J - Poker Terms
When is a bad beat not so bad? When you're playing jackpot poker, of course. A number of cardrooms offer sizeable jackpots for particularly bad beats. The rules vary somewhat, but typically you must have aces full or better beat (sometimes by quads or better). If the game is hold'em, often both players must use both of their pocket cards. Other rules and technicalities make it worthwhile finding out just what could invalidate a jackpot before you play your first hand. Typically the "loser" gets the lion's share (e.g., 50%), the winner of the hand the next largest share (e.g., 25%), and often the remainder of the table splits the rest of the jackpot. The jackpot itself is usually built by a jackpot drop from every hand, sometimes the entire small blind. Jackpots for low-limit games are often in the tens of thousands of dollars, and can get very big if no one wins for a while.
Feelings about jackpot poker are divided. Some players get upset about all the bad beats they take at the hands of wild players chasing every remote chance at the jackpot, and resent the extra money taken out of every pot. On the other hand, jackpot poker is certainly popular, and it's hard to argue with anything that fills seats.
Poker jackpots are occasionally outlawed or reinstated in various locations. Check your local listings.
Yay, I hit the jackpot.
To bet or raise the maximum, especially in no-limit, is to jam.
A joker is an additional card in the deck that is used in some games. The jokers isn't often used in serious poker, but when it is it's usually considered a wild card. See also bug.