beginner
Limit Stakes
Limit stakes are a betting structure in which the largest bet and raise on each round is fixed in advance. Stakes such as $2/$4 describe the bet size on the early and late streets.
Limp
To limp is to enter the pot before the flop by only calling the big blind instead of raising. A player who does this is a limper. It is usually seen as a passive and weak play.
Limper
A limper is a player who enters the pot by calling rather than raising. Before the flop in Hold'em, a player who just calls the big blind is limping in.
Liner
A liner is a face card. The name comes from the line you can see when the card is face down and its lower right corner is lifted.
List
A list is the ordered roster of players who are waiting for a game. Players put their names on it when no seat is free.
Little Blind
The little blind is the first and smallest blind bet, also called the small blind. It is posted by the player left of the button.
Little Cat
Little cat is a nonstandard hand that is sometimes given value in home games: five cards from 3 to 9 with no pair, in some circles 3 to 8. It ranks above a big dog and below a big tiger. It is also called little tiger.
Little Dog
Little dog is a nonstandard hand that is sometimes given value in home games: five cards from 2 to 7 with no pair. It ranks below a big dog and above a straight.
Little Oldsmobile
Little Oldsmobile is a nickname for a pair of eights, 8-8. It is named after the Oldsmobile car model number 88.
Live Blind
A live blind is a blind or dark bet that gives the player the option to raise, even if nobody else raises. It is also known as the option.
Live Cards
Live cards are cards that can still improve your hand because they are not in the opponents' hands or on the board. In Hold'em, a hand with live cards is a hand that has not been dominated and still has a good chance to win.
Live Hand
A live hand is a hand that is still eligible to win the pot. It has the correct number of cards and has not been mucked or ruled dead.
Live One
A live one is a not very knowledgeable player who plays a lot of hands. Good players like to have him at the table, because he loses money.
LMAO
LMAO is chat shorthand for 'laughing my ass off', a stronger version of LOL. In poker chat it is used to react to an extremely funny or unlikely situation.
Lock
A lock is a hand that cannot lose. It is also called the nuts, or a cinch.
LOL
LOL is chat shorthand for 'laughing out loud'. People type it when something is funny. In online poker chat it is used in the same way, often after an unlikely result.
Lollipop Hand
Lollipop hand is a nickname for ace-queen, A-Q.
Long Odds
Long odds describe a very low probability that something will happen. A long shot is a hand that is unlikely to win.
Look
A look is a call of the final bet before the showdown. The player who looks calls to see the opponent's hand.
Loose
A loose player is a player who plays a lot of hands, including weak ones. He enters many pots and is less selective than the average player. The opposite style is tight.
Loose Game
A loose game is a game in which many players are involved in many hands. The players are not selective, so pots are larger and more frequent.
Loose-Passive
A loose-passive player plays many hands, and calls rather than bets or raises. He is also called a calling station.
Low Hand
A low hand is a hand that wins by being the lowest. In hi-lo games it takes half the pot, and in lowball games it takes all of it. In many games the best low hand is A-2-3-4-5, known as the wheel.
Low Limit
A low limit game is a game in which the amounts wagered are small. Players can learn there with little risk.
Low-Stakes
Low stakes are poker games with small blinds, above micro stakes but below mid stakes. Online they are roughly $0.25/$0.50 to $0.50/$1, and in live rooms games such as $1/$2 are usually called low stakes.
Lowball
Lowball is a form of poker in which the lowest hand wins the pot. Variants include ace-to-five lowball and deuce-to-seven lowball, which rank hands differently.
Lowcard
Lowcard is the card with the lowest value in a hand or on the board. In stud, the player with the lowcard must start the betting with the bring-in.
Luck
Luck is the influence of chance, rather than skill, in a game. In poker, luck can decide the short term, but in the long run skill wins.
Luck Out
To luck out is to outdraw and beat a good hand. The player who was behind catches the card he needs.
Made Hand
A made hand is a hand that is already complete and does not need more cards to be strong, such as a pair, a straight, a flush or a full house. It is the opposite of a drawing hand.
Make
To make the deck is to shuffle the deck. It is an old way to say that the dealer mixes the cards.
Maniac
A maniac is a very loose and very aggressive player who bets and raises with many hands, often when it is not a good idea. He puts lots of chips into the pot and makes the game very wild.