I Am John's Stomach Pains.

On The Precipice of Mediocrity, Teetering

Friday, February 11, 2005

Babel Shark ('Cause I Ain't No Fish)  

Since I realized a number of you seem a tad confuzzled when I discuss poker, I thought I'd help you out by explaining some of the words that pop up from time to time, just to give ya' some learnin'. And this way, when you're flipping by ESPN (or any of the other 8 channels which show poker frequently) you'll understand what the announcers are jabbering on about. Plus, you'll be able to appreciate my stunning wins and horrible losses a tad better.

Back Door: This is a frustrating event when a player hits a hand they weren't expecting on the flop, usually a runner runner straight/flush.

Runner Runner: Just so there's no confusion, it's when a player uses 4th street and 5th street in their final hand to usually come from behind. It's the "smart players" bane because the odds were in their favor that it wouldn't come, so now they've gotten a bad beat.

Bad Beat: When the odds are completely stacked in a player's favor, but a card comes to flip it at the end.

Big Slick: You hold Ace-King. It doesn't have to be suited, but it helps :-) The third best starting hand in Hold 'Em.

Blind: Forced bets before a deal. Instead of antes, which many are used to, the person two seats off of the button (ie. the "dealer") must put up a Big Blind, and the person between them puts up the Small blind, which is half the BB (in a 3-6 game, the SB is 1). To stay in once the cards are dealt, the other players must call the BB. The BB also has the final option to raise when it gets back around.

Button: Since there's an actual dealer at the cardrooms, the button signifies who would be dealing if there wasn't. It rotates every hand. When you are On The Button, you are in best position for everything after the flop, because you are last to go. (note pre-flop, the blinds still have to go there turn)

Flop: After the initial betting rounds, the dealer burns a card, and flips up three cards. It is also a verb. The minimum bet and max raise is $3 in a 3-6 game.

Turn /Fourth Street: These are both the same thing, the fourth card that comes on the board. In a 3-6 game, the minimum bet is now $6, as is the max raise.

River /Fifth Street: The final card on the board. Again, like the turn, the minimum bet is double the BB.

Capped: This means that the hand cannot be raised any more at that moment. This is usually four bets. So Pre-flop, and flop, the bet is capped if it gets to $12. Turn and River, $24. Note that if the hand becomes Heads Up, most card rooms drop their cap.

Heads Up: When the hand is only two people.

Gutshot: Staying in when only a specific rank of a card can come and save you. This is almost always in terms of chasing an inside straight. Say you have J-8, and the board comes 10-x-7. A 9 on either the turn or river would give you a gutshot straight

Nuts: The best possible hand at the moment. If you hold pocket 8's (aka Snowmen), and the flop come 3-4-8, you currently hold the nuts, because you've flopped a set (trips). Note that if any higher card comes, you no longer have the nuts (they could now have a set, as well), and if a 2 or 5 comes, someone could have a straight. The nuts can constantly change at each round. The pure nuts means you have the best possible hand after the river, and you cannot lose.

On tilt: Usually occurs after a Bad Beat, it means you are playing poorly, mostly because you've lost a number of hands in a short amount of time.

Fish: Since it was in my title, a fish is basically dead money, someone who continues to lose cash. Usually a novice.

Doyle Brunson: Holding 10-2 in your hands, named because Texas Dolly won back-to-back titles with the hand. Only a hand that I play in the BB or possibly SB, but when you win, it's fun to flip up "Doyle" (in fact, I did it last night).

Under The Gun: The first person the bet in a round. Pre-Flop, this is three off the button (after the BB and SB), and post-flop, it is one off the button.

Live 6: In a 3-6 game, a Live 6 is when the person Under The Gun raises the BB before the cards are even dealt. A risky play, but you also get the option to raise that the BB would have had at the end of round. I like to do this if I just won a big pot and I'm UTG.

Rainbow: I mentioned this in my first hand below. It means when the flop comes, it is all different suits. The odds of someone hitting a flush are greatly reduced.

That's a good start, should have most of the terminology I'd use. If there's anything that comes up that you don't know, I'll add it to the list.

posted by Holz | 10:00 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (1)

1 Comments:

Cannot. Fucking. Wait

By Blogger Holz, at 2/11/2005 3:47 PM  


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100 Bullets #42