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Miscall
A miscall is when a player announces the value of his hand incorrectly. It can be a real mistake or an attempt to mislead.
Muck
To muck is to fold your hand by throwing it into the discard pile. The pile itself is called the muck. A player can also muck his hand at showdown without showing it if he knows he has lost.
Open
To open is to be the first player to bet in a betting round. Before the flop it means to be the first to raise. An open raise is the first raise in the pot.
Open Limp
An open limp is entering the pot before the flop by only calling the big blind when nobody else has entered. You are the first player in, and you do not raise.
Open‑Shove
An open-shove is a first raise before the flop that is an all-in. The player pushes all his chips when nobody has raised yet.
Over the top
Over the top means to raise after a bet and one or more raises have already been made. It is a re-raise that puts pressure on the opponents and often shows a very strong hand.
Overcall
An overcall is a call after another player has bet and at least one other player has already called in the same round. You are calling behind a caller.
Pass
To pass is to fold. In some games, it means to decline to bet, or to check.
Peel
To peel is to call a bet with a drawing hand, to see the next card in the hope of improving. It is a small call that keeps the draw alive.
Peg
To peg cards is to mark the fronts of cards with a pin, tack or ring so that the cheater can later tell their rank by touch. It is a cheating technique.
Pegging
Pegging is a cheater's technique of marking cards with a fingernail or a device, so that the marks can be found later. It is the same as pricking.
Play Back
To play back is to raise or re-raise another player's bet. It is a way to answer aggression with aggression.
Play Behind
Play behind means that a player has extra chips or cash that is not in play, but available to use during the game. It is allowed in some cash games.
Play Over
To play over is to play in a seat when its occupant is absent. A player may take over the hand or the seat for a short time.
Potting Out
Potting out is an agreement with another player to take money out of a pot, often to buy food or drinks or to make side bets. It is done with the consent of the players.
Protect
To protect is to bet with the aim of reducing the number of opponents who continue in the hand, and so increasing your chances to win. It protects a good hand from being outdrawn.
Push
To push is to bet all your chips, going all in. The word also describes a pot that is tied or split between players, so nobody wins more than their own bet.
Pushing Bets
Pushing bets is an agreement between players to return bets to each other when one of them wins a pot in which the other plays. It is also called saving bets and is a form of collusion.
Put Down
To put down is to fold a hand. The word is the same as lay down.
Rabbit Hunting
Rabbit hunting is looking through the undealt cards of the deck after a hand has ended, to see which cards would have come. Most casinos do not allow it.
Raise
To raise is to increase the size of an existing bet in the same betting round. A raise is made after someone has bet, and it forces the others to put in more chips to stay in the hand.
Raise Blind
To raise blind is to raise without looking at your cards. In some games, it is a bet made in the dark, before the cards are seen.
Rap
A rap is a knock on the table by a player to show that he checks. It is a way to check without speaking.
Re‑raise
A re-raise is a second raise in a round of betting, made after an initial raise. Before the flop, it is also called a three-bet.
Redeal
A redeal is a new deal of the cards, usually after a misdeal. The dealer collects the cards and deals the hand again.
Run a Pot
To run a pot is to win a hand by bluffing through the hand, with more than one bet. The bettor bets several streets and wins with no best hand.
See
To see is to call. In the old style, a player says 'I see your bet' when he matches it.
Sell
To sell a hand is to bet less than the maximum with a very strong hand in a spread-limit game, in the hope that more players will call. It is a form of underplaying.
Ship It
'Ship it' is something players say when they win, or hope to win, a big pot: the pot is 'shipped' to the winner. It can be a cheerful call, but it is also heard as a taunt, so many players dislike hearing it after a loss.
Shove
To shove is to push all your chips into the pot, going all in. It is also called a jam or a push.
Show
To show is to expose your cards. At showdown, you show your hand to determine the winner.
Show Cards
Show cards are the exposed cards in stud, the cards that are dealt face up. Opponents can see them.