Poker dictionary

  • Bullets

    chips
  • Bet

    Call, raise. We have the option to raise when we either start the betting round or we are passed before we do. Preflop, the English word for raise is not bet, but raise. The word bet is also used preflop to call the big blind. Postflop, if someone has raised before you, the English word for raising to them is also raise.
  • Big Blind

    the larger of the two blinds and the amount typically used in a hold'em game. The big blind is usually the amount of a full first round call. See also 'blind' and 'small blind'
  • BB

    The abbreviation BB in various poker forums usually stands for Big Bet! One Big Bet = 2 Big Blinds! Most commonly used for the BB/100 indicator, which shows how many Big Bets a player makes in 100 hands!
  • BB/100

    The BB abbreviation used in this indicator stands for Big Bet, where one Big Bet = 2 Big Blinds! BB/100 shows how many Big Bets a player makes in 100 hands!
  • Backdoor

    A draw that needs at least two more cards to complete. For example, if you have a three-card flush or straight draw on the flop and one card arrives on the turn and one at river.
  • Back in

    To get into a pot by first checking and then calling another player's bet on the first call.
  • Bad beat

    What is called a bad beat when a much less favored hand beats a strong favorite. It is used to indicate that the winner of the hand had virtually nothing to gain from the hand and was very lucky to catch the hand that allowed him to win. You will come across this term many times during your poker career.
  • Balance, balancing

    this term refers to playing very different hands in a very similar way, in order to make it as difficult as possible for your opponent to get information about your hand (although the expected value is that the hand should be played differently).
  • Bankroll

    The amount of money that a player has available to play.
  • Behind

    If (at that moment) we do not have the best hand.
  • Big Bet Game

    A game with a no limit or pot limit structure.
  • Big Stack

    A stack size that is relatively large compared to the blinds. Compare: 'short stack'.
  • Blank

    A card, often a community card, that has no particular value or significance. Ex: "I thought Margaret had a good draw, but the river was blank, so I called again."
  • Blind

    obligatory call, the unit of measure of the basic call
  • Blind Off, Blinded

    See 'ante off' 2. When one runs out of stack by having to continually call blinds during a tournament.
  • Blocker

    To 'hold' one of another player's outs, typically when there is a threat of a flush or straight draw on the board.
  • Blocking Bet

    A disproportionately small call from an out-of-position player in order to prevent a larger call from a player who is next in line.
  • Bluff

    A call or raise by a player who does not have the best hand (or no good hand at all). It is intended to make an opponent with better cards fold.
  • Board

    "The Table" - The common cards in poker that are down on the table and everyone uses them.
  • Bottom Pair, Bottom Set

    The pair (or set) that connects to the lowest card on the board.
  • Bounty

    In certain poker tournaments, the organizers may put a bounty on the heads of certain players; whoever eliminates these players will receive a special cash prize. In some tournaments, there may be a bounty for every player eliminated.
  • Break

    during poker tournaments, the organisers will provide breaks at certain intervals, when players can leave the table, go to the bathroom and rest.
  • Brick

    Similar to blank, but brick has a more negative connotation than merely worthless. It can be a high card that can be dangerous to your hand, or a pair of low-handed games.
  • Broadway

    A straight 10 to Ace
  • Brush

    A brush is a casino employee who greets incoming players, directs them to their table, informs them of available seats, among many other duties. His main job is to prepare the poker tables to receive new players. The term is also used as a verb in the sense of "recruiting", the brush's job is to recruit new players to a table. Also called as Floorman.
  • Bubble

    In a poker tournament, the bubble is the last position not yet paid. It is also used in other senses, for example, if a TV final table has 6 players, the seventh place finisher is eliminated in the "TV bubble". It is also used to indicate proximity to a paying position only.
  • Bully

    A frequent raiser, his main strategy is to push a more cautious player, who is largely sitting on a big stack, out of his comfort zone with a series of raises.
  • Burn Card, Burn

    Burning The top card of the deck is always set aside, it does not participate in the deal. Similarly, the next card is "burned" before each community card is dealt.
  • Busted

    Busted 1. Non-completed, 4-card draws are called busted draws. 2.
  • Button

    Button, Dealer The last position at the table, post-flop the dealer always speaks last. This position is indicated by the dealer button to the left of the hand.
  • Buy-in

    The buy-in fee for tournaments and the amount of money to sit down at the table for cash games.
  • Buy Short -

    A buy-in to a table with fewer chips than the usual buy-in. This is allowed in certain situations, usually after someone has lost a full buy-in or if all players agree.
  • Buy the Button

    The tactic of players in late position, calling more than usual in order to get the players behind us to fold so that we can be in last position post-flop.
  • Buy the Pot

    Buy the pot If no one has raised before us, we can put in a bet to get the other players to fold and then immediately take the pot. A variation of this is 'buying the blinds', where we make a big raise to fold with the blinds.
  • Back raise

    A preflop play where a limper does not call a raise, but instead raises back.
  • Backer

    A person or group that provides money and education to a player in exchange for a predetermined share of the player's profits.
  • Backing team

    A group that provides money and education to several players in exchange for giving up a portion of their winnings to the backing team.
  • Backed

    A player who is provided with money and education in exchange for giving up a portion of his winnings to the backer or backing team.
  • Bad Beat Story

    A story in which a player recounts/describes a bad beat in hopes of sympathy from fellow players.
  • Badacey

    A split game where half the pot is won by the best A-5 Triple Draw Lowball hand and the other half by the best Badugi hand. This player may be a single person, in which case he wins the entire pot.
  • Badeucey

    A similar format to Badacey, where half the pot is won by the best 2-7 draw hand and the other half by the best Badugi hand. These two players can be the same person, in which case the pot goes to him.
  • Badugi

    A four-card game format in which the goal is for players to form the lowest triple draw hand, using cards of different suits. The best card here is considered to be A-2-3-4 in different suits. Although its origin is unknown, some sources claim that it originated in Korea.
  • Baller

    A high-stakes, winning player who leads a lifestyle typical of the wealthy.
  • Bankroll management

    One of the keys to long-term success in poker. The set of rules by which a player manages his bankroll to protect it from excessive fluctuations.
  • Barrel

    A continuous call over several streets. If a player bets on the flop and continues on the turn, it is called a first barrel, if he bets on the river it is called a second barrel.
  • Belly buster

    A straight draw with a missing card at the middle.
  • Bet sizing

    Usually the ratio of the pot to a player's call.
  • Betting pattern

    A pattern derived from a player's betting habits, consisting of the player's typical bet sizing and frequency.
  • Big Blind Special

    A preflop worthless hand where the player in the big blind position makes a strong hand until the river and wins the pot. Typically, most players would have folded preflop, but because the hand was played "for free" from the big blind, it was played.
  • Big lick

    The slang name for a 6-9 card combination.
  • Big Slick

    The slang name for the combination of A-K.
  • Busto

    A player who has lost his entire bankroll. (from the English word busted)