T - Poker Dictionary
The word "table" can be used to refer to community cards, the poker table itself, or the players at the table as a group.
When the case 9 hit the table, I checked.
The table was playing tight, so I was bluffing more than usual.
This is a nice table, I especially like the cup holders.
If you're playing at a public cardroom, and you'd like to play at a table other than the one you're currently at, you can ask the floor for a table change. Different cardrooms handle this differently, but typically you'll be moved as soon as an opening develops, and a player from the seating list will be moved into your seat.
A player who calls with the intention of keeping other players honest (e.g., to snap off bluffs) is said to be playing table cop. Also a player who makes an effort to point out violations (significant and otherwise) of casino rules (e.g., reminding other players to act in turn, which is properly the responsibility of the dealer).
Table stakes is simply the (nearly universal) rule that a player may only wager money they have on the table at the beginning of a hand. Usually it also implies that money may not be removed from the table at any time (exceptions are made for tipping), although money may be added to one's stacks between hands. A player who goes all-in at a table stakes game may not continue to bet, and is eligible only for the main pot. Sometimes "table stakes" also implies no-limit play.
To the best of my knowledge, Maryland is the only place where most of the games are not table stakes, although the Maryland rules seem to change fairly often.
Any discussion at the table of the hand currently underway, especially by players not involved in the pot, and especially any talk that might affect play. Depending on the nature of the discussion, table talk is often considered somewhere between rude and an act of war. The most common example of table talk to be avoided is announcing what cards you've folded. If the flop is 888 and you shout "Damn!" or slam your fist into the table, you've done a disservice to anyone at the table who thought they might like to represent quads. See also coffeehousing.
A tell is any habit or behavior that gives other players more information about your hand than they would have simply from your play. For instance, you might unconsciously play with your chips every time you bluff. Or you might notice that another player blinks a lot whenever he has a strong hand. Mike Caro's "The Body Language of Poker" describes a large number of tells that can often be seen in inexperienced (and experienced) players.
I picked up reliable tells on two players at the table, so my evening was very profitable.
Texas Hold'em (or just "hold'em") is a poker game in which each player gets two pocket cards, while five community cards are dealt face-up on the table. The strength of a player's hand is the best hand that can be made with these seven cards. There is a round of betting after the pocket cards are dealt, after the first three community cards (the flop), after the fourth, or turn card, and after the final, or river card.
Three cards of the same rank. Also called trips. For example, if you hold 888AK, you have trip 8's.
Playing tight simply means playing fewer hands and folding them earlier. In essence, tight with your cash. A tight table is a table dominated by tight players. Tightness is frequently described as a good thing, and especially at low levels of play can be a big advantage over players who will always pay you off. Tightness should not be confused with passivity. Many good players recommend a tight aggressive strategy.
He was playing so tight, when he finally played a hand we all folded pre-flop.
Good poker seems to require good discipline. However, even good players are often tempted to do things they know are bad ideas when they get frustrated, angry, or upset for any reason. They go "on tilt." Sort of like a pinball machine, except with pinball it only costs you a quarter. Typical tilt play is much too loose and often very aggressive, beacause a player on tilt wants very badly to win a pot, and isn't rational enough to wait for cards that are worth playing or situations that are worth attacking.
When he started raising every hand, I thought he was on tilt, but it turned out he just had an incredible run of good cards.
If the house doesn't drop from the pot but instead collects money from each player periodically, this is called a time charge, or a seat charge, and you're said to be "paying time" to play.
"Time" is also what you're supposed to say whenever you need more than about a second to decide what to do.
An amount "to go" is the amount it takes to enter the pot. In limit flop games, this is usually the amount of the big blind, but if someone raises in a 5-10 game, they're making it ten to go. In some pot-limit and no-limit games, an initial call is more than the largest of the forced bets, so the game might have blinds of $5 and $10 and be $20 to go.
A tip, usually a tip to the dealer affer winning the pot. Tips are usually between $.50 and $3, depending on the limit, the size of the pot, and the generosity of the player.
I toked the dealer an extra couple bucks because it was my first straight flush in over a year.
If there are three cards of different ranks on the flop in hold'em (or any flop game), and you pair the highest one, you have top pair.
Even though the board was suited, I bet out when I flopped top pair.
The general idea behind poker tournaments is that a bunch of poker players sit down with the same number of chips, and eventually only one player has any chips left. In order to ensure that the event will finish in reasonable time, tournaments institute a schedule by which the blinds and/or antes increase. Tournaments are usually played with chips that have no value outside of the tournament. So a buy-in of $30 might get you $500 in tournament chips to play with, but you can't cash them out in the middle. The winner of a tournament (the last player to bust out) as well as several of the other top finishers are typically awarded prize money according to some predetermined schedule.
Tournament details vary widely, but a typical arrangement might include an initial buy-in, a re-buy period during which a player who runs out of tournament chips may buy more, and an opportunity to add on to one's stack after the re-buys have ended. Other details about the structure can vary widely.
See also shootout and freezeout.
Money is trapped in the pot if it faces the imminent danger of becoming dead money. Typically you're trapped if after putting some money in the pot you're faced with the proposition of calling a raise in order to continue, especially an uncomfortably large raise. A player is also said to be trapped if caught calling (e.g. on a draw) between two other players who keep raising and re-raising each other.
Threes are sometimes called treys. So 33377 can be called treys full of sevens.
The fourth of five community cards in flop games (e.g. hold'em and omaha). Sometimes called fourth street.
A hand consisting of two cards of one rank, and two cards of another rank (and an unpaired card). AA883 is two pair, sometimes also called aces up. Wise guys often describe their quads as two pair. "Let's see, I got a pair of tens and... another pair of tens." Bad things happen to wise guys.