Poker Lingo for the Newbie
Apr 20th, 2011 Thomas Kearns
Poker has its own distinctive language just like so many other activities, from surfing the net to surfing the perfect wave. But do not be dismayed, it is not a plot against you, the newcomer to the game, it is simply an outgrowth of the popularity and longevity of the game of poker in its infinite variety. The following is a guide for those of you who are new to the game in online play and need more understanding of the communication both while engaged in the game and in the poker rooms and forums.
We will begin with the most obvious, and that is with the ever-popular game of Texas hold'em. You have your choice of limit, pot limit and no limit games. Anywhere from two to ten players may engage in a Texas hold'em session. The cards are dealt by the "dealer" whose position at the table is designated by a unique "button" and the one doing the dealing may be referred to as "the button." This person is not the same as a casino dealer who makes his living at it while being paid by the casino and cannot participate in the game.
In back of the dealer are two players who make bets blindly. Only the table limit keeps the lid on their bets. They cannot bet over the particular table's limit. The first blind bet is for half of the table limit and is termed the small blind, the second player places a bet for the full table limit, the big blind. So, if the table limit $2/$4, the small blind will be for $2 and the big blind for $4. You often see abbreviations which designate the player's position. SB stands for small blind and BB denotes the big blind. Of course this seems too easy and it is. SB can also mean small bet and BB big bet, having nothing to do with blind. Be aware of this and distinguish between them while engaged in play.
The first move is always made by the small blind player. Because of this, his position is counted as the first position. The button, or dealer, plays last and is counted as whatever that number is depending on the number of players at the table. The second move is by the big blind and the third player is still in an early position and "under the gun" or UTG. Following are the next two positions also considered "early" are known as UTG +1 and UTG + 2. Are you still with me?
Okay, lets continue. The next three players are in the middle positions: MP1, MP2, and MP3. Following these is the "late" position which is the player directly before the button. His position is known as the cutoff or CO. Lastly, the button himself plays.
These are position terms for a ten player Texas Holdem game. In a game of less than ten players, some of the positions will be missing.
With that out of the way, lets begin the play. The first step is the preflop, where each player is dealt two pocket cards. The next steps in the game are referred to as streets and are the flop, the turn (fourth street) and the river (fifth street). While this is going on, cards are laid on the table (AKA, the board). These cards are known as the relevant streets, first three flop cards, then one turn and one river card. The flop cards in different suits are referred to as a rainbow.
This is just the most basic stuff you need to keep in mind when playing online. Continue to learn more poker jargon so you understand more and more of the strange conversation that exists in these online games. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor. You will win more and have more fun when you know what is being said around you and the meaning of the terms at the table.
About the Author:
The author of this article plays online poker and gets Rakeback at Aced Poker where they offer the highest Aced Rakeback.
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