Poker has its own distinctive language just like so many other activities, from surfing the net to surfing the perfect wave. But do not be dismayed, it is not a plot against you, the newcomer to the game, it is simply an outgrowth of the popularity and longevity of the game of poker in its infinite variety. The following is a guide for those of you who are new to the game in online play and need more understanding of the communication both while engaged in the game and in the poker rooms and forums.
The first step for you to take is to learn the lingo in the most popular of the online games – Texas hold’em. Whether you are playing a limit, pot-limit, or no-limit game, there will from two to ten folks playing with you. The person handing out the cards to the players is the dealer. The dealer’s location at the table is demarcated by a special “button,” thus he may be termed “the button.” The button or dealer in online games is not to be thought of as the same as the dealer in a casino. The casino dealer is being paid for his work by the casino and in no way is a participant in the game.
In back of the dealer are two players who make bets blindly. Only the table limit keeps the lid on their bets. They cannot bet over the particular table’s limit. The first blind bet is for half of the table limit and is termed the small blind, the second player places a bet for the full table limit, the big blind. So, if the table limit $2/$4, the small blind will be for $2 and the big blind for $4. You often see abbreviations which designate the player’s position. SB stands for small blind and BB denotes the big blind. Of course this seems too easy and it is. SB can also mean small bet and BB big bet, having nothing to do with blind. Be aware of this and distinguish between them while engaged in play.
The first move is always made by the small blind player. Because of this, his position is counted as the first position. The button, or dealer, plays last and is counted as whatever that number is depending on the number of players at the table. The second move is by the big blind and the third player is still in an early position and “under the gun” or UTG. Following are the next two positions also considered “early” are known as UTG +1 and UTG + 2. Are you still with me?
The next three players represent the middle position: MP1, MP2, and MP3. The next “late” position includes the player immediately before the button – referred to as the cutoff or CO – and finally the button player him or her self.
These are position terms for a ten player Texas Holdem game. In a game of less than ten players, some of the positions will be missing.
The first step of the game is called the preflop, during which each player is dealt two pocket cards. Three “streets” follow the preflop: the flop, the turn (the fourth street), and the river (the fifth street). During these rounds community cards are laid out on the table (also “the board”), called after the relevant streets: first three flop cards, then one turn and one river card. Flop cards of different suits are called a rainbow.
This should be enough to get you started at the poker table. You can, and should continue to learn more poker jargon so that you won’t be caught off guard by something someone says at the table.
The author is a full time online poker player and makes the majority of his income from his online play and rakeback at Poker Kings. To sign up for a Rakeback account of your own visit Rakeback Solution.
