All 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Word Description
Sandbagging Holding back and calling despite the fact that you have a very good hand, usually to disguise strength, provoke bluffs, and to check-raise.

Satellite A tournament that does not award cash to its winners, but a seat (or seats) in a subsequent "target" tournament.


Scare Card A card that may well turn the best hand into trash. If you have Tc-8c and the flop comes Qd-Jd-9s, you almost assuredly have the best hand. However, a turn card of Td would be very scary


Second Pair A pair with the second highest card on the flop. If you have As-Ts, and the flop comes Kd-Th-6c, you have flopped second pair. See "top pair."


Semi-Bluff A powerful concept first discussed by David Sklansky. It is a bet or raise that you hope will not be called, but you have some outs if it is. A semi-bluff may be correct when betting for value is not correct, a pure bluff is not correct, but the combination of the two may be a positive expectation play. Example: you have Ks-Qs, and the flop is Th-5s-Jc. If you bet now, it's a semi-bluff. You probably don't have the best hand, and you'd like to see your opponents fold immediately. Nevertheless, if you do get callers, you could still improve to the best hand.


Session The period in which a poker game is held.

Set Three of a kind when you have two of the rank in your hand, and there is one on the board.


Shark A good/crafty player often posing as a fish early in the game.

Shills Shills are paid props who help start and maintain poker games.

Shoot-out A tournament with no rebuys. When you lose all your chips, you're out. More usually called a "freeze-out" or, in the case of a single table, a "sit-and-go".

Short Stack A number of chips that is not very many compared to the other players at the table. If you have $10 in front of you, and everybody else at the table has over $100, you are playing on a short stack.


Short-Handed An adjective used to describe a game with few players but also used sometimes to describe 6max games

Showdown The point at which all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over and determine who has the best hand -- i.e., after the fourth round of betting is completed. Of course, if a final bet or raise is not called, there is no showdown.


Side Pot A pot created in which a player has no interest because he has run out of chips. Example: Al bets $6, Beth calls the $6, and Carl calls, but he has only $2 left. An $8 side pot is created that either Al or Beth can win, but not Carl. Carl, however, can still win all the money in the original or "center" pot.


Sitting Out This is when you choose to leave a table for a few hands. If a Player sits out for more than fifteen minutes, or has missed two rounds of blinds, they are removed from the table.

Slow Play To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay in the pot.


Small Blind The smaller of two blind bets typically used in a hold'em game. Normally, the small blind is one-third to two-thirds of a first round bet. See also "big blind" and "blind."


Smooth Call To call. Smooth call often implies slow playing a strong hand. Example: "I flopped the nut flush but just smooth called when the guy in front of me bet -- I didn't want to scare anybody out."


Solid A fairly tight player (and reasonably good).

Split Pot A pot that is shared by two or more players because they have equivalent hands.


Squeeze To raise a raiser and a caller putting pressure on the original player knowing there is still a player to act

Stack A pile of chips.

Stake The amount of a player's BUY-IN, or the amount of money they are willing to play with in a given session.

Steal To steal the pot is raising in expectation that all other players will fold, if they fold the player has stolen the pot.

Steal Position The next to last or last position at a poker table

Steal the Antes To win a small pot consisting only of antes by betting a weak hand and having the other players fold.

Steal the Blinds To win a small pot consisiting of only blinds by betting a weak hand and having other players fold.

Straight Five consecutive cards of any suit.

Straight Flush Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Street Cards dealt on a particular round

Suckout Suckout is a slang poker term for when someone draws out on their opponent. Usage: For example – Let's say you have pocket Aces, and your opponent pocket Kings. You both go all in. The cards come down, and your opponent catches a King to give him the winning hand. Your opponent has sucked out on you. Ex – "Yeah, I was ahead when the money went in, and then he sucked out on me on the turn when he caught his spade."

Suit A characteristic of a playing card. The card being either of Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, or Spades.

Suited A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are the same suit. Example: "I had to play J-3 -- it was suited."


Suited Connectors Two cards that are consecutive in rank and of the same suit.

Super Turbo Type of Game where the blinds increase extremely fast compared to normal games