• Poker Pattern Order
• Poker Pattern Names

Poker Terms - Common Phrases and Acronyms. In poker, there is practically a library of poker terms that are commonly used. For the uninitiated, these terms can sound like a completely different language, when a poker player says, 'I flopped a belly buster on a rainbow board', when they are really saying that they have an inside straight draw, after the dealer dealt the first three cards, all. Poker Terminology & Meanings. The game of poker has its own slang or “poker talk.” If you are new to poker, learning the poker slang will greatly improve your knowledge of the game. From the small blind to the straight flush, here is a poker glossary of the important poker terms to know. Act: check, bet, raise, or fold.

The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.

Popular poker variants[edit]

The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups:

• Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
• Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
• Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.

Here are more common rule variations:

1. Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
2. High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
3. Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
4. Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
5. Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
6. A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
7. A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
8. Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.^[1]

Mixed poker games[edit]

Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.

Other mixed games include:

• H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
• H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
• H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
• O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
• H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
• Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
• Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).

Specific poker variant games[edit]

Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.

High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]

Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.

Follow the Queen[edit]

This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.^[2][3]

Countdown[edit]

In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.^[4]

This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.

Billabong and Shanghai[edit]

Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.

Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.

Guts[edit]

Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.

Five-O poker[edit]

Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a “Five-O” win.

Chinese poker[edit]

Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.

Kuhn poker[edit]

Poker Pattern Order

Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.^[5]

See also[edit]

Poker Pattern Names

References[edit]

1. ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
2. ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
3. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
4. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
5. ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).

Today, when someone asks if you play poker, they generally mean Texas Hold ‘Em – a game that’s become increasingly popular over the past decade thanks to the World Series of Poker and movies like “Rounders.”

But there are many versions and variations of poker, the main types being stud, draw and community card games. At “friendly” tables, the dealer often has the choice of deciding the type of game. More structured tournaments usually specify the format from the get-go.

Below are a few of the most popular versions of poker that you may encounter at your weekly dealer’s-choice poker game. If you don’t know these, you’ll be at a disadvantage when something wild (like FOLLOW THE QUEEN!) is called.

Common terms you should know

Before we dive in to the specific games, there are a few terms every player (and prospective player) needs to know:

Ante – the minimum amount you must gamble to get into the action of the game.

Blinds – money (generally in chip form) put on the table before the cards are dealt; there are typically two blinds (called the “small” and the “big”) and ensure money is being wagered with each hand; blinds rotate from player to player with each new deal.

Call – when a new wager has been placed, a “call” indicates that player’s willingness to match the raised amount.

Check – if no new wager has been made and the player doesn’t wish to raise, they may “check”.

Raise – the player wishes to increase the table bet.

For a more complete list of poker terms, check out Wikipedia’s glossary of poker terms.

Popular poker games

In “stud” games, players are dealt a number of cards (typically 5 or 7) and must use those original cards to make their best hand.

In “draw” games, the players may decide to trade in some of their cards (generally up to 3) in an effort to improve their hand.

In “community card” games, the players are dealt “hole cards” face down (cards that are uniquely theirs) then play off the community cards to make their best hand. What makes them “community cards?” The other players at the table also may play off them.

Texas Hold ‘Em

Played in the World Series of Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em is easily the most popular poker game in America today. In Texas Hold ‘Em, players are dealt two “pocket” or “hole cards” then wait for 5 community cards to be revealed.

Betting takes place in four rounds: once after the hole cards are dealt, once after the first three community cards are revealed (referred to as “the flop”), once after the fourth community card is revealed (“the turn”) and lastly after the fifth community card is flipped (“the river”). Players must make their best hands with any combination of 5 cards (their hole cards and the communal).

Omaha

Omaha is another type of Hold ‘Em that can be played by 2-10 players at a time. Like Texas Hold ‘Em, there are four rounds of betting, but unlike that version, each player is dealt four hole cards and the five community cards are immediately revealed. Players must make their best 5-card hands from two of their hole cards and three of the common.

7-Card Stud

In 7-Card Stud, each player is dealt 7 cards, three down and four up. Players must make best possible 5-card hand from their 7.

5-Card Draw

Each player is dealt 5 cards, but on the initial go around, the player may choose to trade in up to 3 of them.

High / Low Chicago

This stud game can be played for the highest hand or the lowest. In High Chicago, the player with the highest spade face-down wins half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade face-down wins half the pot.

The other half of the pot is won by the player with the best hand. If someone, however, has the best hand and the winning spade (high or low, depending on version), that player will win the entire pot.

This game can be added to, and played simultaneously with, many other poker variations.

Follow the Queen

This is a 7-card stud poker game in which the wild card is designated to be the next exposed card after a queen is flipped. If no queens are flipped, there are no wild cards that hand.

And keep in mind there are almost infinite ways to win at poker, and many rules are malleable. It is important to know the specific guidelines of the game you’re in…

For example, be sure to know:

• If a high hand or low hand wins in your game (some games offer hi/low, in which the high hand and the low hand split the pot).
• If an Ace is high or low.
• If there are wild cards.
• If there is a pot limit (how much money can be wagered on any single hand).
• If the deck is a typical 52 or some other amalgamation (for example, a “royal deck” uses two decks but only cards 9-A, which results in a deck of 48).

At Clearwater Casino Resort, one of the top Seattle casino resorts, we offer 3-card poker on the floor as well as regular poker games and tournaments in our Poker Room where we pay out more than $50,000 in tournament cash every month!