Poker Slang Terms & What They Mean - Poker Glossary

It’s hard to find a casino game more iconic than poker. It has been the backbone of gambling houses for centuries and has lit up high-roller circuits with poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker. While even the most casual of table game players will have a decent idea of what the game of poker entails, it’s a pastime with plenty of slang and technical terms that a layman might not be able to fully wrap their head around. So we’ve decided to break down the terminology you might find when sitting at a virtual poker table at Stake Casino.

What Are Some Popular Poker Phrases and Terminology?

As a player, do you know your pocket pair from your pair of aces? If you find yourself struggling to work out why you would need a river card for a game played on land, this list will give you the knowledge to confidently play with friends or online here at Stake.com . Here’s our rundown of some of the key phrases and terminology to keep in mind when settling in for a game of poker from our catalogue , including slang and official terms.

Angle Shooting

This one could be seen as being a little on the naughty side. Shooting the angle or angle shooting is when a player makes the most of underhand tactics against their opponents to get ahead. Think of those players who are trying to get into your head by pretending to make mistakes and taking the concept of bluffing a little too far.

Board

In poker, the community cards that are used by players to make up their hands - that is, the cards that aren’t dished out to players and remain on the table - are commonly referred to as board cards or even just the board. This is where things like the river card and flop will be drawn from.

Busting

Now for one that might be a bit more intuitive no matter your level of experience as a poker player. Busting or being busted refers to being out of funds to continue the game. For example, if you’re playing a Stake Poker tournament and your stack of chips is gone, you’re busted and are dropping out of play. This is why it’s important to effectively plan your stack size when entering a tournament to avoid unnecessary busting.

Button

When you’re playing with friends, this will usually refer to the player who has been selected to act as the dealer. In basic terms, this could be described as the dealer button. In a game against the house, the button represents the last player in a round. Players who take this position could be described as betting on the button. Being towards the end of a round of play is also often called the late positions.

Clicking Buttons

Think of an elderly family member the first time they got access to a computer. They probably had no idea what they were doing and spent their time trying to print off a video. The term clicking buttons has a similar origin. It originally referred to players who took part in online poker and made nonsense decisions, thought to be just clicking at random. It’s now even made its way to in-person games.

Cooler

If you have ever played a game of poker, you might have experienced or at least witnessed a time when two players reached something of an impasse. When both players have strong hands and the game is balanced on a knife edge, with both likely to be putting all of their money into the centre of the table, you could describe it as a cooler.

Flush and Straight Draws

These are technically two separate terms but mean much the same. A straight draw refers to an occasion where a player has four of the cards that would make a five-card straight hand with the addition of either one or both of the hole cards or cards from the board. A flush draw is much the same but a player will have four of the cards for a flush hand.

Hero

It’s often said that everyone wants to be the main character nowadays and that’s no different in poker … to an extent. This term is more often found in discussions or training videos in which someone is reviewing their or another’s hand. The individual whose hand is being reviewed will be known as the hero.

On the Tilt / On Tilt

Poker players who find themselves experiencing the tilt are those who seem to have all the luck - only it’s all bad luck. If your competitors always seem to have strong hands and you’re sitting with a pair as your best, you’ll feel like you’re up against it and might start behaving in a more emotional, money-losing way.

Sharks

If you find yourself playing a game of poker with people you maybe don’t know so well, you might experience an aggressive player who seems bullish with their choices and is extremely confident. It’s possible that they are, in fact, a shark. These are players who have bags of experience and look to take advantage of less certain opposition who maybe are a little newer to the game. Sharks may adopt strategies like the 3-bet , which you can learn more about in our guide.

Tanking

Playing any game against opponents can be frustrating. From the occasional instances of trash-talking to the inevitable gamesmanship and bluffing, there’s always something to get under the skin. In poker, though, time banking, or tanking, is something you might hear people complain about. It refers to a player who is delaying making a big decision, stretching their time out to its limits.

Whiff

The final term on this list might be the most troublesome for a poker player. To whiff is to not be able to improve your hand on a draw. For example, if you just need one card to complete a flush and your draw doesn’t do that, you’ve whiffed. It’s a word that does sound suitably irritating.

Playing Online Poker at Stake Casino

If reading up on some of those strange and unusual terms that you might hear around the poker table has given you a bit of the card bug, playing a game at Stake Casino is a simple job. You just need to find the Stake Table Games section first, before selecting games such as our very own classic Stake Poker from the list of games available.

From there, take the time to read the information about the game, which includes everything from the types of poker variants you can play, namely Omaha and Texas hold’em. It also explains all the different game modes you can make the most of, such as tournament play.

How Do You Play Poker? Stake’s How-To Game Guides

Casino games can sometimes be difficult to master for beginners. If you find yourself looking to get started with a game like poker, Stake has a number of guides and how-to's to help you approach a session including our online casino guide and best games for beginners . These guides will help you understand the flow of a game from beginning to end, covering everything from pre-flop betting strategies to the more advanced continuation bets.

As well as guides to games like poker, our how-tos include topics like return to player percentages , game bonus features and rules , and minimum and maximum bets . These can take you through the process of playing at an online casino and answer the questions you may have, including the ranking of poker hands and the lowest card values.

We've developed this handy poker cheat sheet to keep by your when playing poker online.

Stake VIP Club, Casino Promotions & Responsible Gambling

At Stake Casino, we think it’s important that we offer our players a full range of bonuses and promotions alongside the extensive catalogue of games. These include challenges and leaderboards for slots and more. You can enter Stake’s Weekly Raffle for random mega wins, or, Conquer the Casino and play to win a share of $50,000!

On top of these regular promotions, we also have our VIP Club where regular players will be rewarded based on what they stake weekly and monthly. There are different levels available with a dedicated VIP host who can help you with any information and guidance you need on the rewards. Check out our VIP Club FAQs for more info.

Before getting started, it’s key that players are aware of healthy behaviours when it comes to gaming. That’s why we offer responsible gambling resources , including our Stake Smart guide and monthly budget calculator that gives players the advice they need for healthy gaming.