Term |
Definition |
6, 7, 8, 65, 64, 74, 75, 76, etc. |
In games played for low, an unpaired low hand is referred to by its highest card, often its highest two cards and sometimes more if needed. So 8432A (in ace to five lowball) is "an eight" or "an eighty-four." (There's only one way to make an 84, so you'd never need to say an 843). If you showdown an 86 and another player shows down an 86, you might need to point out that you have an 863 while they have an 864.
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78 |
Seven-card stud high-low with an 8 or better qualifier is sometimes referred to as 78. Old record albums are also sometimes referred to 78's, because that's how many revolutions per minute you have to play them at in order for them to sound right.
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8 or Better |
A common qualifier for low hands in high-low split games is that they must be unpaired with no card higher than an 8. Note that "8 or better" implies high-low split.
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In a game played for low, ace to five means straights and flushes don't count and the ace can be used as a low card. The best possible hand in an Ace to Five game is therefore A2345 (often called a wheel).
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Act |
To do something when it's your turn, one of: check, call, fold, open bet, and raise.
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Action |
The placing of money into the pot. A table with a lot of action is one at which there are a lot of bets, raises, and re-raises - in other words, betting action.
In most cardrooms, verbal comments like "I raise" are binding, and are therefore said to constitute action.
To give action is to put money into the pot when someone else should be expected to win the hand. To receive action is to have someone else put money into the pot when you expect to win the hand. It's better to receive than to give.
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Add-on |
Some tournaments allow players the opportunity at a certain point to buy additional chips, called an add-on. This is different from a re-buy, because usually anyone still in the tournament can add on, and the opportunity to add-on usually marks the end of the re-buy period.
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Advertise |
It usually means showing down a mediocre hand, to give the impression that you play overly loose or that you play a generally weak game. The idea is that other players will then give you more action when you make a legitimate hand. People are bad at revising first impressions, thus it is a long-lasting beneficial effect.
More generally, advertising can mean anything you do at the poker table to manipulate how other players assess you.
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Aggressive |
A style of play characterized by frequent raising and re-raising. This is not the same thing as loose play. Many good players are selective about the cards they will play, but aggressive once they get involved in a hand. An aggressive table is one dominated by aggressive players.
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All-in |
When a player puts the last of their chips into a pot, that player is said to be all-in. When playing table stakes (as in most places), an all-in player is not eligible to win any money bet above their final bet (the side pot). However, the all-in player will be eligible for the main pot, and therefore cannot be forced from the hand.
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Angle |
An angle is any technically legal but ethically dubious way to increase your expectation at a game. Depending on who you ask, a particular weapon in your arsenal may be a sleazy underhanded trick (a typical angle) or a vital strategic tool that no player should be without. An example might be pretending to be about to fold (or even folding out of turn and then retrieving your cards, if the rules allow it), in order to encourage a call (when you are about to raise). A player who regularly takes advantage of angles is said to be an angle shooter.
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Ante |
A small forced bet that everyone at the table is required to pay before each hand. In games with an ante, these bets constitute the initial pot. When used as a verb, it means to post this bet.
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