Poker Glossary
Satellite
A poker tournament where the main prize is free entry to another larger
tournament.
Scare Card
A scare card is a high value community card that could make someone a
strong hand – An ace on the turn would be a great scare card against
someone holding a pair of queens.
Semi Bluff
Betting on a hand that isn’t made yet, but has a good chance of
improving on the turn or the river – if you had ace, five of hearts
and the flop contained 2 hearts, you could definitely bet here and hope
for another heart to complete your flush.
Set
Also known as trips or three of a kind – three cards of the same
value.
Shark
A professional card player.
Short Stack
A number of chips that is low in comparison to the other players at the
table. If you have $10 in front of you, and everybody else at the table
has over $80, you are said to be the short stack.
Short Handed
A poker game being played with six players or less, in contrast to a full
ring game, which usually has nine or ten players.
Showdown
The showdown is where more than one player remains after the last round
of betting – the remaining players show their cards to determine
who has won.
Side Pot
A separate pot created to deal with the situation of one player being
all in, but not being able to cover the bets of the other players at the
table – All the players will play for the main pot, but only the
players who put chips into the side pot are eligible to win it.
Sit & Go
A mini poker tournament that starts when the necessary amount of players
have put up their money to play.
Slow Play
Checking or calling with a very strong hand to disguise your strength.
Small Blind
The smallest of the compulsory bets – designed to get money in the
pot – usually half the big blind.
Smooth Call
Also known as a flat call - a call, in a situation where one might be
expected to raise
Squeeze Play
A re-raise in no limit holdem with marginal or poor cards, after another
player or players have already called the original raise - The aim is
to bluff everyone out of the hand and steal all the bets.
Stack
All of the chips that a player has in play at a given moment.
Stakes
Refers to the amount that you buy into a poker game for and can bet -
a "low stakes" game may be a $20 buy in and have a $1 max raise.
Starting Hand
The hand that you start playing with in a round of betting.
Steal
The same as a bluff – representing good cards, when you in fact
hold nothing in order to steal the pot.
Stop and Go
A play where you call (rather than re-raising) a raise, but then come
out betting on the next card.
Straight
Any 5 cards in numerical order – ie – 6,7,8,9,10 of any suit.
Straight Flush
5 cards in numerical order made up of the same suit– ie –
6,7,8,9,10 all of diamonds.
Suited
Cards that have the same suit – if you held a 6, 7 of hearts, you
would have a 6,7 suited.
Suited Connectors
Refers to pocket cards that are suited and are close enough to each other
that they can form a straight on the flop |
