Poker Dictionary

As every poker player knows (especially anyone who's tried to tell a poker story to a non-player) poker has a language all its own. Many terms can appear to be perplexing shorthand for the complex concepts of a complex game. Learning the language isn't always easy, but it’s required if you want to truly understand the contents of poker magazines and books, or just the table-talk at your weekly home game. If the language itself isn’t confusing enough, many phrases take on whole new meanings when used in the vernacular of certain regions of the country, or even specific games.

For those few competitors of mine that can read (Dave, I’ll try to add pictures later), I decided to post a dictionary of common poker terms. The more common definition is listed first, followed by the meaning from our local dialect.


Back Door
- A hand that’s made using both of the last two cards.

- John’s (yes, either one) preferred method of entry.

Belly Buster
- Another name for an inside straight draw.
- A second helping of Dave’s prime rib.

Double Belly Buster
- A hand with two inside straight draws.
- A third helping of Dave’s prime rib.

Crying Call
- A call by someone who is virtually certain they will not win the pot.
- Jarod phoning his ex from the bar at 3am.

Family Pot
- When everyone at the table decides to see the flop.
- Entertainment at the Medvetz Christmas party.

Flat Call
- A way of saying call that emphasizes the fact that the player didn’t raise.
- The result of Charles attempting to hum, sing or whistle (see also: Bad Beat).

Full House
- A hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
- Corey’s double-wide on Father’s Day.

Good Position
- Last to act after the flop.
- For Bill: Prone.

Off-Suit
- Not of the same suit, especially in reference to hole cards.
- Dean’s request of the boys during the NAMBLA swim meet.

Hold’Em
- Poker game in which each player gets two pocket cards, while five community cards are dealt face-up on the table.

- Dean’s request of the boys in the locker room after the NAMBLA swim meet.

Open-Ender
- A straight draw that consists of four consecutive cards (none of them an ace).
- Jim, after drinking half a wine cooler.

Pot Odds
- The ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of money it will cost you to call a bet.
- The chances of Nate having marijuana on him at any given time.

Second Pair
- What you have when one of your hole cards matches the second-highest rank on the board.
- An additional waitress at Hooter’s™.

Short Stack
- A chip stack that’s too small to cover the likely betting in a hand.
- Jamie’s pet nickname for Dave.

Spread Limit
- Structure in which there is a fixed minimum and maximum bet for each betting round.
- Elvie’s… - nah, too easy…

Suck Out
- To win a hand by virtue of hitting a very weak draw, often with poor pot odds.
- When Elvie… - nah, still too easy…

String Bet
- Betting, and then reaching back for more chips without announcing your intentions.
- The time Jeff went all-in, throwing his tampon on the table during a game of strip poker (for future reference Jeff, this is considered bad etiquette, and is frowned upon in most circles).

Underdog
- When two hands face off, the one that’s less likely to win than the other.
- Michael’s favorite position (and one he’s usually in after raising with K-9).


Hopefully these definitions will help you out when, in your Hold’Em game, an underdog flat calls a string bet in good position with second pair and good pot odds, then back doors a full house to suck out on you, making you the short stack.

See ya at the tables…
Rick