Poker terminology used on our site
- Donk
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n. Abbreviation for donkey.
v. To make a poor, donkey-like play, even if successful. "You drew out on me with 5,3 offsuit? I can't believe how you donked me!" - Donkey
- n. An unknowledgeable and thoughtless player.
- Fish
- n. Bad players. The raison d'être of both poker and fly casting.
- Hammer
- np. Having unsuited starting cards of 7 and 2. This is the worst starting hand in hold'em. Often shown as a bluff to put a player on tilt.
- Loose
- adj. Playing bad cards, staying in hands too long, and/or over betting. I love loose players.
- Luckbox
- n. Someone who is getting lucky at the table. Generally refers to a fish who is winning because of luck. However, the term can be applied to anyone who is having a lucky day.
- Maniac
- n. Someone lacking self control who raises and reraises wildly, regardless of the hand. Like a twelve-point buck, the maniac is the purpose of the hunt.
- Pair
- n. Two cards of the same rank, such as K♥K♠. Is weaker than two pair, stronger than any single high card.
- Raise
- v., n. Form of bet where you put more money in the pot than the previous bettor. Your opponent must either fold, match (call), or reraise.
- River
- n. The fifth and final community card in hold'em, dealt face up in the middle of the table, which anyone can use as part of a hand.
- Rock
- n. A player known to be very tight. Although predictable, rocks often win anyway.
- Set
- np. Three of a kind, especially when composed of a pair in the hole with a third card on the board.
- Shark
- n. A shark is a good player and typically wins. A shark's goal is often to simply just win money at poker, so they seek out games with a lot of fish. Basically, in the poker ecosystem, sharks feed on fish.
- Tight
- adj. Selectively playing only the best hands or situations. Following the money, not the thrills. A tight player folds if there is no mathematical edge, he does not chase long shots for fun.
- Tilt
- v., adj. Lose of emotional control and self-destructive betting. Player may be angry, desperate to win back losses, on a testosterone rampage, or too shocked and muddled to do anything but plunge forward. Watch for it, both in yourself and others.