch an 8 or higher, you catch outside
1
catch perfect
1. (v phrase)
Make precisely the
hand you're drawing to. In
lowball, if you're drawing to 8-4-3-2, and
catch a 7, 6, 5, or
ace you
make your
hand; if you
catch precisely the
ace, you catch perfect. In
high draw, if you start with 4 5 6 7, and
catch any
diamond, you
make a
flush; if you
catch any 3 or 8, you
make a
straight. If you
catch either the 3 or 8, you
make a
straight flush, and you
can say you have caught
perfect. The term is also heard in
hold 'em, in a situation in which only
one or
two cards remain that will
turn a losing
hand into a
winner.
1
catch rough
catch smooth
cathop
cats and dogs
caught in the middle
cellar
1. (n)
basement; often preceded by from the.
1
cellar dealer
center dealer
center pot
century
century note
chance
1. (n) chances. "He had a 1 in 3 chance of making the
hand." "What's the chance of that happening?"
12. (n) The likelihood of a particular event, usually expressed in the form of some kind of fraction (as chances of
one third, or, more often a decimal, as chances of 0.33, or
percentage, as chances of 33%) or in the form of
one number
out of or in another (as chances of 1
out of 3, or 1 in 3). Compare with
odds, in which the outcome is expressed as
one number to another number.
1
change gears
change in
change list
Charlemagne
Charles
charlie
1. (n) The third
position to the left of the
dealer. Sometimes called just C.
1
chase
3. (v) When losing,
bet recklessly, often desperately, in the hope of getting of
even. "How's he doing?" "
Stuck, and chasing."
1
chat
1. (n) Typed conversation that you
can have with other players at an online
poker site (or any online gathering, for that matter).
2
cheat
2. (n)
One who employs these techniques;
thief.
1
cheating device
check
2. (n) Another word for
chip, as in
poker chip. This is mostly European (esp. British) usage.
05. (n) Making no
bet. "A check from the first
player."
16. (n) A
cardroom chip; often plural. When a
player cries
out "
Checks!," he is signaling to a
floorperson his intention to
buy more chips. The term check is generally limited to cardrooms and casinos, while
chip is more heard in
home games, though common in both.
1
check and raise
1. (n phrase) Permitting players to
pass and still retain their
cards. "This
game is check and raise before the
draw."
1
check blind
1. (v phrase) Without looking at the
cards you have been dealt, or (more often), the
card or
cards you have drawn,
make no
bet; usually accompanied by a verbal announcement of this fact. Also
check dark. Compare with
bet blind.
1
check cashing card
1. (n phrase) A
sheet on which the cashier keeps track of a
player's transactions against a
blank, signed
check.
1
check cop
1. (n phrase) A
thief whose specialty is stealing chips from pots or other players, usually by palming them.
12. (n phrase) A sticky substance a
thief rubs on his
palm to permit chips to
stick to the
palm without having to
close his fingers around the chips. Also,
glue.
1
check dark
check rack
check raise
1. (v) To
check and then
raise when a
player behind you bets. Occasionally you will hear people
say this is not fair or ethical
poker. Piffle. Almost all casinos permit
check-raising, and it is an important
poker tactic. It is particularly useful in
low-
limit hold'em where you need extra strength to narrow the field if you have the
best hand.
22. (v) A
check-
raise is just what it sounds like -- a
raise after you have already checked within a
betting round.
Check-raises
can be used to
trap a
player who (for example) would have folded to a single
bet, but who will
open if it is checked to them.
While
check-raising is legal virtually everywhere
serious poker is played,
there are apparently a few public cardrooms which prohibit it at the lowest limits.
Home poker games, which may be more or less serious, vary more widely.
I noticed he liked to
position bet a lot, so whenever I had a
good hand I
check-raised him.
34. (n) The
act of so doing.
1
checks
cheese
1. (n)
piece of cheese. "
Throw that cheese in the
muck" is sometimes said by someone who has made a
bet, usually
large, to the person contemplating calling that
bet, implying that the
caller cannot win with his (supposedly) inferior
hand.
1
Chicago
1. (n) A form of
poker found only in
home games, usually played with seven
cards, and ending up as a mixture of
draw and
stud1
Chicago bankroll
Chinese poker
chingaderos
1. (n) The
nuts; usually preceded by the.
1
chip
1. (n)
Poker chips are small
round discs used instead of money at the
poker table. The ones used at casinos are typically made of clay, while
home poker games often
substitute cheaper plastic chips. Using chips instead of cash has a number of advantages, mostly just that they're easier to count and manipulate. Color designations for chips are arbitrary, but many casinos use
white for $1 chips,
red for $5 chips,
green for $25 chips, and
black for $100 chips. If someone asks for a
rack of
white, they'd like $100 in $1 chips.
3
chip along
chip declaration
1. (v phrase) In a
high-
low split game, using chips to indicate whether you're going for
high,
low, or both. This is done in
two ways, either the color of the chips indicates the players' intentions (as
red for
high,
white for
low,
blue for both ways), or the number of chips (as none for
low,
one for
high,
two for both ways).
See consecutive declaration,
declaration,
sequential declaration.
1
chip girl
1. (n phrase)
chip runner of the female persuasion. Curiously, the term
chip boy does not exist.
1
chip in
chip race
1. (n) In tournaments, as the limits go up, lower demonination chips are taken
out of circulation (
see color up). Often, odd chips, rather than simply being rounded up or
down for each
player, are randomly given to
one player at each
table. Typically, each
player is dealt a
card for each
odd chip, and the
player with the highest
card dealt is given all the odd chips (which are then colored up).
3
chip rack
1. (n) A
box, or
tray, that has indentations to neatly hold chips in (often five) stacks.
1
chip runner
1. (n) A person wearing an apron with pockets
full of chips, whose job it is to
sell chips to the players, and sometimes to perform other duties, such as collect
time,
sell drinks, etc.
1
chip up
chips are down
1. (v phrase) Originally, bets have been made and the players are committed to win or lose based on the
cards they hold. This would likely happen when
one or more of the players is
all in, and bluffing is not a factor. The phrase has passed into general usage meaning a situation is urgent or must be dealt with.
12. (v phrase) A
player has bought into
a game, a phrase used by
floor personnel to indicate that the
seat at which those chips have been placed is now
locked up (definition 2),
even though an actual
player may not currently have started
play at that
table.
1
choice pots
chop
1. (v) An agreement between the
two players with blinds to simply
take their blinds
back rather than playing
out the
hand if nobody calls or raises
in front of them.
22. (v) To
return the blinds to the players who posted them and
move on to the next
hand. This may happen in hold'em when nobody calls the
blind. By agreeing to chop rather than
play the
hand, the
two blinds sometimes avoid paying the
rake, since many cardrooms only collect on those hands when
there is a
flop. At a
table which ordinarily sees more
action, players will often agree to chop so as to get on to a "real"
hand more quickly.
Wanna chop?
Okay.
33. (v)
Play briefly in each of several games, usually with the intention of having a
short winning
session in each.
1
chop a game
chop chop
Chop it up
chop the blinds
chopper
chopping
1. (n) Playing briefly in each of several games, usually successfully in each.
1
Chowaha
1. (n) A
hold 'em variant invented in a
private game by
RGPer Mike Chow, and popularized at
BARGE, in which each
player gets
two downcards, the
dealer flops
nine cards, arranged in
three rows of
three, then turns
two cards vertically at the ends of the "corridors" between the preceding rows, and rivers
one card in the middle and to the right of the
two, the whole arrangement forming a
large arrow-like
structure. Players form their best five-
card hand using their
two downcards plus any
three cards from the four
possible five-
card board combinations:
top row of
three plus
top card of
two plus
river card,
bottom row of
three plus
bottom card of
two plus
river card,
middle row of
three plus either
one of the
two turn cards plus
river card. The
game is usually played
high-
low, with an 8
qualifier for
low; a
player need not use the same
board for both
high and
low. Variants include playing the
game high only, and each
player starting with four
cards (in which
case, as in
Omaha, exactly
two must be used to form the five
card hand). The
high only version played with only
two downcards, which is how the
game is played in cardrooms, is known as
casino Chowaha, as opposed to
home Chowaha.
1
chump
chute
chute number 1
cigaret pot
1. (n) An arrangement between
two or more players to pay for their cigarets in the same manner as a
drink pot.
1
cinch player
1. (n)
One who plays only the
nuts (usually used in a derisive sense).
1
Cincinnati
circle
1. (n)
Pot boundary. A mythical demarcation within which bets are "legal" and
outside of which they are not. In some
clubs, an actual circle is drawn on the
table. In some
clubs, a
bet, or a
motion to
make a
bet, is not considered binding unless the chips physically enter the circle; in others, the concept of the circle does not exist. Same as
line.
1
c-i-x
class
clean
clean dealer
clean move
clean out
clean up
1. (v phrase) Get rid of the evidence after making a cheating maneuver. A
thief may
deal himself six
cards, and
play the best five. When he conceals the extra
card among the
discards, he is cleaning up. Also called
skin the hand.
1
clip
clip joint
close
close to the vest
1. (adv phrase)
Tight. "He plays them close to the vest." Comes from the way players held their
cards to avoid their being seen by others.
1
closed card
closed game
1. (n)
A game in which no other participants than those currently
seated are permitted. In
poker, the term usually applies only to private games. In casinos, the term is used for
a game, usually blackjack, in which
one player is making very
large bets, does not want other players interfering with his
play, requests to
play alone, and the
house, wanting his
action, accedes.
1
closed hand
closed poker
club
club poker
1. (n)
Poker played in a public
cardroom (as opposed to a
private game), usually with posted rules and sometimes limited to certain games, such as
lowball and
draw, according to licensing restrictions.
1
club stakes
1. (n) Posted rules regarding wagering, usually found in licensed cardrooms.
1
clubs
1. (n)
One of the four suits in a
deck of
cards, whose symbol is shaped like a shamrock (). Originally, clubs may have represented the warrior
class, the
club being an early weapon. In the traditional
deck, clubs are
black. In the four-color
deck, they are
green.
1
coat card
1. (n) An old term for
face card. Comes from coated, from the garments worn by the figures. The term was in use until the late seventeenth
century, at which
point the pronunciation was probably corrupted into
court card.
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coaxer
coffee pot
1. (n) An arrangement between
two or more players to pay for their coffee in the same manner as a
drink pot.
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coffeehouse
1. (v) To talk about a
hand one is involved in, usually with the intent of misleading or manipulating other players, is
coffeehousing. It's usually considered just barely on
one side of ethical. Which
side that is depends on who you ask.
See also
table talk.
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coffeehousing
cojones
1. (n) The
nuts, usually preceded by los. (Pronounced co-HO-nayss.)
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cold
2. (adj) Not doing well.
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cold bluff
cold call
cold deck
3. (vt) To
deal a cold deck; usually to someone. "Those bastards
cold-decked me."
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cold decker
cold game
collection
collusion
1. (n) A form of cheating in which
two or more players
signal their
holdings or otherwise form a cheating
partnership to the detriment of the other players. best-
hand is a form of collusion.
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color change
1. (n) Replacing chips of
one color with those of another. Usually implies getting rid of many smaller
denomination chips for fewer of a higher
denomination.
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color up
1. (v) To exchange
one's chips for ones of higher
value, usually in order to reduce the number of chips
one has on the
table. In tournaments, players are forced to color up periodically as the
tourney money becomes divided among fewer and fewer players and the sizes of the forced bets go up (it makes no sense to
play with $25 chips when the blinds are $10000).
See also
chip race.
3
colors
1. (n) In a
draw game, a
side bet arrangement between
two (or more) players. If
one is dealt before the
draw five
cards of the same color (that is,
all red, or
all black), the other pays him a certain amount. Usually played in conjunction with
points, and is more common in
lowball than
high. This sort of
bet arrangement is particularly frowned on by the
house, because it involves exposing too many
cards, and also slows the
game down while comparisons and verifications are made.
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Columbia River
come
come back at
1. (v)
reraise; always followed by the name or identity of the
player. "He
bet $10, I raised him $40, and he came
back at me."
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come back on
come bet
come down
1. (v) Happen. "This is how it came
down."
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come hand
come in
come in cold
come in for a raise
come in in the middle
come in light
1. (v) Get into a
pot with a poor
hand.
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come in on the blind
come off
come over the top
come through
come unglued
common card
community card
community cards
1. (n)
Face-up
cards that are shared by all the players in a
hand.
Flop games have five community cards.
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community pot
como se llamos
1. (n) The
nuts; usually preceded by the. "When I called him, he showed me the como se llamos." Means "whatchmacallits" in Spanish.
1
comoque
comoquer
complete bet
complete bluff
complete hand
complete the bet
1. (v) When an all-in
player initiates the betting with a
bet that is less than the current
limit, the next
player can complete the bet by bringing it
up to the
limit. For example, in a $20-$40
hold 'em game, on the last
round a
player has only $35 remaining, which he bets. If the next
player puts in $40, he has completed the
bet.
Clubs have various rulings on whether a
player with less than a
full bet may
even initiate the betting (or
call, for that matter) and also on whether succeeding players may just
call that amount, must complete the bet, or are permitted to
raise. Also
see full bet.
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complimentary play
computer hand
1. (n) In
hold 'em, Q-7 as
one's first
two cards. Comes from an apocryphal story that "someone" did an extensive computer simulation of
hold 'em hands in which those
two cards appeared most frequently in the
flop, or, in some stories, among the downcards. The simulation was atypical, however, because the chances are the same for any
two cards of different ranks.
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concave card
concealed
concealed hand
1. (n) A
hand played in such a way that you would not suspect it of being very
good, but that turns
out to be so. For example, if, in
lowball,
two players kept raising each other
back and forth, and a third just kept calling all the bets, you might suspect that he was drawing
one to a
good hand. If he turned
out to have a
pat wheel, that would be a concealed hand. In any
poker game, if
one player lets the others do all the betting for him, usually because the situation allows him to just keep calling without ever having to
make a
raise or leading
bet of his own, and that
player actually holds a
hand that cannot lose, he is said to have a concealed hand. Also called
hidden hand.
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concealed pair
confederate
connector
connectors
consecutive declaration
1. (n phrase) In a
high-
low split game, a method of indicating, prior to the
showdown, whether you're going for
high,
low, or both. In
home and private games, such
declaration is usually done simultaneously, by everyone, for example, opening his
hand at once to reveal none,
one, or
two chips, representing, respectively,
low,
high, or both ways (sometimes called
scoop or
hog). In some games, however, at the
time for the
declaration, players
declare one at a
time verbally starting to the left of the
dealer; this is called
simultaneous declaration. This, of course, gives the
dealer a tremendous
advantage. (Sometimes consecutive declaration starts with the last
player to
bet or
raise, or, if no
one did so on the last
round, with the highest
board.)
Declaration, whether simultaneous or sequential (consecutive), is not common in public cardrooms, where
high-
low split games are usually played in what is called
cards speak. Also called
sequential declaration. Also
see simultaneous declaration.
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conservative
convex card
cooler
cop checks
corner bend
corner seat
cosmetics
count down the stub
count someone down
countdown
1. (n) Counting
down someone's chips.
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countdown hand
1. (v) In
lowball, a
hand tied in its
top three or four
cards. For example, Chloe has 9-7-6-4-3 and Emilie has 9-7-6-4-2. The
winning hand is determined at the fifth
card, since their hands are otherwise the same. Emilie wins because her
deuce is better than Chloe's
trey. Either of the
two hands is called a countdown hand; the term is also applied to the situation.
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counter
1. (n) An old term for a
chip.
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counterfeit
2. (v) In
flop games, when your great
hand is subsequently made less powerful because of
board cards that duplicate the strength of your
hand, your
hand is said to be
counterfeited. For example, if you hold J9 and the
flop is T87, you hold the
nuts. If the
turn is a 9, suddenly anyone with a J has a
straight, and QJ has a better
straight. If the
river is a J, you're
counterfeited even further - you're playing the
board and anyone with a Q beats you. Counterfeiting is especially common in
high-
low split omaha. If you hold A2JQ and the
flop is 678, you have the
nut low. However, if the
turn card is an A or a 2, your
nut low has been
counterfeited. It's no longer the
nut low, and is probably not
even a
winner3
counterfeited
2. (adv) In
high (either
straight high or the
high half of
high-
low), having a probable
winner turned into a probable
loser by the appearance of another
card on the board. For example, you have
two low spades in
hold 'em, and
three medium
spades appear
on the flop. Your
hand is very likely the best. If another
spade appears
on the turn or
river, anyone
holding one spade higher than your
two will
beat you. Or, you hold 4 5, and the
flop is 6 7 8. You have a
good hand at this
point, because, while
possible, it is not likely that another
player holds 9-10. If a 5 or 10 falls, anyone with a 9 beats you. If a 9, anyone with a 10 beats you. In all of these cases, you have been counterfeited. For both meanings, also called duplicated.
1
country straight
1. (n) In
high draw poker with the
joker, an
open-ended
straight draw, that is,
one that
can be improved by only
nine cards, as 4-5-6-7 of mixed suits, which becomes a
straight with any 3, 8, or the
joker, or a
straight draw that
can be improved by only eight
cards, as 4-5-
joker-8, which is helped by any 6 or 7. In
high draw poker without the
joker or seven-
card stud, an
open-ended
straight draw, that is,
one that
can be improved by only eight
cards, as 4-5-6-7 of mixed suits, which becomes a
straight with any 3 or 8.
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courchevel
1. (n) A form of
Omaha popular in Europe, particularly France, and private games, in which players start with either four or five downcards and the first
flop card is exposed before the first
round of betting. The
name of the game comes from that of a posh ski resort in the French Alps.
1
court card
1. (n)
face card. May be a corruption of
coat card, rather than an allusion to where kings and queens (and knaves?) are found. The term has been in use since the late seventeenth
century.
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courtesy bet
1. (n) A
bet made in a situation in which a
bet is not mandated, and sometimes implying a
bet that should not be sensibly made. In a no-
limit lowball game, Jim opens and Curly raises. Jim calls and draws
two cards, and Curly draws
one. Jim makes a
smooth 8, and says, "I'll give you a courtesy bet." The
bet is small, and the implication is that Curly will now
raise. A courtesy bet often occurs in the same situation in which a
protection bet is made.
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courtesy play
1. (n) Giving someone
action where it is not necessarily warranted. For example, in a Southern California double
blind lowball game, you have beaten someone in several
large pots. Now you have the
blind. He opens for a
raise. You have absolutely
nothing,
something like four
face cards and
one small
card. Normally you would not
call the
bet, but would just
throw the
hand away. Instead you
take decidedly the
worst of it, perhaps drawing four
cards, in order to appear to "give" him
back of the few of the many dollars you won from him. This is a courtesy play.
1
covered
1. (adj) Having more than enough chips to
meet the current
bet; usually heard in a no-
limit game. For example, in a self-dealt no-
limit lowball game, before the
draw, Jim bets, Bob raises, and Jim reraises
all in, a considerable amount,
all in $5 chips and ones. Bob grabs a
stack of $100 chips, obviously more than Jim's
raise, and shoves them into the
pot. A "helpful"
player not in the
pot starts to count
down Jim's chips, getting in the way of the
dealing of the
draw cards. Bob says, "If I lose, you
can count them after the
pot's
over; I've got him covered." Presumably somewhere in the vicinity of half the
time a
countdown would be moot, anyway.
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cow
cow up
cowboy
1. (n) A nickname for Kings, more often heard in the plural.
I had cowboys six times last night and didn't win a
pot with them.
3
crab
1. (n)
Three (the
card); so called because a 3 looks like it has pincers.
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crabs
crack
3. (n)
Beat; usually followed by a or the
hand. In
lowball you might hear, "Did you just crack another seven for me? That's the fourth in an hour."
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cracked
1. (adv)
Beat, referring to a particular
hand. "I flopped
three sets, and every
one of them got cracked."
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crank
crank it up
crank one up
crazy pineapple
crier
1. (n)
One who complains a lot while playing, usually about his
bad luck.
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crimp
crimp artist
cripple
1. (v) As in "to cripple the
deck." Meaning that you have most or all of the
cards that somebody would want to have with the current
board. If you have
pocket kings, and the other
two kings
flop, you have crippled the
deck.
22. (v) In
hold 'em, have most of the
cards that would
make someone else a
hand based on the current
board, such that you are not likely to get
action; usually followed by the
deck. For example, you start with
pocket aces, and
two aces
come in the
flop. You have crippled the
deck, because everyone else is worried about someone having an
ace.
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criss cross
crossfire
crossroader
cry
1. (v) Complain a lot while playing.
1
crying call
1. (v) A
call that you
make expecting to lose, but feel that you must
make anyway because of the
pot odds.
22. (v) A
call by someone who is virtually certain they will not win the
pot, and probably knows it.
33. (n phrase) A reluctant
call, often accompanied by complaints about how the
caller is sure he will be
beat, has no sense in doing so, and in fact is only making the
call because of his innate charity.
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Crying Jake
1. (n) The archetypical
crier.
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crying winner
1. (n)
One who complains a lot while playing,
even, and particularly, while winning, probably to convince others that he's losing when he is in fact doing the opposite. Someone with a
reputation as a crying winner usually fools no
one, and usually alienates most players, who wouldn't particularly mind his winning if he would only shut up.
1
cuff
cull
1. (v) Perform the cheating
move of arranging
cards prior to shuffling, in such a way that their order
can be
set, so that by various methods of sleight-of-
hand the
cheat can give himself or his
partner winning
cards, and, perhaps, slightly worse
cards to a
mark 1
Curse of Mexico
Curse of Scotland
cut
4. (n) The
act of cutting the
cards. "Whose cut is it?" means "Whose
turn is it to cut the
cards?"
1
cut card
cut cards
1. (v) Divide stacks of chips into equal amounts, often smaller stacks of five. This is the method pit dealers and
cage persons count chips for the purpose of paying
off a winning
bet or changing the chips to cash, or
poker dealers use to count a
bet or change chips from a small to a larger
denomination.
1
cut for the deal
cut off
cut out
cut someone up
cut the game down
1. (v) Reduce the
stakes, usually at the request of the players. For example, the players of a
short-handed 60-120
hold 'em game may be told by the
management that the
game would
fill up if they played 40-80, so the players may agree to cut the game down.
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cut the pot
1. (v)
Take a portion of the
pot to cover expenses. Usually the term is used in private or
home games; in cardrooms and casinos,
rake and
drop are more common.
1
cutoff
cutoff seat
1. (n) The
position to the right of the
button. "I opened from the cutoff seat."
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cutout
cutout work
cutter
cutthroat game
cutthroat poker