A Beginners Guide To Poker Jargon
Poker has its own distinctive language just like so many other activities, from surfing the net to surfing the perfect wave. But do not be dismayed, it is not a plot against you, the newcomer to the game, it is simply an outgrowth of the popularity and longevity of the game of poker in its infinite variety. The following is a guide for those of you who are new to the game in online play and need more understanding of the communication both while engaged in the game and in the poker rooms and forums.
We will begin with the most obvious, and that is with the ever-popular game of Texas hold’em. You have your choice of limit, pot limit and no limit games. Anywhere from two to ten players may engage in a Texas hold’em session. The cards are dealt by the “dealer” whose position at the table is designated by a unique “button” and the one doing the dealing may be referred to as “the button.” This person is not the same as a casino dealer who makes his living at it while being paid by the casino and cannot participate in the game.
Situated in back of the dealer are two players who are there to make blind bets. Bet size depends solely on the limit at the table. The first bettor puts one half of the limit as a blind bet, the bet being termed as a small blind. The second bettor makes a full-limit bet which is called the big blind. So, in the case of a table limit of $2/$4, the small blind bet is for $2 and the second big blind bet is for $4. Usually, terms are abbreviated to indicate the positions of the players. The small blind is SB and the big blind is BB. It is most confusing that those abbreviations, SB and BB, can also mean small bet and big bet which is not the same at all, so beware.
The first move is made by the SB player. His place is therefore considered the first position and the dealer (or button’s) position is the last one. The player who plays third is the one following the BB and is at the “early” position called “under the gun” or UTG. Following the BB, and also early positions are shortened to UTG +1 and UTG + 2. You get it, right?
So, moving right along, the next three players are part of the middle position or MP1, MP2, and MP3. And the “late” positions consist of the player right before the button and is referred to as the cutoff or CO. Bringing up the rear is the button player.
The above names are for the positions in a Texas hold’em game of ten players. If a game has fewer players, some of the position names are simply dropped.
The game begins with the preflop wherein each player gets two pocket cards. Three “streets” come after this preflop: the flop, the turn, which is the fourth street and the river or fifth street. While these rounds are being dealt, community cards are laid face up on the table (AKA the “board”) and are designated after their pertinent streets, i.e. first three flop cards, then one turn and then on river card. The flop cards of different suits are known as a rainbow. Whew!
This is just the most basic stuff you need to keep in mind when playing online. Continue to learn more poker jargon so you understand more and more of the strange conversation that exists in these online games. You will definitely be doing yourself a favor. You will win more and have more fun when you know what is being said around you and the meaning of the terms at the table.
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