Learning to speak Texas Hold’em as well as you play it is all part of the fun and excitement of the world’s most popular poker game!
Some of the terms and slang used are self-explanatory, some humourous, others startlingly apt, but all very relevant to the game and your knowledge of it.
To help you along we have put together a comprehensive list of terms. Read them, memorise the ones you find worthy of repeat, and begin to speak Hold’em as well as you play it!
This covers the letter R. The remainder of the alphabet will be gradually introduced to allow meanings to soak in.
Have fun reading!
R is for:
Rabbit Hunt:
• This is to see what would have come on later streets once the hand has finished
Rack:
• These are the trays used to carry chips. It is typical for a rack to hold 5 rows of 20 chips each
Rags:
• These are cards which do not have any value and offer a low chance of winning any hand
Rail/Railbird:
• The rail is the edge of a poker table which is usually raised and padded. A railbird is a fan or spectators watching the game’s action
Rainbow:
• These are community cards, all of different suits. They can occur either on the flop or the turn
Raise:
• When a player makes a raise, they are betting more and in addition to another player’s bet
Rake:
• Cash games at a casino or online will take a cut from each hand to make money. The rake depends upon such things as the location and generally has a cap to ensure not too much money is deducted from large pots. Sometimes called the “Vig” or “Viggorish”
Rake Back:
• Some online operators will return a certain amount of the ‘Rake’ taken from players either as part of a promotional campaign or a ‘player’s club’ reward scheme
Range:
• The possible hands of an opponent
Re-Buy:
This has 2 meanings and is also known as Reload:
1. Some tournaments allow players to re-enter once they have busted out. This is done through a re-buy
2. In cash games if a player has below a certain amount of chip they can re-buy additional chips
Re-deal:
• If a hand is misdealt then a re-deal is carried out
Re-draw:
• Making one hand but then having a draw for a better one
Represent:
• This is when a player plays their hand as if it was a specific hand. Regardless of whether that is what they are holding or not
Reverse Implied Odds:
• This is an estimate of the amount a player could lose if they hit the draw but their hand is still worse than an opponent’s
Reverse Tell:
• When a player intentionally tries to deceive their opponent by acting in a way which suggests a common tell, but it is actually the opposite. Also known as a “false” tell
Ring Game:
• This is an alternative name for a cash game where real money is gambled on each hand. In ring games players may come and go as they please and can re-buy in the event they run out of money
River:
• The 5th and final community card which is dealt face-up on the board. It is also known as 5th street
Rock:
• Classed as a very tight player. They rarely play anything but the best of hands
ROI:
• While this is a standard financial term and means “Return On Investment” it is used to work out how much a player is making. To calculate ROI simply divide your profit by your expenses and then multiply by 100. This will give you your ROI percentage
Royal Flush:
• Yes please! This is the best possible hand in poker. It is when a player has a straight from 10 to Ace all of the same suit
Rounder:
• This term refers to a player who plays poker for a living. The term originated from players who ‘made the rounds’ by visiting all the high stakes games they could find
Runner:
• In general, this refers to the turn and river when a player catches cards on both to beat another hand. It is possible to make a ‘runner flush’ when getting Hearts on the turn and on the river
Running Good/Running Bad:
• Indicates a stretch of good/bad luck with the cards
Rush:
• What you want! This is a prolonged winning streak. Also referred to as a “Heater”
That’s it for the letter R in our installment of “Texas Hold’em – The A-Z of Poker speak”. There is little doubt you will be familiar with some of the terms above, but hopefully you have added to your Texas Hold’em vocabulary with ones previously unheard of.
There’s lots more to come:
Do keep a close eye out as we build this extensive compendium on the A-Z of Hold’em jargon. It will add to your knowledge of common terms as well as the more obscure ones. What is more, you will be able to impart your knowledge to friends as well as foes!
Our next article continues with the letter ‘S’ and includes why a ‘Scare Card’ can be good or bad, why you should be wary of the ‘Sharks’ out there, and the reason to take a break if the ‘Steam’ comes over you!