More poker terms for you this week, picking up where we left off with the letter C.
Calling Station: First, you need to know what call means, and that’s just to put chips into the pot equal to the last bet or raise. “Seeing” a bet is the same as calling it. OK, now a calling station is a term for a weak player who tends to just call hands. He won’t raise, bluff or fold too often. Another words, he’s ripe for taking advantage of. And he’s usually the one writing the checks at the end of the night. If you ever hear someone refer to you as a calling station, you are the sucker. (Once again, thank you Rounders).
Case: Certainly a lesser-known term which refers to the last card of a particular rank in the deck. For example, if the flop in a game of texas hold ‘em is Q, 10, 2, and you have a pocket 10’s. Then, the case 10 comes on the river and you beat the competition. It’s called the case 10 because it’s the last 10 yet to be discovered in the deck.
Check-Raise: To those who know what this is, don’t worry, I’ll spare you another Rounders quote. To those that don’t, it’s the practice of checking your hand and then coming back and raising when a player behind you makes a bet. Don’t whine about how this is a backhanded tactic, either. Either read your opponents better or shut up. It’s a man’s game, and you got played.
Chop: A deal between the blinds to take their bets back instead of playing out the hand if there are no bets, calls or raises around the rest of the table.
Clean Out: The card that clearly crowns you the winner. Not to be confused with a card that makes your hand but still leaves the door open for someone else to make their stronger hand. So be careful what you consider that clean out card.
Crack: Another whiner or winner’s word, depending on who’s using it. Crack means to beat a big hand. Something that’s not “supposed” to happen in poker. And when something’s not “supposed” to happen, that’s when professionals often turn into babies. Just ask Phil Hellmuth. Right, babe? But if you’re doing the cracking, it’s a great word to use. “Man, I cracked the hell out of those Aces.”