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 is the final installment and covers the letters T-Z.
Have fun reading!
T is for:
Table Stakes:
• This means a player can only win or lose the amount they have in play at the beginning of a hand. It is very rare that you will find a game which is not table stakes these days
Tank:
• This is when a player is at a critical point in a poker hand and they are taking their time in coming to a major decision. – They are in the Tank
Tell:
• A verbal or non-verbal action a player makes that gives away information relating to their hand. Online tells can include the size of bet and timing of the bet
Texas Penny:
• $100
Third Man Walking:
• Only 2 players are allowed to be absent from a table at one time. The 3rd person to leave is known as the “Third Man Walking”. When the blind reaches them, they will have their chips removed from the table
Three Bet (3-Bet):
• A Re-Raise, Bet, Raise (2-Bet), Re-Raise (3-Bet)
Three of a Kind:
• 3 cards of the same rank
Tight:
• A tight player is seen as one who plays very few hands. They will wait for premium hands before entering pots and play. A common poker strategy is known as TAG or ‘tight aggressive’. This is a strategy where the player concerned enters few hands but when they finally do, they make large and consistent bets as well as raises
Tilt:
• This is when a player is experiencing a bad run, they continue to play badly and lose lots of hands because they are unable to control their temper or get their focus back. If you are going on the tilt, take a break and only re-enter/start playing again when you are fully back in control
Time:
Two meanings:
• If a player asks for more time to think over their decision. This can happen in live as well as online games
• Some operators charge a time fee on top of, or in place of the rake
Toke:
• A tip to the dealer from a player who has just won the pot
Top Kicker:
• When a player has the highest possible kicker, usually an Ace (unless there is already an ace on the board)
Top Pair:
• When a player pairs one of their hole cards with the highest ranked card on the board
Top Top:
• Having the Top Pair with the Top Kicker
Top Two:
• These are the best 2 possible pairs based on what a player holds and the community cards
Tournament:
• Players buy into a tournament for a set amount. They then receive tournament chips. All players involved in the tournament then play down to the last person who has all the chips and therefore wins the tournament. It is usual for the top 10% of players in a tournament to be paid winnings
Trips:
• This is a slang term for 3-of-a-kind. It also refers to making 3-of-a-kind by matching 1 of your hole cards with a Pair on the board
Turbo:
• Quick thinking required! This is a tournament variation where all players have less time than normal to make decisions and the blinds go up faster than normal
Turn:
• The turn is also known as 4th Street. This is the 4th community card and is dealt face-up on the board
U is for:
Underdog:
• Any player who has a statistically lower chance of winning a pot with the cards they hold compared to their opponent is classed as the underdog
Under the Gun (UTG):
• It is all about position! This is the player who is first to act in a betting round. Pre-Flop you are UTG if you are to the left of the Big Blinds (BBs) and after the flop, UTG is the first active player sitting to the left of the dealer
Up:
• This describes the value of a 2-pair poker hand – Example: A player holding a Pair of Kings, a Pair of 8’s and a 3 of Clubs would be described as ‘Kings Up’
Up the Ante:
• To increase the stakes
V is for:
Value Bet:
• When a player is quite certain they have the best hand and want pay-off from their opponent. A common strategy when placing a Value Bet is to place a smaller than normal bet in order to persuade an opponent to call
Villain:
• This is a nickname given to opponents in a game. You will see the term used regularly in online guides and poker books
VPIP:
• The acronym for “Voluntary Put (Money) In Pot”. It is a measure of how often a particular player enters a pot. It does not include when they are in the big or small blind. This measurement shows the range of starting hands that individual is using
W is for:
Walk:
• When all other players fold to the BB, or the straddle player if this is in play, leaving them to collect the pot
Weak Ace:
• Holding an Ace with a low ranked card
Wet Board:
• When the community cards on the board offer lots of possibilities in terms of draws or to connect. Example: 8, 9, Jack
Wheel:
• This is the lowest possible straight a player can have. A wheel consists of: An Ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Whale Count:
• An alternative name used when describing a high roller
Window Card:
• In Hold’em this is the 1st card turned over when showing the flop
Wired Pair:
• These are dealt hold cards which are a pair
Z is for:
Zero Sum:
• This term refers to any game where a player’s odds of winning are exactly equal to their odds of losing
That’s it for the letters T-Z and our final 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.