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Poker Jive
If you've ever seen the film "Rounders," (which we just love!) you've probably noticed that poker has its own language. More than most games, poker relies on a large vocabulary that is understood by all participants and so, it's crucial for beginners to learn some of this terminology. The more you take in, the more you'll understand. And, the more respect you'll gain from your opponents, the more you'll be able to think about the actual GAME instead of the words.
What follows below is a short glossary of very common poker terms that all beginners should learn, and all experienced players probably already know by heart. Note that these terms are designed for players who understand the rules of simple Texas Hold'em. If you need some refreshing, you can check out our Games section.
BLINDS (SMALL BLIND/BIG BLIND): Blinds are required bets that take the place of an ante, or pre-game bet. he person to the left of the dealer must pay the small blind and the person after him or her has to pay the big blind. Blind values differ according to the table at which you're playing.
BOARD CARDS: Board cards are the cards that everyone shares and are located in the center of the table. They're occasionally also referred to as "community cards."
DRAW: Drawing means hoping to improve your hand by relying on the cards that will come up on the board. You are considered to be "on a draw" when youíre depending on board cards to complete your hand.
FLOP: The term for the first three cards that are dealt in Hold'em - those that come up at the same time and are shared by each player.
IMPLIED ODDS: Implied odds are basically the same as pot odds except that implied odds consider future bets as well. In other words, you may call a bet at the flop, but have implied odds of establishing bigger bets in later rounds if you hit your draw.
LIMIT POKER: Limit poker is poker with fixed bets. In a $2-$4 limit game, all bets and raises are $2 in the first 2 rounds (pre-flop and flop), and $4 in the last two rounds (turn and river).
LONGHAND: Type of poker game with seven or more people playing simultaneously.
OUTS: Essentially the number of undealt cards that can help your hand. If the flop is a Q, J, and 2 and you have a 10 and a 9, you want a K or an 8 to complete the straight. Since there are 4 Kís and 4 8's in the deck, you are said to have 8 OUTS in all.
POSITION: Your location at the poker table. The dealer has the most advantageous position since he bets last and can therefore better understand what other people are holding. The small blind has the worst position because he goes first.
POT ODDS: Pot odds are chiefly a comparison of the bet you're making with the overall pot total. If your chances of winning the bet are relatively solid compared to the amount in the pot (as in, if there's a lot to win from a decent bet) your pot odds indicate that itís in your interest to take the bet. So, taking a $10 bet in which you have an 18% chance of winning might not be a bad idea if the total of the pot is $100. But taking a $300 bet in which the pot total is $400 and your chances of winning are still 18% is NOT such a good idea. Understanding pot odds is absolutely vital to being successful at poker.
PRE-FLOP: Pre-flop refers to the period in the game where each player has received 2 cards, but the community cards have yet to be dealt.
RIVER: the name of the 5th and final card to be dealt in Hold'em; occurs after the turn.
SHORTHAND: Type of poker game with 6 or less people.
TURN: the name of the 4th board card to drop in Hold'em; occurs after the flop.
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