A little while ago, on another Web site, I broke down some beginner and advanced craps terms for new players to help them feel more comfortable at the craps table. I found it to be an extremely helpful exercise and would like to bring that to poker over the course of a few articles.
OK, let’s get started. I’ll leave out the most obvious ones like an ante, a bet, etc… We all should be past that remedial level even if you’re new to the game.
Action: This is simply your chance to make a move. Your turn.
All-in: Common in Texas Hold ‘Em games, this bet means you are putting your entire chip count into play. You can’t bring out more cash, so you’re entirely invested in the hand you’re currently playing. Side pots can exist if other players continue betting above what you’re all-in amount is. If you win, you’ll win the pot up to the point of your bet.
Backdoor: No, it’s not what you think it is. (Well, it is, but not in this instance). This means you’ve played a hand through to the river, but didn’t “make” your hand (a flush, straight, trips…) until the turn and the river. You might have had an early pair or three to a straight, but both the turn and the river brought you each one step closer to that final hand.
Bad beat: The heart of most frustration at the poker table at all levels of play. You know when the No. 1 seed in a basketball game does everything right but still goes down to another team because they hit a prayer at the buzzer? That’s a bad beat. Same thing in poker. Statistically, you should win…but we all know games aren’t played on statistics, they’re played inside our television sets.
Big blind/small blind: The large and small bets forced in to start a game of Hold ‘em. They also represent the full and half amount of the current bet at the table. This rotates, so if you play for a full rotation, at some point you will be both the big and small blind. If nobody bets, the big blind can choose to check before the hand continues to be dealt.
Big slick: All right, nicknames! You’ve heard of bullets for a pair of aces, right? Well, this bastard child of that hand is called big slick. Ace, King of different suits.
And we’ll continue on with the middle of the B’s next time.